Kyle Okposo joins the NHL Players' Association months after winning the Stanley Cup and retiring
Associated Press
Kyle Okposo is joining the NHL Players' Association as business development and player engagement adviser.
The NHLPA is announcing the hires of Okposo, chief commercial officer Steve Scebelo and communications and media relations manager Stephanie Maniago on Thursday.
Okposo retired in September after playing 17 seasons in the league and winning the Stanley Cup last June with the Florida Panthers. Okposo was a prominent member of the search committee formed in 2022 to find a new executive director that ended with U.S. Secretary of Labor and former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh landing the job in February 2023.
'I knew that I wanted to stay in the game,' Okposo told The Associated Press by phone this week. 'I love it. It's given me everything that I've had in my adult life, and I wanted to continue to stay in it and I think that this is the best route for me to go right now.'
The 37-year-old who played more than 1,000 regular-season and playoff games with the New York Islanders, Buffalo Sabres and Panthers from 2008-24 began considering working for the union when he participated in the executive director search. He and Walsh clearly hit it off to get Okposo in the fold after spending some time together at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.
'I'm looking forward to learning a lot from him,' Okposo said. 'He's done a lot for the PA in a very short amount of time. We have plans to keep moving this thing forward, and Marty, I think he's the right person to lead it.'
Okposo, who wanted to take some time to make sure he had the emotional energy to devote to a gig like this, wanted to be on the business side and expects his role to be fluid as he feels out his place at the NHLPA, working under Walsh and assistant Ron Hainsey. Walsh said Okposo's experience as a player and an executive board member makes him a well-respected, trusted resource.
'Being freshly retired, I have relationships with a lot of different players and have some different ideas on how we can create excitement and engagement with the current members of the union,' Okposo said. 'For me, just having the relationships with those guys and being able to talk to them like we're in a locker room is going to be, I think, an asset to the PA.'
Scebelo comes from running his own sports and licensing consulting firm after spending more than a decade with the NFLPA, most recently serving as president of the union's licensing program, NFL Players Inc.
'Some of thing that we were able to do at the NFLPA do lend themselves to this,' Scebelo said. 'There could potentially be opportunities for the NHLPA to work with emerging companies — small or early-stage companies who may have some endemic ties to hockey as a sport that there could be investment opportunities that allow a players association to grow with that company as they grow.'
___
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
recommended
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
33 minutes ago
- USA Today
Why do the Panthers shoot toy rats at Brad Marchand after wins?
Why do the Panthers shoot toy rats at Brad Marchand after wins? Brad Marchand has been exactly what the Florida Panthers needed him to be after the franchise dealt for the longtime Boston Bruin and Stanley Cup champion at the 2025 trade deadline. And as the Panthers try to win their second straight Cup, there's a new tradition that's sprouted up involving rats. No, not the real rodent. It's sort of related to the tradition of Panthers die-hards throwing plastic rats on the ice after a win at home. But after Marchand was acquired, his teammates started shooting those rats at him after victories. Why is that? Let's dive in and discuss all of that: When did the Panthers start shooting rats at Brad Marchand? It began when teammate Evan Rodrigues did it after Marchand was acquired, and the rest of the Panthers started following suit, and they're hitting those rats quite hard. What has Brad Marchand said about getting rats hit at him? From ESPN: And something a little more light-hearted: "They just see all my family out there on the ice and want us to be together," Marchand said. Why do the Panthers shoot rats at Brad Marchand in the first place? It could be because Marchand has been nicknamed "The Rat," or Rodrigues sparked something that just fit the Panthers' fun approach as they've made a run. From that ESPN article:
Yahoo
40 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Sir Andy Murray not ruling out return to coaching despite Novak Djokovic split
Sir Andy Murray has not ruled out a return to coaching despite his short-lived link-up with former world number one Novak Djokovic coming to an end after just four tournaments last month. Murray was speaking at Queen's Club in London, whose centre court was officially inaugurated as the Andy Murray Arena on Monday ahead of the venue's new WTA 500 event, the first time the west London site has hosted women's tennis in 52 years. Advertisement Murray, who retired from playing after the 2024 Olympics, linked up with Djokovic in November and despite the pair terminating their relationship in May, the 38-year-old says he may accept a similar role in the future. Andy Murray relished his return to Queen's Club on Monday (John Walton/PA) Murray told BBC Sport: 'I would do it again at some stage. I don't think that will happen immediately. 'I wasn't planning on going into coaching as soon as I finished playing but it was a pretty unique opportunity. It was a chance to learn from one of the best athletes of all time. 