Here is some information that will undoubtedly get the blood boiling of the usual horde who would not recognize executive talent if it slapped them upside the head: http://sportsbusinessjournal.com/in...ticle.main&articleId=55422&requestTimeout=900 Bettman's salary in the year ending July 2005 was $5.9 million. Daly made $2.78 million. Bettman's salary was nevertheless less than half that of Tagliabue and Selig. Of note as well is the fact that NHL teams pay approximately $1.6 million in dues to the NHL (this number would have to be figured into any Winnipeg discussion, but THIS IS NOT A WINNIPEG THREAD, SO STAY AWAY FROM THAT STUFF PLEASE). Query whether this info puts Saskin's allegedly exorbitant salary demands into context. Saskin was actually low in his representations to the PA regarding the salaries of Bettman and Daly.
If the proper procedure had been followed, the pay of the selected executive should be what the hiring party feels he's worth. With regard to Saskin, if a thorough search had been done and the players agreed to pay the chosen executive his asking price, then there would be nothing to question. Someone they really liked might have asked $4 MM per year, and they might have said okay. The comparisons may be interesting for news reporters, just to offer some perspective, but in my opinion they aren't nearly as relevant as the media makes them out to be.
Oh well, that's a good thing Bettman gets a bigger salary. Maybe the owners will finally see he is mediocre for what he's paid and will fire him.
Oh. Of course the owners do like him. That makes sense since they offered him a better contract. All I'm saying is that it's going to be easier to fire him now that he has a bigger salary and that the owners will see more quickly that he's overpaid for the works he do. And, IMO, it would be a good riddance for the fans.
You do realize that most executives in the US are highly overcompensated? That whole 'old boys club' thing they can pull with the board of directors insures they feed off each other. In other countries the interests of the shareholders are protected a bit better with a very clear cut separation between boards and the management hired to manage a company. [this has nothing to do with Bettman, btw.]