Yet even more info HE IS A BIG defenceman, he has played with Mats Sundin, was coached by Pat Quinn and has lacrosse connections in Whitby.
That's enough to make Adam Foote feel welcome at the Air Canada Centre on any day of the week. But with unrestricted free agents up for grabs as of Monday and sources saying Toronto has always been high on Foote's list of new teams, no further background checks should be required.
Foote, like Peter Forsberg, appears to be caught in the salary cap squeeze of the Colorado Avalanche, who have indicated Joe Sakic and Rob Blake, both contracted, are their first priorities in staying under $39 million US, the National Hockey League limit. However, Avs general manager Pierre Lacroix might not want to lose both Forsberg and Foote, unless he has his own free agent in mind as a replacement.
Foote, 34, has been obscured in recent weeks as Scott Niedermayer, Sergei Gonchar and Derian Hatcher were shoved toward the door by their respective clubs. But Foote would be a catch, a two-time Canadian Olympian and Stanley Cup winner with the Avalanche.
TIGHT-LIPPED
Sundin's one-time teammate on the Quebec Nordiques is busy in the Whitby lacrosse scene (he once played the sport in the same area as Leafs' Gary Roberts and Joe Nieuwendyk) and is laying low until next week. Leafs GM John Ferguson and Quinn, the Toronto and Team Canada coach, are tight-lipped on the subject of free agents. This week, Ferguson is negotiating with Roberts, Nieuwendyk and Tie Domi, the latter keeping curiously close to Pittsburgh Penguins' owner Mario Lemieux these days.
Ferguson has until tomorrow -- at 5 p.m. -- to decide if he is buying out any Leafs to clear room for his own restricted and unrestricted free agents and next week's league-wide shopping spree.
Foote won't be cheap (he was worth $4.4 million US to Denver in the pre-rollback days), but never underestimate what players will do if they want badly enough to be Leafs. Richard Peddie, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd., spoke of the club's intangible "star power" on The Fan 590 radio earlier this week.
"Maybe someone would want to play (strongly enough) for Toronto for a little bit less money," Peddie said.
TORONTO (CP) - Bob Goodenow stepped down as head of the NHL Players' Association on Thursday, saying the time was right to hand the baton to his lieutenant Ted Saskin.
The news comes one week after the players' held their noses and voted in favour of a new labour deal. At the time Goodenow said he enjoyed his work and planned to serve out his contract.
That changed, he said Thursday, after discussions with the NHLPA executive committee. There was always going to be a transition, Goodenow told a news conference. He just "accelerated" the process.
"I've enjoyed very much my involvement and I think that the transition which would have occurred in the future, being moved up as it has been today, is the right step at the right time," he explained.
"There's the old saying, when it feels good and it looks good, go ahead and do it, and that's what we've done."
Goodenow had "a couple of years left" on a contract that reportedly paid him $2.5 million US a year. Apparently a settlement was negotiated to take care of that deal.
"What we've worked out is an accommodation that's satisfactory to everyone," he said.
The hard-nosed Goodenow officially took as NHLPA executive director in 1992, but had been running the show behind the scenes as early as 1991 in the messy departure of Alan Eagleson.
He said he had no immediate plans.
"I have no plans for anything right now. I'm going to take a few months off and think about what I might want to do in the future. I really haven't given it any thought."
Goodenow called his time with the NHLPA "a tremendous pleasure."
"It's a tremendous sport, it's a great group of people and I get to tell you that I think the future is very bright for the sport and for everyone involved in it," he said.
Saskin, the NHLPA's senior director of business affairs and licensing, will succeed Goodenow as executive director and general counsel. Saskin served as the union's lead negotiator on the labour deal, sparring with Bill Daly of the NHL.
Goodenow said Saskin was "uniquely situated" to take over given his work on the collective bargaining agreement.
It is widely believed that the new labour deal, with its salary cap and linkage to league revenues, was not favoured by Goodenow.
But as the lockout wiped out the entire 2004-05 season, players made their voices heard. NHLPA president Trevor Linden stepped in and the union returned to the bargaining table ready to negotiate
On Thursday, Goodenow dismissed a suggestion the agreement was a failure. And he showed some emotion when asked about suggestions he had played a smaller role in the negotiations as the months wore on.
He rejected the suggestion, growing emotional when talking about how a "personal matter" had taken him away from the process at one point.
"My mother passed away last week and I had some days where I was preoccupied," he said.
In its statement announcing Goodenow's departure, the NHLPA said: "This decision followed discussions between Goodenow and members of the executive committee about the organization's future."
Linden spoke warmly of Goodenow in the statement announcing his departure.
"Every NHL player has benefited enormously from Bob's leadership and dedication. He has been a tireless advocate for the players and he dramatically improved the players' situation in every respect. Bob built the NHLPA into a first-class organization and we are all very grateful to him."
Linden also praised Saskin in Thursday's statement.
"Ted has worked closely with Bob every step of the way and has done an excellent job for the players in our recently concluded CBA negotiations. We have every confidence that he will be able to lead our association well in the years to come."
The moves mean both of the lead negotiators in the labour deal have been promoted: Saskin to executive director and Daly to deputy commissioner.
Commissioner Gary Bettman issued his own statement Thursday.
"I have always respected Bob's tenacity, passion and professionalism, and I wish him well in his future endeavours. We congratulate Ted and look forward to working with him."
