From Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal via Kukla:

Former MLBPA Executive Director Don Fehr has agreed to accept the job of NHLPA executive director, according to multiple sources.

Fehr's been involved with the NHLPA for a while on an unofficial role. He's got a long history of strengthening the MLBPA to the point of leading the infamous 1994 strike. In other words, he's got cojones when it comes to negotiations. Considering the current state of NHLPA disarray and the crushing defeat they had at the last CBA negotiation, this certainly causes many hockey fans to worry.

If you're going for a glass-half-full point of view, the players and the owners have to collectively know that they're lucky to be where they're at considering the state of the global economy, and they couldn't possibly be stupid enough to jeopardize that success. If you're going for a glass-half-empty point of view, the players and the owners have been known to be plenty stupid enough to jeopardize good things in the past.

Fehr will undoubtedly give the NHLPA focus. How will that trickle down to hockey fans? That remains to be seen.