Did You Think Gary Bettman would say this?

[puckhead103*]

1. Canada's largest non-NHL cities--Ottawa, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary, and Quebec--are too small to support major league hockey

2. Hockey will someday surpass football, baseball, and basketball in popularity among American sports fans.

3. Canadian and American college hockey associations should adopt professional rules.

4. Hockey will boom in the southern states

5. The NHL will add a six-team European Division within 10 years.

6. The NHL should make greater use of the penalty shot.

Guess what....this statement was not made by Gary Bettman, but the proponent and creator of NHL's first expansion from 1960's, Bill Jennings....

I got this by reading Brian MacFarlane's book on the history of the New York Rangers..

Man I read this today....I couldn't believe this Jennings guy would make this prophetic vision of the future NHL....

This was written 10 years before his death in 1981...so it was written in 1971...

Click to read more...

 

[Grabo59]

Yeah, I kind of guessed this was old when Ottawa was listed as a non- NHL city.

 

[puckhead103*]

Yeah, I kind of guessed this was old when Ottawa was listed as a non- NHL city.

you think bill jennings's prophecy has came true?

i know points 4 and point 6 has came true.....

 

[Fish on The Sand]

you think bill jennings's prophecy has came true?

i know points 4 and point 6 has came true.....

point 1 is also semi true. Winnipeg and Quebec got teams and had to move. Ottawa and Calgary came extremely close to folding. Edmonton wasn't looking good for a while either.

 

[Hasbro]

you think bill jennings's prophecy has came true?

i know points 4 and point 6 has came true.....

Point 3 has gone the other way around. The NHL opted for a more college like game this year.