Listen Up: There Is Absolutly No Conspiracy Against the Detroit Red Wings

I know you're out there.

You're that Red Wings fan.

The one with the sarcastic applause for "Gary Bettman's golden boys".

The one telling whoever would listen after Game Three of the Stanley Cup Finals, that "The fix is in!"

The one spending hours researching any possible reason that Brad Watson had it out for Detroit. (No, Chris Chelios didn't steal his lunch money in grade school.)

You're grasping at straws my friend.

You can do any amount of research you want, you can throw out any reason that might sound plausible in your mind why the NHL doesn't want Detroit to win and I can refute it all.

Why?

Well, because the NHL's front office isn't stupid. (bear with me here!)

The AP reported on Monday that Game Seven of this year's Finals was the most watched NHL game in 36 years.

Think about that for a minute. That means more people watched Detroit and Pittsburgh battle it out for the Stanley Cup that night, than watched Wayne Gretzky's Edmonton Oilers lift the Cup.

Consider even, that NBC delayed its transition from analog to digital until after Game Seven had ended.

It was supposed to have taken place two days previously. Game Seven was the last sports broadcast on analog signal in the United States.

Game Four of the Detroit-Pittsburgh series was the most watched NHL game since 2002. It set a record in viewership on Versus, breaking its previous record which was set in Game Three of this same series.

Suffice to say, a lot of people watched this series. It was the NHL's most successful Stanley Cup Finals in a long, long time.

So let's ask the question, why?

It's because the Detroit Red Wings have become the New York Yankees. They have become the Los Angeles Lakers. They are the New England Patriots.

They are a team that has a large national fanbase.

But they are also a team that draws millions of viewers who tune in for no other reason than to see if they'll lose.

No matter which group you're in, fan or anti-fan, it benefits the NHL immensely.

Say what you will about Gary Bettman, he's laughing all the way to the bank as I write this.

Why wouldn't he want his biggest cash cow playing for the Stanley Cup?

You can argue all you want about how Pittsburgh draws more national attention than Detroit because of megastars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. It's not remotely true.

I'm not saying Pittsburgh didn't play a large hand in drawing huge ratings, because they certainly did.

However, if Pittsburgh was playing, say, San Jose for the Stanley Cup, those ratings would drop significantly. If Detroit was playing Boston or Washington, they would likely still draw huge numbers.

Does the NHL want to see its brightest stars lift the Cup? Probably.

Are they going to cheat their biggest moneymaker to make it so? There's absolutely no way.

Save yourself some time conspiracy theorists. Any so-called bias against Detroit by the NHL, only hurts the NHL in the pocketbook. It's financial suicide.

Every team is victimized by bad calls or non-calls at some point.

Every team. Even Pittsburgh.

The idea that these referees were actually being told by Gary Bettman to ensure Pittsburgh victories is preposterous.

Let's assume for one minute that it's true. What would be the referee's incentive to do something illegal like that? Money?

We saw what happened to Tim Donaghy in the NBA. He's sitting in a jail cell.

Then, if this NHL referee, who is supposedly affecting game outcomes by order of Bettman, is caught, what would stop him from simply rolling over on Bettman?

Give it up. Sometimes great teams just lose.

When has being great ever guaranteed victory in the NHL anyway?

I will say this much. Bettman and the NHL are likely hoping like mad that Detroit makes the playoffs again next season, and again makes it back to the Stanley Cup Finals.

It's money in their pockets. In fact, Detroit could play a big factor in possibly bringing the NHL back to ESPN or expanding the league's coverage to other networks.

So remember, Detroit isn't a burden in the NHL's side; they are a godsend. You don't stomp all over your moneymaker, you embrace it.

Sorry conspiracy theorists. Time to find a new hobby.

Writers Note: I just wanted to send out a big thank you to my readers and to Bleacher Report. This was my 100th article for B/R and I've been writing on this web site for just over a year now. I've enjoyed it immensely. Sports writing is one of my passions and I've loved debating points and even answering criticism. Thanks for all of the comments over the last year.