subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite mapBuy a Classified
Sun, Nov 08 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

Insulation Installer
Insulation Installers. Exp. preferred but will train the right candidates. Start $8-$10/hr. Earn $15. in less than 30 da...>MORE

Driver
Drivers CDLA. Must be able to go to Canada
Good pay, great benefits.
Call 278-2000 Ext. 106
...>MORE

Certified Pharmacy Tech's & Certified Medication Tech's
Certified Pharmacy Tech’s & Certified
Medication Tech’s Competitive wages. Call Lisa McKensie Ransomville Manor 79
...>MORE

Job Fair
HUMAN SERVICES
JOB FAIR
For COMMUNITY MISSIONS

Program Locations/Job Opportunities
working w/c
...>MORE

Activities Director
Activities Director FT AS Degree and /or or 3-5 yrs exp working in adult home. Send Resume To: Ransomville Manor at 35...>MORE

Facilities Director
Facilities
Director 
Strategically manage commercial and residential portfolios onsite in US and Canada. Exe
...>MORE

RN
RN, Director of Quality / Education: to plan, organize, develop and direct all staff development and CQI programs. North...>MORE

Wait Staff
WAIT STAFF P/T 11am -2pm or 3:15-6:45pm. Will train. Apply Amberleigh Retirement, 2330 Maple near Transit. ...>MORE

Instructors
Join Our Team!
Would you like to work on a top performing team who is ranked 17th in the nation and have the opport
...>MORE

Nursing
NURSING. ElderWood Senior Care, "Care Without Compromise". We invite you to stop by and learn how you can become part of...>MORE

See all ads

Feature Autos

Mercury 1999 Grand Marquis
Mercury ‘99 Grand Marquis 4 dr, leather, all options, 49k org mi., showroom cond. $6000. 860-2854, ...>MORE

Mazda 1995 Millenia
Mazda 1995 Millenia loaded, leather, only 26k mi. exc. cond. $2995. Best Offer
531-3548 or 297-1526
...>MORE

VW 2001 Beetle
VW 2001 Beetle, loaded, GLX turbo, exc. cond, all service records, fun to drive, blue bk $5600, take best offer, 990-06...>MORE

Buick 2005 LeSabre
BUICK 2005 Lesabre Custom, excellent condition, fully loaded, $6700 or best offer, 754-4540...>MORE

Chevy 2003 Impala
CHEVY 2003 Impala
25,600 miles, loaded
Exc. Cond. $10,000/bo
297-2199
...>MORE

Ford 1995 Crown Victoria
Ford 1995 Crown Victoria 4 dr, loaded, new tires must see & drive $3500. red. 860-2854...>MORE

Pontiac 1999 Montana
PONTIAC 1999 Montana 57,000 original miles, full options, like new, $3300, 694-0441...>MORE

Ford 1999 Ranger
FORD 1999 Ranger, 5 speed, 130K, fair condition, $2000 or best offer, 716-310-0531...>MORE

Chevy 2007 Impala LT
CHEVY 2007 Impala LT
25,800 mi, ext. warranty
Exc. Cond, $16,500
297-2199
...>MORE

Ford Windstar 1998
FORD 1998 Windstar $1000 or best offer.
298-5220
...>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