Now What?

Sorry it’s been a while since my last post. I’ve been busy cleaning up my vomit from watching the Playoffs. So the 2006 / 2007 NHL Season is finally over. What did you think? Glad you asked.I am very and I mean very concerned with the NHL. The league is in shambles and on the brink of falling off the radar screen. Viewership for the Stanley Cup Playoffs was abysmal, the regular season wasn’t much better, fan attendance sucked at most stadiums and the players seem like they don’t even give a rat’s ass. As long as they get paid is there attitude. What does Bettman’s plan for improvement look like? What is the vision going forward? How will the NHL come out of this funk? The answer = no one has a clue including Bettman.

Corporate America is a wonderful place to be if you are the CEO of a company and revenue is up. Your pay is off the charts, your stock portfolio is longer than me and Chris’s rap sheets from the local 5-0 and your perks are unlimited. When was the last time Michael Dell paid for a meal in Austin, Texas (Dell’s world HQ)? Never. What about when things go bad? You are shown the door. How long do we as fans have to stand for Bettman running the NHL?

The NBA just concluded its season last night, thank god. I despise the NBA almost as much as I despise Ottawa but you gotta hand it to David Stern, the guy has that business humming along. He pushes the star players into the best markets, the brand NBA is thriving not only here in North America but also globally, he has negotiated tremendous TV contracts with the World Wide Leader, ABC & TNT and he rules with an iron fist. Sometimes that can come back to haunt him like the recent suspension of 2 players from Phoenix for leaving the bench in a playoff game. But hey, give the guy his duehe is consistent and very successful. You may not like him but the bottom line is he delivers. Can you say the same about Bettman? No fucking way.

The new Commissioner of the NFL has show solid leadership in his first year at the helm. He is expanding the brand globally with games in London and Mexico as well as future games in possibly China. He has also set the tone with off-field issues by players with the recent suspension of a full season for Pacman Jones and 8 games for Tank Johnson. What type of message is he sending? One that reads loud and clear: You are fortunate to play this game, don’t take it for granted because the NFL stands for Not For Long career wise. The NFL will be around a lot longer than Pacman Jones and the rest of those degenerates.

MLB is America’s pastime. My old graphic arts teacher Mr. McGuire could be the commissioner and not run it in the ground. The game has too much history and is played during the best weather months of the year. Bud Selig is no rocket scientist but he is leading MLB in the right direction.

Back in April, I wrote about the Top 10 ways to save the NHL. Two months have now passed and I can honestly say I don’t think it can be saved. Fans of the NHL, do you feel satisfied with the job performance by Bettman? Do you feel confident in the abilities of Bettman to lead the NHL out of this funk and into prosperity? Like our buddies who created pleasesellthebruins someone else has created firebettman. As I have said in the past, I love hockey. The game has changed over the years and I understand some of those changes are necessary. I just don’t want the game to go away. I need my fix.

Enjoy the off-season Goonbloggers and let’s hope things improve.