About a month ago, fellow BR hockey fan Jennifer Conway approached me with a fantastic idea. As she is an American and I am Canadian, she thought we ought to take a look at our respective nations’ common enemy: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. From the time he first took the reins of the NHL in 1993 he has caused controversy by his handling of this hallowed league and his apparent indifference to the traditions on which it was founded. Unfortunately I was unavoidably called away from the real world for the past month—as my lack of Bleacher Reporting may attest—and luckily Senior Writer Bryan Thiel took over the Canadian angle, and has done a much more thorough job than I ever could have. Graciously, they left an opening for my research in the form of a responsive article, which is essentially the gut reaction I have personally experienced and seen in many other fans.
You love hockey. You must at least be interested, if you have come this far. It doesn't matter where you are from or how close your relationship is with the game; everyone connects with sport in their own way.
In North America, the NHL dominates the professional hockey scene, and for the past fifteen years it has been directed by its Commissioner—a businessman/lawyer from Queens by the name of Gary Bettman. Before joining the NHL—and after leaving a lucrative law firm—he had been executive management in the NBA, instituting their famous salary-cap system, and has spent years getting under the skin of sports fans, media, and participants.
On either side of the longest [previously] undefended border on Earth, Bettman had made an indelible impression to go with a healthy dose of opposition. His antics and methods often seem to Canucks as either extremely anti-Canadian or radically pro-American.
In reality, his tenure has caused issues, positive and negative, across the North American hockey world. Though both nationalities find fault with Gary Bettman's leadership, Americans and Canadians see the situation through slightly different tints of glass.
The one major difference in the effect Bettman and his cronies have on our nations' relationship with the game (whew, that was long) is that at the least, in Canada the game itself is in no real danger of losing popularity. It is the NHL, and any ramifications their ideas may have on other levels of hockey, that is gaining more and more opposition.
In the States, there is a very real problem in finding room for hockey in the already flooded sports market. Bettman, rather than marketing to Canada and the numerous US areas that are strong in terms of hockey base, has made special effort to add—and hold on life-support—a number of teams in regions unable and/or unwilling to support them...at least not in the lucrative manner the League would like.
To many hockey fans, this in itself is an irritant that leads to insult.
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7 months ago
I am going to add links to the other Bettman articles. For now, check out the profiles (and impressive portfolios) of Jennifer Conway and Bryan Thiel.
Buddy-boy Selig, for all his flaws, loves the game of baseball. If Bettman loved hockey and made some mistakes, he would be afforded more leeway. Same goes for the reverse: if he hated hockey, but kept the status quo reasonably balanced, he would not be the target of websites dedicated to his derision and eventual termination. (I'm not telling anyone to visit any of them... unless they want to)There are two that I know of: firebettman.com and garybettmansucks.com. I am not making that up, and it's not a good sign for anyone involved in hockey.
As for my Japanese analogy (sushi at Fenway), I know that there has/had been some neurosis about "outsider" interests in MLB teams and the types of fundamental changes that were feared. Of course, these did not happen.
A better understanding of the hockey demographic/local demographics may have helped the NHL place teams in better US markets. As it is, so many of the expansion teams (and if you believe rumour, there may be more teams/moves in the US) have been placed in sports markets saturated beyond the bursting point. When college basketball will draw more fans than an NHL game, not to mention sell more merchandise, what hope do they have of coming from nowhere? Plant a team of Russians in Atlanta and call them Thrashers, for instance, and people seem disinterested. I wonder why?
There could very well be an upside, and there already has been in many areas: what some like to call "grass-roots" hockey can, has, and will continue to appear and grow in previously unimaginable locales. Once there is a more even interest in hockey throughout the community/area, then higher, more expensive levels like the NHL will find regular popularity. Until then, however, there are misplaced teams and players, not to mention fans who either don't care, or feel an injustice has been done to their team. At this point, every NHL team has been in it's location long enough for it to be determined if they have actually succeeded. Those 11 US teams that failed last year to earn a profit... at what cost is that to existing and potential US and Canadian franchises? At what cost to the reputation of the game?
