subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Wed, Nov 25 2009 

Published: May 10, 2009 12:16 am    print this story  

SCHMITT: Bettman’s vision has ruined NHL

COMMENTARY

By Tim Schmitt
Niagara Gazette

This is not about Jim Balsillie. Never has been.

And it’s not about Jerry Moyes, the guy who essentially ran the Phoenix Coyotes by default.

News that Balsillie’s attempted purchase of the bankrupt Coyotes will be fought tooth and nail by the National Hockey League is all about one man and his failed plan. A vision to take a cold sport into the heat.

A man whose lengthy study of the NBA model has made him bent on turning the sport’s square nets into round ones.

This fight is, and has always been, about Gary Bettman.

If the mega-rich Balsillie loses in his latest battle to take the Coyotes from an area that believes the NHL ranks behind NASCAR, golf and the MLS to one that considers it a national pastime, the league loses.

Not the Coyotes. Not the people of Hamilton.

The entire league.

Because when teams like the Coyotes come to town, nobody cares. Not when they’re in the playoff hunt. Not when they have Team Canada’s reigning captain on their roster. Not even when they have the game’s all-time greatest player behind the bench.

Nobody cares when the Coyotes come to town because nobody in Phoenix cares. It’s hard to start a rivalry against a team without a fan base, especially one that’s had a dusty cloud hanging over it ever since it skipped out of Winnipeg.

Who do you sling insults at?

I spent seven years in the desert. As a bona fide hockey fan, I urged friends and neighbors to come to what was then America West Arena and catch the action first hand. Few did. And of those who did, a fraction returned.

The passion you take from a Sabres-Leafs matchup is noticeably absent when you see a game in the desert. Back then, America West wasn’t designed for hockey. The Coyotes’ new home, the oddly named Jobing.com Arena, is in a beautiful new development, but miles from the downtown area the city is enhancing. And inexplicably, the arena is on the opposite side of town from major suburbs like Tempe, Scottsdale and Chandler.

So, who let this happen? Who let this team march itself deep into the desert to die?

Bettman.

It was his push to put teams in the south — like the Florida Panthers, who will be next in the bankruptcy line, mark my words — and he believed a new building was the key to sustainable success in Arizona.

He was, like he’s been consistently during his tenure in the league’s highest office, dead wrong. Aside from his single greatest victory as commisioner, the salary cap, Bettman’s victories have been few and far between.

TV visibility is worse than it was when he took office. Most, if not all southern teams have resorted to gimmicks to get a pulse in the building. Even towns like Boston and Chicago needed recent resurgances to feel like NHL cities again.

The fight with Balsillie could be Bettman’s final battle. Is the co-CEO of Blackberry cantankerous? Course he is. He’s filthy rich and crazy powerful.

Is Jerry Jones? Was George Steinbrenner?

The thought that a flamboyant, self-absorbed cash cow wouldn’t instantly make the league more interesting is preposterous.

Yes, the Sabres would lose a bit of their fan base to a Hamilton franchise. And they’d make up for losses by charging a boatload to those from the other side of the border for the four games they’d play at HSBC Arena.

And more important, the league would be healthier from top to bottom.

Instead of catering to the self-serving few, the NHL needs to fortify the fringe forts — Columbus, Long Island, St. Louis — before it explores new territory.

And in the case of Balsillie, Bettman needs to check his ego at the door. We’ll all detest Balsillie soon enough. But the league will be better off for it.

print this story  

Photos


Group sports editor Tim Schmitt. None/ (Click for larger image)



autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Premier Guide

Find a job! Find a Home! Find a car!

Featured Jobs

Retail Manager
RETAIL Manager needed, exp needed, full time. Fax resumes to Hyde Park Laundry 285-8677....>MORE

Grill Cook
GRILL COOK & Waitresses, exp only, full time. Apply within 2021 Main St. Nia Falls ...>MORE

Marriage Counselor
Catholic Charities has an excellent professional development opportunity available for the following position:
   
...>MORE

Dental Reception
Maintenance
Supervisor
FT Maintenance Niagara Falls YMCA. HVAC, electr., plbg, carpentry, cleaning, pool. $13.
...>MORE

MST Therapists
Catholic Charities has an excellent professional development opportunity available for the following position:
MST
...>MORE

Warehouse
Warehouse, Assembly
Production & Cleaning
1st, 2nd & 3rd shifts
Sanborn, Grand Island
Amherst & Tona
...>MORE

Used Car Lot Helper
USED CAR Lot Helper misc. duties, valid driver’s license, great work environment. For details 731-2319 ask for Mr. Dan...>MORE

Dietitian
Dietitian with duties to incl. cooking & ability to give direction in a health facility's dietary dept. Benefits incl. 4...>MORE

Private Investigator
Private Investigator
Proven ability and equipment to conduct surveillance, background inquires and searches. 1-5 ye
...>MORE

Adult Residential Services Administrator
HUMAN SERVICES
Progressive Niagara County Agency serving adults with psychiatric disabilties seeks an Adult Reside
...>MORE

See all ads

Feature Autos

1996 Saturn Sport Coup
SATURN 1996 Sport coup, 4 cyl, auto, exc cond in & out, loaded, CD, no rust, 97k orig. mi, $2195. 523-7102....>MORE

Chevy 1994 High Topper Van
CHEVY 1994 High topper van, high road miles, mechanically sound, $900 or bo, 716-510-8105...>MORE

Ford 1998 F150
FORD 1998 F150, standard cab, 4wd, excellent shape, $3495.
716-525-2889
...>MORE

Ford 2001 Taurus
Ford 2001 Taurus Station wagon, well maintained, 112,000 miles Siver ext. 4 dr, auto, asking $2800/BO. 716-772-2454....>MORE

1984 Cadillac Eldorado
CADILLAC Eldorado 1984, runs, inspected, $500. 283-3552....>MORE

Monte Carlo Z24 1998
MONTE CARLO Z24, 1998, runs good, average miles, excellent shape, $1800 , 990-2303...>MORE

1999 Dodge Caravan
DODGE 1999 Caravan, 33, V6, auto, A/C, 99k miles, good cond., runs great. $1950. 525-7796...>MORE

Dodge 1993 Dakota 4x4
FORD 1999 WIndstar, LX, fully loaded, 38k miles, $3850. Excellent condition 860-4747...>MORE

Nissan 1993 4x4
NISSAN 1993 4x4, extended cab, bedliner cap, $1200 or best offer, 715-2450...>MORE

Chevy 1995 Pickup
CHEVY 1995 Pickup truck, 4WD, 5 speed, must see, never had plow on it, $2800 bo, 804-5579...>MORE

See all ads





 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index