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From The Sporting News:
... as if the NHL hasn't had enough bad publicity in recent months, BusinessWeek magazine has named [NHL commissioner] Gary Bettman one of the worst managers in the United States in 2004.In selecting Bettman to this list, the magazine cited the "shambles" of the NHL's and the "weak TV deal" he signed last June with NBC, leading to the conclusion that the NHL was now "a second-tier sport" in the United States.
It's unknown what Bettman's opinion is of this dubious honor, but there are more than a few NHL players and fans that consider BusinessWeek's assessment of the commissioner to be quite accurate.
The NHL gets a huge boost every four years come Olymipics time, and people know about the "Miracle on Ice". Thanks to inept marketing and a refusal to adapt the rules to correct readily apparent problems with game play, the NHL has squandered every chance to become a major sport in the US.
So how does the well-connected fan channel his frustration over the labor impasse? This guy bought Hockey cards. Problem is, he used a government credit card to do it.
Donald Billing, a former director of Measurement Canada, was charged with 11 counts of fraud. Police say he used government credit cards to buy hockey cards valued at approximately C$185,000 ($150,000), and tried to pass off the purchases as office supplies.
He's Canadian, so the NHL strike just has to be a mitigating circumstance, right?
Posted by Ted at January 10, 2005 11:46 AMGood to see that "the Count" is getting the recognition that he so richly deserves. However, what is this "readily apparent problems with gameplay" crap I read? THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH HOCKEY! if people would quit trying to CHANGE it, they'd find that it is truly nature's perfect sport.
thank you.
Posted by: Derek at January 10, 2005 03:49 PMGotta disagree Derek. Goalie equipment is too damn big. With the new breed of oversized goaltenders, there's too little room around the edges to shoot at, and they're too quick to get under. The idea behind the goalie pads was to protect the goalie, not the net.
I also like the 'touch up' rule they're testing in the minors this year, and I think...
I just realized I like *all* of the proposed rule changes: allow two-line passes (or get rid of the red line), no more icing for the shorthanded team on power plays, power plays last the full 2 minutes - not until a goal is scored, and 4-on-4 OT, then a shootout.
I love a good defensive game, but it's gotten dull.
Posted by: Ted at January 10, 2005 03:57 PMSee, I will disagree. Points!
I'm a goalie. I can say firsthand: the equipment isn't too big, trust me on this one. Professional goalies are simply better conditioned athletes than their predecessors.
I do not like the icing rule which is being tried out. I've been to some minor league games this season and, with no other argument than "it's just not right," I don't like it.
I like a good 1-1 game goin' into overtime. I will say that, having been an employee of a minor league team in a league where games were decided via shootouts, the shootout has a place in my heart. The other proposed changes? Straight in the toilet...
But then, I have no say in it, do I?
Posted by: Derek at January 10, 2005 06:33 PMExactly my point, Derek. The pro goalies of today are the best ever, which naturally cuts down on the number of goals allowed. Take away that inch or two all the way around and an additional goal or two a game will be scored. That's good for the game because it's what the typical casual fan can understand.
Your input means just as much as mine. :)
Posted by: Ted at January 10, 2005 08:14 PMWhat we really need is an ice age that will make the game more available to the youth of the United States, particularly the sunbelt whose cities the NHL seems to covet.
Posted by: Brian J. at January 11, 2005 10:45 AM