WIELDING BIG STICKS : Control of the National Hockey League Remains Primarily in the Hands of a Few

As long as Cliff Fletcher says fighting is “a safety valve” for releasing tempers, brawling will not be banned in the NHL.

As long as Bill Torrey remembers how mightily he struggled to put together a decent team from the dregs available to the New York Islanders in the 1972 expansion draft, newcomers to the NHL will get a reasonable selection of players to build with.

As long as Bruce McNall’s millions keep Wayne Gretzky happy and buy the Kings attention in a city once considered a necessary but unwinnable outpost, the NHL will add franchises on the West Coast to make travel easier and create rivalries for the Kings.

Some of the NHL’s best power plays aren’t executed on the ice. The dynamics of power--who has it, how they got it and how they use it--can be more fascinating than the games themselves.

As making deals in smoke-filled rooms is a tradition in politics, it is the way things have always been done in the NHL and probably always will be done. Democratic ideas are carrying wisps of fresh air into those rooms these days, but the league’s policies and direction are still heavily influenced by a few power brokers.

Fletcher, the NHL’s senior general manager with more than 18 years with the Calgary (formerly Atlanta) Flames; Torrey, who engineered the Islanders’ four consecutive Stanley Cup triumphs in the early 1980s; and McNall, the Kings’ owner, are among the most dominating figures in the NHL, although McNall’s clout is not as extensive as his financial resources.

The imprint made by Fletcher and Torrey can be seen in the rule changes they recommend, based on their wealth of experience. McNall’s power, a product of his wealth, is reflected in the league’s eagerness to placate him and expand on the West Coast.

Said Neil Smith, the New York Rangers’ rookie general manager: “The powers in this league are quite obvious: Cliff Fletcher, Bill Torrey, Harry Sinden (general manager of the Boston Bruins) and Bob Pulford (general manager) of the Chicago Blackhawks).

“That’s the big four, as people call them. They’re the most powerful. . . . These are the guys that, when you’re sitting in a meeting, they get all the attention. The others sit back and listen.”

When NHL President John Ziegler speaks, they listen, too, because Ziegler has brought the league into unparalleled prosperity. When Bill Wirtz so much as whispers, they jump--because as president of the Chicago Blackhawks and chairman of the NHL’s Board of Governors, Wirtz’s murmurs carry the weight of 10 men’s shouts.

In fact, Torrey and Fletcher downplay their roles.

“I’m just a plumber,” Torrey said. “John Ziegler and Bill Wirtz, they’re the shakers in this league.”

Fletcher said: “I’ve been around a long time, but I certainly don’t think I’m one of the most powerful people in this league. From our experience, Bill, Harry, Pully and I might be able to help people out, and the fact that we’ve been through a lot means maybe we wouldn’t get rattled by something unexpected. When you talk powerful, the most powerful guy is probably Bill Wirtz.”

Wirtz’s influence evolves from the NHL having been, for decades, a clubby, six-team enclave. The Wirtz family, led by Bill’s father, Arthur, and Arthur’s partner, Jim Norris, held sway in four of the six league cities through their ownership of franchises or the arenas they played in. Bill Wirtz inherited his father’s clout and has added to it.

“He’s a link from the old days to the new,” Torrey said. “And with Mr. (Harold) Ballard gone now (the Maple Leafs’ owner is gravely ill in a Florida hospital), he’s the only link to those days.”

Each franchise appoints one governor--often the team’s owner--and two or three alternates. The board, which meets four or five times a season, reviews recommendations made by the general managers’ committees and votes on all rule and policy changes, including expansion.

Ziegler cannot veto the board’s decisions, although as interpreter of the league’s constitution and bylaws, he determines which issues require unanimous votes and which need only majority approval. Ziegler appoints all committees formed by the governors to study various issues and is chairman of those committees unless he delegates that job to someone else.

Ziegler was legal counsel for the Detroit Red Wings and was chairman of the Board of Governors for a year before assuming the league presidency in 1977.

He said Wirtz “has absolutely no authority” as board chairman, but conceded that Wirtz “has influence . . . (and) is very well respected around the table.”

He described the league’s structure as a partnership, with himself as the chief executive officer.

“Each of the franchises themselves are a separate business and have their own organizations,” Ziegler said. “Usually one person is in control, from an ownership standpoint, though we do have three publicly held companies, and each has his own views. They come together in the association that’s called a league. They are subject to the laws of the partnership and they have full authority in developing their individual market and making money. . . .