'It was a brilliant opportunity for me. We got to spend some really nice moments away from the court. Results weren't as we wanted but we gave it a go.' Murray, a three-time grand slam winner and five-time winner of the men's title at Queen's, joked his tennis was now 'diabolical' before rallying with a 10-year-old doubles partner on the court. Advertisement 'My tennis is diabolical, apologies for what you are about to witness,' he said before pairing up with Gloria, 10, for the ceremonial two-round rally against Laura Robson, who won an Olympic silver medal alongside Murray in 2012, and Jay, 7. 'I've obviously missed being out here,' he added. 'It's the first time, obviously, not being involved in a grass court season for a while, but I've got a new life now and I'm enjoying being away from the sport a little bit.' Centre court at the Queen's Club was renamed in Murray's honour (John Walton/PA) The Scotsman also revealed he has a special connection to this event – he was coached as a 12 and 13-year-old by Russian Olga Morozova, the last women's singles winner here in 1973. Advertisement 'I think it's brilliant,' said Murray, when asked about the return of women's tennis to Queen's. 'This court has had many great matches on it. I think it's a great chance for women to showcase themselves out there.' The former world number one first competed in the main draw at Queen's as an 18-year-old and for the last time last season before retiring in Paris. He also claimed the doubles trophy in 2019 alongside Feliciano Lopez. Murray added: 'This tournament has so many special moments for me. It's the place where I won my first match on the ATP Tour, it's my most successful event. 'Coming back here at the start of the British summer and I'm very proud of the results I have here. 'I'm very grateful and thankful for whoever it was who decided to name the stadium this way. I hope there's lots of great matches and you all enjoy the tennis.'
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
New coach Lane Lambert says he expects to lead the Kraken to the playoffs
SEATTLE (AP) — Lane Lambert said he feels no pressure to turn the Seattle Kraken into a playoff contender. But his own expectation is to do exactly that. Lambert was introduced as the Kraken's coach on Monday at the team's practice facility. He was hired on May 29 after spending last season as an associate head coach with Toronto. The Maple Leafs won 52 games and the Atlantic Division title, but were eliminated in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals by Florida, which is currently playing in the Stanley Cup Final. He will become the third head coach in the history of the Kraken, who are entering their fifth season and have made the playoffs just once in their previous four. 'I have an expectation of myself and of my role and of my abilities,' the 60-year-old Lambert said. 'You start on Day 1 and it's a process, it's a journey. If you do the right things through that journey and do the right things every day and look to get better every day and stick with the process, the results will take care of themselves.' Lambert takes over for Dan Bylsma, who was fired on April 21 after one season. Seattle was well outside the playoff picture by the time of the February break for the 4 Nations Face-off and finished 35-41-6 (76 points). That was 20 points below the West's final wild-card spot and five fewer than the Kraken's 81 points in 2023-24. 'It became very evident that Lane presented the attributes we were looking for,' general manager Jason Botterill said. 'The combination of presence and knowledge to work with veteran players, and would also be dedicated to interact with young players.' Seattle ranked in the bottom third of the league on the power play (23rd), faceoff winning percentage (24th) and average shots per game (25th). It was 21st on the penalty kill, an area in which Lambert helped the Leafs improve from 23rd to fourth. 'There are priorities in certain areas, but everything has to be addressed,' Lambert said. 'You can't build Rome in a day, and that's the whole process from Day 1. You start with the process, start demanding, and you start instilling your systems, your structure, your details. But definitely, our special teams have to be better. We'll better in our defensive zone. I know we will be. So that would be the start and the focus.' Lambert has had NHL coaching jobs since 2011. His only head coaching experience came with the New York Islanders, beginning at the start of the 2022-23 season and ending when he was fired in January 2024. In his only full season, the Islanders made the playoffs but were eliminated in the first round. 'You go through an experience like that, you get let go, and you have a lot of time to reflect,' he said. 'If you don't have an ego, you can say, 'Gee, I'd do this differently or that differently. Or I'd do this or that the same.' There's certain little things I'll look at and look into changing.' He was an assistant with Nashville from 2011-14, then with Washington from 2014-18, with the Capitals winning the Stanley Cup in 2018. The Islanders hired him as associate head coach prior to 2018-19. The teams he has worked for have made the playoffs 10 times. Lambert inherits a roster that includes veterans Jaden Schwartz (a team-high 26 goals last season), Jared McCann (22 goals and a team-leading 61 points), Eeli Tolvanen (23 goals) and Chandler Stephenson (38 assists). The Kraken also have highly regarded young talent such as 2023 Rookie of the Year Matty Beniers (20 goals, 23 assists) and Shane Wright (19 goals, 25 assists). 'When you look at the team and the balance, we have great talent,' Lambert said. 'We have veteran players. The non-negotiables are that we have to play the right way — that's the formula.' ___
