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Marty Walsh reportedly a ‘top candidate’ to lead the NHL’s Players Association

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If the NHLPA does vote on Walsh’s potential appointment, he will need 18 of the board’s 32 votes for approval.

FILE - Labor Secretary Marty Walsh speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington, May 16, 2022. Walsh is among those on the shortlist to succeed White House chief of staff Ron Klain, who is preparing to leave his job in the coming weeks. , according to a person familiar with Klain's plans.

Walsh, a Dorchester native, has plenty of labor experience. Susan Walsh / AP

US Secretary of Labor and former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is reportedly emerging as a favorite to lead the NHL Players’ Association as executive director.

According to TSN’s Darren Dreger, Walsh is believed to be the “top candidate” for the position. The NHLPA board is expected to meet on Thursday to continue discussions and potentially vote to appoint Walsh as director.

If the executive board does move to vote on Walsh’s potential appointment, he will need 18 of the board’s 32 votes for approval. The NHLPA is hoping to have a new director in place by the end of the regular season, per ESPN’s Emily Kaplan.

The NHLPA formed a committee to replace executive director Donald Fehr back in April. Fehr, who was first appointed to his current position in December 2010, has drawn criticism over the last few years.

Whether it be battles over escrow, Olympics participation, or the PA’s handling of Kyle Beach’s allegations of sexual assault against then-Blackhawks video coach Brad Aldrich, multiple players have voiced their disapproval of Fehr’s leadership.

The current CBA between the NHLPA and NHL will expire after the 2025-26 season.

Walsh, a Dorchester native, has plenty of labor experience. Prior to his time as mayor of Boston, Walsh served as head of the Laborers’ Union Local 223 before leading the Boston Metropolitan District Building Trades Council from 2011 to 2013.

Walsh’s potential appointment as director of the NHLPA would be the second time in the last few months that a Massachusetts-based politician assumed a leadership role in sports. Back in mid-December, former Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker was named as the next president of the NCAA.