“My whole business life I’ve been involved in partnerships. How you lead a group of very intelligent and independent-minded people is to get them involved in decision making. Usually on any issue which may be good for one team, you can find another that it’s not good for. You have to find common ground. . . . “

“Power is held by each club with its vote. On any given issue, some views may be more influential than others, but to say one governor or one owner has more power isn’t so.”

Possibly true in theory, but not in practice.

“The real power in this league, quite candidly, you can’t say it’s just in one place,” Torrey said. “Obviously, owners have the final say. It’s their money.

“In the case of hockey, the president of the league is not as powerful as, say, David Stern is in basketball. I couldn’t tell you who the chairman of the board is in basketball. (Former NFL Commissioner) Pete Rozelle was probably the most powerful head of a league, no question about it. Pete Rozelle brought in all that TV money and made a lot of those football owners quite wealthy.

“It’s different in our league. Bill Wirtz, as chairman of the board, reports to John Ziegler, but he’s a major influential person himself, and the reason for that is that he’s not only the chairman, he’s a working chairman.

“He spends a great deal of his time in the hockey business. A lot of other ones spend most of their time with their own businesses and can’t devote the majority of their time to hockey.

“He’s also knowledgeable, involved on a daily basis and he knows what’s going on.”

Fletcher enjoys a unique status as the only general manager who is also his team’s governor, although most general managers have been designated alternate governors.

Fletcher, Sinden and Torrey are among the few who are also presidents of their teams, “so we may be privy to things that other managers aren’t,” Fletcher said.

By all accounts, they use their knowledge for the common good.

“They have their own prejudices, but they’re interested in the league and a lot of what they do is for the best of the league,” said Jack Ferreira, general manager of the Minnesota North Stars. “When they talk, it’s constructive.”

It’s probably no coincidence that of the big four, Fletcher, Torrey and Sinden preside over teams that are successful on the ice. Fletcher’s Flames are the defending Stanley Cup champions, Torrey’s Islanders won four consecutive Cups from 1980-83, and the Bruins will appear in the playoffs this spring for the 23rd consecutive year.

“Everybody would love to do with their team what Bill Torrey did with his,” said the Rangers’ Smith, who began his climb up the executive ladder as a part-time scout for the Islanders. “We’re all aiming to be Bill Torrey.

“He didn’t do it by (taking advantage of) somebody else and he didn’t do it through buying players. He did it through drafting and trading. He’s well respected around the league, and Harry Sinden is the most solid GM in the league. You’ll never see Harry Sinden fired.”

Some at the governors’ level, such as Fletcher and Torrey, are especially influential in on-ice matters, such as rule changes and altering the format for the waiver draft.

Torrey’s pet project is expansion. As co-chairman of the general managers’ player-availability committee, he will help draft a report on the quality of talent and play in the NHL and whether that standard can be maintained when the NHL expands, as it is expected to do for the 1991-92 season.

Having experienced many lean years during the Islanders’ infancy, he is determined to help his successors avoid the same difficulties and help the league maintain parity. Newcomers aren’t likely to find superstars available in future expansion drafts, but Torrey is using his influence to persuade his colleagues that incoming teams deserve better pickings than he had in 1972.

“The league owes it to new teams to give them good enough players to give them a chance to compete in their first two or three years,” Torrey said. “After that, they’re responsible for themselves and should have been able to pick up players to help themselves. We’re trying to devise a system to give them a solid nucleus.”

Other power brokers at the governors’ level hold sway in business and financial decisions that affect the league’s operations.

“The Gunds (Gordon and George, owners of the North Stars) are very active, and John Pickett of the Islanders is very quiet but has a fair amount of influence,” said General Manager Jimmy Devellano of the Detroit Red Wings. “Ron Corey of Montreal is highly respected, too.”

Smith agreed. “Corey is definitely up and coming, (among) opinion setters,” he said. “There’s also Dick Evans (president of the Rangers) and Jim Lites (executive vice president of the Red Wings). The Sniders (Ed and son Jay of the Philadelphia Flyers) are right up there behind Bill Wirtz. Jay Snider has lots of strong opinions. They’re a very strong and opinionated voice at meetings, and they draw lots of attention.”

