NHL in turmoil...discuss....

[Lines]

Gary Bettman would have you believe all is well, but history says contraction may help

http://nbcsportsmedia4.msnbc.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/050216/050216_bettman_hmed2p.h2.jpg

http://www.torontosun.com/sports/columnists/bill_lankhof/2009/02/03/8243026-sun.html

http://www.680news.com/news/headlines/more.jsp?content=20090203_081608_57280

http://www.fan590.com/ondemand/media.jsp?content=20090203_091836_29376

[jolecore204]

Absolutely contraction or relocation would help.

It is absolutely ignorant to plant franchises into markets that can't/won't support a team or the game. The front page of my local (national chain) newspaper today was a picture of the Thrashers logo & the Coyotes logo with the heading 'Endangered Species'.

Now as a Winnipeger, it is law that I follow that statement up with "bring a team back to Winnipeg!". But in my heart of hearts I know that Winnipeg would fail just as miserably as Phoenix, Atlanta, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Nashville, etc. This market cannot support an NHL franchise either. AHL is the perfect fit for Winnipeg.

By now anyone who has read a post of mine will know that keepin' it posi is more than my tagline....but to close, I am taking a break from being posi for a moment.

Bettman is a fucking cocksmoker motherfucker. Worst commissioner in the history of professional sports. just die.

/rant.

[JBissell]

Florida, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Phoenix, Atlanta, Nashville... move at least 3 of these teams...


as for Winnipeg failing not necessarily... we would need to build the extension on the MTS center... and I am sure we would get sell outs every single game. If we got backing by the Aspers (long shot)... but we need commercial help... and with shared revenue after a few years we would be much better than any of those teams I mentioned

[BlackHand]

Start cutting teams. No need to just start moving teams in markets that already proved to be failures. Just cut 'em and make the league better.

[jolecore204]

Start cutting teams. No need to just start moving teams in markets that already proved to be failures. Just cut 'em and make the league better.

I agree with you. That would thin out the heard, in terms of talent in the league.

But to be fair, markets like Quebec City and Winnipeg would have a MUCH different chance at succeeding now. The economic landscape of the league is entirely different than it was in 1996.

[HellsAngel]

I was never a fan of the Jets growing up,but I agree 100 percent that they should get a team back.

[Lines]

IMO, no doubt Canada can support a couple more teams. Where you put those teams is up for debate.

http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/story.html?id=0ce102f4-6592-453b-96c5-d71cbc73c6dd

[BlackHand]

Cut teams. Its the only way to drum up more interest in hosting teams. Cut the teams and put the players up for free agency.

[baker]

Why does everyone think he is such a bad comssioner and so bad for the sport? Hockey is more exciting as a game than it has been in a long time.

Also, we can thank Bettman for the salary cap which is the best thing to ever happen to hte NHL in my opinion. I read an interview with Burke where he said that at one point in the playoffs when he was GM of Vancouver, the 1st powerplay unit of Coloroda (Bourque, Blake, Forsber, Sakic, Hejduk) made more money than the entire Vancouver team.

Sure the NHL isn't perfect, but I see it improving every year, and Bettman is largely responsible for that improvement...

[habsrule]

I personally don't have such a hate for Bettman, but as far as expansion and relocation goes, he has terribly missed the boat. There's no reason to believe another team in the Toronto area wouldn't be supported. Quebec City can take a team back in I'm sure, and with a nice new arena, I bet Winnipeg would do much better than any of the teams in the south east division, save maybe Washington.

Either that or get rid of a couple of teams. I believe it would make for better hockey and thus better franchises. In my ideal world, Florida, T-Bay, Atlanta, and Carolina, 2 of them would be relocated and the other 2 done away with with dispersal draft to follow.

[A.H]

I dont know if Jets should get a team. It would be a much different concept if their was a big city around Winnipeg (ala Edmonton and Calgary, Rangers and Islanders, ect) but Winnipeg so alone I really dont know if they could or would support a team long term.

Hamalton use to be the logical choice but with the recession hitting im not sold on that anymore either.

Cutting amount of teams might be the samart move in the long run, guess we wait and see,

[Lines]

I like the changes that have been made as far as 4 on 4 in OT, and the shootout is
excellent. I now enjoy tuning into games that are tied late in the third period.

But I think Gary is in denial about the current economics of the game.
I disagree with his optimistic outlook on N.H.L. economics and franchise well being.

[baker]

I personally don't have such a hate for Bettman, but as far as expansion and relocation goes, he has terribly missed the boat. There's no reason to believe another team in the Toronto area wouldn't be supported. Quebec City can take a team back in I'm sure, and with a nice new arena, I bet Winnipeg would do much better than any of the teams in the south east division, save maybe Washington.

Either that or get rid of a couple of teams. I believe it would make for better hockey and thus better franchises. In my ideal world, Florida, T-Bay, Atlanta, and Carolina, 2 of them would be relocated and the other 2 done away with with dispersal draft to follow.

There's FAR more at play here than Gary Bettmans decision. Both the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres are STRONGLY against any team ever going to Hamilton. Bettman is not god in the NHL, he can't just decide to make an expansion or not, it's a long long process that involves a lot of people and a lot of politics.

[habsrule]

Thanks Tips. I get there's a lot of paperwork to go through for any of that type of stuff to happen, but none of it happens without it going through Bettman. To me, it's Bettman's fault we have these shitty franchises in the NHL right now that just don't do anything.

The ice sub-par teams get no fans out to the games and then reap the benefits of revenue sharing. Take Nashville for instance, bought up the rest of their own seasons tix just so they could get the maximum amount of money back from the rest of the league. It's bullshit and wouldn't have to happen if Bettman would grab a clue and do something with this faulty franchises.

No, it's not just him, but you don't the board of directors would be all over it if proposed?