Unhappy Anniversery: 15 years of Bettman

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=Agsx...o&type=lgns

Everyone has a favorite conspiracy theory about the NBA. Some like the idea that David Stern fixed the 1984 draft lottery. Others favor his supposed secret suspension of a star player for gambling problems.

Mine dates back to the early 1990s, when the NHL was white hot with fans and never better on the ice. Wayne Gretzky was in Los Angeles. Mark Messier was with the New York Rangers, who were on the verge of ending their Stanley Cup drought. Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman, Ray Bourque, Patrick Roy and many others were hitting their prime.

Anyone who doesn't think hockey can work in America is forgetting this era. All of a sudden, hockey was challenging, if not beating, the NBA in a number of major U.S. markets – including New York. It's almost impossible to imagine now, but it happened.

As the conspiracy theory goes, Stern sensed the potential trouble in 1993 while the NHL was in search of a new commissioner. So he looked around his own office for someone so incompetent that if they got the job, the NHL would be marginalized by their mismanagement and never again be a threat to the NBA.

Naturally, Stern recommended one of his assistants, Gary Bettman, for the job.

[mack 44]

That's why David Stern is a genius.

[jay 1]

...and why I find I'm spending less and less time to watching hockey on TV anymore.

Genius article. I couldn't have said any of it any better.

[philatangy 0]

Yeah, Bettman is no good. I can't wait for them to end the three year cycle of this garbage schedule and get back to seeing all the teams again.

[TBLfan 25]

I just hope he gets fired.

[Devilshockey 0]

Amen brother, it just sickens me 2 see the NBA geting all the nevermind gotta think positive

[Hordie Gowe 17]

If they haven't fired him yet they never will.

[--notorious 0]

I wonder whats it's going to take to get him fired.

[TBLfan 25]

a bankrupt NHL :(

[hockeytim18 0]

Best case scenario Bettman is gone:

1. The NHL has dissapeared off the face off the Earth.

2. Gary Bettman has now died of old age at 95 years old.

[Methane 0]

Somebody had the idea of the petition against the new uniforms. Not that it would make a huge difference but maybe the league would hear us if we petitioned Bettman?

http://www.nhlfa.com

http://www.petitiononline.com/Fans4NHL/petition.html

http://www.petitiononline.com/0506puck/petition.html

[mack 44]

It'll work as well as Vote for Rory.

[Smith 0]

Yeah, Bettman is no good. I can't wait for them to end the three year cycle of this garbage schedule and get back to seeing all the teams again.

The Owners vote on the schedule. It's there falt, they don't like the high cost of travel. I don't get this idea that hockey was right with the NBA. Basketball will always be more popular in the U.S.A. becasue almost everybody gets a change to play. Just make sense. Bettman is not the falt of the league.

[mack 44]

You don't get facts? Hockey was beating the NBA in the latter part of the '93-'94 season. Granted it was a Jordan-less NBA, but they were still losing out.

[Smith 0]

That's one season though, With the big markets having good teams (if I remeber right?)

[mack 44]

Yes, which is why it's a little misleading to say the NHL would overtake the NBA for an extended period of time. Gretzky was still effective; Detroit was starting to take off; Selanne, Bure and Mogilny were scoring at will, etc. Just a lot of things going right for the NHL and the big thing is that Jordan wasn't playing in the NBA. Hard to get excited about Pat Ewing and Pippen.

[ag12 0]

Yes, which is why it's a little misleading to say the NHL would overtake the NBA for an extended period of time. Gretzky was still effective; Detroit was starting to take off; Selanne, Bure and Mogilny were scoring at will, etc. Just a lot of things going right for the NHL and the big thing is that Jordan wasn't playing in the NBA. Hard to get excited about Pat Ewing and Pippen.

I agree that the NHL wouldn't have taken over the NBA for an extended period of time. How ironic is it though that Bettman killed the momentum the league was building in 1994 with the lockout, and then in 1995 the NJ Devils win the Cup with their brand of boring/clutch and grab/trap style hockey. Now post the most recent lockout we are stuck with hockey to the other extreme, where players can't even be moved from out in front of the crease without a penalty being served. No wonder the casual fan has tuned out, the league has a major identity crisis........ Hats off to Stern though; if that was his intent, the joke is on the NHL....

