Gary Bettman, Paul Kelly, and the NHL

This weekend I was up in Toronto for my Grandpa’s 80^th birthday. I was able to learn a lot about the current happenings in the NHL and the Maple Leafs by speaking with someone in the NHL regarding several topics.

Here are some of the things that I remembered about my conversation.

At the players meeting in Rome, my source was able to speak with a recent former Leafs' player. I found out that the Leafs' owners do not do a good job of taking care of their players or their families. Take this for example, on a flight to a game, if a player wanted a beer, he would have to pay for it.

This is odd for MLSE to do since they have very deep wallets. We are talking about dollars and cents for one of the richest (and apparently stingiest) hockey clubs. The same even goes with getting a pizza after the game.

I am sure there are other more extreme examples that I have not heard of, no wonder why very few good players really want to come play here.

The second and albeit most astonishing fact is that there was no actual offer given to Sundin from the Leafs. It was stated in the newspapers and from Cliff Fletcher's mouth that there was an offer put forward, but as far as I learned, this was a lie.

In a way it makes perfect sense for that to happen. They did not really want Sundin back to hinder the ice time given to younger players and also possibly mean a worse draft pick if he was in the lineup. Also, it makes them look good to the media and fans because it looks as though they did try. Mats Sundin would never state publicly that they did not offer him a contract because it’s just not in his character.      

I spoke with my contact regarding the disapproval given to the Habs Winter Classic game. Gary Bettman has hired NFL related marketers who are treating it somewhat like the Super Bowl. They want it to be once a year and for it to be huge. There is also no reason to bring it to a popular hockey city.

When trying to increase a fan base, it is best to have these events in an area that needs more hockey fans. A great place for that at this moment is Chicago or Columbus.

Another thing I discovered is that Bettman is losing his power over the players. It all started with the induction of Paul Kelly as the head of the NHLPA. During the All Star game some of you might remember when Bettman said that there would be two games in Europe. However, the players had never agreed to it at that time and so Paul Kelly went on TV and stated so. This caught Bettman very off guard.

Paul Kelly has been doing a fantastic job with the NHLPA totally turning everything around. Previously Bettman had been trying to turn the players against the owners. However, with Mr. Kelly, he has been getting the two to talk to each other and trying to return confidence not only with the players and owners but also with the NHLPA. Mr. Kelly is the first person to actually visit with all the teams.

During the players' meeting in Colorado, after all the presentations a few players went up to Mr. Kelly and his associates stating that this is great information and how they appreciate what they are doing.

Apparently in the past, the event was fairly worthless. The crazy thing is that the players are so hungry for all the information and are so happy that the NHLPA is finally doing its job.

The Sabres have to raise ticket prices 60% because of the high cap. They sell out 97% of their stadium so they can’t make much more money by selling more seats. They did make a profit last year; however, after factoring in flights, hotels, and other travel arrangements they lost money. This is hurting a lot of clubs across the league.

With the higher cost of flying, this should become normal across the league.

The Sabres issue is also a problem with Jim Balsillie purchasing the Predators and transferring them to Hamilton. It will pull tickets away from the Sabres who need the money.

Instead, the Sabres could relocate to Hamilton and it would still remain possible for Buffalo fans to drive across the border to see their team. This would significantly improve revenue for the team. 

This is why a contract with ESPN would be so much better. The Versus contract is apparently with one of Bettman's best buds who was able to win the contract which is good for two more years.

There are talks with ESPN to try and work something out. The NBA’s contract with ESPN is for over $900 million which helps take care of the cost of travel for the teams. A deal like this could help lower ticket prices for NHL games.

The Leafs are stuck in a rut that no one can help at the moment. The Teachers Pension loves making money more than winning or taking care of the team. Gary Bettman loves his power and will do most anything to keep it.

I wonder what would happen if they stepped down.

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