Are the NHL owners out of their minds?

[The Insider]

More talk of expansion this week as now the league wants to add KC and Las Vegas to the fold.

I mean if the league is booming and there's hot markets waiting for teams then I could understand the motivation, but this league is a mess. Ratings are down, the game is getting bumped for horse racing, attendance in some arenas is a joke, big markets such as Boston and Chicago are really struggling and their ownership is killing the game in these cities, smaller markets are struggling as well, Nashville, Florida, Phoenix, Carolina, Atlanta and New Jersey had terrible attendance. I mean the league is a disaster right now and this quick cash grab to add 2 more teams is only a short sighted decision which will further water down the league and just add another 2 cities which will see a decent start but more then likely 5 years down the road the teams will be struggling and we'll just have more teams sinking and more problems.

There needs to be a group of owners to stand up for the game and get a commisioner who looks out for the good of the game and the good of the business instead of just the business. The game needs a guy who can see a market like Phoenix and say that this is not a hockey market and does not deserve an NHL team. They need a commisioner who realizes that there are hot markets chomping at the bit to get a team who will support it through thick and thin. Until something like this happens Gary Bettman is just going to destroy what little left this game has to offer.

[KB in Kelowna]

The track record of the NHL owners in terms of who they let is not good. From fraud artists, to people leveraged to the hilt, to teams in markets that may have population but don't have a hockey culture. Bettman and co should realise the NASCAR miracle of a regional sport growing into a North American wide Marketing and Media phenoma will not happen here. Play to your strenghts, not to your wallets people.

[charlio lemieux]

Bad idea. Water down the league some more. Bring Hockey into markets ripe for failure. Just to make the owners a few million in bonus bucks.

If Betman had any sense he would put a team back in Winnipeg where it would put money back into the league instead of being a leech on the successful teams.

[Newfie John]

I think we should think about India, they love their hockey down there.

[THE HACK]

This doesn't suprise me at all! Just another way for the owners to make easy money.The thing these owners don't realise is that once these teams don't get the fan support its the owners(yes themselves) that will be coughing up money and supporting them just like with the Nashville Predators.And then watch these teams go after the PeterForsbergs with other owners money.

Cheers

[henry rollins]

Bad idea. Water down the league some more. Bring Hockey into markets ripe for failure. Just to make the owners a few million in bonus bucks.

If Betman had any sense he would put a team back in Winnipeg where it would put money back into the league instead of being a leech on the successful teams.

ya put the team i na city where corporate support would be worse than nashville while putting only rougly a thousand more fans in the seats than in most southern markets. betmann wouldnt allow it anyway.

[Asterix]

Gary Bettman is using expansion as a source of revenue, trying to create himself a legacy. The figures I've heard were $200 million for the new franchises!

But those who know and understand hockey can see right through this smoke screen and know that it is the last thing that the league needs at this point. You already have too many franchises struggling to draw at the gates, you don't even have a US TV contract to speak off and the talent is already over-dilluted. Bringing in two more teams would simply add to the problem already in place instead of finding ways to resolve it. Then bring in even more unqualified referees who aren't ready for the speed of the game just to add to the fans' frustrations. Receipe for disaster.

Why not try to re-enforce what's already there instead of building more on sand foundations? I know it won't happen but here's what I'd do if I was given the power of commish tomorrow, assuming I'd get all legalities taken care off:

Get rid of two teams, Florida and Nashville
Proceed with a dispersional draft of the players on those teams
Move New Jersey and Phoenix to Winnipeg and Quebec City as with revenue sharing and a cap, it could work. At least they'd have the attendance!
Have a 5 year plan for all rinks to be changed to Olympic size. Players are bigger and faster than ever, there's less room on the ice.
Bring the benches back on opposite sides of the ice, with the penalty box by the home team bench, the way it used to be. This will avoid the pushing and shoving on line changes, and keep coaches away from each other, as well as getting rid of the ridiculously long changes in the second period for all teams. It would even out in the course of a season as teams play the same number of games at home and on the road.
Do like the NFL for TV contracts, negotiated by the league, with the revenue evenly distributed between markets.
Create two conferences, top 8 in each makes the playoffs, more inter-locking games between conferences.
Drop the schedule from 82 games to 78 games. Each team plays the teams in the other conference once at home, once on the road. Then they face each team in their conference 4 times each, 2 at home, 2 on the road.
Keep the cap at an affortable level, taking into account less regular season games played and less seats at the rinks due to changes with Olympic size rinks.
Get rid of the skills competitions that some call shootout and replace it with a 5 minutes 3 on 3 sudden death OT if tied after the 5 minutes at 4 on 4 OT. If still tied, both teams get a point, two points for a win in regulation or OT, and no points for a loss in OT.
Get rid of the instigator rule
Go back to the one referee system but give the linesmen more freedom in calling infractions behind the play. They already call the "too many men on the ice", so allow them to call major infractions such as hit from behind, spearing, severe hit sticking, hits to the head, etc... Too many referees can't keep up with the speed of the game at the NHL level, whether they aren't ready or simply not good enough.
While we're on the referees topic, create some sort of referees evaluation committee and those not performing up to par could be sent down to the AHL and others more deserving could be given a shot.
Eliminate the no-play area for goalies, but make them fair game if they venture out of their net and play the puck. If they want to be a 3rd defenseman, they can take a check.
Bring in the no-touch icing
Get rid of the hit from behind rule but leave the boarding rule. This will keep players from purposely turning their back to avoid getting hit along the boards. Hitting is a huge part of hockey.
Ban plastic (and any hard material) elbow pads and shoulder pads as they are more weapons than protection.
I know that I'm dreaming, but this would definately be a more entertaining brand of hockey. When you have secured the success of the existing franchises, when you have your big American TV contract on top of your Canadian one, then you can think of expansion, as the league would be building on solid grounds instead of sand!

My two cents.

[Iced Tea]

If the owners really cared about the NHL other than as a source of their big pile of money, they'd get rid of Bettman and put someone in charge who knows hockey and loves the game. Until that happens, nothing good will occur.

[Iced Tea]

NHL to talk schedule, expansion

September 17, 2007
By Pierre LeBrun

(CP) -- The NHL's unbalanced schedule will once again be front and centre at the board of governors meeting in Chicago on Tuesday while talk of possible expansion will also be on the agenda when owners gather for the first time this season.

Few issues have ignited as much passionate debate among owners in recent years as the schedule, which since the lockout has featured eight games versus each divisional opponent -- too many according to some -- and only 10 games (five on the road) against non-conference opponents.

The Edmonton Oilers will once again be leading the charge for change.

"We cannot walk away from the debate, it's critically important to our customers," Oilers president and CEO Pat LaForge told The Canadian Press on Monday. "We think it's the same for all Western teams. We think we're at a huge disadvantage the way the schedule is right now."

Most of the Eastern Conference teams resisted change last season, satisfied with the lighter travel schedule the current format affords. LaForge argues that's a key factor in some free agents signing in the East.

"The Eastern Conference has had a great advantage that's borne out in collecting free agents as well as keeping them," said LaForge. "Just playing in their own time zone almost every night is a great advantage for them."

NHL owners fell one vote short of changing the schedule at a meeting last January in Dallas, an emotional day which featured Oilers chairman Cal Nichols calling out commissioner Gary Bettman for a lack of leadership for not pushing for change.

But the teams resisting change last season felt the way to go was to finish off the three-year cycle the league set out with the unbalanced schedule.

"When we came out of the work stoppage, everybody was raving about what a great idea it was. It was a three-year cycle," said Carolina Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford. "And because of that, we felt very strongly that you should complete the three-year cycle.

"But now that we've got to that point, we're certainly open to changing it."

