**Newsflash** Bettman Sucks & WHA Conspiracy

[Blob Mckenzie]

Bettman is a finger puppet for the owners and nothing more. And Clam do you really think the next finger puppet will be any better ? Not likely.

[ClamRussel]

Perhaps Dubya needs a job
Heard he did a great job running a baseball team before he fixed the US.

[Cornuck]

Great - now we face the possibility of a back-to-back situation for the first 2 games of the final.

NHL's plans for Stanley Cup final sink into the sub-basement

When are Buttman and the owners going to realize the the NHL will not get a major US network to show their games? Each time the league bends over for the likes of NBC, they lose whatever bargaining power they might have should ESPN or another network come calling.

After lollygagging through the first three rounds of playoffs with nonsensical extra off-days thrown in willy-nilly, the NHL is prepared to play Games 1 and 2 of the Cup final on back-to-back nights, because NBC is weak in prime time on Fridays and Saturdays, and will deign to telecast both games if the NHL doesn’t mind twisting itself into a pretzel to co-operate.

Even though the only chance of me watching a game on TV is if it's on NBC, I find it embarrassing to the sport that they have to play this circus.

[LotusBlossom]

Well said, at the very least moving them from the desert back to Winnipeg would at least right one of Bettman's wrongs.

BUt is it really? I really don't know much about Winnepeg, but can they sustain an NHL franchise now? Do they have the corporate sponsorship? I know they have a new'ish arena, but I've heard it only seat 15 000 to 16 000. Is that too little for an NHL franchise these days?

The MTS Centre in Winnipeg can expand 3500 seats if they lift the roof and put those seats near the top. It can be done and could possibly be done. I was speaking to someone in the architectural world about it as well as an engineer. So if they really wanted the franchise back they could do that improvement in less than 3 months, if on schedule.

Anyway, it's corporate sponsorship that might 'scare' the NHL into allowing Winnipeg to get their franchise back, but they got GATE! THEY GOT GATE. Take that Phoenix!

[LotusBlossom]

At the very least games in Winnipeg would be very well attended and the arena could be upgraded if need be. People there are nuts about hockey and there's no competition for their sports dollar. The foundation for any NHL franchise should be ATTENDANCE.

slight correction here... Winnipeg couldn't sell out an arena if it tried. They couldn't even sell out thier last game, and the outpouring of support to keep the team in winnipeg was not as big as people seem to remember. I am not sure if Winnipeg can support a team, or even if the ywant to, but I agree that there is some sort of backroom dealing going on to keep a team out of hamilton, and to Balsie (or whatever his name is) out of the owners circle..

I only lived in Winnipeg until I was 6 years old, so it's been a long time since I had ties to that city. Thing was, I was at that last game. I went with the remaining relatives at that time from the Peg to the old Winnipeg Arena. From what I saw, it was pretty sold out. It was definitely loud, and the fans there loved their Jets. I think perhaps fully knowing that no matter how much they could try, the NHL was set on taking the franchise elsewhere. Had Winnipeg been given a year or two more to improve their franchise brand, I think they would have still been in Winnipeg and not moved to Phoenix, but the commissioner was out to make a name for himself in the US. So the Jets became the Yotes. Now...the Yotes are getting a lot of grace from the NHL. I don't recall this happening in Winnipeg when they were in their time of need.

[JCardinal]

I wonder if in the end Bettman is really just doing what he's told and actually has little say in the policies.

[DavidPratt_]

