Gary Bettman induction to HHOF is a Travesty to the Game

the greatest sport on earth is now a major international sports league, instead of a local domestic minor league.

I don't believe it is, IMO.

Doesn't even move the needle internationally compared to the NBA, or European soccer leagues.

Just for the record, i'm not opposed to growth...organically. What i'm opposed to is a force-fed, foie gras style growth, with some steroids and hormones thrown in for good measure.

And the glowing puck is a symptom of the disease, the dumbing down of a sport in order to sell it to people who have shown repeatedly that they have no interest in consuming it. At least not to the levels of the NFL, NBA or MLB.

If any of you haven't had the supreme honour of taking in a game in Sunrise FL, I highly suggest it.

Take in a match between the canes and the panthers in that building and tell me how awesome Bettman is.
 
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Daisy Jane

everything is gonna be okay!
Jul 2, 2009
70,212
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I don't believe it is, IMO.

Doesn't even move the needle internationally compared to the NBA, or European soccer leagues.

Just for the record, i'm not opposed to growth...organically. What i'm opposed to is a force-fed, foie gras style growth, with some steroids and hormones thrown in for good measure.

And the glowing puck is a symptom of the disease, the dumbing down of a sport in order to sell it to people who have shown repeatedly that they have no interest in consuming it. At least not to the levels of the NFL, NBA or MLB.

If any of you haven't had the supreme honour of taking in a game in Sunrise FL, I highly suggest it.

Take in a match between the canes and the panthers in that building and tell me how awesome Bettman is.

so basically.
you're complaining for the sake of complaining then. several people pointed out the errors of your argument and you decided, instead of reading them and going. "oh. okay." you want to double down on things that plague franchises across all 4 leagues.
 

Gabriel426

Registered User
Jun 30, 2015
16,522
10,128
For what is worth, Bettman did a lot for the growth of the NHL.
He literally doubled the numbers of teams since he was commissioner. It is true that some of those teams never made it and there are plenty of problems with the league itself but this man knows how to expand the business.
You don’t think the owners love him for standing firm with the PA about all its issues.
As for expanding the NHL brand, Hockey is not an easy sports to market. As the best player in the league beside goalie only
plays 1/3 or half the game at most. If you are introducing the game to people with no knowledge, you will always ask them to look at Sid, McDavid, Ovie.... but after watching one game, their questions will always be how come they sit all the time.
 

trellaine201

Registered User
Feb 10, 2010
19,678
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Left coast
The HHOF has lost all credibility with its upcoming induction of this little leech... He is still employed by the league and is the highest paid person in the league by the way at 14 million per... Also he has been the architect of 3 player strikes ... Oh ya lets give him the highest honor of hockey .

I think hes been the worst thing to happen to the game !


Don’t forget concussion controversy!
 

ChurchOfMatthews

Goldmember
Oct 13, 2016
809
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Plevna
I wonder if he gets booed during his induction ceremony.

Sad nonetheless, but hardly surprising...like Trump giving himself a Nobel Peace Prize.

Funny thing is he'd be more deserving than the last clown President who received it.

On topic, although many of us dislike Gary his numbers are impressive to say the least.
 

Boutette

Been there done that
Sep 28, 2017
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without him, the nhl would be equivalent to the cfl.

Actually, that honor goes to Brian O'Neill who oversaw the '67 expansion that doubled the number of NHL teams, all American by the way (and he is in the HOF by the way).

But sure Bettman is the best commissioner the League has ever had. He is, however, also the worst commissioner the League has ever had (as the league has only ever had one commissioner, him).

I am thankful for one thing, because without some of Bettman's choices, Auston Matthews might never have become a Leaf, let alone a hockey player, so there that.
 

Boutette

Been there done that
Sep 28, 2017
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Take in a match between the canes and the panthers in that building and tell me how awesome Bettman is.

Take in a match between the Montreal Maroons and the Pittsburgh Pirates or the Seattle Metropolitans and the Saskatoon Sheiks... oh wait, you can't because back then the rich pro teams didn't care if the poor teams (or their leagues for that matter) folded because they didn't have the vision that expanding the fan base meant more wealth for everyone, so instead of these days where revenue sharing makes everyone richer and more teams means national networks actually see $$$ to earn and hand out you saw the league reduced to bush league status for 30+ years and maybe forever if guys like Bettman didn't take charge (HOFer Brian O'Neill being the guy in '67 who set the stage plus Dennis Murphy and Gary Davidson, both WHA HOFers who pushed the concept further way back when in terms of expanding top tier pro hockey into unfamiliar territory.)

