Bettman: "Coyotes Cannot And Will Not Remain In Glendale"

[jlh2640]

Well colour me shocked . . . . .

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Beninho

Just send them to Quebec City already. Pacific division could use one less team after Vegas.

There is already a conference imbalance even with the addition of the new team in LV. If the Coyotes are relocated the NHL will probably push for them to stay out west.

[Bingo]

I'll never understand the hatred for Bettman, especially from a Canadian market fan.

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I'll never understand the hatred for Bettman, especially from a Canadian market fan.

Every time you turn on Sportsnet for a game you should have a bit of anger inside.

He did great for the Canadian teams but that decision to award the NHL rights to Sportsnet took away any goodwill he had built up.

To not even consider TSN into the equation because of his petty grudge set the NHL back in Canada 10 years. November 26, 2013 was our President Trump.

[Enoch Root]

It's Bettman's fault that Sportsnet sucks?

Is it Bettman's fault that we're having such a ####ty winter too?

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

Every time you turn on Sportsnet for a game you should have a bit of anger inside.

He did great for the Canadian teams but that decision to award the NHL rights to Sportsnet took away any goodwill he had built up.

To not even consider TSN into the equation because of his petty grudge set the NHL back in Canada 10 years. November 26, 2013 was our President Trump.

Or maybe don't be angry that you can watch every single game from your couch, when 20 years ago you'd actually have to go to the Saddledome to do that?

Bettman has done incredible things for the NHL with the fan in mind. That's been his job and he's been great at it. Life is far too short to hold anger towards a guy like Bettman who only impacts your life in improving the accessibility of the sport you like to watch. It doesn't make any sense, and always seems petty.

Just my opinion.

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

It's Bettman's fault that Sportsnet sucks?

Is it Bettman's fault that we're having such a ####ty winter too?

No. But it's Bettman's fault for choosing a 3rd rate sports network.

I can understand if Sportsnet was a new company entering into the fray, but they already had a track record, and the track record was pretty #### ty.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

Every time you turn on Sportsnet for a game you should have a bit of anger inside.

He did great for the Canadian teams but that decision to award the NHL rights to Sportsnet took away any goodwill he had built up.

To not even consider TSN into the equation because of his petty grudge set the NHL back in Canada 10 years. November 26, 2013 was our President Trump.

Bettman is the commissioner of NHL and responsible to the 31 owners. An offer that was far, far more generous than any previous deal was presented with R stipulation that they could not negotiate a different one with a rival network. It was take it or leave it. They took it. It was the right move.


It wasn't because of an invented grudge

[ken0042]

Originally Posted by Samuelsson

I wanted them to move a couple seasons ago for the sole reason of history being made; the first player to play for the same franchise but in 3 different cities.

Shane Doan already has. Winnipeg, Phoenix, and Glendale.

[Senator Clay Davis]

Bettman's job is the same as Goodell's job, and it was David Stern's and Bud Selig's job too: Make the owners as much money as possible. Curiously all became extremely hated by the fans of the sport, yet I cannot imagine they have (or had in Stern and Selig's cases) anything but 100% approval from the owners, who are kind of their bosses.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

He did great for the Canadian teams but that decision to award the NHL rights to Sportsnet took away any goodwill he had built up.

To not even consider TSN into the equation because of his petty grudge set the NHL back in Canada 10 years. November 26, 2013 was our President Trump.

What 'decision' are you talking about? Sportsnet backed up a dumptruck full of money unmatched by TSN or CBC and bought the rights.

Yes, let's be upset at Bettman because SN went all in.

[keratosis]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

Every time you turn on Sportsnet for a game you should have a bit of anger inside.

He did great for the Canadian teams but that decision to award the NHL rights to Sportsnet took away any goodwill he had built up.

To not even consider TSN into the equation because of his petty grudge set the NHL back in Canada 10 years. November 26, 2013 was our President Trump.

I can think of 5.262 billion reasons why TSN wasn't considered.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

Every time you turn on Sportsnet for a game you should have a bit of anger inside.

He did great for the Canadian teams but that decision to award the NHL rights to Sportsnet took away any goodwill he had built up.

To not even consider TSN into the equation because of his petty grudge set the NHL back in Canada 10 years. November 26, 2013 was our President Trump.

