Gary Bettman on WFAN/YES today at 5pm

[John Flyers Fan]

Oh com'on man, be real will ya? They knew he was on, you don't think the union listened to the interview and monitor was being said afterwards? You bet they were.

The response: http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=115726&hubName=nhl

Goodenow took issue with Bettman's assessment of the situation.

"Regarding Gary's portrayal of the events of last week, I will make the following four points:

"One - Gary claims he heard that we wanted to have a meeting and talk to them. That is totally false - the League cancelled the season Wednesday, and on Thursday night, Gary and Bill Daly separately called Trevor Linden after 11 p.m. EST and invited Trevor and the NHLPA to come to New York for a meeting.

"Two - Friday morning, when arrangements for the League-requested meeting were being coordinated, Bill advised Trevor that Gary would not be attending on behalf of the League. As a result, I also did not attend.

"Three - There was never a suggestion by the NHLPA that we were making an offer. Our presence in New York only occurred because of the League's request to meet.

"Four - As for Gary's comments that we came to New York with the purpose of conducting a media campaign, that's just erroneous and the facts prove this to be the case. When Trevor, Vincent Damphousse and Ted Saskin met with the media at the St. Regis Hotel they actually met in a room that had been reserved and fully set up by the League for their own media conference. The room was left vacant when the League attendees slipped out of the hotel after they decided not to address the media after the conclusion of the meeting they called. The hotel then offered us the use of this room to accommodate the media stranded outside on the sidewalk.

"It is unfortunate that Gary Bettman would publicly engage in this type of false characterization of events that he himself set in motion last Thursday."

 

[sundstrom]

one correction to the bettman recap, the revenue sharing figure was $90-$100 million, for what it's worth.

 

[Lou is God]

The response: http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=115726&hubName=nhl

Goodenow took issue with Bettman's assessment of the situation.

"Regarding Gary's portrayal of the events of last week, I will make the following four points:

"One - Gary claims he heard that we wanted to have a meeting and talk to them. That is totally false - the League cancelled the season Wednesday, and on Thursday night, Gary and Bill Daly separately called Trevor Linden after 11 p.m. EST and invited Trevor and the NHLPA to come to New York for a meeting.

"Two - Friday morning, when arrangements for the League-requested meeting were being coordinated, Bill advised Trevor that Gary would not be attending on behalf of the League. As a result, I also did not attend.

"Three - There was never a suggestion by the NHLPA that we were making an offer. Our presence in New York only occurred because of the League's request to meet.

"Four - As for Gary's comments that we came to New York with the purpose of conducting a media campaign, that's just erroneous and the facts prove this to be the case. When Trevor, Vincent Damphousse and Ted Saskin met with the media at the St. Regis Hotel they actually met in a room that had been reserved and fully set up by the League for their own media conference. The room was left vacant when the League attendees slipped out of the hotel after they decided not to address the media after the conclusion of the meeting they called. The hotel then offered us the use of this room to accommodate the media stranded outside on the sidewalk.

"It is unfortunate that Gary Bettman would publicly engage in this type of false characterization of events that he himself set in motion last Thursday."

And just when you thought it couldn't get any uglier it does, he said, she said.....*sigh*

 

[sundstrom]

let the he-said/he-said continue. at this point, we can only take what these two say as truth when it is independently corroborated.

as for who invited who, i believe that Gretzky indicated he was invited by the players union and they initiated the meeting.

as for the "sources" behind the deal, we've seen numerous accounts that it was multiple players that were the sources. NEVER has it been said that there was an owner, or even a "league" source.

 

[GKJ]

And just when you thought it couldn't get any uglier it does, he said, she said.....*sigh*

What did you expect him to say? "Yes. We set the owners up."



The PA will have an internal meeting next week. If this was a set up, this will decide which players looked into the mirror.

 

[Scoogs]

Day after day it becomes more clear that at the final conclusion of this lockout, whenever that may be, one of these guys is gone. I'm putting all my money on Goodenow.

 

[chriss_co]

What Gary accused the PA of is kinda hard to believe... BUT the fact that the PA was willing to issue a public statement against an interview on a radio show makes them look highly suspicious... i mean.. if its false, why give it attention??

 

[vanlady]

Just a thought. Marc Crawford was interviewed on Global, he said he was told to start setting up training camp last Friday. Would the management of the Canucks base there business decisions on media reports, or orders from there ownership?

 

[Lou is God]

What did you expect him to say? "Yes. We set the owners up."

Did I say I expected him to say that? But it's looking more and more like the players played the owners at our expense, but I'm sure that doesn't bother you at all.

 

[ScottyBowman]

What Gary accused the PA of is kinda hard to believe... BUT the fact that the PA was willing to issue a public statement against an interview on a radio show makes them look highly suspicious... i mean.. if its false, why give it attention??

Because all the owner fan boys would say "If the NHLPA doesn't say anything, it must be true". It has already been said that the NHL called the PA to schedule a meeting. Gary's arrogance caught up to him with that whopper.

 

[GKJ]

Did I say I expected him to say that? But it's looking more and more like the players played the owners at our expense, but I'm sure that doesn't bother you at all.

Sure it bothers me. I'm not as sure as you are, but it bothers me more that both sides set us fans up more than anything. If the PA set the owners up, Bettman is even more of an idiot for falling for it.

