PDA

View Full Version : The state of the NHL today...


John Corn
01-09-03, 12:01 PM
Warning, this is a long read.
http://spectorshockey.tripod.com/spectors_soapbox.html

Outstanding- perhaps the best piece of sports writing I've ever seen. The author of this article took the thoughts that have been dancing in my and others' heads for a while and expressed them perfectly. Lets kick out Bettman and name him commissioner!

With regards to Bettman, he is a idiot. No points for originality, I know. But, let me provide a little background- I've been following hockey in varying degrees since 1997, but my interest has especially peaked over the last year, for a variety of reasons.

In past, as recently as October, I thought the people who said "Bettman has ruined hockey" were talking out of their hindquarters. However, with the bankruptcies and fraudulent crackdown on osbtruction over the last few months I now realize that they were right all along.

I was never president of Bettman's fan club, but I retract any comments I ever made in his defense. Bettman takes a huge share of the blame for the NHL's current load of problems. The greedy owners and players are culpable as well, but it all starts at the top. His weak leadership is most likely due to the fact that he is a basketball guy who doesn't know and understand hockey well enough to be the sport's leading man. Again, nothing new, but new from my mouth/fingers.

I don't know of anyone offhand to replace him, but it's time for Danny DeVito to make a movie called Throw Bettman from the Train!

Jean Pierre Le Puck
01-09-03, 02:02 PM
Corporate downsizing is coming to the NHL - much fewer teams, less under skilled players, lower salaries, --- and lower ticket prices for the fans of the remaining 16 to 20 teams.

The NHL has big time ever since Ziegler was running.
Even with best games, H.N.I.C. onlt draws 1 in 25 Canadians to view. And Centre Ice gets less than 5% of Expressvu and Rogers Cable subs to subcribe.

NHL Hockey is seriously ill - but then it has been a race between the NHL & MLB for "Weakest Link" award