Gary Bettman "We think the format we have works extremely well ... unless you're a Leafs fan."

[Hustlr]

It's absolutely insane how much contempt the league has for the Leafs, especially given the fact that half the franchises in the NHL would implode financially without us.

I think his words just go to show how the entire league views us. We’re the butt end of the joke and it starts right at the top and trickles on down. What a shame.

 

[thewave]

I think his words just go to show how the entire league views us. We’re the butt end of the joke and it starts right at the top and trickles on down. What a shame.

We are, Herald Ballards ghost infected the league. They all just know the money flows out our wallets over here no matter what. The old watering hole has daily sauce on tap provided free with the free ride home care of $MapleLeaf$.

The league drinks our money and pisses it over Arizona.

 

[Hustlr]

We are, Herald Ballards ghost infected the league. They all just know the money flows out our wallets over here no matter what. The old watering hole has daily sauce on tap provided free with the free ride home care of $MapleLeaf$.

I vote the Leafs set ticket prices to line up with other sections profits and expenses so we end up a $0 team.

We can afford it, right??

Maybe Gary will notice 200M dollars missing... Ya, that’s our profits every year... And good ol Gary has the nerve to say a ****ing word!

 

[Pookie]

 

[thewave]

I vote the Leafs set ticket prices to line up with other sections profits and expenses so we end up a $0 team.

We can afford it, right??

Maybe Gary will notice 200M dollars missing... Ya, that’s our profits every year... And good ol Gary has the nerve to say a ****ing word!

The abuse this guy takes is for a reason. You know Canadian teams have been shook for 25 years. The south flow has gotta stop. Canadians will have to sell kidneys to see games that are less and less physical and entertaining every year. Gary is coming to town to sell that snake oil though, he'll be knocking looking for hockey obsessed Canadian folk to pay for his next Bettmansion.

 

[Blanche Blanche]

God some of you guys are a bunch of babies. It was a joke, get over it.

The NHL does not ''hate" the Leafs. There is no conspiracy against the Leafs. You sound like a bunch of entitled pricks. Ever read the other teams GDT when they play the Leafs? They all think the NHL is conspiring WITH the Leafs. It's how all the coddled babies on this forum make themselves feel better. "My team didn't suck, it's the NHL and the refs fault because they want us to lose!" Waaaa.

You clearly have never watched an entire playoff series Puck drop to Buzzer between us and Boston for the last couple years lol.
Before you reply, if you can watch the replays on 2017 playoffs Gm 5 Vs Boston, and last years playoffs Gm 2.

Watch the entire game. Not the recap. The the extended recap. The entire GAME replay. There are sites dedicated to game replays and will stream it.
And when you do... watch the replays on the past 4 games we have played minus SJ Sharks.

 

[garce]

It’s pandering pure and simple, if you really want a real laugh press him on the Hong Kong protests. Every tic known to man would be on display before he fades into the hedge Homer style. Nobody with the stones to ask can get close enough to ask and we know his “partners” at Rogers wouldn’t dare.

 

[supsens]

I vote the Leafs set ticket prices to line up with other sections profits and expenses so we end up a $0 team.

We can afford it, right??

Maybe Gary will notice 200M dollars missing... Ya, that’s our profits every year... And good ol Gary has the nerve to say a ****ing word!

Why would he care? It’s not his money

Side note does anyone know how much the playoffs contribute to revenue share?
For all the years the leafs missed the playoffs the other teams were paying a lot to the can. I know the top ten teams pay “up to 50%” but how much do they pay?

 

[hoglund]

Boston-Toronto should have been the Eastern Conference Final last year...why boot the best teams in the first round?

But tell us more, Gary!

You hit the nail on the head, why should a good team be eliminated 1st round unless there's an upset? Both these teams are good and neither should be gone early.

 

[Jackson14]

You clearly have never watched an entire playoff series Puck drop to Buzzer between us and Boston for the last couple years lol.
Before you reply, if you can watch the replays on 2017 playoffs Gm 5 Vs Boston, and last years playoffs Gm 2.

Watch the entire game. Not the recap. The the extended recap. The entire GAME replay. There are sites dedicated to game replays and will stream it.
And when you do... watch the replays on the past 4 games we have played minus SJ Sharks.

Why? Because there is a conspiracy? The NHL is out to screw one of its biggest money making franchises? You want me to watch games 2, 5 and then the 4 games before last night? What about the other games? The conspiracy went away? Last night we had more PPs than SJ, does that mean the NHL has a larger conspiracy against the Sharks which trumps the Leafs conspiracy? Give me a break.

