|
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Multimedia Central Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities Work in Sports
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE |  |
Critiquing the commish While profitable, Bettman's reign not without bumps
Posted: Monday February 21, 2000 10:11 PM
It's been seven years this month that Gary Bettman took over for ousted National Hockey League commissioner John Ziegler. Through most of that time, Bettman's reign has been impressive. As a business boss, Bettman has been the force that has moved NHL hockey from a backwater blip on the sports map to a massive operation with offices in two countries, Europe and a presence in Asia. In his still brief time on the job Bettman has parlayed the last years of the Wayne Gretzky heyday into a solid expansion in the United States. He negotiated -- by hockey standards -- a sizeable television contract with ABC that not only produced some $600 million at a time when television ratings on the Fox network were in free-fall, but he raised the game's exposure level through tie-ins with ABC and that network's principle television partner, ESPN. Bettman also created a geographic footprint in the U.S. (22 teams, soon to be 24), that rivals the three other major pro sports. He substantially increased the value of franchises on the open market, opened the doors for NHL players to participate in the Olympics and spearheaded a growth in revenue streams that he says have reached the $1 billion dollar mark. Bettman also presided over a building boom that created new or renovated arenas in virtually every NHL market. He even created more owners which, by and large, created more jobs -- extremely well-paying jobs -- for more players. It's an impressive resume, perhaps the best in National Hockey League history, but there have also been problems. Or what the commissioner likes to call "issues". The Olympics are one of them. Bettman said at the All-Star gathering in Toronto that he has been "authorized" by the owners to complete a deal to bring NHL players back to the Olympics, providing the deal makes sense for the NHL. Put another way, the deal still isn't done yet and one has to wonder why. Reports out of Europe are that the International Ice Hockey Federation is playing hardball with the NHL, reportedly upset that some NHL owners are buying into franchises there in order to have a steady stream of European players. Some IIHF officials have hinted that they would withhold authorization regarding NHLers in the Olympics unless the NHL backs away. Bettman is said to have met with these officials and is trying to work out an agreement, but how did it get to this? The NHL saying it might go to the Olympics this late in the game has caused several owners to question why they wouldn't be going. After all, Bettman convinced the owners to shut down in the heart of their season two years ago for a "trial run" at Nagano. While that went reasonably well except for the fact there were some ugly Americans in the dorms and neither the United States nor Canada made it to the gold-medal game, the league did gain valuable experience. Reporters were told then that the outcome really didn't matter, that whichever team won it was good for hockey and the NHL and that in reality, Nagano, with it's awkward time zones, wasn't the real issue. The real issue, we were told, would be the 2002 Olympics on America's home turf, Salt Lake City. Yet, still the deal isn't done and even if Bettman does get his troops on board, there's no guarantee America will be watching. The 2002 games are the exclusive right of the NBC television network and it's not likely NBC is willing to put up prime television slots for a game that doesn't draw well and would benefit programming owned by a rival network (ABC and ESPN). The issue of pros in the Olympics has in no way been a marketing godsend the way they were when NBA commissioner David Stern delivered America's "Dream Team" to the Games. Part of the problem was that hockey was still every bit as foreign to large segments of the American television audience as two-man luge. Another problem was the fact that some members of the U.S. team played the role of ugly American and trashed their rooms, making for an international incident for Bettman and the NHL that was neither well received nor resolved. Bettman's critics have chastised him for not handling the scandal better. They claim Bettman could have launched an investigation, brought the guilty parties to at least some internal justice and then moved on. Bettman disputes that, noting that the NHL did not have full access to the Olympic site and that it therefore was impossible to conduct a thorough inquiry. Either way, the damage was done. The NHL gave the appearance of being stonewalled by its own players, a situation that did not earn the NHL points in Japan, with the U.S. Olympic committee, the international hockey community or even casual fans in North America. It was worse with "No Goal," the highly controversial ending to the 1999 Stanley Cup final. The controversy was damaging to Buffalo, a team that lost on Brett Hull's disputed Game Six and series winner, but it was worse for Bettman and the league. In what became the biggest controversy in Bettman's tenure to date, the Sabres and a good chunk of the hockey community argued that the goal was in violation of the NHL's own in-the-crease rules. Bettman's chief of officiating argued that that was not the case and that the goal was legal based on a memo sent to all coaches and general managers in the weeks prior to the end of the regular season clarifying definitions regarding possession and control and in-the-crease issues. Bettman, however, was nowhere to be found, having already presented the Cup to the Stars and then bolting the building. Bettman claims his absence at a press conference to clarify the controversy was not an issue because the "absolute" correct call was made and the controversy arose well after that fact. He also said he had no idea the goal, (which was not announced as being under review) was a controversial issue until well after the game had ended. However television and radio commentators recognized the problem well before they left the air. Sabres coach Lindy Ruff and team captain Michael Peca also had words with the commissioner regarding the issue before Bettman left the building. Whether it was the right or wrong call will always be an issue, but