Breaking: Big Change At NHL Players Association

The National Hockey League Players Association is about to undergo a major change, as the new executive director has apparently pushed out longtime No. 2 man, and hockey lifer, Mathieu Schneider. 

Sources say Mathieu Schneider and the #NHLPA have parted ways, after 12 years at the No. 2 post in the players’ union. Told the push was made by executive director Marty Walsh.@DailyFaceoff

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) August 17, 2023

NHL Insider Frank Seravalli is reporting that top exec Marty Walsh made the move to part ways with Schneider, who has been second in command at the NHLPA for a dozen years. Walsh, the former U.S. Secretary of Labor, just took over as executive director earlier this year. 

Schneider has been with the players union since retiring in 2010, and was involved in some major developments in the league, such as changes to the ’head-shot’ and boarding rules. 

The 54-year-old had a 21-year NHL career as a defenseman, finishing with 223 goals and 743 points in 1,289 games. He spent eight years with the Montreal Canadiens, who drafted him in the third round of the 1987 Draft. The New York-born Schneider was inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2015. 

We'll undoubtedly hear more about this breaking story as it evolves.