Btw obviously I watched our 2 series against the Bruins beginning to end. Do I think they got the more favourable calls? Yes. Do I think that's because there is a grand conspiracy? No. I think they have players that have earned the respect and paid their dues, they get the benefit of the doubt. It has always happened, will always happen. If Matthews and Co are in their 30s and have won a Cup they will get the same kind of treatment as the Bruins do. If Chara were a Leaf he would get the same kind of treatment he does now in Boston.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

We won't play Boston first round because we might be a wild card team unless something unforeseen happens ....

 

[Incognito]

I think his words just go to show how the entire league views us. We’re the butt end of the joke and it starts right at the top and trickles on down. What a shame.

I’ve always said that I’d love to see the Leafs stop participating in the league’s revenue sharing program. Bettman and company wouldn’t be laughing very much at all anymore if that were to happen.

 

[Blanche Blanche]

Why? Because there is a conspiracy? The NHL is out to screw one of its biggest money making franchises? You want me to watch games 2, 5 and then the 4 games before last night? What about the other games? The conspiracy went away? Last night we had more PPs than SJ, does that mean the NHL has a larger conspiracy against the Sharks which trumps the Leafs conspiracy? Give me a break.

Btw obviously I watched our 2 series against the Bruins beginning to end. Do I think they got the more favourable calls? Yes. Do I think that's because there is a grand conspiracy? No. I think they have players that have earned the respect and paid their dues, they get the benefit of the doubt. It has always happened, will always happen. If Matthews and Co are in their 30s and have won a Cup they will get the same kind of treatment as the Bruins do. If Chara were a Leaf he would get the same kind of treatment he does now in Boston.

So its agreed. There are favourable calls for the Bruins. Period. Thank you.

Ofcourse it also goes beyond those games, but I was picking the most egregious ones that any non hockey fan could recognize. You seem to be ok, that a senior cup weilding team gets benefit of the calls when the game in the playoffs is of inches.

What about Mcavoy? Hes a 20 yr old same as our boys, but he gets the calls if hes touched lightly. Marner can get hit in the face?

Debrusk is young too drags our players down no call, yet he draws alot of penalties.

Chara is 6'6 and Mathews is 6'3 wheres his benefit of the doubt?

I concede there might not be a grand conspiracy as you say, but a BIAS AGAINST the Leafs is still a BIAS.

A Bias that gets applied over a 80 game season means we lose an extra 10 games. Thats 20 points.
Thats Home ice.
That might even be a Presidents Trophy.

A title that might garner favour from the league to perhaps respect our players more?
Maybe less Bias on soft penalties called?
Maybe even just FAIR referreeing?

And im sorry but getting like 13 - 3 in PPs over 3 games isnt a BIAS. Its more than that.

And 2017 GM5 when we had 5 PPs back to back in a 1 goal game.
Comon...
Tell me that was just giving Boston benefit of the doubt.
Tell me youre a leaf fan. And that was just luck that Boston had those calls.

 

[Nithoniniel]

Honestly? This made me chuckle. I saw it as a good-humored ribbing while also acknowledging that we've been screwed over by it so far.

 

[Jackson14]

So its agreed. There are favourable calls for the Bruins. Period. Thank you.

Ofcourse it also goes beyond those games, but I was picking the most egregious ones that any non hockey fan could recognize. You seem to be ok, that a senior cup weilding team gets benefit of the calls when the game in the playoffs is of inches.

What about Mcavoy? Hes a 20 yr old same as our boys, but he gets the calls if hes touched lightly. Marner can get hit in the face?

Debrusk is young too drags our players down no call, yet he draws alot of penalties.

Chara is 6'6 and Mathews is 6'3 wheres his benefit of the doubt?

I concede there might not be a grand conspiracy as you say, but a BIAS AGAINST the Leafs is still a BIAS.

A Bias that gets applied over a 80 game season means we lose an extra 10 games. Thats 20 points.
Thats Home ice.
That might even be a Presidents Trophy.

A title that might garner favour from the league to perhaps respect our players more?
Maybe less Bias on soft penalties called?
Maybe even just FAIR referreeing?

And im sorry but getting like 13 - 3 in PPs over 3 games isnt a BIAS. Its more than that.

And 2017 GM5 when we had 5 PPs back to back in a 1 goal game.
Comon...
Tell me that was just giving Boston benefit of the doubt.
Tell me youre a leaf fan. And that was just luck that Boston had those calls.

We're talking about different things here. I do feel veteran players get preferential treatment/respect to a certain extent, that is independent of the Leafs and more to do with their personnel. The talk of this thread has been that there is an outright bias against the Leafs just because they are the Leafs. That is ridiculous.

 

[Mess]

Weird flex but okay

Wrong sport .. I use that to set my fantasy football line-up not my Leafs playoff matchups.

That said if the likelihood of a Leafs/Bruins 1st round match-up is highly probable annually, because of the current playoff format then that should be an advantage not a disadvantage and you can prepare and plan ahead.

