45 replies to this topic

[Johnz96]

I think you should sue Bettman for doing what the people who employ him, want him to do. I'd like to see how that works out for you. Do you really think that he is so smart, that he is going to "fool" 30 billionaires into doing what is bad for their pocketbooks. He'd be gone in a second if that happened. You think that they give a s*** about your belief that Bettman has ruined the game? If you like hockey as much as you imply that you do, they already have you hooked. Sure, you may turn it off for a while, but you'll be back. We always come back to the game we love, when we realize that there is no better game on earth.


People thought Clarence Campbell and John Ziegler did things that were bad for hockey before Bettman came in. Nothing new I guess.


Like others have stated, I don't understand your need to post a link to a 3 year old article here, especially one that you wrote. Other than fishing for web hits. Did you think to use the search topic function to see if this topic has been covered ad nauseum? I'll bet your article has already been linked to before, probably within a day of it being posted. If I recall, there were a whole lot of people here, blaming Bettman for everything from the Aids epidemic, to Global Warming, as well as the Penguins sucess that year.

I've said enough. Time to start a new, "Hudler Sucks" thread.

I don't care how much they make and I think Bettman lucked out because hockey was getting more popular in the U.S. anyway because of the "Miracle on Ice" and International success the U.S has had since then. And as is evidenced by their spending before the Cap the board of governors aren't exactly the brightest bunch

Edited by Johnz96, 04 May 2012 - 04:05 AM.

[Barrie]

I think Bettman and the Board of Governors have been trying to control/fix playoff games and series for a few years now, so their horrible expansion teams and CBA doesn't look so bad.

I'd like to see the NHLPA take 'em to the cleaners this off season. I'd be willing to miss another season if it means Bettman is out the door!

Edited by Barrie, 03 May 2012 - 09:32 PM.

[Johnz96]

I think Bettman and the Board of Governors have been trying to control/fix playoff games and series for a few years now, so their horrible expansion teams and CBA doesn't look so bad.

I'd like to see the NHLPA take 'em to the cleaners this off season. I'd be willing to miss another season if it means Bettman is out the door!

Me too

[craigjjs]

I think Bettman and the Board of Governors have been trying to control/fix playoff games and series for a few years now, so their horrible expansion teams and CBA doesn't look so bad.

I'd like to see the NHLPA take 'em to the cleaners this off season. I'd be willing to miss another season if it means Bettman is out the door!

Control yes, fix no. He is truly a weasel, but I am not giving up one game for him, let alone a season.

[Frozen-Man]

Why are you overwhelmed by the article too difficult for you to comprehend?

If you are going to attack someone's intelligence you might want to reword (or at least properly punctuate) that sentence.

[Johnz96]

If you are going to attack someone's intelligence you might want to reword (or at least properly punctuate) that sentence.

wen txtn or postn on forums such as this I prefer to spel lyk this but for som it is even more incomprehensible for som

Control yes, fix no. He is truly a weasel, but I am not giving up one game for him, let alone a season.

I don't know how old you are but some of us have already missed a season and a half because of him

Edited by Johnz96, 04 May 2012 - 01:26 PM.

[Nightfall]

wen txtn or postn on forums such as this I prefer to spel lyk this but for som it is even more incomprehensible for som



I don't know how you are but some of us have already missed a season and a half because of him

Johnz96 = 15 posts and a -26 reputation

I believe that says it all.

[Johnz96]

Johnz96 = 15 posts and a -26 reputation

I believe that says it all.

I'm not getting good goaltending

[drwscc]

I'm not getting good goaltending

OK, now that's funny!

[Nightfall]

I'm not getting good goaltending

+1

Best comment I have read today.

[kipwinger]

Last I knew Gary Bettman didn't become commissioner of the NHL through a coup d'etat. The league brought him in with the expressed desire to increase the profile of the league and expand the sport. If revenue increases from 400 million to 3 billion per year are any indication, he's done exactly what he was hired to do. Personally, I don't like his expansion policies, and some of the rule changes are garbage, but it's not like the league didn't know what they were getting. There's plenty to criticize Bettman about, but I think alot of the criticism that Bettman receives should be focused on the Board of Governors rather than the commissioner considering they obviously wanted the changes he's made.

[dirtydangles]

I saw on TSN that Torres will appeal the 25 game suspension and that Bettman will be the arbitrator. How is this okay? Then nhl owns the coyotes....

[BigWillieStyle]

I'm not getting good goaltending

I'd say that your defence is pretty weak, also.

[Dabura]

Is everyone here afraid of being fined?

[Crymson]

Well, I think it's safe to say that the OP's attempt at self-promotion has been an unequivocal failure.

