Well it didn't take Gary Bettman long to ruffle the feathers of NHLPA union guru Paul Kelly.
Just when it seemed the two players on opposite sides of any future labor tug-of-war were thought to be on fraternal terms - a rarity, if recent relationships are any indication - there comes word that Kelly is less than impressed with Bettman's perceived grandstanding at the NHL All-Star Game this past weekend.
Just a couple of days after appearing on Bettman's XM radio show, Kelly was not nearly as courteous towards the Commish, suggesting Bettman jumped the gun in announcing the NHL season openers in Europe next year.
Apparently, the PA hadn't signed off on the deal.
Whoa, Nellie.
"The CBA says these events can't happen unless the Players' Association approves it," Kelly told reporters shortly after the announcement. "And the reality is, while we approved conceptually with playing international games, we have not approved Stockholm, Prague or Bern. And there are still a lot of details to work out.
"And the problem with rushing to announce these things, it places an unfair pressure on the Players' Association and the players to now go along because it's already been publicly announced. Because otherwise you look like a schmuck by derailing this enterprise."
Read between the lines. What Kelly is saying is these players, my players, are going to be travelling across the pond and should be calling the shots.
Or at least approving them.
The opening salvo in the power struggle has been fired, one of many you are likely to see in the coming years.
One can understand Bettman wanting to make the announcement in Atlanta, where there was a much larger media presence than on a typical January night.
It's just that maybe, just maybe, the main principals in the game may want to give a concrete thumbs-up beforehand. Courtesy, if nothing else.
Timing is not necessarily everything.
As I've stated before, Kelly, with a gentle nudge from players such has Chris Chelios, may have an agenda with Bettman, regardless of the love-in both have been part of in recent weeks.
Paul Kelly had a statement to make.
Consider it done.
Instead of using caution, Bettman decided to thump his chest a little too early, alienating Kelly and the PA in the process.
And in the long run, that may not have been the smartest move he has ever made.