Bettman reaches 15-year anniversary

[auxlepli 17]

http://www.sportingnews.com/yourturn/viewtopic.php?t=345492

The major criticism the writer mentioned was the Chelios one - that the NHL isn't on ESPN. I bet many here can think of more than the ones listed there - Canadian teams leaving and high ticket prices.

It hard to deny the successes though, and that he keeps his bosses happy.

The most important indicator for his bosses -- the owners -- is that franchise values have steadily increased.

"I can tell you that the people he works for think he has done a great job," Snider told the Philadelphia Daily News.

[HenrikRules40 14]

15 years?!?!? I just died a little inside.

[irishtemper14+25 11]

ahhhhh i hate bettman

[Yzermaniac192005 0]

ahhhhh i hate bettman

I second that notion

[Grittzkey 1]

I didnt know who Bettman was before i joined these boards :S

[GMRwings1983 8,794]

Here's for another 15 years. (sarcastic )

Go Gary! Keep up the good work.

[Gary Bettman 0]

Here's for another 15 years. (sarcastic )

Go Gary! Keep up the good work.

Thanks a lot! I assure you I will do my best to make the NHL the best it can be.

[interminded 1]

I don't hate Bettman that much actually.

Of course he has made some bonehead decisions, but overall he has done a good job.

We're all bitchin' and moaning about how big a f***up he is, but the man has arguably one of the toughest directing jobs in North American sports.

And it's not like he's responsible for every little mishap in the NHL.

[Guest LivingtheDream]

I don't hate Bettman that much actually.

Of course he has made some bonehead decisions, but overall he has done a good job.

We're all bitchin' and moaning about how big a f***up he is, but the man has arguably one of the toughest directing jobs in North American sports.

And it's not like he's responsible for every little mishap in the NHL.

Oh man, why did you have to inject some rational thinking here! The thing about him that may bug a lot of people is he is a numbers guy and uses numbers to counter criticism that is more in line with issues of making fans happy. If you tell him the hooking calls are ruining the flow of the game, he will come back with some statistic on flow rate per game. If you complain about better coverage on TV he will cite a stat on available hours per all TV channels combined... He always has an answer, but that still doesn't put more people's ass in the arena or even on the TV. Basically he is a CYA master (cover your ass). He is a guy designed to win arguments about perceived levels of success more than to bring about real success - all too common in the business world these days.

[BuckeyeWingsfan80 209]

Oh man, why did you have to inject some rational thinking here! The thing about him that may bug a lot of people is he is a numbers guy and uses numbers to counter criticism that is more in line with issues of making fans happy. If you tell him the hooking calls are ruining the flow of the game, he will come back with some statistic on flow rate per game. If you complain about better coverage on TV he will cite a stat on available hours per all TV channels combined... He always has an answer, but that still doesn't put more people's ass in the arena or even on the TV. Basically he is a CYA master (cover your ass). He is a guy designed to win arguments about perceived levels of success more than to bring about real success - all too common in the business world these days.

He'd be a hell of a Federal Government employee