Ferreira said: “Wirtz is the big guy, but Marcel Aubut (of Quebec), Corey and the Gunds are big guys, too.”

Calgary’s Norm Green is considered one of the league’s more progressive owners, having pushed for international play and the acceptance of Soviet players.

Green is also vice chairman of the franchise and market-analysis committee, which counts among its duties advising the board on sites for expansion teams.

Green is also on the advisory committee, which is co-chaired by Wirtz and Ziegler and is one of the most important at the governors’ level. Aubut, Pickett, Snider, Gordon Gund, Michael Shanahan of St. Louis, Seymour Knox of Buffalo and Winnipeg’s Barry Shenkarow are the other members.

Beneath the governors are the general managers, who are more involved with the league’s day-to-day workings.

The pecking order is undisputed: First are the big four of Fletcher, Torrey, Sinden and Pulford, but ranked next by a consensus of general managers are David Poile of the Washington Capitals and Gerry Meehan of the Buffalo Sabres. They are considered influential, intelligent and in line to succeed the major power brokers when the older men retire.

Meehan, 43, is a former player who went to law school and learned the administrative ropes as assistant general manager before being promoted during the 1986-87 season.

Poile, 41, was Fletcher’s assistant when the Flames played in Atlanta and has been the Capitals’ general manager since August of 1982. He is chairman of the general managers’ committee, which gives him the power to dole out committee assignments to his peers.

“Gerry Meehan and David Poile are the new Turks,” Devellano said. “They’re active and they’re two of the younger people who seem to be pretty aggressive. . . . David runs very good meetings and likes to try to get everybody involved. Everybody is having a little more input than in the past.”

But not every general manager is happy with the power structure.

“We’ve got a very nice group at the GM level, and everybody gets involved and tries to look at the overall picture, but it’s still easier for the guys back East (to become influential),” said the Kings’ Rogie Vachon, who is on a committee that studies the benefits and technicalities of international play.

“It’s easier to be on a committee if you’re back East. Me and Pat Quinn (of the Vancouver Canucks), we’re kind of forgotten here.”

But Gretzky’s status and McNall’s wallet more than compensate for Vachon’s lack of influence. Those factors will help get the Kings at least one neighbor in expansion, although the cities for the new teams are undetermined.

“Gretzky is an influence because he’s Gretzky,” Torrey said. “And obviously Gretzky is there because McNall has the money.”

Vachon said: “We have a very high profile team. When you have No. 99 on your team, people pay attention.”

As a first-year general manager, Smith also has a relatively minor committee assignment. He’s on a panel that is studying whether five-minute major penalties are reducing the number of stick fouls.

“None of us is forced to sit and watch,” Smith said of the less-experienced general managers. “But it’s in our own best interests not to come on too strong when you join the fraternity. It’s best to sit back and listen.”

Devellano limits his involvement to one committee because the Red Wings have a small executive staff, which he said burdens him with too many responsibilities to take on league duties.

And some general managers are excluded from the power game because they don’t play by the rules.

The New Jersey Devils’ Lou Lamoriello did that during the 1988 playoffs, when he got a court injunction that negated the league’s suspension of then-coach Jim Schoenfeld, who had been sanctioned for shoving a referee.

The referee and linesmen walked out in protest before the Devils’ next game, forcing the league to find amateur officials and resulting in an embarrassing spectacle.

“There’s still resentment toward Lou,” one general manager said. “And people will resent you if you didn’t take the normal course to get where you are. They’ll grudgingly accept you if you were a player and then a coach and you work your way up to GM.”

He also said there no longer is prejudice against Americans, who once found executive opportunities scarce in the Canadian-dominated league.

“That doesn’t have anything to do with it, as long as you work your way up through the system,” he said. “Mike Smith (of Winnipeg) and Ferreira have solid backgrounds.”

Poile said he has sought the participation of every general manager, trying to enlarge the decision-making process.

“My philosophy is that we’re looking for ideas and involvement,” he said. “It’s unfortunate, to a certain extent, that we have a changing body and so much turnover. . . . We’re all in this game together. We all want our clubs to win, but we have to have the interests of the league in mind.

“Our job as managers is to remember that this is a business. We’re in the entertainment business as the fans see it, but to the owners, it’s a bottom-line business.”

A business that’s no longer run by an old boys’ network operating in smoke-filled rooms.

Said Vachon: “Now, we have a smoking section and a nonsmoking section, too.”