Bettman comments @ ASG 2011

[Crazy_Ike]

Considering the lies that come from McCown's shows and Ron's annual I'm-going-to-hold-my-breath-and-stomp-my-feet-until-Winnipeg-gets-a-team nonsense, I wouldn't give those two the time of day either.

MacLean gets an interview with Fehr and nearly has an orgasm in tossing him softballs and fawning all over him, and then people are shocked that Bettman shafts him on yet another chance to go into histrionics while trying to twist everything he says?

Why are people shocked again?

Besides, he'll get his interview, just not at the all-star game. It's not the issue people think it is.

 

[Fugu]

If you don't answer any questions, you don't have to lie.

If you dance around the issues, and re-state your pat answers then glare at anyone who DARES to say you didn't answer? Yes, that's Gary.

Bettman must really be nervous if he is ducking Ron McLean of all people.

He has a lot to be nervous about at the moment. Two weeks.

 

[albator71]

It's hard to believe anyone is defending Bettman here. You really think it's great that the NHL commissioner is ducking the CBC at the All-Star Game? One of the league's biggest media partners and a promoter of the league for over 50 years?

This is just another example of the moral bankruptcy of the NHL when it comes to dealing with Canadian fans. We provide the NHL with the money, the fanbase, and the passion that keeps this league alive, but the commissioner treats us like little more than ATMs.

The NHL should fold all 24 US base franchises and go only with the 6 Canadian base franchises, and why not have only Canadian born players eligible to play.

 

[cbcwpg]

I understand Bettman's not being interviewed at the ASG.

On one hand what can he say? Really, what can he say? The NHL is a mess in numerous markets, everyone knows it, and Bettman can't comment on it. So instead on being interviewed by the CBC and having one "no comment" after "no comment", or better yet, Bettman getting caught in another lie, Bettman's just avoiding it. But on the other hand, there is more to talk about than Phoenix and Atlanta.

 

[Crazy_Ike]

"Another" lie insinuates that there was a first one, which there hasn't been.

"The NHL" is not a mess anywhere. Certain ownership groups have made a mess of themselves. Important distinction.

"Numerous" does not equal "two".

You people, as always, see what you want to see.

 

[Fugu]

"Another" lie insinuates that there was a first one, which there hasn't been.

"The NHL" is not a mess anywhere. Certain ownership groups have made a mess of themselves. Important distinction.

"Numerous" does not equal "two".

You people, as always, see what you want to see.

While you're good at seeing both sides?


There are no problems in the NHL. Everything is fine.

So when an owner messes things up, it becomes the problem of whom? The "NHL" or the other 29 teams?

 

[Whileee]

"Another" lie insinuates that there was a first one, which there hasn't been.

"The NHL" is not a mess anywhere. Certain ownership groups have made a mess of themselves. Important distinction.

"Numerous" does not equal "two".

You people, as always, see what you want to see.

I am not sure how you can distinguish between ownership and the status of a franchise in a particular market.

If the owners can't or won't make the franchise work economically in a market they usually decide to sell. The NHL is in the habit of compelling them to find an owner who will keep the team in the current market, if at all possible.

The succession of owners in Phoenix/Glendale that have been approved by the NHL came to the point of declaring bankruptcy and forcing the NHL to purchase and operate the team for two seasons. The last of a string of new ownership hopefuls to keep the team in Glendale will apparently only do so with $100 million up front (from the City of Glendale) and another $97 million over the next 5.5 years. No matter what you think of the potential of the market, that is the situation. If Glendale is not willing or able (financially or legally) to meet the new owner's conditions, the team will be relocated. It's as simple as that.

Similarly, it is now public knowledge that the owners of the Atlanta Thrashers have wanted to "dispose" of the team for the past several years. If they find a new owner who is willing and able to purchase the team and operate it in Atlanta, the team will stay. If not, the team is likely to move. Discussions about the historical performance and future potential of the market provide endless fodder for debate, but it all comes down to ownership, or the lack thereof.

Having owners that want to sell their franchises and unable to find local buyers or investors is a "mess" for the NHL. The spectacle of one team being owned and operated by the league for a full two years, and only able to find an owner who will force the local municipality into a highly risky and potentially illegal lease agreement is the most embarrassing example.

