I'm clearly one of the few but I just can't buy into the conspiracy theories. I actually agree with everything Friedman wrote regarding this down below. Just to be clear I think there is very little doubt that Vancouver does get penalized more harshly but I just don't think it's Bettman sitting there plotting against the Canucks or any of that pro-southern, anti-Canadian teams crap that gets thrown around here.
There is a conspiracy, but not like you say bettman or someone similar sitting in his office thinking up ways to harm the Canucks. Actually in truth there are multiple conspiracies, but those conspiracies are partially earned, partially unavoidable because we are an expansion team located in a West Coast Canadian city that tends to rub mild climate in the noses of other Canadian prairie and eastern cities. Those conspiricies are driven by general attitudes of the group rather than specific targeted actions.
Canuck fans have to realise the team is up against Old Man Clubs who consider the Canucks outsiders when it comes to NHL hockey. Three Old Man Clubs in fact. The Owners of the Original Six, the Refs and the Media. There is even similar bias when it comes to the Lions and the CFL.
When NHL expansion first occurred, Vancouver was not a welcome team. They were even rejected in the first round and even when included in the next expansion round, were required to agree to special limiting regulations. Much of that was due to an unwillingness to share TV revenue, but British Columbians, both then and still now, are seen as radical, liberal, mavericks by the ultra conservative East. The Owner’s Eastern Old Man Club expect special treatment from the NHL head office then what they demand of what they still consider the lesser clubs. When it comes to the Canucks, they still hold a grudge as to how the Canucks manipulated their rules to be able to steal the likes of Larionov and Bure. That Old Man Club sees the Canucks as rule manipulators who deserve to be curtailed and penalized. Look at what the Canuck ownership did. They fired GM’s approved by that Old Man Club and hired one of those distasteful player agents as GM. You know one of the same player agents who have been driving player salaries up for years and what does Gillis do? He signs Luongo to a contract that plainly circumvents the intent of the NHL head office rules as to salary cap. Any way the Old Man Club and their NHL head office can get even, they will.
Next is the Ref’s Old Man Club. Until recently, the Canucks played a yappy, diving style of play. The Canucks also regularly complained about specific refs to head office. Conning and embarrassing anyone when they are trying to do their job, especially in public, in not the way to win friends and influence people. NHL Refs need to make split second decisions. If they have been fooled before, they are not going to give that player the benefit of the doubt the next time. Like players on a team, refs are also going to support their fellow refs. It is going to take years for the Canucks to lose their poor reputation and regain the trust of the refs, but that is mainly the fault of the Canuck players in the past, not the refs.
Last is the Old Man Club of the Canadian media. Namely the Toronto based CBC and Hockey Night in Canada. Unlike the US, Canadians are ravenous for any hockey related story. What may garner a back page sports editorial, in Canada will get continuous front page and TV coverage. To the extent that a minor issue will be purposely blown out of proportion in order to sell newspapers and advertising.
The Media is not stupid though. They know that to the majority of their audience due to the sheer size of the Ontario and Quebec population, that stories involving the Leafs or the Canadians require special treatment. Lots of coverage for those two teams and even the Sens, but very careful on any negative story. Still there is a huge market for hockey news right across Canada and the other Western teams are fair game. Even if that news has to blown into a bigger issue than what it calls for or even if the story needs to be invented.
With all that extra coverage, the public expects and demands far more accountability in Canada then a similar incident in the US. In the US it is football and baseball sprinkled with a bit of basketball that garners the US fans attention. Much of the conspiracy that Canuck fans complain about is realy minor stories fueled by the media wanting to milk whatever they can out of a news incident, even to the extent that members of the media end up promoting the idea that there is a conspiracy involved.
And we know what that got us, right?
