re: Best team in the NHL?

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ESPN has been pimping the shite out of the NHL though this year, because they know the NFL is about to have a lockout and they are trying to get that contract back.

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yeah, i noticed that on espnews lately. Don't forget about an NBA lock out as well.

Gary Bettman sucks, but he is not John Zeigler, the most incompetent commissioner in sports history. Bettman's only redeeming feature is that he is not Zeigler.

I think the NHL is on the rise enough to where a new contract with a bigger media outlet is looming.

I suspect some bitterness at ESPN towards the NHL for forcing them to scramble to cover the loss of the 04-05 season. Now, they want to pretend that fishing and poker is exciting and that nobody cares about hockey.

Maybe someday they will get over themselves.

I wouldn't mind the Thrashers' matchup either. Thrashers are 3-1-1 already this year against Washington.

You know I don't like Bettman, but let's not rewrite history. when Bettman took over, the NHL was in terrible shape in the US and it was quite literally impossible to watch a nationally broadcast hockey game. there was no national carrier. It was even a challenge to find the Stanley Cup finals, which aired on syndication. And while Bettman certainly screwed over some Canadian cities, some of his expansion did work: Colorado and Dallas were undeniable successes (and Carolina and San Jose has also been a qualified successes). He reached too far, most notably the Phoenix fiasco, but at least he wasn't as inert as Zeigler.

Bettman's been at least willing to fix what ails the game. The clutch and grab style of the late 90s was pretty unappealing, and he has overseen the revamping of the rulebook: the elimination of the two-line pass rule, delayed offsides, enforcement of interference, limiting goalie pads, and the trapezoid. His first tinkering with the standings were terrible, but has eventually settled on a method to open up overtime and reduce ties.

Yes, getting rid of the old divisions was awful, but Bettman has made some good changes. The tinkering with the All Star Game is frankly, pretty cool. The Winter Classic has taken advanatge of college football's absolute incompetence. Pro players in the Olympics has been a godsend (as has the World Cup of Hockey). NHL enjoys higher attendence than the NBA absent Phoenix and Florida.

Bettman needs to be fired, but his reign has more successes than Zeigler's. I don't like Bettman, but he's been a far better commish than Zeigler, who was dangerously inert.

Baloo you know who the Leafs are playing tonight? Gary Bettman presided over the only full season lockout in North American pro sports history...John Z. in my estimation was a status quo kind of Commish, he diffused the WHA NHL war and brought 6-10 new teams into the league, he was a product of a different time in hockey but it seems to me anyway you went from a pure hockey guy to a nerdy arrogant clocksucker all business guy. But NO US National TV contract is in my estimation inexcusable, you serve as commish at the pleasure of the owners and simply put GB is NOT good for business. Sun belt teams in non traditional markets is an admirable goal but the CB analysis should have been done at the 10 year mark and either contraction or team relocation should have been pursued...

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He should have been fired after the lockout, but there have been some good post-lockout changes.

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The ideas came from the NHL rules and competition committee made up of Players, Coaches and I believe GM's... Bettman if he has had anything to do with the changes prolly stayed out of the way Baloo.