 

[Scoogs]

Sure it bothers me. I'm not as sure as you are, but it bothers me more that both sides set us fans up more than anything. If the PA set the owners up, Bettman is even more of an idiot for falling for it.

The only way that I can think of in which Bettman could have avoided that fiasco would for him to have disagreed to the meeting. But how would that possibly help matters?

In all directions, it was a losing situation.

I am still in shock that we stand here today, without any solution in sight.

 

[dvaske]

Willful blindness

I think the source of the "Deal done at 45" rumor was a bunch of players who have no idea what their union leadership is doing. They've been so misled by Goodenow that when they changed course from "NO cap- NO how- Never" to "OK hard cap at 49 million" they all realize that they had over-played their hand. Wishful thinking had them thinking they were going to ring another 3 mil per from the Leagues drop dead 42.5 offer, and still be able to renegotiate the perks.

 

[Scoogs]

I think the source of the "Deal done at 45" rumor was a bunch of players who have no idea what their union leadership is doing. They've been so misled by Goodenow that when they changed course from "NO cap- NO how- Never" to "OK hard cap at 49 million" they all realize that they had over-played their hand. Wishful thinking had them thinking they were going to ring another 3 mil per from the Leagues drop dead 42.5 offer, and still be able to renegotiate the perks.

I'm still having trouble finding out how the union believes that it is going to get a better deal in the future... It's starting to hurt my brain.

 

[SuperUnknown]

Imo, this weekend meeting was a staged PA at shutting up the dissidents. They would appease the revolt movement by saying they tried to get $45M but the owners would offer "something worse" (see Saskin comments). With this, the PA could have united the players.

 

[SuperUnknown]

The bottom line here is more hard questions need to be asked. I'd like to ask Gary if the 300 million lockout fund was entered as a loss in their audit? How the heck did these owners squirrel away 300 million dollars if they were hemmoraging money as much as they claim ? I'd also like to know why the PA didn't call in to the show , while Bettman was on , to disprove his comments! We as fans are being played from both ends! There should be hell to pay for both sides, but most of us will flock back to the arenas as soon as the game starts back up!

Well if you knew anything about accounting, you would know that you can't pass a 300 million lockout fund as an expense (or a loss). Cash flow is what keeps a team alive (so as long as the owners pour in money, the teams can stay afloat). Gain/Loss reflects if the shareholders are getting richer/poorer. For the owners it's usually poorer...

 

[Lou is God]

Sure it bothers me. I'm not as sure as you are, but it bothers me more that both sides set us fans up more than anything. If the PA set the owners up, Bettman is even more of an idiot for falling for it.

What's more disgusting, Bettman being a idiot or the players caring less about the fans devotion to use it as a tool in a negotation war that they are losing?

I go with B.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Imo, this weekend meeting was a staged PA at shutting up the dissidents. They would appease the revolt movement by saying they tried to get $45M but the owners would offer "something worse" (see Saskin comments). With this, the PA could have united the players.

I was thinking the same thing. Before that friday night surprise the players were in open revolt. They sure seem to be back on the ranch now. Goodenow knows how to save his @ss. Too bad he did not work half at hard at getting a realistic deal for his players.

 

[mr gib]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?id=115726

took a while but gary's finally getting it - read the posts -

 

[ScottyBowman]

took a while but gary's finally getting it - read the posts -

Thank God the Canadian fan base finally woke up.

 

[NYFAN]

Well if you knew anything about accounting, you would know that you can't pass a 300 million lockout fund as an expense (or a loss). Cash flow is what keeps a team alive (so as long as the owners pour in money, the teams can stay afloat). Gain/Loss reflects if the shareholders are getting richer/poorer. For the owners it's usually poorer...

BRAVO!......now explain to me how a league that is hemmoraging money, siphoned off 300 million dollars for a lockout, yet owners had to pour their own money into payroll to keep their teams on the ice? Furthermore, tell me specifically how Ottawa, and Buffalo, and Pittsburgh, did this, among others who cry poverty then prove time and again to be fiscally irresponsible.

 

[GKJ]

Darryl Sutter had the best thing to say in that piece.


And he is a GM of one of those dreaded hardline teams. Wanting a 3rd party can't make Hotchkiss happy.

 

[Dr Love]

Well somebody is lying here. Wayne said in his interview on TSN that his plane did not even land Friday night until 10:00 PM, yet Bettman says they had dinner together???

He said they ate at like 11 or 12.

Nah, I was listening to Francesa on my way home from work and after the interview and he kept saying we would be willing to bring on someone from the NHLPA but none of them lying bastards ever called in. I wouldn't hold my breath on it either.

Well, in fairness, the interview with Bettman didn't get done until 5:30, so perhaps they were still getting the wheels in motion about who and when when the show ended. I don't think them not calling in on that day means much.

 

[Enoch]

What's more disgusting, Bettman being a idiot or the players caring less about the fans devotion to use it as a tool in a negotation war that they are losing?

I go with B.

I have to agree. I was never more angry, than at the point that I realized I had been used by the players in another cash grab attempt .

 

[Lou is God]

Well, in fairness, the interview with Bettman didn't get done until 5:30, so perhaps they were still getting the wheels in motion about who and when when the show ended. I don't think them not calling in on that day means much.

We'll see today if they ever call in to the their show, but like I said I wouldn't hold my breath.