How can you tell when NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is lying? Simple, it’s when his lips are moving! That old chestnut used to be reserved for Ari Fleischer and Scott McLellan during the eight-year American Nightmare. Now it seems to apply to my favorite sport in light of the issues facing the Phoenix Coyotes and Atlanta Thrashers.
For the third time, Canadian billionaire (maybe he’s a millionaire since they use the Metric System) Jim Balsillie is trying to purchase a wounded franchise with the intent to move it to Southern Ontario. He learned a harsh lesson when he got the shaft over the Pittsburgh Penguins which is why I think he no longer hides his true motivation: the people of Toronto deserve a winning team instead of the pathetic, overpriced Maple Leafs (aka the Make Me Laffs). Personally, I would hate to see Phoenix lose its team. There are many retired Canadians and Americans from the northern climates residing in what is now the sixth largest city in the States. Then again, the team has been there for 13 years. If they can’t get butts in seats to support them, I would prefer to have a healthy league by allowing the Coyotes to move where there will be support or fold the franchise into the equally pathetic LA Kings. The support from the league isn’t present anyway. When I had the NHL Center Ice package, not all of Phoenix’s 82 games were televised. I found out the hard way too. On one Saturday evening I felt like watching a game. Since my Flyers had the night off, I searched for the Phoenix-San Jose match instead (Roenick was playing for the Coyotes). Neither FSN carried it (FSN-AZ or FSN-SJ). It turned out to be the night the Coyotes clobbered the Sharks 8-0 and Roenick scored his 10th career hat trick. Smooth move Mr. Bettman.
Meanwhile I just read about another Canadian trying to purchase the Atlanta Thrashers with a similar goal, move them to the land that actually supports hockey. Giving Atlanta another team in the last expansion was a boneheaded decision. I can see Minnesota, they lost theirs to greed. NHL franchises in the heart of NAS-CAHR territory make as much sense as White power rally in Watts. Atlanta may be a large city today but it’s no diverse metropolis, look who they elect to Congress.
I can only hope the economic situation unravels the career of Gary Bettman and forces him out. He has done nothing good for the NHL, unless you’re a shareholder in the Maple Leafs monopoly.