When NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman came onto the ice to present the Boston Bruins with the Stanley Cup after their win over the Vancouver Canucks, boo’s filled the arena. The boo’s directed at Bettman had little or nothing to do with their team’s Game 7 loss, fans and players alike just don’t like Bettman. Why? Here are the facts.
[caption id="attachment_80" align="aligncenter" width="320" caption="Gary Bettman (left) ; Associated Press"]
[/caption]
Bettman has long been charged by fans with trying to “Americanize” the game. Under his leadership, the NHL has added six teams, and relocated others to non-traditional hockey markets. The NHL added the Anaheim Mighty Ducks (later renamed to just the “Ducks”), Florida Panthers, Nashville Predators, Atlanta Thrashers, Minnesota Wild, and Columbus Blue Jackets during Bettman’s tenure as commissioner.
Bettman has also overseen several relocations. The Minnesota North Stars relocated to Dallas, Texas, the Quebec Nordiques to Denver, Colorado (one of his better moves), the Winnipeg Jets to the Phoenix, Arizona, and the Hartford Whalers to North Carolina (they became the Carolina Hurricanes).
Some of these moves aren’t that bad. Minnesota needed a team, and Anaheim was an OK move. I understand Bettman’s goal to expand the game, but establishing franchises in markets dominated by other sports has proved to be a poor move financially. To Bettman’s credit, grassroots hockey in the south has increased as more kids try their hand at the game.
Had I been Bettman, I would have solidified the league’s popularity a little by first establishing or keeping franchises in major Canadian cities before expanding into places like Florida and Atlanta. Winnipeg, Hartford, and Quebec are all realistic possibilities with no other competing teams in the other three major North American sports.
Many fans have also become upset with how Bettman has handled the NHL’s television deal. Every other major sport makes their product available and, in turn, has a larger fan base. The NBA Playoffs were broadcasted on TNT (a national network). MLB games can be found on ESPN (a national network), FOX (a national network), and TBS (a national network). NFL games are broadcast on ESPN (a national network), FOX (a national network), and ABC (a national network). The NHL however broadcasts on NBC only on Sunday mornings and on Versus (which many fans do not get).
Gary Bettman sure has his work cut out for him, like solving the NHL's concussion problem and keeping teams from declaring bankruptcy. Questions are out. Can Gary come up with the answers?
Back to the Colorado Avalanche Newsfeed