There won't actually be a vote on the matter Tuesday, that will probably come at the board of governors meeting in December. But the discussion picks up again Tuesday and the Hurricanes will be among the teams who are now ready for change after voting for the status quo last season.

"I don't think it benefits all franchises but if you look at the overall league -- I think it makes sense," said Rutherford. "And the other part for me, what I hear when I really look into this, is the players don't want to play those teams as many times. And those are the guys everyone pays to watch so it's important to listen to them."

Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby will finally play an NHL game in Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver this season, his third year in the league. This season the unbalanced schedule also has the Oilers, Flames and Canucks not playing a single regular-season game against Montreal, Toronto or Ottawa.

"We think that is just unacceptable for Canadian franchises," said LaForge.

The betting money is that the schedule will definitely change before next season, with more games against non-conference opponents.

Meanwhile, the owners will also hear from the league on possible expansion Tuesday, with Las Vegas, Kansas City, Seattle and Winnipeg among the cities on the radar.

LaForge said he isn't aware an expansion plan being in the works, but didn't hide his support for one of the cities.

"As it relates to Winnipeg, it's one of the great hockey markets in North America," said LaForge. "The next proposal -- if there ever is one -- for expansion, it has to be a great hockey market. And Winnipeg passes the great hockey market test."

Also on the agenda Tuesday:

-- The league will give owners a "state of the business" presentation and provide an analysis on the contract and salary trends heading into the third year of the collective bargaining agreement.

-- Updates on the proposed sale of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Nashville Predators.

-- A chat about NHL on-ice officials in lieu of the Tim Donaghy scandal in the NBA, reminding owners of the safeguards in place to avoid a similar situation.

-- Colin Campbell, the NHL's director of hockey operations, will also address the board and take questions from owners.http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/article.jsp?content=20070917_172600_5680

First of all, the schedule sucks and the owners who voted to keep the current piece of crap should be taken out and shot. All 30 teams should play the other 29 teams every year. Less travel is not a good enough reason for keeping the fans of Western teams from seeing all the stars of the league. If the owners want the NHL to thrive, keeping the Sens, Leafs, Habs, Crosby, Ovechkin, and the Staal brothers in the East for the entire season is not the way to increase interest.

And what about fans in the East? Who wants to see the crappy Panthers eight times a year over some of the top Western teams.

What about the no East vs West Canadian matchups this season. That's the Canadian version of someone telling the pope there's no god.

Final note on the schedule; it is known that the Preds voted against changing the schedule. Shame on them. Sure it meant an easy 24 games against the BJ's, Hawks and Blues but did those crappy games increase attendance? Heck no; who wants to watch games less exciting than pulling weeds. The Preds playing nail biting games against other top teams not in their division would have increased interest.

That's my latest $0.02 about the schedule, on to expansion or as I call it, the death knell of the NHL.

Holy crap. I can't believe that Bettman is talking expansion. His head has to be so deep in the sand that only his feet are above ground. It's incomprehensible that Bettman can think that all 30 current teams are doing well. Even someone with a IQ bordering retardation can see that certain teams in certain markets aren't working and fixing them first would make the most sense. I can't believe that enough owners still support Bettman's ego maniacal view of the future of the NHL that Bettman can't be forced out. It's unfathomable to me that the majority of owners would rather receive a few million from a pair of expansion fees than fix the existing league, grow the NHL and reap the rewards of increased attendance and merchandise, and a lot higher expansion fees in the future.

The leadership the NHL and the board of governors has become scary. I mean even a blind person can see what the problems of the league are, yet Bettman and his followers continue to go in the opposite direction. They're like the Holocaust deniers of the NHL. I'm not trying to belittle the Holocaust in anyway but it relates to the point in that the last time I saw such denial was when several nutjob Holocaust deniers in Canada were charged with criminal offenses.

The sheer audacity of Bettman leads me to believe that he has totally lost touch with reality and any sane owner with half a brain would vote to fire Bettman.