If I Could Interview NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman...

Everybody who has been a regular reader of mine since I have writte a CFL article in which I set up an imaginary interview with the Commissioner, Mark Cohon.

Mr. Cohon and the CFL office saw the interview and graciously arranged to do a shorter interview for real for Bleacher Report via e-mail.

Well if this tactic unintentionally worked once, maybe lightning will strike twice if I try it again.

As well as the CFL, the other topic which I have written the most about is NHL hockey.

So if it were possible, here is my interview with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

Mr. Bettman, I promise to let you finish all your answers and not interrupt you like Ron Maclean.

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Good evening Commissioner, and welcome to the show.

As you are all too aware, the hottest topic in Canada concerning the NHL is relocation or expansion.  In many of my articles, I’ve speculated that you have set unofficial conditions for expansion and relocation which include an NHL size arena of 18,000 plus, competent owners, no territorial disputes, and adequate fan support. Are these your terms?

Are there any other conditions that the NHL requires for a successful bid?

In your state of the union address, you’ve stated that the Quebec and Winnipeg markets are the NHL’s first priority.  Let’s begin with Quebec.  There is speculation that they will soon present the NHL with a formal business plan that includes an NHL size arena. If they do and it meets the NHL’s terms, are you prepared to welcome Quebec back into the league?

If he says he would, I would then ask, how would you reward them? With an expansion team or a relocated team?

Is Quebecor, a satisfactory investor by NHL standards?

What makes a good NHL investor or owner?

Let’s turn to Winnipeg.  Many people have opined that the Winnipeg arena is too small at 15,000 seats which is 1,500 less than the New York Islanders arena and 3,000 less than the NHL median at 18,000. Is the size of the MTS arena an issue that prevents the NHL from moving there?

Depending on his answer, I might then ask:

If Mr. Chipman and Mr. Thomson are awarded a franchise for Winnipeg, would you expect them to either expand the current arena or build a new larger one?

If the arena is okay, and the NHL finds that Mr. Chipman and Mr. Thomson are acceptable owners, why not grant them an expansion franchise instead of keeping them in the background as possible owners of a moved Phoenix Coyotes?

The NHL has set a December 31 deadline for the Coyotes to find acceptable owners.  Besides Mr. Chipman and Mr. Thomson, have any other potential owners approached the NHL about purchasing the Coyotes after the NHL’s commitment to Phoenix ends?

Depending on his answer, I might then ask:

Could you reveal the names or at least the cities that are involved?

The negotiations with the current three bidders and Glendale keep getting repeatedly stalled.  Could this be a tactic on the part of these bidders to deliberately extend the talks until the NHL deadline has expired so they would be able to make fresh bids so that they could move the Coyotes to the city of their choice?

One city that has been forgotten in all the expansion talks is Hartford. You met with the mayor. What is the situation there?

Howard Baldwin and the mayor have stated they would like to get the Whalers back. Have you met with any investors there who are prepared to formally front a bid and deal with the arena issue like Quebecor is doing in Quebec?

The other city with NHL ambitions is Hamilton. They have a small NHL size arena of 17,000 and are prepared to upgrade it further.  It would seem that of all the cities mentioned, they would be the closest to fulfilling the NHL’s terms.  Why is the territorial issue such a barrier to Hamilton’s ambitions?

What right do Buffalo and Toronto have in controlling another city’s participation in the NHL? Isn’t this monopolistic?

Why can’t suitable compensation terms be stated for Hamilton as they were for Los Angeles and New York?

Are there any other cities that have approached the NHL about getting a team?

Let’s switch subjects to the overall direction of the NHL. Since you have become Commissioner, the NHL has expanded to cities unfamiliar with hockey in hopes of increasing its popularity in the United States and landing a large American television contract.  How would you assess the popularity of hockey in the United States now as opposed to when you first took office?

Are you satisfied or disappointed with the growth of hockey since then?

Was it a mistake to expand to the southern United States and ignore the north?  Cities with some hockey background like Seattle, Milwaukee, and Portland come to mind.

One of the reasons why hockey is so successful in Canada is the CHL.  There are a few teams in the CHL based in the United States.  Should U.S. try to emulate Canada and set up a national junior level league?

You’ve stated that after the current television contract expires, you will be able to get much better terms for the NHL.  How much better?

Is there a competition between networks to get the NHL contract?

How committed is the NHL to the direction you’ve led them since you took office?

Let’s consider the possibility of other directions.  What about a greater commitment by the NHL to Canada?

What about more teams in the northern United States?

The other direction is Europe. Each year the NHL is playing more games at the start of the season there. How feasible is a European branch of the NHL?

What would be more preferable? Setting up a European NHL branch or merging with an existing European league?

Are there any other initiatives being pursued by the NHL in regards to Europe?

Do you have a vision of the NHL by 2020? How many teams? Where would they be located?

I think I have covered almost all the subjects I can think of for this time, Gary.  Thank you for being on the show and taking the trouble to answer these questions. I hope you will consider coming back on the show to update the fans about these issues and answer questions about other ones.

Thank you for taking part in this Bleacher Report interview.

There you have it Bleacher readers.  An exclusive interview with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.  I hope many of you will note his answers and write some interesting articles and comments on our blog.