Since his hiring as NHL commissioner on Feb. 1, 1993, Gary Bettman has presided over an ongoing wave of change -- not all of it good, as evidenced by the league's current attendance and visibility woes. His 15th year in office promises to be a pivotal one with team owners growing restless, the salary cap rising, and yet another franchise (the Penguins) on the verge of moving. Here's a look back at 14 issues that have been the hallmarks of Bettman's first 14 years, and my take on how well he has handled each one.
| Bettman's moves: Good or bad? |
 The Ducks and Panthers were already approved before he came on board in 1993, but he was expected to do more than simply coordinate the addition of franchises in Atlanta, Columbus, Nashville and Minnesota -- only the last of which was truly justified -- and leverage those new markets into more exposure (primarily, a better TV deal) for the product in the American market. That hasn't happened, and now we're left with a diluted product and tenuous markets struggling to find an audience. THUMB'S DOWN
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 Teams move. That's a reality. Quebec City, Hartford and Winnipeg may have had tradition, but they didn't have the population, corporate support or arenas to compete on a major league level. Denver's an unqualified success, and the Avs are a marquee franchise. Can't say the same yet for Carolina or Phoenix, but with top-notch facilities and growing population bases, there's reason to believe that better times are ahead. But there's no reason for the Penguins to leave a market that loves them, and Bettman's inability to pressure local officials while this arena saga drags on is an embarrassment. THUMB'S UP
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| Forget for a moment the imbalances created by the move to six divisions in 1998. In order to help the expected wave of new American fans to better grasp the concept, Bettman ditched the tradition-laden names (Smythe, Norris, Patrick, Adams) in favor of more geographically descriptive appellatives (as if you can really see the Pacific from Dallas). It may seem like a small matter, but this was seen by many as pointless meddling by an ignorant outsider and it turned legions of hockey fans against him. THUMB'S DOWN
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| Battling through two rounds of the same divisional opponents year after year birthed natural rivalries and generated animosity that carried over to the following regular season, giving meaning to those contests that the league now fails to create artificially with the division-focused schedule. The new system may be more equitable in that each conference's best eight teams advance, but it leads to less-than-memorable hockey in the regular season and playoffs. So what's the gain? THUMB'S DOWN
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| Sure, there have been issues with timing, compressed schedules, fatigue and injuries. Obviously, those inconsiderate Czechs and Swedes didn't realize the Americans (and if not them, Canadians) were supposed to capture the gold for the good of the league. So no, the reality hasn't quite equalled expectation. But the bottom line is the Olympics are the world's biggest sports stage, and the exposure they've provided to the game's top stars has fueled popularity overseas, if not so much in North America. And there's still Vancouver in 2010. THUMB'S UP
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| It cost only half a season, but this lockout may have been more damaging than the one 10 years later. It derailed the momentum of Wayne Gretzky's success in L.A. and the curse-shattering Cup win by the Rangers, ending any hope the NHL had of overtaking the NBA as the third major sport. More important, it was a battle that couldn't be won by the owners. Bettman failed to accurately read their readiness for the fight, leading to outbreaks of internal strife and eventual capitulation. His 19-point rollback plan, including such cost-saving measures as requiring players to pay for their own medical insurance, steeled the opposition and created a breeding ground for the acrimony that poisoned relations for the next decade. THUMB'S DOWN
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| His ultimate legacy: the first commissioner of a major sports league to shut it down for an entire season in a labor dispute. Despite the gains -- and there were some -- there's simply no way to justify them considering the damage done to a league that can no longer be considered a Big Four sport. His decision allowed hockey to slip into irrelevance in a crowded sports/entertainment landscape, a simple case of out of sight, out of mind. For proof, look no further than the post-lockout decisions by major newspapers across the U.S. -- including those in multi-team locales like New York and L.A. -- to stop sending reporters on every road trip. THUMB'S DOWN
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