Will Bettman be in LA?

[Shootmaster_44]

He isn't universally booed everywhere he goes either. I was at the 2002 NHL Draft in Toronto and he came out and announced a moment of silence for the victims of 9/11. One guy started booing and everyone in the crowd told him under no circumstances that he should shut up or face the consequences. Granted, that was disrespecting a moment of silence but still.

I've never quite figured out why Bettman is so despised by fans. It seems like it is universal after a major labour dispute I guess. Most MLB fans hate Bud Selig too and he tends to get lots of boos. I would say he is probably hated more in Canada than Bettman is, mostly because he led the charge to kill the Expos and he killed the Expos' chances at winning the 1994 World Series. He is the one Commissioner that no matter what the circumstances (though I won't be a jerk and disrespect a moment of silence), I would boo him. Heck, if MLB had a public draft and I went, I'd boo each time Selig came out on stage and then follow it with a Let's Go Expos chant.

 

[zeppelin97]

I've never really understood the hate.

Probably stems from his lack of hockey background. He was completely unattached to the sport prior to becoming commish. I know most will point out hé's a business man and doing a good job blah blah blah. But your commish needs to be your leader for the product on the ice as well.

Case in point: Brendan Shanahan discipline fiasco last year. He was a joke, and I think he needed better structure or outlines to do his job from higher ups. Where was Bettman?

Some fans here are so brain washed into viewing Bettman's business success they do not see him being the leader he needs to be for this league.

 

[Ron*]

Probably stems from his lack of hockey background. He was completely unattached to the sport prior to becoming commish. I know most will point out hé's a business man and doing a good job blah blah blah. But your commish needs to be your leader for the product on the ice as well.

Case in point: Brendan Shanahan discipline fiasco last year. He was a joke, and I think he needed better structure or outlines to do his job from higher ups. Where was Bettman?

Some fans here are so brain washed into viewing Bettman's business success they do not see him being the leader he needs to be for this league.

Yeah.

And I know David Stern's crossover broke more legs in his time than Allen Iverson could ever hope to duplicate.

I know what you are saying, just thought I would take the sublime into the ridiculous.

I'm bored today.

 

[kingsfan]

You guys act like the booing is directed at anything else aside from Bettman and that it will somehow tarnish this ceremony. If you guys really think that then you have some pretty thin skin. The commish is booed everywhere he goes for a reason. It's really the only way we can express our disgust for what has transpired on his watch.

Fans have been expressing themselves this way for nearly two decades, give or take. It's not like our boos will finally make him realize something he didn't notice before and change his actions or quit.

I'd rather just shut my yap and watch the ceremony than waste my time booing.

If you really wanted to 'express your disgust' you'd do what really impacts the NHL and stop buying their merchandise, starting with the ticket to the game in question.

Like it or not, Bettman is there for the owners and he has one job to do, make them as much money as possible. While we can debate the success of that, considering we've missed approximately 150 games, plus the 2005 playoffs under his watch, Bettman has, as Ron noted, seen a 1100% increase in profits under his watch.

Boo if you want, but it truly is falling on deaf ears.

 

[The Butcher]

Bingo....

Some people should just stop typing.

It was partially a joke. I think inflation played a role in the growth money-wise but obviously not entirely.

And c'mon man why do you have to be rude to me? The truth about Bettman is probably somewhere in the middle. Do you really think he's booed at arenas around the league without any cause at all?

Do you really feel like the NHL is run the right way?

 

[etherialone]

Its the same in every sport as it is in hockey. GB does his job and while I think he has made more than his share of mistakes he is who he is and in that I hope or in fact will be offended if he isn't there when we raise our banner.

I will be there and it is a longer schlep for me to be there then it is/will be for him.

I don't boo him but then I think he is simply a mouthpiece for the owners and as such see him as a figure head more than anything else really. I don't boo every owner individually when I see them so it doesn't make any sense booing GB with the exception of the fact that people seem to have fun doing it.

 

[kingsfan]

It was partially a joke. I think inflation played a role in the growth money-wise but obviously not entirely.

And c'mon man why do you have to be rude to me? The truth about Bettman is probably somewhere in the middle. Do you really think he's booed at arenas around the league without any cause at all?

Do you really feel like the NHL is run the right way?

The truth about Bettman is he is the public figure behind those who do the things that make you think the league isn't run right.