IF GARY BETTMAN HAD BEEN THE CAPTAIN OF THE TITANIC:
HE WOULD HAVE BEEN THE FIRST TO ASSURE THE PASSENGERS…
“THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF ICE!!!”
ON SATURDAY IN DETROIT…THE GOOD SHIP BETTMAN ONCE AGAIN…SET SAIL…
IT WAS THE ANNUAL “STATE OF THE UNION” ADDRESS…
THE CENTER OF ATTENTION WAS THE FATE OF THE PHOENIX COYOTES…
LET US BE CLEAR ABOUT ONE THING…
THIS FIGHT IS NOT OVER A FAILED FRANCHISE…IN A FAILED MARKET…
IT IS ABOUT WHO RUNS THE NHL…
RIGHT NOW IT IS BETTMAN…AND A SMALL COLLECTION OF OWNERS WHO SUPPORT HIM…
THE MATH IS THIS SIMPLE…
IF BETTMAN LOSES THIS FIGHT…HE LOSES HIS JOB…
NEVERTHELESS ON SATURDAY…WHEN THE ISSUE WAS RAISED…
BETTMAN LOOKED INTO THE EYES OF THE MEDIA AND SAID…
“FROM MY STANDPOINT…IT’S NOT PERSONAL”…
WHO THE HELL IS TRYING TO FOOL…
FOR BASILLIE…IT DOES NOT GET ANY MORE PERSONAL…
BOTH IN PITTSBURGH AND THEN IN NASHVILLE…HE HAD THE DOOR SLAMMED IN HIS FACE…
FOR A BILLIONAIRE…THAT’S PERSONAL…
SHOULD BASILLIE WIN IN BANKRUPTCY COURT…
THE NHL WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY HAVE TO LET HIM INTO THEIR LITTLE CLUB HOUSE…
THE OTHER CHOICE WOULD BE A LONG AN EXPENSIVE LEGAL FIGHT…
DURING WHICH…THE LEAGUE WOULD HAVE TO SUSPEND THE FRANCHISE…
THE NHL WOULD ALSO HAVE ANOTHER FIGHT ON ITS HANDS WITH THE PLAYERS ASSOCIATION…
THAT’S A LOT OF HEADACHES…TO PROTECT A TEAM THAT HAS LOST MONEY…EVERY YEAR SINCE MOVING TO PHEONIX IN 1996…
EVEN IF THE NHL WINS THIS ROUND…UP NEXT IS ATLANTA…THEN FLORIDA…THEN TAMPA BAY…AND THEN NASHVILLE…
IN THE MEANTIME…THE MAGIC NUMBER FOR BASILLIE IS “16”…
THAT’S HOW MANY OWNERS HE NEEDS ON HIS SIDE…TO HAVE BETTMAN THROWN OUT AS COMMISSIONER…
SO GARY…HOW ABOUT A DRINK???
WORD HAS IT…THERE’S NO SHORTAGE OF ICE!!!

DP

[JCardinal]

NEVERTHELESS ON SATURDAY…WHEN THE ISSUE WAS RAISED…
BETTMAN LOOKED INTO THE EYES OF THE MEDIA AND SAID…
“FROM MY STANDPOINT…IT’S NOT PERSONAL”…
WHO THE HELL IS TRYING TO FOOL…
FOR BASILLIE…IT DOES NOT GET ANY MORE PERSONAL…
DP

You (assuming it is really you) keep characterizing Bettman on air as some kind of arch villain pulling strings when in fact by all appearances he's doing what he's told to do nothing more and nothing less. Sure his personal style comes across as annoying and weasily and argumentative but from what I recall he is a lawyer is he not? Kinda goes with the territory. I highly doubt for either Basillie or Bettman it is in any way personal, one is doing the bidding of his collective bosses and the other is a very successful business man who has had decades to learn to not take any business deal personally. He's a rich man who has earned the right to have an expensive hobby and a little personal publicity, nothing more.

I know you wrote this for the consumption of the Team 1040 listeners (the all caps and "let us be clear about one thing" tend to give it away) but this is *us* here, we like a little more logic and common sense than inflammatory rhetoric.

[Cornuck]

Wow- the Stanley Cup finals are finally here!

I watched a good game on Sunday - game 2 - and game 3 is tonight! YEAHHHH!


oh...wait...

NBC doesn't cover game 3? Which games does it cover? 1-2-5-6-7? WTF? Who the hell makes these arrangements?

Like a lot of the country, I don't receive Versus - so it's NBC or nothing. How is splitting up the series on different TV stations a good thing for the league?

But wait - NBC must have a great show on tonight that it can't move or postpone.... let me look here... oh it's "I'm a celebrity, get me out of here". Is this all some kind of sick joke played on fans and those who just want to check out hockey?

I'm done with watching hockey this year. They can keep their fucked up schedule and bullshit TV policies. It's summer, screw 'em.