7 months ago
I guess Bettman should take a look at what is under his own eyes: he just has to look at most of the front rows of the Joe Louis Arena for game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals.
Personally, I am a montreal fan, and never I would see any seat empty at the bell center, even after losing streaks or stuffs like that. night after night, it is always full.
so I guess that is how it was hard for me to imagine how come at the stanley cup finals, there are empty seats whatsoever. the Pistons were playing the same night, it was all about fun and full out there.
I have seen an article talking about Tampa Bay wanting to sell Hockey to the fans out there.
u're absolutely right, he needs a reality check
7 months ago
Detroit is more of a Canadian city than most people would expect. The true hockey fans that would shell out serious money for those lower-bowl seats have been really disheartened by Gary Bettman's visions for the game. We vote for the commissioner the only way we can.... With our wallets. And who can blame us? Who wants half of the joke of a schedule the Wings play every season? I don't think anyone looks forward to the 8 games a year we play against exciting hockey-rich cities such as Columbus and Nashville? The two cities that DO have a hockey clue (Chicago and St. Louis) have teams in constant rebuilding mode... This just doesn't build excitement.
The low seats now are all purchased by businesses (who are losing money like crazy right now and don't want to have high-profile people showing up in those seats) and scalpers (who are having a hard time finding suckers to sell to).
You'll find the old-guard fans tucked away in hole-in-the-wall sports bars still loving the Wings, but hating the league and Bettman just as much as our friends North (or east, in my case) of border.
from 7 months ago
I absolutely agree. It isn't just Canadian teams and fans who have suffered. Older/stronger markets are losing interest all around the League because THEIR interests are not being prioritised. It isn't even that I begrudge these "new" markets their teams, and I feel badly that smaller markets have found enough fans who would miss it, but not nearly enough to support it. It isn't fair to anyone that these teams are forced into existance only to flounder and cause dissent among fans.
The Wings are certainly a solid team which has found itself in the same predicament as Canadian teams. I'm not sure what the numbers are, but I'd assume that after the Habs and Leafs, the Wings have the most wide-spread, diverse support. Like I said before, even though the businessmen don't need to be hockey icons themselves, it helps to have or utilise some sort of hockey understanding when making decisions.
Like you say, fans will still want hockey, want their teams, but hate the system they are stuck in. It's nothing the fans should have to worry about... these issues have distracted us needlessly from the game!
7 months ago
The possibility of having original six teams play each other in the final has become tough, granted geographically there is little that can be done. Having Toronto play Montreal last died with wayne gretzkys spear to gilmour.
7 months ago
Great article by the wayand I reall thnk ther trio of you jen and brian have really kept in the sprit of what I think the BR is all about. Kudos again.
7 months ago
OH DEAR! I can't get through this in one sitting. One for it's length and two for it's content. What venom: "weasely little demon"? Where does that come from? No knowledge of hockey and doesn't like it???? Do you have any idea who you're talking about? Do you know the man played hockey in his younger day? Obviously not because you have spent volumes attacking him on a person level. Nothing stays the same. NOTHING. The game itself has evolved before Bettman and it will continue after his tenure is done. You want to throw numbers around? Throw the 4.3 share NBC did last night which is up 79% over last year. I'll try to come back and finish this later. Perhaps the entire article isn't just a personal rant. Perhaps there are valid points in it, however the presentation is not my taste.
from 7 months ago
Sorry that you took this so personally. This is my first "rant" article and is meant to represent the gut reaction of the average hockey viewer, especially those who have watched the game for 50 years, or at least for the entirety of their lifetimes. When Gary Bettman shows his face to the fans on television, it shows no interest; this is speaking as someone who HAS been paying attention since the beginning of his tenure.