 

[AllByDesign]

Considering the lies that come from McCown's shows and Ron's annual I'm-going-to-hold-my-breath-and-stomp-my-feet-until-Winnipeg-gets-a-team nonsense, I wouldn't give those two the time of day either.

McCown has what to do with HNIC? I was also unaware of his presence at the ASG. It's one thing to exaggerate Ron MacLean's posturing to drive a point home, but your post is more than over the top. He's more on the record for another team in Southern Ontario rather than Winnipeg.

Also, please consider that as league commish you are responsible to your media partners as they supply a glut of revenue to your bottom line. Bettman may prefer to opt out, but it is bad for business.

"Another" lie insinuates that there was a first one, which there hasn't been.

I for one like Bettman. He entertains me immensely and has conviction in his direction. He doesn't quiver. It is a quality I can respect in another human being. Let's not kid ourselves though. He has lied.

"The NHL" is not a mess anywhere. Certain ownership groups have made a mess of themselves. Important distinction.

The NHL as a group has missed steps in chosing their partners. They have been made the fool in countless ownership debacles in a very short period of time. They need to just stop being sloppy. A friend of mine always says "Half measures avail us nothing". The NHL have been Kings of half measures and it tires Bettman to have to make excuses.

 

[roccerfeller]

McCown has what to do with HNIC? I was also unaware of his presence at the ASG. It's one thing to exaggerate Ron MacLean's posturing to drive a point home, but your post is more than over the top. He's more on the record for another team in Southern Ontario rather than Winnipeg.

Also, please consider that as league commish you are responsible to your media partners as they supply a glut of revenue to your bottom line. Bettman may prefer to opt out, but it is bad for business.



I for one like Bettman. He entertains me immensely and has conviction in his direction. He doesn't quiver. It is a quality I can respect in another human being. Let's not kid ourselves though. He has lied.



The NHL as a group has missed steps in chosing their partners. They have been made the fool in countless ownership debacles in a very short period of time. They need to just stop being sloppy. A friend of mine always says "Half measures avail us nothing". The NHL have been Kings of half measures and it tires Bettman to have to make excuses.

Great post here ABD, agree 100%

 

[CC Chiefs*]

"Another" lie insinuates that there was a first one, which there hasn't been.

"The NHL" is not a mess anywhere. Certain ownership groups have made a mess of themselves. Important distinction.

"Numerous" does not equal "two".

You people, as always, see what you want to see.

So when the NHL has success it's the NHL as whole and not 10-15 teams carrying the league. But when teams/owners are having problems it's not the NHL it's individual teams. That is hypocrisy at its finest.

 

[AllByDesign]

Great post here ABD, agree 100%

Cheers!

They say as an adult that the need for external approval and adulation wanes... This is categorically false... I lap it up like a kitty with cream.

 

[Killion]

They need to just stop being sloppy.

That'd be a start.

 

[btn]

Also, please consider that as league commish you are responsible to your media partners as they supply a glut of revenue to your bottom line. Bettman may prefer to opt out, but it is bad for business.

I think you have it backwards here. The broadcast partners pay the NHL for the right to broadcast their games, they in turn pocket the money from the advertisers who want their ads shown during the games. Especially in the case of Canada, the NHL holds the cards. If the NHL struck a deal for HNIC with another network, who would
be damaged? Who would stand to lose the most? Bettman is not a political figure, and the CBC has no right to grill him like a criminal once a year.

 

[AllByDesign]

I think you have it backwards here. The broadcast partners pay the NHL for the right to broadcast their games, they in turn pocket the money from the advertisers who want their ads shown during the games. Especially in the case of Canada, the NHL holds the cards. If the NHL struck a deal for HNIC with another network, who would
be damaged? Who would stand to lose the most? Bettman is not a political figure, and the CBC has no right to grill him like a criminal once a year.

There is a certain symbiosis admittedly, but make no mistake if the CBC and TSN weren't competing for the coverage, the NHL would have the same weak deal they have with NBC.

Of course the broadcasters profit from the advertisers, but they are the NHL's customers.

As for the bolded, again... aren't we being a tad dramatic? Must be a coincidence the SAG awards were on tonight.

 

[Crazy_Ike]

I for one like Bettman. He entertains me immensely and has conviction in his direction. He doesn't quiver. It is a quality I can respect in another human being. Let's not kid ourselves though. He has lied.