That is why a lot of Leaf fans want the Leafs top get bigger and tougher because they know it will be needed to get past Boston. If we knew we would be playing TB every year in round #1 you would adapt to that situation and then after round #1 its knowing its only 1/8 chance of winning the Cup.

 

[notDatsyuk]

I'd like to see a crossover in the semi-final, so the final could be two eastern or two western teams, instead of having to be one of each, but other than that, I'm ok with the format.

I personally despise Bettman, but, lame as it was, that was just a joke.

 

[AcerComputer]

Gary you Arizona and two teams in Florida experiment has failed for years. Why don't you worry about the other 30 teams who contribute less than the Leafs to league revenues.

 

[AreBe]

The American Association of US Ice Hockey Teams does not want a Canadian team advancing in the playoffs as the AAUSIHT's commissioner, Garry Bettman, is actively seeking a US TV network deal, and the AAUSIHT must show that no Canadian team is making it to the finals, and certainty not two teams from Canada.

Nevertheless, the Leafs can make it as far as the rules and regulations of the AAHUSIT allow a Canadian team to advance to: The Semi- finals! We can make it, the pinnacle of Canadian hockey: The semi-finals of the American Association of US Ice Hockey Teams!

 

[TheRexman]

I'm surprised Phil Kessel hasn't replied to that with "Good one Gary!"


Maybe he hasn't seen it yet?

 

[HoweHullOrr]

God some of you guys are a bunch of babies. It was a joke, get over it.

The NHL does not ''hate" the Leafs. There is no conspiracy against the Leafs. You sound like a bunch of entitled pricks. Ever read the other teams GDT when they play the Leafs? They all think the NHL is conspiring WITH the Leafs. It's how all the coddled babies on this forum make themselves feel better. "My team didn't suck, it's the NHL and the refs fault because they want us to lose!" Waaaa.

Ya, most likely just a joke.

We do seem to have a need for a crutch and excuses. Whether its the ref, the playoff format, or whatever, we need something or somebody to blame for own ineptitude and lack of success.

Its unfortunate that we were unable to win a Cup for decades before the salary cap. And, regarding the CBA era, as we are finding out, getting the first overall pick and other top eight overall picks numerous years in a row does not guarantee anything, and does not automatically give you a Cup. Lots of teams have found that out and realize this. You have to earn playoff success and the Cup.

We are a deep pocketed team that has the numerous advantages that rich, deep pocket teams possess. Would you rather be the team just down the road in eastern Ontario?

As they say, a bad carpenter blames his tools.

 

[Nylanderthal]

Bettman is awesome. Great commish. Great sense of humour.

If the Leafs don’t want to be a laughing stock , it is up to them to change the narrative.

An opinion of yours I don’t vehemently disagree with, then again a broken clock is still right twice a day.
Honestly, this is Gerry placating to his western Canadian audience just days after a real tough kick in the nads by Toronto (admittedly also the other metro regions, Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver specifically)
To western Canada

 

[hoglund]

We won't play Boston first round because we might be a wild card team unless something unforeseen happens ....

It doesn't even matter if the Leafs make the playoffs or not, the format is flawed, there's no way that two top teams should face each other in the first round, case closed.

 

[HamiltonNHL]

It doesn't even matter if the Leafs make the playoffs or not, the format is flawed, there's no way that two top teams should face each other in the first round, case closed.

Agreed

 

[Leafsfan74]

You can double the ticket prices and cut the Leafs wins in half and the place will still be filled. Why? Corporations. They need to wine and dine big fish and they couldn't care less about the costs, it's not their money. Most of them never played sports, some of them don't know the rules. Corporations also overpay for TV rights. Overpay for ads.

So, the reality is, the old "we should boycott the Leafs" won't work. It's the most corporate team in the NHL. As a kid we could catch a Marlies game, watch a Leafs (or opponents practice) and buy a ticket from a scalper, sit in the greys and listen to guys scream "Argoooos" as the Leafs got hammered again. That was the old Gardens. Those days are long gone.

That's the nature of business. It's not right or wrong, it just is what it is. It's sad because the most hardcore Leaf fans aren't represented in the stands, while other teams (especially in the unusual markets where it's an anomaly to be a big NHL fan over say, NFL or NBA) have their most staunch fans in the stands, and they pay a reasonable ticket price.

So as Steve Stavros said famously about getting Gretzky (when he wanted to come here before heading to St. Louis) "and how many seats is he going to fill?" He didn't want to overpay for him even at a discount. The NHL thinks, "we're not going to bend over for this spoiled, wealthy team".

If we were a franchise on the brink of collapse, maybe. I'm not saying they don't listen, but they feel we are about sour grapes and have a perspective of self righteousness just because of the economic clout. MLSE should use it and keep applying pressure, but the league doesn't seem to really care.