Like I said, I think Bettman has his flaws regarding CBA negotiations, but the majority of actions he does is directly by the owners. That really is who you should be griping about, Bettman just follows their directions. He's booed because of what the owners expect out of him more than what he's done on his own. The NHL is run based on what the owners want more than what Bettman pushes for individually.

 

[KingsFanInRI]

we're not booing, we're yelling LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUC

 

[onlyalad]

Helene Elliott ‏@helenenothelen

Found out that Gary Bettman will be at the Kings' banner raising but--by his own choice--will not go onto the ice.

 

[Captain Mittens*]

Helene Elliott ‏@helenenothelen

Found out that Gary Bettman will be at the Kings' banner raising but--by his own choice--will not go onto the ice.

Smart move by Bettman. I was planning on bringing Chris Chelios to the game if Bettman was going to take part in the ceremony.

 

[Ollie Weeks]

As a Canadian, this statement is not at all accurate.

No, its pretty bang on.

 

[kingsfan]

No, its pretty bang on.

Maybe for you.

I personally don't give a flying rats ass if our commissioner is from Canada, the US or timbuk-****ing-tu. As long as he's not a giant ********* and can do his job right, I'm fine with him.

While Bettman does what the owners want, he could certainly be improved on.

 

[Ollie Weeks]

Maybe for you.

I personally don't give a flying rats ass if our commissioner is from Canada, the US or timbuk-****ing-tu. As long as he's not a giant ********* and can do his job right, I'm fine with him.

While Bettman does what the owners want, he could certainly be improved on.

I think you misunderstand my point. Have you ever LISTENED to some of the yobbos up here? He's been demonized.

 

[kingsfan]

I think you misunderstand my point. Have you ever LISTENED to some of the yobbos up here? He's been demonized.

Very true. Granted I think a lot of that has to do with the fact he pushed so hard to expand into the southern markets, willingly taking struggling Canadian teams like Quebec and Winnipeg with him after just a few years of struggling, only to fight to the last breath to save a place like Phoenix. I think that has a very large role to play in his being so hated up here, and frankly, rightly so.

 

[Magicman]

Helene Elliott ‏@helenenothelen

Found out that Gary Bettman will be at the Kings' banner raising but--by his own choice--will not go onto the ice.

That's shocking.

I assumed he would be in his boss's box at the Ranger game opening day/night.

 

[bmitchelf]

That's shocking.

I assumed he would be in his boss's box at the Ranger game opening day/night.

He can still make it to the Rangers' home opener on Sunday

The Ragners get screwed just as much or more than anybody else. Dolan and Bettman hate each other.

 

[MsMeow]

Very true. Granted I think a lot of that has to do with the fact he pushed so hard to expand into the southern markets, willingly taking struggling Canadian teams like Quebec and Winnipeg with him after just a few years of struggling, only to fight to the last breath to save a place like Phoenix. I think that has a very large role to play in his being so hated up here, and frankly, rightly so.

That's exactly what it is. I couldn't give a rat's ass where he's from but this crap with the sunbelt teams has gotten real old. You look at the promos Florida, Tampa and Phoenix have with free parking, $7 tickets, free food etc. and then you try and get a ticket up here and it's impossible. I have friends who are partial season's ticket holders at Leaf games and they give me tickets to the Flyers' games every year if it's part of their package. 3 rows from the rafters, $74 each. Parking in the immediate area is $25 on game nights. Meanwhile in cities where he's forced teams they're practically paying fans to go to the games. Last year or the year before the Panthers were advertising in eastern American cities papers trying to get fans from places like Philly to buy tickets in Florida. I can imagine how the players on the Panthers felt about that.

Most of my friends are hockey fans to some degree and nobody ever has a good word to say about him. The general feeling up here towards him is hatred.

Finally he's shown some common sense and won't be on the ice for the ceremony, instead leaving the fun to the players, coaches, owners and fans.

 

[onlyalad]

He can still make it to the Rangers' home opener on Sunday

The Ragners get screwed just as much or more than anybody else. Dolan and Bettman hate each other.

Which may be because Bettman grew up a Rangers fan. Yes he has been a fan of hockey since he was a kid. People like to think he is an outsider but he has been a fan most of his life. Not that being a fan makes him a good commissioner. I would not want most of us on HF to take his place. Just he gets a bad rap for not being a fan because people want to find reasons to hate him