[DavidPratt_]

Sure his personal style comes across as annoying and weasily and argumentative but from what I recall he is a lawyer is he not? Kinda goes with the territory. I highly doubt for either Basillie or Bettman it is in any way personal, one is doing the bidding of his collective bosses and the other is a very successful business man who has had decades to learn to not take any business deal personally.

It's personal. TRUST ME on this one. As for being annoying, weasily, and argumentative - fine, be one in a courtroom, but start behaving like a professional sports COMMISSIONER.

DP

[rikster]

I don't think its personal but then I have been of the opinion that Balsille should not have been granted any of the franchises he has attempted to acquire for a number of reasons that make sense if you look at it from the business side...

The league and Bettman have done the right thing in telling him to pound sand, and while I accept that I might be in the minority on this one, I find it disappointing that the sports jocks in our market don't take the time to educate themselves on the issue before they go on and on spewing the same nonsense...

Maybe it's laziness, afterall giving opinions on players and games is something we can all do and as fans our opinions are just as valid as the radio jocks but when it comes to the business side of the game, opinions need to be facts...

In an industry with 30 partners or divisions, decisions need to consider the partnership as a whole when making critical changes...

I think the league is beginning to question itself on the ability to turn a 30 team North American league with so many different markets and economies into an ongoing viable business...

I think the league is playing games overseas to try to determine if Europe can one day join the league and much like the committee that was set up pre expansion to determine the viability of bringing the game to the sun belts, if it feels it can make it work overseas, wouldn't it then make sense to contract down the number of teams in North America and replace those teams with European based teams?...

If the Phoenix market is losing the kind of money reports suggest they are, then you have to know that a number of other markets are losing similar or more or less money than they are so where does it end?...

Finding a billionare to relocate a team to a have market plugs one hole while creating another hole...

Fans beat Bettman up over the issue of shady ownership groups, but I see it as a statement that the NHL is not a good business investment otherwise it would not have to allow these questionable owners into the league...

Is the NHL any different than the electrical contractor who has 1 crew working for a few different builders?....

Everything is going fine, the owner is at the job site every day working beside his crew and he's making money...

His reputation leads to more work than 1 crew can handle, so he hires a second crew...

Then a third crew and at that point things begin to change, he is seldom at the job sites because he is too busy trying to find work for his 3 crews and trying to collect past due receivables so he can pay his payables and trying to put out the fires created by his crews because the quality of their work has gone down hill ...

While sales are up, his profits are down until he finally wakes up and realizes he needs to downsize his business to stay in business...

Can the league continue to operate with 30 partners?

Or should it finally say uncle and reduce the number of partners it has?

Or should it continue to limp along and try to hold off until it makes a decision on its European future where it might be able to relocate the have not teams?

For me, its about much bigger issues than Captain Canada banging around like a bull in a china shop having a little hissy fit because the children won't let him play with them...

When the Phoenix issue is finalized, Balsille may or may not end up with an NHL franchise, but if he does it won't make the NHL's headaches go away, and ironically he will then become a partner trying to solve the problems that his actions have added to the already heap of problems they are dealing with...

Take care...

[LotusBlossom]

It's personal. TRUST ME on this one. As for being annoying, weasily, and argumentative - fine, be one in a courtroom, but start behaving like a professional sports COMMISSIONER.

DP

Although I don't agree with your fashion statements, David, I must say to this statement about Bettman. A commissioner is supposed to be diplomatic and do what's best FOR THE LEAGUE, not his personal agenda.

Many of my friends in the US who are good hockey fans see right through it as well. It's not just us here north of the 49th. Bettman would rather have the league suffer to boost his ego and his 'plan' than admit he was wrong about some team placements in non-traditional markets.

[DavidPratt_]

Although I don't agree with your fashion statements, David, I must say to this statement about Bettman.

Lotus,

You can't agree with these???


DP

[LotusBlossom]

Although I don't agree with your fashion statements, David, I must say to this statement about Bettman.

Lotus,

You can't agree with these???


DP

David,

I have seen you in your leather pants and red shirt at the Roxy and Fortes on a few occasions... I could help you out in that department...at least you're not like Brook Ward and fancy the Hawaiian shirts as often


If you really are David Pratt, you actually know who I am... *wink*

[the toucan kid]

If you really are David Pratt, you actually know who I am... *wink*