[mack 44]

I still don't see how the Devils had boring hockey. Granted I'm a bit biased but other than the horrible Finals against the Ducks they've played great during their Cup runs. The series against Detroit may be viewed as boring because the Devils absolutely cornholed them, but still. You can't blame the Devils for the trap since it's been around longer than most of us here; blame the teams that use(d) it as a crutch because they suck.

[jay 1]

I can blame Bettman for over expansion and dwindling of the talent pool, locking players out twice, the removal of fighting and subsequently any passion from the game, the lack of a real television contract, the crap friggen' schedule, the ridiculous new uniforms, and if I weren't at work and had a few more minutes to think about it I'm sure I could come up with a lot more.

As for the trap, that's one thing that's not his fault and while I don't particularly care for that style of play, I'd rather watch two teams scratch, claw, and maul each other to try and get that 2-1 win then watch two teams figure skate around each other to win 5-4 in a shoot out.

[ag12 0]

I still don't see how the Devils had boring hockey. Granted I'm a bit biased but other than the horrible Finals against the Ducks they've played great during their Cup runs. The series against Detroit may be viewed as boring because the Devils absolutely cornholed them, but still. You can't blame the Devils for the trap since it's been around longer than most of us here; blame the teams that use(d) it as a crutch because they suck.

I didn't mean to target the Devils, just use them as an example. Detroit made good use of the Left-wing lock in it's run for the Cup.

[mack 44]

Exactly, another form of the trap but no one ever mentions/remembers that and assumed Detroit was exciting. I can see the knocks against the Devils if their scores would merit one, but it wasn't like they were just winning games 2-1, 1-0, etc.

[Duder84 0]

Somebody had the idea of the petition against the new uniforms. Not that it would make a huge difference but maybe the league would hear us if we petitioned Bettman?

http://www.nhlfa.com

http://www.petitiononline.com/Fans4NHL/petition.html

http://www.petitiononline.com/0506puck/petition.html

Every coup's gotta start somewhere I guess, sure it might work as well as vote for Rory, but maybe, just MAYBE it'll get something done. At least one would hope.

[GSHL99 0]

I think the NHL, if run properly and that's the if, could over take the NBA. Americans will go for the contact and the speed over the high scoring, it's just a matter of introducing Americans to ice hockey. As much as I hate the Dallas Stars they really did the smart thing by going into Dallas (not a hockey market for sure) and putting dollars into building youth hockey. You get kids into it you're building your future fan base as well as your future players. Parents that didn't know anything about hockey will learn the game from watching their kids and could easily translate into new NHL fans. It's not going to happen next year, but under decent management it certainly could.

[Hordie Gowe 17]

It is extremely unlikely the NHL will ever move from being the 4th of the 4 major sports. You could argue the NHL is actually 5th if you want to include NASCAR (I don't since NASCAR is not a sport). The other sports (basketball, baseball and football) are much easier sport for kids to play and learn. Plus the cost of those are much less especially with basketball and baseball. Throw in the lack of minority representation and you have a recipie to always be the 4th major sport for the foreseeable future.

[Methane 0]

I think the NHL, if run properly and that's the if, could over take the NBA. Americans will go for the contact and the speed over the high scoring, it's just a matter of introducing Americans to ice hockey. As much as I hate the Dallas Stars they really did the smart thing by going into Dallas (not a hockey market for sure) and putting dollars into building youth hockey. You get kids into it you're building your future fan base as well as your future players. Parents that didn't know anything about hockey will learn the game from watching their kids and could easily translate into new NHL fans. It's not going to happen next year, but under decent management it certainly could.

That was pure marketing genius there. We now have 5 Dr. Pepper Star Centers in the area and tons of High School teams running around. If it weren't for the Stars coming to Dallas I'd not be playing with my I league, because it wouldn't exist. The local rink would have closed, or maybe hung on and been just for Public Skate. There wouldn't be a Perani's in Euless. The Stars did in fact bring hockey to North Central Texas.

In short, if more teams invested in the local kids or sponsored more surfaces in areas that have none I think things would grow the way they have here. The majority of the States is not conducive to pond hockey so we need a push to get the sport off the ground.