No, he hasn't. There isn't a single quote that holds up to this "lying" accusation once context is restored. Not a single one.

The NHL as a group has missed steps in chosing their partners. They have been made the fool in countless ownership debacles in a very short period of time. They need to just stop being sloppy. A friend of mine always says "Half measures avail us nothing". The NHL have been Kings of half measures and it tires Bettman to have to make excuses.

This reeks of revisionism. You have NO idea what information was available to the NHL beforehand. Pretty easy to say "you missed steps" afterwards, isn't it?

Given what happens in the world of big business as a whole, would it shock you to learn that there is virtually no difference between the NHL and anyone else involved in deals involving tens of millions of dollars? One suspects the only billion dollar business you actually pay attention to to this degree is the NHL itself.

The succession of owners in Phoenix/Glendale that have been approved by the NHL came to the point of declaring bankruptcy and forcing the NHL to purchase and operate the team for two seasons. The last of a string of new ownership hopefuls to keep the team in Glendale will apparently only do so with $100 million up front (from the City of Glendale) and another $97 million over the next 5.5 years. No matter what you think of the potential of the market, that is the situation. If Glendale is not willing or able (financially or legally) to meet the new owner's conditions, the team will be relocated. It's as simple as that.

So what?

Why do you think relocation is some sort of league disaster? Every league operating on the North American pro league system has had numerous relocations and every one of them is doing just fine. It's never the first option, but it's still an option to be used when necessary.

Similarly, it is now public knowledge that the owners of the Atlanta Thrashers have wanted to "dispose" of the team for the past several years. If they find a new owner who is willing and able to purchase the team and operate it in Atlanta, the team will stay. If not, the team is likely to move. Discussions about the historical performance and future potential of the market provide endless fodder for debate, but it all comes down to ownership, or the lack thereof.

Yes, I have said so numerous times. Again, so what?

Having owners that want to sell their franchises and unable to find local buyers or investors is a "mess" for the NHL.

No, it's actually a standard operating stance for most leagues. The NHL has been unusually stable over the last nearly two decades. That is not a normal state of a league. Far more common is teams always either on the verge of moving, or actually moving around. And every league has it happen. Even the darling NFL.

Instead of "a mess", think of the past fifteen years or so of stability as an aberration brought on by unusually good management at the top of the league, but not something that can continue forever. Things change, risks are taken, not every throw of the dice comes up 7 and sometimes your ace high flush gets steamrolled by a straight flush. Every team placed in a city that doesn't have hockey as a natural part of its sports scene (ie, kids can't go and casually play it) is a risk. Some owners felt it was worth putting their money on the line to make that risk count. Some were rewarded, ie San Jose and Anaheim. Some were not, ie Phoenix and maybe now Atlanta. The only "messes" come when an individual member attempts to damage the league itself, ie Moyes and Balsillie trying to illegally use bankruptcy to endrun the league rules, but there's not much the league can do about that.

The spectacle of one team being owned and operated by the league for a full two years, and only able to find an owner who will force the local municipality into a highly risky and potentially illegal lease agreement is the most embarrassing example.

One suspects the league is not in the least embarrassed about it, considering it was given wide props for how it handled the Moyes debacle from the people who's opinions on the matter actually have any bearing on the business side of hockey at all (p.s. this doesn't include the Canadian sports media).

 

[Butch 19]

The NHL as a group has missed steps in chosing their partners. They have been made the fool in countless ownership debacles in a very short period of time. They need to just stop being sloppy.

What about Basille? Keeping him from becoming an owner may have been the best thing the owners have done in a long time.

Basille is a loose canon - the more I learned about him, the more slimey he became.

 

[Evil Doctor]

Basille is a loose canon - the more I learned about him, the more slimey he became.

'loose canon' Makes me think of the psalm book that the Bettmanites preaches out of....

 

[Jeffrey93]

No, he hasn't. There isn't a single quote that holds up to this "lying" accusation once context is restored. Not a single one.

"Things in Phoenix are fine. Any reports to the contrary are irresponsible reporting."

I believe that was a few weeks before Moyes filed for bankruptcy.

 

[Jeffrey93]

What about Basille? Keeping him from becoming an owner may have been the best thing the owners have done in a long time.

