Thanks for screwing us all, Mr. Bettman

[Kp-Wings 3]

The Official Bettman sucks topic? Oh come on now. This must be the 1,000,000 Bettman rant topic that's been referred to as " The Official one".

While I am disappointed with the fact that these low brow area teams keep winning, and the fans continue to not care, there's nothing that can be done about. Credit the team GM's for building these Championship teams. It also comes down to the fact that a lot of these teams all really sucked for a long time, and are now stockpiled with great draft picks. Like Anaheim for example.

I would certainly like to see big market teams win the Cup again, no doubt. Teams like Detroit, Toronto, New York, Montreal, Boston, Philly, Minnesota, Buffalo, heck even Chicago would all throw huge celebrations and parades when their teams win the Cup. These teams like Anaheim only have one little parade, then it's back to talking about the offseason in the NFL, the Dodgers, or the Lakers. It's very dishearting that the people down there really don't care about hockey all that much, but what can you do? The GM's for these teams are able to build winners off of the new CBA. Bettman, at the very least, can be blamed for that.

[Yzermania19 1]

Well, what can you do?

We all know Bettman sucks, has always sucked and will continue to suck. That is a fact and unfortunately until TPTB realize that, he will continue to be the NHL commissioner. I don't like the idea of him fouling up the league even more, but there is precious little I - or any other hockey fan - can do about it, because it is apparent that Bettman could give two farts about the fans' opinions.

As for the Ducks, I freaking hate the Ducks. I don't believe they "deserved" to win the Cup, any more than any other team, but they won the requisite 16 games first, therefore they earned it. Yes, that's it - they earned the Cup. They didn't deserve it, they weren't necessarily the better team, they just got to 16 wins before anyone else.

And the future of the game? Well, I would love to see about six teams contracted, and some of the remaining teams relocated to more viable hockey cities. But I doubt the contraction part of my hope will be realized. If anything, there will be expansion. For the exisiting teams, I'm not necessarily talking about moving them out of non-traditional markets, because I think the key to the future of the NHL lies in non-traditional markets, but they have to be the right markets. Two teams in Florida is one team too many. Atlanta had a team a generation ago and couldn't support it. California does not need three teams. Studies need to be done on some of the existing franchises that are struggling, and some potential new markets, like Portland, Kansas City, Houston, Las Vegas.

Of course, the NHL really needs to advertise like crazy. RedRockit mentioned there were no commercials for the NHL on NBC, and I agree. I did not see ONE commercial for the NHL during NBC's prime-time lineup. Not even during the Stanley Cup Final. That is not only pathetic, but it is inexcusable. How the hell do they expect to attract an audience if they don't advertise? Maybe, just maybe, if they'd had a commercial on, someone might have said, "oh wow, the Stanley Cup. Hmmm...maybe I'll check it out." Instead the NHL is treated like the ugly stepsister that no one wants to acknowledge is part of the family. The NHL needs a advertising and marketing program that is going to make household names of some of it's up and coming stars - put a "face" on the league - so that everyone, regardless of what team or sport people follow, will know who these guys are and want to watch them, whether it's on TV or in person playing against their local teams. They need to get commercials on NBC prime time. They need to get on a better cable channel than Versus. And they need to get better coverage on NBC - there is no excuse for a contract that says NBC can cut away from a overtime playoff game to show the pre-race show for a horse race. That is appaling, disturbing and absolutely sickening. No other sport - whether it be football, basketball, baseball, golf or even bowling - would put up with that crap.

[dadair 0]

Just to throw a little gasoline on the fire, Sports Business Daily reported one topic on the Board of Governors meeting is.......EXPANSION. Yep, you read correctly. Expansion into Las Vegas and Kansas City.

[Zion 93]

Not sure if this was mentioned already, but Los Angeles has had a hockey team LONG before Bettman arrived.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

:violin:

Soon Bettman will be blamed for such things as global warming, throwing trash on I-90 in the middle of nowhere in Montana, and for not being able to prevent the next earthquake in San Francisco.

