Bettman Helped Del Baggio In Aquiring A Portion Of The Preds

[29Dryden29]

So it appears that Bettman did this and none to ethically either by not doing the full background audit of his financials and making it easier for him to take over teh team or leave the team should a better deal or expansion come along.

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/articl...ONTPAGECAROUSEL

[js2]

Just adds to my hate towards Bettman.

[29Dryden29]

Just adds to my hate towards Bettman.

You and me both the guy is a tool and should really be replaced. I think they should have an NHL fan nomination for the job I would nominate Ken Dryden for the job with his hockey background his political and legal knowledge and background he would be incredible for the game.

[mrlosims]

You and me both the guy is a tool and should really be replaced. I think they should have an NHL fan nomination for the job I would nominate Ken Dryden for the job with his hockey background his political and legal knowledge and background he would be incredible for the game.

By the way, you aren't alone. A LOT of people hate Bettman, with reason.

And actually, Ken Dryden suits the job very well. He was a player, which means he knows what it is to be a player (Unlike Bettman), knew the sport and still does.

[SteenIsThaFuture]

I don't like Bettman also for serveral reasons, but what exactly is wrong with him wanting to expand the NHL into the states?

They havn't all turned out well, but California wasn't a hockey state, but the success of the Sharks and Ducks sure has made it one. Its a shame a team has to do well to draw big crowds, but when the Panthers were a contender a while back the fanbase was really into it. Tampa is still living off its championship run.

[Soma]

They havn't all turned out well, but California wasn't a hockey state, but the success of the Sharks and Ducks sure has made it one. Its a shame a team has to do well to draw big crowds, but when the Panthers were a contender a while back the fanbase was really into it. Tampa is still living off its championship run.

I wonder the % of the San Jose population who cannot even tell the name of one player in their own team, if you ask them randomly in the street. And how many of them ever tried ice skating more than once... How many actually holded a hockey stick once in their life...

Another thing I would like to know is how many Canadians living or travelling in Florida are buying tickets for the Lightning and Panthers games compared to how many Americans do.

Or how many people in Arizona watched on TV all of the Coyotes games last year... More than 3 would be a real surprise to me!

What's your definition of a "hockey state", by the way ?

[29Dryden29]

I wonder the % of the San Jose population who cannot even tell the name of one player in their own team, if you ask them randomly in the street. And how many of them ever tried ice skating more than once... How many actually holded a hockey stick once in their life...

Another thing I would like to know is how many Canadians living or travelling in Florida are buying tickets for the Lightning and Panthers games compared to how many Americans do.

Or how many people in Arizona watched on TV all of the Coyotes games last year... More than 3 would be a real surprise to me!

What's your definition of a "hockey state", by the way ?

We go to Florida every Dec and they are always running 10 dollar seat sales for the T Bay lightning we have gone to a few games in T Bay for a mere 20 bucks.

[SteenIsThaFuture]

I wonder the % of the San Jose population who cannot even tell the name of one player in their own team, if you ask them randomly in the street. And how many of them ever tried ice skating more than once... How many actually holded a hockey stick once in their life...

Another thing I would like to know is how many Canadians living or travelling in Florida are buying tickets for the Lightning and Panthers games compared to how many Americans do.

Or how many people in Arizona watched on TV all of the Coyotes games last year... More than 3 would be a real surprise to me!

What's your definition of a "hockey state", by the way ?

Well I currently live in Florida and have family in Arizona so I can give you some background info.

California though, has seen MAJOR improvements in the amateur levels. Arenas are being built at a very high rate, kids are really getting into it, and the Sharks and Ducks are selling out or at least filling up their stadiums for nearly all their games. I don't know their TV ratings, but thats been the biggest improvement thus far in the Buttman era.

In Florida, Tampa Bay has been in the top 10 in attendance ever since that Stanley Cup run. Sadly, kids aren't playing as much here as I'd hope, no major college teams except for some recreational clubs. Panthers aren't doing so well either but when they were winning they drew. So your point for Florida stands, however TV ratings and attendance for the Lighting are just fine and are projected to rise after all the offseason moves.