the bigger issue is how it was allowed to become such an issue. Said one NHL insider who was on the scene at the time. "The owners of the Buffalo Sabres certainly deserved a better explanation than what they got. The fans did, too. You can't just walk out and leave it all in an underling's hands." Though Bettman has stated repeatedly his actions were a non-issue because the correct call was made, the fact remains that the NHL found itself mired in controversy at its premier event and the commissioner was nowhere to be found. The recent inability to close a deal with the Canadian government to provide a relatively minor financial subsidy to small-market Canadian teams has also proved to be a problem. Given Canada's love for the game, it should have been a relatively simple transaction. Instead, it was greeted with tremendous resistance from people all across Canada and the deal fell apart in a stunning reversal just days after it had been announced. Not only did Canadian teams not get the money, but the league ended up dealing with a hostile government and a hostile public in a country that embraces the game like no other. Days later, Bettman further incurred the wrath of the taxpaying public when sources within the NHL were quoted as saying the federal government would feel the full power of the NHL regarding sports wagering in Canada. Bettman said he did not threaten to sue over sports lotteries in Canada, but the leaked rumors further angered Canadians, who felt Bettman's response was not "come, let us reason together," but a thinly veiled threat to flex the league's corporate muscle. Spaced over a lengthy period of time, these events might best be viewed as singular disappointments on an otherwise impressive Bettman resume but strung together, people have started to take notice. Bettman and the NHL came under some withering fire in Canada during the All-Star festivities with one Canadian columnist going so far as to proclaim that Canadians still love hockey, but hate the NHL. Issues like "No goal," Olympic participation and a collective bargaining agreement that has done little to reign in the soaring price of salaries and, by extension, tickets, have found a home in some NHL markets and the commissioner has become the focal point of the complaints. Constant tinkering with the rules also has resulted in problem. Not only have the changes not produced the oft-promised rise in goals, they have confused the players and the fans and led to a certain distrust of league officers in New York, a lingering feeling that the NHL just makes it up as it goes along. Four-on-four, a concept Bettman both embraced and then steered through several committees, is starting to look more and more like a gimmick more attuned to someday reducing the rosters of NHL teams than any real fix for the league's overall scoring woes. Bettman disputes that and says the overtime has proven to be widely accepted and entertaining and that fans love it. Still, scoring in the second and third periods of regulation time appears to be down as many teams play only to get to the extra session where they are guaranteed one point. Only then does the pace pick up as teams attempt to go for two. That, too, is a debatable issue, but even if Bettman gets the benefit of the doubt, regulation ties, an offshoot of four-on-four, have proven confusing even to dedicated fans. Awarding points for what amounts to a loss has made the league look like a trash sport that changes rules on a whim. Bettman knows these things. It's not fair to say he can fix them all without the help of the players' association and even some owners, but after seven years the negatives of his tenure are starting to accumulate some mass. How Bettman chooses to deal with them will define both his professionalism and his time in office. Ivan Hlinka, the soon-to-be-new coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, has arrived in Pittsburgh, but he's not planning to step behind the bench anytime soon. If the Penguins make the playoffs, interim coach Herb Brooks may have to do it Hlinka's way, but he'll still be listed as the head man. Brooks likely will return to scouting in his native Minnesota once the season is over. Brooks is on record as wanting to go to the playoffs with Tom Barrasso in goal instead of Jean-Sebastien Aubin. Aubin is actually playing better than Barrasso, but is not nearly as experienced. That sets up some conflict inside the locker room as Barrasso has been under fire for giving up long goals that have knocked the Penguins out of the playoffs in recent seasons. The Mighty Ducks found a bargain in the bin when the acquired Kip Miller from Pittsburgh for future considerations. Miller, who has now played for six NHL teams, is producing points on a line with Matt Cullen and former Bruin Ted Donato. Miller has produced two goals and five assists in a recent six-game stretch. The line has taken some of the scoring pressure off Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne. Having forced a tie with the Sabres in Buffalo and a 2-1 win in Nashville, the Edmonton Oilers picked up eight of 10 points on a recent five-game swing and at midweek were enjoying the view from the top in the Northwest Division. Earlier in the week when Colorado lost 2-1 to Washington, the Oilers were alone in first despite the fact they were one game under .500 and the Avalanche were four games over. The difference? Edmonton had picked up seven points in overtime losses (a point for a tie and then losing in the four-on-four session), the Avalanche have just one. Great rule isn't it? Not only were the Oilers atop the Northwest, but they've also reached as high as No. 3 seed in the Western Conference standings. Amazingly enough, the Calgary Flames are also hanging tough in the Northwest despite going winless through nine games at midweek. Calgary, too, has feasted on overtime points, racking up a league-high 10 overtime wins or non-regulation ties or whatever they're called this week. As a result, the Flames own a record that is vastly misleading in relation to the talent level there. Just when it appeared the Flames would finally fall back, they swept a pair of games with the Oilers, giving both teams a sense that the division race is not over yet. Jim Kelley covers the NHL -- and the Sabres -- for the Buffalo News. His notebook and Rumor Mill appear weekly on CNNSI.com. The opinions expressed here are solely those of the writer.
| ||||||||||||||||||||