[kipwinger]

What do you mean trollin??? First time anyone has accused me of trollin
Bettman changed the game so his weaker teams would have a better chance of success 96 Panthers being a perfect example.
Major offensive records will never be broken. 2459 fewer goals and over 6000 fewer points scored by players were scored in 97-98 than just 5 years previously in 92-93, Bettman's first full year as commissioner and more than 2000 fewer goals last year than in his first full year.
Personally I don't care too much where the game is being played or about the finances of the NHL except where it concerns the on ice product.
All the obstruction that was allowed favored the trap and so did the bigger goalie equipment, you had to use some form of the trap to win. This was all manipulated by Bettman to manufacture parity by circumventing talent.
His excuse initially for allowing all the obstruction is that too many penalties would slow the game down but as it has been argued then and has been proven now that the player and coaches will adapt to how the game is called. If all penalties are called all the time (when humanly possible, of course a ref may miss some if his view was obstructed and of course we all mistakes) the players, coaches and fans would know what to expect. His excuse for the goalie equipment is that players are bigger and stronger with harder shots and that they need the bigger equipment to protect themselves. At the all-star games they record speeds of slap shots, rarely do they post times higher than Al MaCinnes or Al Iafrate used to post back in the eighties. Back in the seventies Bobby Schmautz shot the puck right through the net a few times. When a goalie played the puck before Bettman was commissioner the players could check him where they can't touch the goalies anymore. So why do they need the extra equipment? I work out with a 20 lb. vest and i could put a regular sized jersey over it and I can't even notice in the mirror and I am sure it would offer more protection than all that big huge padding that they are wearing. It is not protection but puck stopping equipment. On Hockey Night in Canada, Ron MacLean once put Grant Fuhr's entire catching glove into a catching glove goalies use today to demonstrate the great difference in size.
The bigger goalie equipment benefited the trap style of play and Bettman allowed both so he indeed can get blamed for it.
His underlying motive for allowing obstruction and the bigger goalie equipment was to manufacture parity. As I have shown the goalie equipment need not be any bigger to protect in fact they are more protected by the rules and with the development of technology I am sure they can produce goalie equipment just as big as it was in the eighties that is be much more protective as well. And now that they have instituted the "new rules" it is proven what a joke "calling all the obstruction would slow the game with too many penalties" excuse is.
I think it is so funny when the NHL refers to the adjustment they finally made after the last lockout as "new rules". Excuse me but interference, hooking, tripping, holding, have always been rules the only difference is how often they are to be called.
If they don't reduce the goalie equipment to the size it was before Bettman was commissioner major offensive records will never be broken. It always creates a lot of excitement and media attention when someone is going for a record. I think hockey is more entertaining to watch when there is not such a strict emphasis on defense

Just from a personal standpoint I think that more offense is not necessarily a good thing. 1-0 or 2-1 games are usually more nail biting than 4-1 or 8-3 games. The level of competition matters in my opinion and that's one area where the game has benefited during Bettman's tenure.

[akustyk]

before last CBA richest teams came around $50M in payrolls. at this point salary cap for all teams is $60M and is likely to get higher. before the CBA NHL games were often dog boring with all the clogging, trap and low scoring, monster goalie pads games. now it's fast, with lot to see in terms of skills and with extremely competitive and unpredictable playoffs.

I'll take NHL AD 2012 over the AD 2004 version. any day. and it's really tough to say this is not to attribute to Bettman and the team of people who lead the league. apparently, they've raised the bar significantly and the product, as of now, is much better to the fans. and it makes a lot of money...

[Dabura]

Help! I fell through a wormhole and now I'm stuck in some alternative universe wherein everyone is cool with Gary Bettman!

Edited by Dabura, 04 May 2012 - 04:56 PM.

[BigWillieStyle]

Last I knew Gary Bettman didn't become commissioner of the NHL through a coup d'etat. The league brought him in with the expressed desire to increase the profile of the league and expand the sport. If revenue increases from 400 million to 3 billion per year are any indication, he's done exactly what he was hired to do. Personally, I don't like his expansion policies, and some of the rule changes are garbage, but it's not like the league didn't know what they were getting. There's plenty to criticize Bettman about, but I think alot of the criticism that Bettman receives should be focused on the Board of Governors rather than the commissioner considering they obviously wanted the changes he's made.

+1 For seeing the forest through the trees. He's just doing the job asked of him by his employers. When people get the thought that Bettman ( owns/ runs ) The NHL out of their head, and see that he is just the figurehead of the company instead, maybe they will better understand why he does what he does.

Most people didn't like Jack Walsh, from G.E. But, the Board of Directors, and shareholders loved him because they made a ton of money with him in charge. And in todays business world, that's the bottom line.


Should they fire Gary Bettman? Remember when Apple thought it would be a good idea to force Steve Jobs out? That worked out well for them, didn't it?

Good post, kipwinger.

[kipwinger]

+1 For seeing the forest through the trees. He's just doing the job asked of him by his employers. When people get the thought that Bettman ( owns/ runs ) The NHL out of their head, and see that he is just the figurehead of the company instead, maybe they will better understand why he does what he does.

Most people didn't like Jack Walsh, from G.E. But, the Board of Directors, and shareholders loved him because they made a ton of money with him in charge. And in todays business world, that's the bottom line.


Should they fire Gary Bettman? Remember when Apple thought it would be a good idea to force Steve Jobs out? That worked out well for them, didn't it?

Good post, kipwinger.

Thanks for the kudos, and I agree that profits are the bottom line. But it's not just that, increasing the market share and the profile of the game makes the sport more viable in terms of talent too. If there are more fans, and more people viewing the game as something other than the odd man out between the NBA, NFL, and MLB then more kids start playing at an early age, and more high quality athletes are likely to play hockey rather than one of the others. There's a lot to be said for expanding the game, but I think people tend to lose sight of that when all they focus on is a struggling team in Atlanta or Phoenix.