Sources: Report details NHLPA spying

The electronic spying program instituted at the NHL Players’ Association targeted 45 players, was referred to as “Big Brother” and extended to ex-union chief Ted Saskin examining how individual players voted in the secret ballot to ratify the NHL labor deal, according to sources familiar with a report on the matter.

Among other details from the report, according to sources: Saskin systematically read the personal e-mails of players and union staff members for more than a year, but stopped briefly because he was concerned about legal implications in the wake of the Hewlett-Packard corporate surveillance scandal. Saskin resumed reading the messages when he learned of an effort by NHL players to authorize an investigation into his hiring and other activities. (more)