SAN JOSE — Leave it to the National Hockey League’s Board of Governors to hold its annual December meetings a couple of hours south of here at pristine Pebble Beach, where the confluence of dark blue Pacific waters, manicured emerald greens and sun-splashed Cypress trees combine to make it one of the most picturesque locations on the planet.
In this, one of the world’s most ideal settings, hockey’s power brokers will congregate to discuss all that is good with the NHL.
And there is plenty, to be sure.
From building the league into a $5-billion-a-year industry, to the much-coveted labour peace between owners and players, to a salary cap structure that is producing the type of competitive balance never seen before, you would almost come to the conclusion that the biggest dilemma facing the governors over the next several days is whether to safely play a layup shot into the gut of the fairway on Pebble’s iconic par-5 18th hole or challenge the ocean in order to go for the green in two — a decision accompanied by the omnipresent sound of the waves rhythmically crashing against the shoreline.