Just you wait, it will happen!

[Kp-Wings 3]

:violin:

Soon Bettman will be blamed for such things as global warming, throwing trash on I-90 in the middle of nowhere in Montana, and for not being able to prevent the next earthquake in San Francisco.

Just you wait, it will happen!

You're not getting it though.

The part we're all frustrated with is the fact that the Ducks "fans" hardly even gave a s*** after winning the Cup last night. The city of Anaheim has pretty much already forgotten about it, as Paris Hilton has made the top headline for the day. It's just frustrating when these teams win the Cup, and yet the fans don't care. I guerentee you that if the Wings had won it this year, it would be on the front page of every newspaper, and the city would be partying it's ass off right now. And it's not just Detroit. A lot of teams like Toronto, Motreal, Boston, New York, Chicago, Minnesota, Buffalo, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Ottawa, Philly, and even Long Island, would all be the same way. The fans of these teams appriciate the fact that their team won the Cup. The fans of teams like Anaheim really don't. That is what is so frustrating about it.

And yes, Bettman is the one to blame here. He instituted the Salary Cap and the CBA, so teams like Anaheim could build winners, while established teams who actually have fans would fall into a state mediocrity, or be good but still not win the Cup in favor of these no nothing southern market teams. And I know you're from the south, so don't think that I am knocking the south in any way. The fact of the matter is though, is that a lot of these teams in the south have fans really don't care about winning the Cup like the fans of teams who play in the north The fact that these teams all play in northern areas may be mearly quincidentle (sp?), or it may not be. It depends on how you look at it.

The reason we all hate Bettman is because he shows more support to teams who, quite frankly, don't have much of a fan base at all. He would rather see teams like Anaheim and Carolina win the Cup over Detroit or Toronto. And while he's never come out and said that in public, you know very well that that's his intentions. It has been from Day 1.

Edited June 8, 2007 by Kp-Wings

[Kass 7]

Teams Added/Moved Under Bettman:

Nordiques (You gotta agree they're just as passionate in Colorado)

Winnipeg Jets (OK, Yeah Phoenix sucks)

Minnesota (Good)

Atlanta (Bad)

Hartford (Meh, You could argue that Hartford was doomed from the start, but so is Carolina)

Columbus (Done suprisingly well attendance-wise for playing like crap)

Nashville (Very bad).

Minnesota North Stars (Dallas does well)

Out of the last three Stanley Cup winners only Carolina came to be under Bettman's tenure.

Anaheim and Tampa Bay were both given franchises under the previous president.

[RockyMountainWingGal 108]

I cannot say I agree that any team doesn't deserve to win the Cup - like many already stated - the players on those teams certainly deserve it. However, I completely disagree with Bettman on the expansion thing. I think he added too many teams too fast. I'll admit I'm not a fan at all of putting a bunch of teams in the South. I think people are being a bit nairve on the California thing. They must realize Cali has had teams as far back as the original 6 - WHA teams etc. The Kings have been around since the '67 expansion. I see California as a pretty good hockey market actually.

How I would judge it however, is whether the team can support itself. There are teams in some markets that could not sustain themselves without sharing and the cap system. I guess I have a big problem with that. The talent pool has been diluted, and the schedule is just killing the NHL imo. He's talking about expanding again - Las Vegas and KC I hear - ludicrous considering the ratings right now - and no tv contract. I love the league, but I don't think it can survive under the current system. I know it's cliche - but the big market teams are crucial to the league's success - and if none of them win for years....I think that's bad for the NHL. Now those teams will have to learn to compete under the new system just like the Wings have. But if they don't, and these expansion teams win every year - I fear the worst.

And I'm not trying to be sour grapes - the Ducks were a great team and deserve to be champs - at least the West got the Cup back. I don't even consider Anaheim to be a small market (it's not) and California is not a place void of hockey tradition (I'd have to stick Tampa or Carolina in that category).