Hockey in general and the NHL in particular never benefited from being a handful of ducks in a very small pond.
 
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TheTotalPackage

Registered User
Sep 14, 2006
7,303
5,450
He definitely deserves to go in.

But I actually think he has held the league back from growing greater than it has in comparison to the growth he has overseen. Which I also think had a lot to do with the overall sporting bubble during his tenure.
 

RubberHead

Registered User
Apr 15, 2018
48
23
Keeping the coyotes and panthers franchises afloat. He is a big supporter of league welfare.
If Vegas won the cup last year, it would be obvious "the fix is in ". Go back to being the comish of the NBA.
 
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so basically.
you're complaining for the sake of complaining then. several people pointed out the errors of your argument and you decided, instead of reading them and going. "oh. okay." you want to double down on things that plague franchises across all 4 leagues.

Stop trying to compare the NHL to the other 3 leagues. It's an alien sport in the USA (even more so than soccer imo).
 

ACC1224

Super Elite, Passing ALL Tests since 2002
Aug 19, 2002
73,092
38,153
100% deserves to go in. His detractors don't really understand the value he has brought to the league, what his role in that is and I'm guessing what the Builder category means.
If it were up to the Players/Owners he would have been voted in a while ago.
 

HamiltonNHL

Parity era hockey is just puck luck + draft luck
Jan 4, 2012
20,124
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His whole goal was to get a better TV deal. When is that up for negotiation ?
 

deletethis

Registered User
Mar 17, 2015
7,910
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Toronto
Let's say there was a different kind of commissioner for the NHL hired way back in the early 1990's. One who ran the league conservatively to maintain its past. Calgary, Edmonton and even Montreal (a lot of people forget this) would have moved. There never would have been an Ottawa team. The NBA would be long distant in the lead for franchise. Despite the propaganda that says otherwise, the NHL is neck and neck with the NBA in gate revenues. NBA's advantage is mostly television contract related.

My biggest criticism of Bettman would be that certain franchises like Philadelphia, Boston and the Rangers seem to carry more political clout than they should. Otherwise I think Bettman has the NHL on course to possibly challenging the number 1 team sport in North America in future decades once the NFL is marginalized as too brutal and MLB as too old-timey.
 

indigobuffalo

Portage and Main
Feb 10, 2011
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Winnipeg MB
The HHOF has lost all credibility with its upcoming induction of this little leech... He is still employed by the league and is the highest paid person in the league by the way at 14 million per... Also he has been the architect of 3 player strikes ... Oh ya lets give him the highest honor of hockey .

I think hes been the worst thing to happen to the game !

The list of his achievements staggeringly outweigh his shortcomings.

People who limit themselves to whether or not there was a lockout (and not even to ask WHY) will never be able to understand the scope/value of his contributions.

Frankly, it is the irony of ironies that this thread appears in the Leafs boards because we have Auston Matthews on our roster.

Guess what, that’s a direct result of Bettman relocation Winnipeg’s Jets to the dust bowl known as Arizona.

Many of these decisions took years or even decades to produce a return on investment, but Bettman had the foresight to know these decisions needed to be made.
 
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indigobuffalo

Portage and Main
Feb 10, 2011
6,790
559
Winnipeg MB
The defense for Bettman has always been that he's a puppet of the owners so you can't blame him personally for anything. In that case he sure as heck shouldn't be able to get a personal award like being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Just puts a black mark on the whole thing.

In the case that you do give him credit for things he still shouldn't be there. He's failed repeatedly to avoid the league shutting down. And I've no doubt we'll lose part of another season when the current CBA expires.

If that’s the defence for Bettman you’ve surrounded yourself with complete idiots.
 

Spirit of 67

Registered User
Nov 25, 2016
7,061
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Aurora, On.
I know people hate him for some reason but there is absolutely no doubt he's a HHOF'er.

I just don't get why the rush. Let him retire first.
 

Spirit of 67

Registered User
Nov 25, 2016
7,061
4,938
Aurora, On.
Hockey will NEVER be #1 in the US, if that's the goal Bettman has he will be sadly disappointed. Hockey for the most part is too complex with too many subtle nuances for the average American to follow and embrace.

Americans for the most part (not all but most) like slower paced sports like NFL Football with whistles every 5 seconds and NBA basketball with fouls every 15 seconds..not to mention MLB baseball which is less exciting than watching paint dry.
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