The image he projects most widely does not elicit empathy or respect from MOST fans, though obviously not all. I understand you have your own special relationship with your "Uncle Gary", and fair enough; you will perhaps have a better personal understanding of who he is day-to-day. However, the relationship HE has forged with most of the hockey-fan community, especially the "Canadian/hard-core US hockey" fan has been one of distrust.
I am not [necessarily] saying that Gary Bettman the person is [necessarily] a "weasly-eyed little demon", but that is certainly the image (or at least one of the images) he has built for himself with most fans of the NHL/hockey. And as I also said in the article, I agree there have been some good changes over his tenure, however... (see arguments in the three Bettman articles, plus the innumerable Bettman-bash sites and serious debate arenas). Whether or not he ever played hockey at some distant point is irrelevent (but interesting, good to know). The way in which he has approached the game in his professional capacity has been unnecessarily cold. If he does have some secret love of the game, he sure hides it well.
His treasure-trove of hockey knowlege effectively hidden too. He has made numerous hockey faux pas over the past fifteen years, and this is yet another reason he has put a metallic taste in fan's mouths. Those who spend months, years, watching their teams and players play the game, hit the highs (and lows), and put so much energy into hockey would like to see the occasional sincere smile from the commish when the Cup is awarded, the big goal scored, whatever. We aren't asking him to jump up and down or anything, but in nearly every instance he either looks insincere, like it's just business, or that he'd rather be somewhere else.
from 7 months ago
> You want to throw numbers around? Throw the 4.3 share NBC did last night which is up 79% over last year.
If I'm not mistaken, though... Gary Bettman was the Commissioner responsible for last years flop, too, though.
"Our ratings don't suck as bad as they did last year" only makes sense when you start showing some consistent year-on-year improvement. Last years ratings were the worst ever for any major league sport. And can you honestly tell me what Bettman did to improve those ratings? Was it the "excitement" built up by an unchanged regular season schedule that didn't even have Detroit and Pittsburgh playing each other? Was it a continued benefit of the ongoing "valued partnership" with Versus that ensured half the season wouldn't even be viewable in my local area except at bars that carry Satellite?
He did nothing different this season over last season. The ratings improved because two hockey-rich cities have good teams that made the finals. The ratings would have happened, regardless of who was commissioner. I just don't get it.
I've been a hockey fan a lot of years, and I just don't have any respect for the guy. Maybe I'm just a relic, (hey, I was a Red Wings fan back before they drafted Yzerman) but it always seemed like the NHL worked as a league before he took over. Sure, there weren't as many teams.... But the teams that were there were happy teams in core hockey markets. Each team played a strong and interesting schedule. Players didn't have multi-million dollar salaries. Sure, there were fights. But there wasn't all the stick infractions, dangerous knee hits, slewfoots, etc. Players had respect for each other and the game. And the games were covered well by knowledgeable broadcasters on LOCAL BROADCAST TV in the cities of the teams.
You could make the argument that every one of these things lost are at least partially a result of the mis-management of the hockey-as-a-business enterprise of Gary Bettman. Of course, I'm sure that isn't fair, either. I actually like some of the on-ice rule changes he's made. But, ultimately, I think he's lost the respect of many fans and players. He has alienated many core hockey markets. There are too many teams in the league. And too many teams in cities that don't understand or care about hockey. The strain of expansion has taken its toll. I think it is time for him to step aside, and I hope and believe that the ownership of some of the more storied hockey franchises are starting to realize this.
As for me, I still watch the NHL on CBC (which is the closest thing to a local broadcast left), but I'd prefer to spend my hard-earned money watching local junior and college teams, nowadays. Less business, more sport.
7 months ago
Hey M:
You sure know how to get discussions going! Obviously some people only read part of an article before sounding off! good stuff!
S
7 months ago
great article and good debate in the comments section..glad to see you back with such venom, towards a personal enemy of mine.
7 months ago
great take..i especially enjoyed you're article of the three...where have you been..i lost touch with the report after the flames went out.
6 months ago
I hate this guy! he ruined the nhl for everybody, especially Americans. Theres nowhere to watch the games, and they are never advertized
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