[eva unit zero 271]

The talent pool has been diluted

The talent pool has not been diluted. That is a myth.

Proof:

In 1987, there were approximately 450 NHLers and 425 Canadians with 25 Americans or Europeans in the league. Now, there are approximately 385 Canadians and 315 Americans or Europeans.

So, for the sake of argument, assume two things: 1) That Canadian hockey produces the same amount of 'NHL level' talent now that it did 20 years ago, and 2) That after the 315 Americans or Europeans, there is not another player who would have made the NHL 20 years ago.

That would mean there are 740 players right now who would have been good enough to play in the NHL in 1987. That's a 65% increase in the talent pool. If we assume there are the same percentage of NHLers outside the league from the US or Europe who are '1987 NHL level' that there are of Canadians, that's another 33 players, meaning a 72% increase in the talent pool rather than 65%. The league has added nine teams since then, a 42% increase. Adding two more makes that a 52% increase. So the average fourth liner in a 32 team NHL in 2007 will still be better than the average 4th liner in a 21 team NHL in 1987.

Also of note: expansion to KC and Vegas means one West team moves East. That COULD be Detroit. Add Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Philadelphia to the Northeast, and merge the remaining Atlantic and Southeast divisions into a new Atlantic division and you have two 8 team divisions in the East. Add Dallas, KC, Minnesota, and Colorado to the remaining Central teams, and the Western leftovers can make up the Pacific. Columbus obviously could be moved as well, in the same place as Detroit. Obviously Detroit/Columbus would have to remain 'West' if Nashville moved to Kitchener.

[glasgowcelticwing 18]

Whatever. Anaheim has just as much of a right to win the cup as any other team in the league. No one deserves the cup, you either win it or you don't. I don't feel sorry for any team that hasn't won in X amount of years, it certainty isn't anyones fault but the organization.

I totally agree with you Heaton . I hated seeing the Ducks lift the Cup. and wether we like it or not , they did win it . In a way that's what I love about Hockey , it can be one of the most unpredictable sports in the world . Everyone has a chance to win it.

[Vladinator 0]

I'm not a fan of Bettman's by any means, but this is a bit ridiculous.

1) Bettman works for the owners. HE DOES WHAT THEY TELL HIM TO DO. Any changes that he makes come with the approval of the majority of the owners in the NHL or the change doesn't happen.

2) The salary cap was a needed evil in the NHL. There were far too many teams that had pretty much no shot at EVER winning a cup. You cannot operate a league where that is the case and have continued success.

3) The league did not let Anaheim win the cup. Anaheim won the cup on their own.

4) Without teams in the South and on the West Coast, the NHL has absolutely no chance of EVER competing with the other 3 major sports leagues.

5) As much as I hate VS, ESPN had the chance to match the offer. THEY TURNED IT DOWN. The NHL had no choice except to take the best offer on the table. Doing otherwise would make absolutely no sense.

6) Having small market teams win the Cup doesn't kill the game. The Oilers won 5 cups, aren't they a small market team? Pittsburgh won a couple of cups, then almost had to fold the team. Both of these are small hockey markets, but I would bet that the finals series that they participated in had pretty good ratings compared to other years. Look at football, Green Bay is a very small market, yet they are also a very successful franchise. The same can happen in hockey with proper marketing and some patience.

We are all upset that the Wings didn't win the cup, but it's past time to stop looking for excuses and start looking forward to next season. The league didn't stack the deck against the Wings, they instead evened the playing field for everyone, which is how it should be.