Basille is a loose canon - the more I learned about him, the more slimey he became.

Loose cannon?? Good grief.

 

[bacon25]

Why is everyone hating on Balsille? He wasn't even an owner and people throw him in with the sketchy ones.

Now as for Bettman your dang right he's lied, and context has nothing to do with it. (unless were living in Opposite land, and then in that case the Phoenix Coyotes are selling out every game.) I have seen him speak and he is a shrewd and clever guy. But hey, "he who is without sin throw the first stone."

The NHL does need to right the ship better, I agree with ABD comments on the matter, poor owners are hurting the NHL, and since GB and the BOG approve of the potential owners they blame lays with them and they should be held accountable to the paying public.

 

[Killion]

"Things in Phoenix are fine. Any reports to the contrary are irresponsible reporting".

Err, technically J93, that isnt exactly a Porker. Lets revisit that oft quoted moment that lives in infamy;

"Things in Phoenix are fine".

Indeed they were from Garys' perspective; Reinsdorf had been working for months with City Manager Beasley & Attorney Tindall to craft a deal & were about to make an offer to Moyes before he went Rogue & bought into The Rodier Plan.

"Any Reports to the contrary are irresponsible reporting".

Absolutely. GB was confident at the time that all was in-hand and under control. Why chase a story that didnt exist?.

So. If we consider the contemporaneous context of that time, not so infamous, no more Porky.

 

[Whileee]

Err, technically J93, that isnt exactly a Porker. Lets revisit that oft quoted moment that lives in infamy;

"Things in Phoenix are fine".

Indeed they were from Garys' perspective; Reinsdorf had been working for months with City Manager Beasley & Attorney Tindall to craft a deal & were about to make an offer to Moyes before he went Rogue & bought into The Rodier Plan.

"Any Reports to the contrary are irresponsible reporting".

Absolutely. GB was confident at the time that all was in-hand and under control. Why chase a story that didnt exist?.

So. If we consider the contemporaneous context of that time, not so infamous, no more Porky.

Hmmm... but do you think he knew then that Reinsdorf's conditions for acquiring the Coyotes included about $168 million in direct subsidies over a 5 year period, or else "sayonara"? In that case, perhaps Mr. B was a bit naive in his confidence about Reinsdorf's level of interest and the feasibility of his plan to purchase the team.

 

[Buck Aki Berg]

Hmmm... but do you think he knew then that Reinsdorf's conditions for acquiring the Coyotes included about $168 million in direct subsidies over a 5 year period, or else "sayonara"? In that case, perhaps Mr. B was a bit naive in his confidence about Reinsdorf's level of interest and the feasibility of his plan to purchase the team.

If you think that "having not progressed far enough through a situation to have all the facts that you need to make an accurate prediction" is "lying", then I don't know what to tell you.

I'm going to work today. If, having driven halfway there, I get a phone call that the office is closed for the day and I turn around and go home, I didn't lie about going to work, and anybody accusing me of lying would obviously be out to pin something on me. Gary's "lie" is no different.

 

[Fourier]

"Another" lie insinuates that there was a first one, which there hasn't been.

"The NHL" is not a mess anywhere. Certain ownership groups have made a mess of themselves. Important distinction.

"Numerous" does not equal "two".

You people, as always, see what you want to see.

Serioulsy Ike,

Do you really believe the NHL and Bettman to be incapable of ever making a mistake?

 

[Whileee]

If you think that "having not progressed far enough through a situation to have all the facts that you need to make an accurate prediction" is "lying", then I don't know what to tell you.

I'm going to work today. If, having driven halfway there, I get a phone call that the office is closed for the day and I turn around and go home, I didn't lie about going to work, and anybody accusing me of lying would obviously be out to pin something on me. Gary's "lie" is no different.

Ummm... where exactly did you see in my post any reference to Bettman "lying"? I didn't think so.

If you are suggesting that Bettman was expecting Reinsdorf to purchase the team but didn't know that Reinsdorf planned to get Glendale to pay $168 million towards the deal, then either Reinsdorf did not fully disclose the terms of his interest, or Bettman knew this and was persuaded that it could fly with Glendale. Either way, he evidently misjudged, and his indignation at being questioned about the financial situation in Phoenix seems a bit droll now in retrospect.