May 30, 2008 / 09:23
You can thank the braintrust at MLSE for Bettman's blockage of Balsillie buying a team. I am convinced he made a back-room deal with the Leafs during the lockout to keep another team out of their territory. Why else would Craig Leipold sell the Preds for $40 million less than Balsillie was offering? He knew there was no way in hell the Balsillie deal would be approved because of Balsillie's blatant plans to move the team to Hamilton. The lack of another team in Southern Ontario has nothing to do with Canada and everything to do with the Leafs.
May 30, 2008 / 10:07
Big A, I agree. Buffalo also figures into that deal.
May 30, 2008 / 16:05
Buffalo stands to lose way more than the Leafs if the league ever lets a team go to Hamilton.....The Leafs are always going to have a sell-out crowd and a team in Hamilton would create a wicked rivalry with Toronto and the Leafs might actually have to finally put out a better product.
May 30, 2008 / 19:23
How long has Bettman been friggin' with the NHL... since 1993, I believe. And the NHL has foundered during his time at the helm.
There has to be a concentrated effort to dump that hook-nosed shyster with the bat-wing ears... before all Canadian teams go the way of Winnipeg!
May 30, 2008 / 20:16
RMF - your "hook-nosed shyster" description is offensive beyond belief. I can only imagine how you would describe Bettman if he was black.
Your assertion that the NHL has foundered dosn't really stand up to scrutiny either. League revenues have risen from $400 million to over $2 billion since Bettman became commisioner. The salary cap and the new rules have made the league stronger. Yeah, there's been some frustrating transition, but the players and the refs seem to have figured out the new rules. The result is the game is faster, and the skilled players are back in the limelight.
I just read today that the Stanley Cup finals have better ratings in the States than the NBA playoffs. How is this "foundering"?
May 30, 2008 / 20:43
You want to see foundering?
Wait till the European league that's going to be in competition with the NHL gets up and running... then you'll see foundering.
May 30, 2008 / 21:25
Oh; wah-wah-wah Max.
So what, Bettman has a hook-nose like the curve on a hockey stick! (Which is what I was referring to).
You'll find NO apologies here for being descriptive of his mug shot. I've seen hockey players with noses more curved than that. I'm sure the hockey players wouldn't be "offended" by a broken, curved nose!
As for 'offensive...' what is truly offensive is what Bettman has done to the league.
Sure; a mild playoff spike in ratings; but if Pittsburg goes into the tank tomorrow night... so will the ratings.
And the big picture is... not spot-ratings during playoffs, but rather the entire season. Wanna compare the NHL under Bettmans tenure to the NFL, NBA, MLB, etc.?
May 31, 2008 / 08:10
RMF - I have no time for political correctness, and I'm about as far from a bleeding heart liberal as you're going to find, but one thing I have no stomach for is racism. So you were only being "descriptive" of his appearance? Sure. Is "shyster" a physical descriptor too? I highly doubt if Bettman was Irish, you would have labeled him a shyster. Rather than detail exactly how he's failed the league, you throw out a racial slur to show your contempt because he's Jewish. I've got no time for you.
June 2, 2008 / 12:33
All cities need is 20000 real fans out of their populace for a team to survive in hockey hotbeds like Nashville and Kansas City.
Makes way too much sense too have teams in real hockey cities like Hamilton, Que City, Winnipeg and even Regina.
June 2, 2008 / 12:35
Bettman is Jewish?
What does that have to do with anything?
June 3, 2008 / 09:50
If anyone wants to see a good website, check out www.firebettman.com. It is run by 2 Americans so it's not just Canadians who want to get rid of him. There are many that get it; an NBA reject was never what was good for the NHL.
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