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Gary Bettman close to 5 year extension to remain commissioner of NHL through end of 2027 season

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CartographerNo611 said:
Selling out does not mean get rid of sponsorships… so point out where I say get rid of all sponsorships…


It just so happens that there is 80+ years where the NHL existed with a healthy level of sponsorship and reasonable ticket prices…
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That is a very misinformed opinion. For long stretches the there the league was not in good shape. Sure some teams did well, but the Blackhawks spent nearly a decade playing home games across the Midwest because they couldn't attract fans in Chicago, and the Bruins were one of the staunchest opponents to games being on TV because they feared their shaky attendance would disappear completely if people could watch for free at home.

I'd highly recommend reading D'Arcy Jenish's book The NHL: 100 Years of On-Ice Action and Boardroom Battles, which looks at the business history of the NHL. It's not quite as glamourous as you make it out to be.
 
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Further cementing his case for a first ballot induction to the Hall of Fame
 
People just love to complain. After almost 30 years, bad things are bound to happen under your supervision. I'd venture to say that very few (if any) of the things listed here are even his fault. NHL is not a scandalous sports org when you compare it to other leagues. Like how many cheating scandals has the NHL seen? Basically none of substance (tampa bay thing is TECHNICALLY legal unfortunately). I think overall Bettman's tenure has been successful, and anyone who says it's not is just buying into the mob.
 
kaiser matias said:
That is a very misinformed opinion. For long stretches the there the league was not in good shape. Sure some teams did well, but the Blackhawks spent nearly a decade playing home games across the Midwest because they couldn't attract fans in Chicago, and the Bruins were one of the staunchest opponents to games being on TV because they feared their shaky attendance would disappear completely if people could watch for free at home.

I'd highly recommend reading D'Arcy Jenish's book The NHL: 100 Years of On-Ice Action and Boardroom Battles, which looks at the business history of the NHL. It's not quite as glamourous as you make it out to be.
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The Chicago situation was directly caused by daddy Wirtz being unreasonably tight with the purse strings. I wouldn’t even pin that on Bettman or the previous commissioner.
 
Seems like a win-win. The owners get 5 more years from a person that does a satisfactory job for them. Whiny hockey fans get 5 more years to whine about the commissioner.
 
Newusername said:
Nhl staying #4 and in 10 years, probably #5. It’s also disgusting say Gary Bettman deserves any credit for growing the game. 3 lockouts, multiple teams stripped from their cities, less international involvement/ tournaments. Players grow the game not dumbasses like Gary
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The NHL is #4 because hockey is harder to play, and therefor become a fan of, thanks to limited access to ice, expensive equipment, and it's difficulty to learn compared to other sports (it's harder to learn to skate and stick handle than dribble/kick/throw/etc.) And yeah, I'd bet money MLS becomes more popular than the NHL because soccer is the most popular sport in the entire world. Like I just said, it's much easier to join/play/follow along soccer than it is for hockey. As you said, players do grow the game, and since hockey is the hardest sport to play, it's easy to understand how it would be passed by other sports in popularity.

As for your growing the game comment. It's ironic you say Bettman deserves no credit for growing the game, but then proceed that by blaming him for lockouts and teams losing their cities, and not playing internationally. You do know the NHLPA and owners are the ones responsible for the lockouts right? You know Bettman is one of the biggest factors Arizona hasn't lost the Coyotes? Or that if NHL players don't go to the Olympics this year, it's ultimately their own decision?
 
CartographerNo611 said:
The Chicago situation was directly caused by daddy Wirtz being unreasonably tight with the purse strings. I wouldn’t even pin that on Bettman or the previous commissioner.
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Of course, I wouldn't blame any of that on the NHL leadership, nor would I blame Bettman for most of what is being discussed here. Just want to note that things weren't as great as people think back in the day, it was a lot more nuanced and complex, and Bettman didn't just come in and ruin everything.
 
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Bruce Boudbro said:
yea. Wish we could be like the NFL, MLB….

… better yet. FIFA ??

You cannot be serious if you think the NHL is scandalous compared to other major leagues. :help:

Get off it
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Ah yes, they're bad so why should the NHL try to be better?

Stupid opinion, you sound like a boomer who is afraid to try to do anything to solve problems
 
AwesomeMatthews said:
Wow, embarrassing oversight by me. Thanks for your post
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All good. Odd situation because builders can be inducted whenever, while players have to be retired for 3 years.

And not like they needed to induct Bettman now; why not wait for him to retire, make it a parting gift (all previous presidents were inducted, though Gil Stein rigged it for himself and ultimately did not get in).
 
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A lot of hate goes his way from fans who have a completely different understanding of what he's supposed to be doing and what he can do.
 
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I was never on the fire bettman bandwagon until this year. BLackhawks aside, the single biggest reason being the officiating. When I read how he thinks the NHL have the best officials in the world...
 
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Something I didn't see brought up here that is beyond opinion of how he has been as a commissioner is his health. I remember a lot of speculation about him possibly having Parkinson's disease which his voice and physical shakiness that goes beyond just introvert/social awkwardness. I hope it's not the case but there was a few damning instances in public of him that something clearly wasn't right.

For the record, I think Gary has done a great job as commissioner thus far. A lot of criticism from him is out of his control in a few aspects imo and you'll never have a perfect guy running the show no matter what.
 
CartographerNo611 said:
Done



Almost 60 million people added to US population and sports market in his tenure so far

Sold the Islanders to a fraud worth 60 grand. ESPN has a documentary on that joke.

Sold out league to corporate America, ads everywhere

Priced out the average joe from most games

10 year Arizona ownership debacle because of ego

Growing the game on the outdoor network

Downplaying conclusions and sexual assault

Only major sports to have a fully canceled season on top of multiple lockouts.

Fined a billion dollar organization 2 million dollars for the largest sex scandal in hockey history, half that being a charity tax write off.

I guess that’s good leadership lmao. (Sarcasm) Hope you work for Honda or something and get a kickback and their partnership with the NHL.
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Regardless of where you sit on the science, the defiant stance on the correlation between CTE and Hockey isn't a great look either.
 
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Lazlo Hollyfeld said:
Lol @ the pleebs that think Bettman is some sort of yes man for the 32 owners.

His job is to provide a direction and vision for the league and get 32 owners on board, which is a bit like herding cats and probably why he is paid so handsomely.

There's a whole book on Bettman and the politics and leveraging of power he uses to achieve those ends. It's a pretty interesting read.
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This is interesting I'd love to check it out. What's the title?
 
This is a no brainer from my point of view if he still wants the job and is able to perform his duties. Have all of his visions played out as expected? No. But I look at the game now and how far it has grown during his time and can't help but be impressed. Not sure why there is this default hatred for the guy from some of the members here. He is one of the best commissioners ever in all of pro sports. People need to get a grip instead of hating just for the sake of hating. The owners got lucky with Bettman.
 
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