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

So this is the third year in a row that the most revered trophy in all of sports has been claimed by a non-traditional hockey market with fans who had no clue about the team that won it during the regular season. For the third year in a row, Bettman had a huge smile on his face at the conclusion of the SCF. Has anyone told him what the ratings of the SCF this year were? I didn't think they could get any worse than they did in 04, and then in 06. But apparently, when team from Southern California (which is the worst hockey market on Earth) makes the Finals, interest drops to a whole new low. I remember an article saying that the best thing for hockey would be to have a Detroit/New York SCF, because the ratings would be high due to the fact that the Wings are the most poplular American hockey team, and you know that New York is passionate about hockey as well. Most fans in Anaheim will forget about the Ducks come next week. I had a friend from Southern California who thought the Cup was filled with money and would be cracked open like a piniatta. Anyone remember that "Ducks are playing the Canadian team, the 'Minnesota Royals' thing?

And don't even get me started on the officiating. I almost can't watch hockey sometimes because of some of the calls made out there that change the game around. (Even some of the calls that benefit the Wings, I was in shock over.) Perfect example? At the end of Game 5.

Gary Bettman has brought hockey morality for the real fans in the league to an all time low. Seeing Pronger raise the Cup was bad enough, but that the Cup will now be defaced with the words "Anaheim Ducks" on it is almost unthinkable. They might as well put Mickey Mouse and Goofy on there as well. You know he's a hated man when even the Ducks "fans" booed him as he entered last night. Remember when he had to say "It's ok, I bring gifts"? They should be worshipping him like the second coming of Jesus. He's one of the main reasons why the Ducks and other non-traditional teams have won. His first screw up was to put teams in places like Miami, Anaheim, Los Angeles (The only reason they are still around today was because of Gretzky), Tampa Bay, and Nashville, who could barely sell 3/4 of their tickets this season despite their top ranking in the standings for so long. Was Gary asleep when this came out, or did he just pretend not to notice?

Either he just doesn't have a clue, or he was tired of having teams like Detroit and Colorado and Jersey dominate year after year. Hello? It's sports, and there will always be dominating teams, no matter what. Deal with it. Look at San Antonio in the NBA. Uh oh, the Spurs are too good, we better make a salary cap so the Charlotte Bobcats can have a chance and those selfish Spurs will finally crash! You wouldn't have this problem, Gary, if you didn't put teams in those markets where people couldn't give a flying rat about those teams. I'm glad that Pittsburgh didn't move to Kansas City. Before moving back to MI in 03, I lived there for 9 years, and their minor league team, the Blades (which featured future NHL'er Patrick Lalime and Ray Whitney) had to fold due to a total lack of fan interest.

Once again Gary, thank you for screwing the best game on Earth, and a sincere thank you from all of us real fans for screwing us as well. You thought you were saving the sport? It's in even worse shape than it was in 04.

YAWN

Dude, check your calender it ain't 1957, its 2007. What the hell do you want them to just award the cup to an original 6 team every year. Maybe have a consolation Cup the other 26 teams could play for.

If you're a true hockey fan you want the sport to grow. You don't want it to just flourish in 16 markets. Yeah, maybe the league could contract or move 2 teams but that's another ball of wax. If you want the sport to grow those markets that aren't hot have to get hot. The growth of hockey isn't going to take place in Detroit or Montreal or Toronto. Its taking place in areas like Dallas where youth hockey has blossomed thanks to the Stars move. It took place when Gretz was in LA. Its taking place in Cali where the Sharks and Ducks are 2 great teams that are starting to generate excitement. As for the Cap, s*** was getting out of control. Hockey players used to be above it all and then one day we woke up and suddenly players were holding out, refusing to come to camp, wanting to renegotiate. They turned into the same athletes that other sports have in regards to money. So be it I don't begrudge them that. But in the aim to improve the sport and make it a little more even they got a cap. Look at the NFL, the most popular sport in the US, they got a cap and week to week almost any team can beat any other team and that makes fans excited, even in somewhat crappy locales. I hate Bettman as much as the next guy but I think even if it wasn't Bettman we were headed in this direction anyway.

