It’s official: Labor chief Walsh jumps ship for hockey players’ union

The National Hockey League Players’ Association on Thursday announced that Labor Secretary Marty Walsh will become its executive director, more than a week after news of the likely move leaked.

Walsh will be the first Cabinet secretary to exit the Biden administration, and his departure will officially launch the jockeying to succeed him atop the Labor Department that had already begun.

“In accepting this offer I am committing to do all that I can to advocate on players’ behalf,” Walsh said in a release. “So I look forward to working with players and the NHLPA staff to make the NHLPA the best and most effective team we can be to advance and protect the interests of our players and their families.”

Walsh will step in for Don Fehr, who led the NHLPA since 2010.

Walsh built his political profile as a union leader in Boston, and his ties to organized labor were a key factor in President Joe Biden’s decision to name him Labor secretary.

Once he steps down, Deputy Secretary Julie Su will take charge of DOL on an acting basis. Su is also a leading contender to succeed Walsh, and has the backing of a number of Senate Democrats and influential union leaders.