"His petty grudge"? Making crap up and trying to pass it off as fact only makes you look like a fool, not the target of your scorn.

As far as "his" decision to award Sportsnet the rights, that is how the NHL has long operated. They sell national and regional rights. The highest bidder gets the contract. You can whine all you want, but it is not Bettman's fault that Sportsnet outbid TSN.

As a matter of fact, one of Bettman's goals with this TV deal was to reduce the regionalization scheme that CBC operated under to give the fans more choice. He bent over backwards to ensure HNIC remained a CBC property, but the CBC chose to be stubborn.

[GioforPM]

Bettman is many things, but a fool, he ain't.

Did he know Glendale was a crappy location when they first moved? Maybe, but the arena deal was sweet. Did he know it was crappy when they were trying to sell the team? Sure, but you don't go around admitting the flaws of a product when you are the seller.

The funny thing is that Bettman has always gone to bat for Calgary (and Edmonton for that matter).

And SportsNet? Whatever. I don't have the picayune issues that a few posters have - my HD seems fine, I don't notice any sound quality or timing issues, they have Ball & Hrudey and Jackie Redmond is on a lot (which provides a lot of goodwill for me).

I'd be pretty upset as an owner if Bettman had turned down the SN deal.

[Erick Estrada]

Judging by the subpar quality of RSN Flames broadcasts dating back from the very beginning I can only assume that the quality of their television broadcasts is simply not a priority of the Flames organization. I imagine the Flames owners want to sell Saddledome seats first and foremost and making things too cozy for fans to stay home isn't something they are going to put a lot of resources into. In regards to the RSN NHL deal while it certainly sucks for Canadian hockey fans you have to know that the owners were always going to take the highest bid. I'm sure the moment Rogers tabled their offer the owners after having their lawyers comb over it to see if this too good to be true offer was legit were feeling as giddy as an Oilers GM on draft lottery day. That was a massive windfall for them and they would have been foolish to take a lower offer from TSN.

[Calgary4LIfe]

I remember reading a long time ago that the NHL will do everything it can and then some to stay in Arizona. Apparently it is because of the national TV deals in the USA. Networks are buying exposure, and that Phoenix metro area is one identified as important to the networks. Going completely off by memory, but IIRC, if Arizona was to be relocated to another state or into Canada, there was some sort of built-in financial compensation to be paid back to NBC.

Again, just going off by memory. It could very well have been an older contract, and not the current one. I just vaguely remember something like that.

[DownhillGoat]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I can only assume that the quality of their television broadcasts is simply not a priority of the Flames organization.

Honest question, do you think it's a priority for any organization? After the television deal is signed, what benefit does any team see to an above-par broadcast?

It seems to me as similar as an equivalent to a head office in Calgary caring about how green their front lawn is.

Nice, to be sure, but does nothing to the bottom line.

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

"His petty grudge"? Making crap up and trying to pass it off as fact only makes you look like a fool, not the target of your scorn.

As far as "his" decision to award Sportsnet the rights, that is how the NHL has long operated. They sell national and regional rights. The highest bidder gets the contract. You can whine all you want, but it is not Bettman's fault that Sportsnet outbid TSN.

As a matter of fact, one of Bettman's goals with this TV deal was to reduce the regionalization scheme that CBC operated under to give the fans more choice. He bent over backwards to ensure HNIC remained a CBC property, but the CBC chose to be stubborn.

I guess anger was a bit overdramatic. Major disappointment is more like it. But to each their own. I can't imagine many people on here think that the product is better now than it was 4 years ago. And seeing as their profits are tanking and fired the CEO who put this $5.2 billion agreement in place, i can't see it turning around in the next 9 years.

[Parallex]

What's the last status of the Seattle Arena project? The easiest relocation resolution would be to move the Coyotes to Seattle and keep them in the Pacific.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

California teams for the most part has been a huge success and more Americans are playing hockey than ever before. I know it's a Canadian past time to bash US expansion but there's been more hits than misses and you can argue the US is right up there with Canada now as a hockey super power which is something you could never say 20 years ago. No sport ever hits a home run with al their expansion teams but the NHL has done a pretty good job overall.

I certainly agree that expansion has been overall good for the NHL but has any major pro sports league had a worse track record for failed expansion franchises than the NHL?