Now that the Cap is here and now that its no longer just Detroit, Colorado, New Jersey, I think the league can do great things. Its baby steps. You don't build up huge fan bases overnight. A tradition of being competitive and winning brings fans and the more fans we bring in the better the sport will be. However, that being said its up to the NHL now to market the sport aggressively and to be inventive. Putting analysts alongside the benches, talking more to the players, showcasing the players, going behind the scenes its all good stuff imo. One step at a time.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

I'm not a fan of Bettman's by any means, but this is a bit ridiculous.

1) Bettman works for the owners. HE DOES WHAT THEY TELL HIM TO DO. Any changes that he makes come with the approval of the majority of the owners in the NHL or the change doesn't happen.

2) The salary cap was a needed evil in the NHL. There were far too many teams that had pretty much no shot at EVER winning a cup. You cannot operate a league where that is the case and have continued success.

3) The league did not let Anaheim win the cup. Anaheim won the cup on their own.

4) Without teams in the South and on the West Coast, the NHL has absolutely no chance of EVER competing with the other 3 major sports leagues.

5) As much as I hate VS, ESPN had the chance to match the offer. THEY TURNED IT DOWN. The NHL had no choice except to take the best offer on the table. Doing otherwise would make absolutely no sense.

6) Having small market teams win the Cup doesn't kill the game. The Oilers won 5 cups, aren't they a small market team? Pittsburgh won a couple of cups, then almost had to fold the team. Both of these are small hockey markets, but I would bet that the finals series that they participated in had pretty good ratings compared to other years. Look at football, Green Bay is a very small market, yet they are also a very successful franchise. The same can happen in hockey with proper marketing and some patience.

We are all upset that the Wings didn't win the cup, but it's past time to stop looking for excuses and start looking forward to next season. The league didn't stack the deck against the Wings, they instead evened the playing field for everyone, which is how it should be.

I only disagree with you on points 1 and 2.

1) This is a common point brought about Bettman that I wholeheartedly disagree with. That's like saying Illitch does what the Little Caesar's franchise owners tell him to do. Ultimately Bettman is responsible for the state of the game. The owners run franchises in the National Hockey League. Yes he is there for the owners, but if he had any passion, leadership and knowledge for the game he would be able to minimize the damage a few cheap-ass short sighted owners are doing to the league.

He should be able to convince a few of these idiots that in the short term some of the decisions may not seem advantageous to their franchise, but would increase the overall popularity and health of the league. Which in the end would definitely help their franchise.

Bettman is the highest ranking executive of the NHL. If he's not ultimately responsible for the state of the NHL, who is?

2) A cap was probably an eventuality since many owners had proven they don't know how to run a successful franchise. Again, a better commisioner probably could've gotten the job done without costing a full season. (Goodenow is a big part in that too) Furthermore the cap was WAAAY to restrictive. Once they broke the union, it became a money grab by the owners. Extremely restrictive cap, linkage, welfare system, terrible schedule that saves travel costs...

A cap with more wiggle room should reward franchises like Detroit, Colorado, etc. where the owners have built a popular, successful franchise. Instead of placing the same limitations on them as owners who needed a minimum spending limit so they would at least pretend they were trying to be competitive. As I've said before, parity is not necessarily a good thing.

The Wings are a popular team across the country, especially a few years back. That's not entirely because of Michiganders who've moved. People love winners. They love the powerhouse teams. The epic battles year after year between Colorado and Detroit. That familiarity and those powerhouse teams makes the sport more popular.

Being able to spend more money doesn't guarantee that the big market teams will always win. (rangers) But it gives the successfull franchises the opportunity to have a strong team for more than a year. It rewards them for actually having a popular, successful team.

Edited June 8, 2007 by haroldsnepsts

[uk_redwing 495]

I think Gary Bettman should have a statue erected of him... as a definition of an ******* for the whole of time to see.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

I think Gary Bettman should have a statue erected of him... as a definition of an ******* for the whole of time to see.

And what good would be accomplsihed of that? Seems like a waste of time to me. I'd rather Bettman and company work on improving the NHL rather than create a structure of a rear.