NHL commissioner addresses perceived Canada bias

Gary Bettman is the commissioner of the National Hockey League. Yet a lot of hockey fans have a strong dislike for the man.

They blame him for the strike that cost the league an entire season. They blame him for the fact that this is the 3rd year in a row where every team doesn't play each other. And they blame him for having an anti-Canadian bias, a bad idea given that hockey is Canada's sport.

I should point out that I agree that Bettman is biased and a horrible commissioner. So when Gary Bettman did a chat for the Washington Post, I submitted a question. Although my question was not selected, a similar question did come up.

New York: Many hockey fans in historic markets contend you are simply wrong with your formula for growing the league. They believe you are committed to developing hockey in the "Red States," to use an euphemism, to the point you will ignore much larger opportunities elsewhere, especially in Ontario. My question is, do you have anyone in your close circle of advisers who plays "Devil's Advocate" and challenges your philosophy here?

Gary Bettman: Yes -- and that's NOT my philosophy. Please don't believe everything you read about what I'm thinking! Here is what I'm thinking: If we have to relocate a franchise, or if we decide, at some point, to expand, then ALL potential locations will be considered, and we will go to the one that is the best. That someone who unsuccessfully tried to buy a club, apparently with the intent to move it in violation of its lease, suggested that we are anti-Canadian in any way or anti-Ontario in any way does not make it a fact. In fact, those assertions were fabrications.

The reference Bettman refers to is potentially moving the Nashville Predators to Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Reasonable minds can disagree, but the impression has been that the gentleman, who wanted to move a team from a market that didn't come out and appreciate a team into a market that salivates over having a team, was denied over where he wanted to move the team. If the Nashville Predators wanted to move to an American city, the NHL would be more likely to want to cooperate.

Quebec City and Winnipeg both lost franchises in the 1990s: the Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver and the Winnipeg Jets moved to Phoenix.

When Bettman says "we will go to the one that is the best," that has usually meant the U.S. South.

From Wikipedia, "During his tenure, franchises have been established in Raleigh, Denver, and Phoenix through relocation from Hartford, Quebec City, and Winnipeg, respectively; in Nashville, Atlanta, St. Paul (Minnesota), and Columbus teams sprouted up by means of expansion. While Denver and St. Paul have been successes, Raleigh, Phoenix, Nashville, and Atlanta have not enjoyed such fan support (though, as of late, the Hurricanes have drawn sizable crowds). Nashville was unable to draw an average of 14,000 in paid attendance during the 2006-2007 season, despite being one of the top teams in the league."

The NHL has franchises in Miami, Tampa, Raleigh, NC, Nashville, Atlanta, Dallas, Phoenix, and two in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. And yet no franchises in Hamilton, Quebec City, and Winnipeg along with U.S. cities such as Milwaukee and Hartford.

To again, quote Wikipedia: "Canadian billionaire Jim Balsillie attempted to purchase the team well above its market value in 2007, and many speculated that he would move the team to Hamilton, Ontario. While many within the NHL thought of this as a potential economic shot in the arm for the NHL, ESPN.com has reported that Bettman directly interfered in the sale of the team to Balsillie, paving the way for talks to be opened up with Nashville-area groups to buy the team.^[4] The reaction to this incident in Canadian media was that Bettman cared little about the game in Canada and consequently spawned an article in Canadian magazine MacLean's entitled 'Why The NHL Hates Canada'."

Canada and the NHL will be better off when Gary Bettman retires as NHL commissioner.