Arizona same story, win and you draw. They saw a significant increase in attention when they saw a glimpse of postseason hockey. My canadian based family there are involved in the amateur level and say that most people who play have some canadian ties whether it be family or friends. I'll go out on a limb and say that Phoenix makes big strides in the next year or 2 within its city.

In my mind, a hockey state is where kids play in the amateur level, where it is discussed during conversation without being goated "who the heck plays hockey etc." and they draw decent tv rating and attention to their pro team and/or minor league teams for those without teams.

[tmash]

You and me both the guy is a tool and should really be replaced. I think they should have an NHL fan nomination for the job I would nominate Ken Dryden for the job with his hockey background his political and legal knowledge and background he would be incredible for the game.

Why would the fans pick a man whose job it is to be a representative for the owners? It's like if the GMs picked the head of the NHL players association, it doesn't make sense. The commissioner will always be picked by the owners, and that's the way it should be considering he's their representative.

[Bumblebee_mtl]

We go to Florida every Dec and they are always running 10 dollar seat sales for the T Bay lightning we have gone to a few games in T Bay for a mere 20 bucks.

Wow really? Maybe I should visit my cousin and swing by for a game...

[29Dryden29]

Wow really? Maybe I should visit my cousin and swing by for a game...

Ya it is crazy in Dec we always hear the ads for 10 dollar seats in the upper bowl we have taken in a few games there this way.

[roy_133]

The title is misleading. This isn't a fact, this is what Del Biaggio allegedly told someone, and I find it hard to believe Del Biaggio right now for obvious reasons. There are reasons for Del Biaggio to lie and gain from it.

It's basically a wait for more evidence type thing for me.

[roy_133]

I don't like Bettman also for serveral reasons, but what exactly is wrong with him wanting to expand the NHL into the states?

They havn't all turned out well, but California wasn't a hockey state, but the success of the Sharks and Ducks sure has made it one. Its a shame a team has to do well to draw big crowds, but when the Panthers were a contender a while back the fanbase was really into it. Tampa is still living off its championship run.

You're preaching to the wrong crowd, the sentiment in Canada seems to be that the NHL should look less like the MLB, NFL and NBA and more like the CFL.

The fact is, it really isn't just Bettman expanding/wanting to grow in the States, it's the 30 owners, because realistically Bettman just pushes the buttons they tell him to. If they didn't want to do what Bettman is doing he wouldn't be employed. He's basically the board's face.

[Wayne-1]

The title is misleading. This isn't a fact, this is what Del Biaggio allegedly told someone, and I find it hard to believe Del Biaggio right now for obvious reasons. There are reasons for Del Biaggio to lie and gain from it.

It's basically a wait for more evidence type thing for me.

ahh, someone who knows how to read...

the whole article is based on the UNPROVEN allegations of ONE individual of what another individual said a third person did... it's not even a proven fact (yet) that Del Biaggio made the statements -- though I wouldn't be surprised, he seems a pretty dodgy character -- let alone that the claims are true...

[SteenIsThaFuture]

You're preaching to the wrong crowd, the sentiment in Canada seems to be that the NHL should look less like the MLB, NFL and NBA and more like the CFL.

The fact is, it really isn't just Bettman expanding/wanting to grow in the States, it's the 30 owners, because realistically Bettman just pushes the buttons they tell him to. If they didn't want to do what Bettman is doing he wouldn't be employed. He's basically the board's face.

I'm preaching to realism though. If the NHL wants to join the upper echelon of sports, they have to market into the US. I wouldn't be opposed to a place like Winnipeg getting a team back, but expansion comes first in the mind of the GM's for the sport to grow.

It is a growing process, but there has been some improvements on the front that can give people hope to the future. I'm still a firm believer in getting the next generation interested through the grass roots and amateur levels.

[roy_133]

I'm preaching to realism though. If the NHL wants to join the upper echelon of sports, they have to market into the US. I wouldn't be opposed to a place like Winnipeg getting a team back, but expansion comes first in the mind of the GM's for the sport to grow.

It is a growing process, but there has been some improvements on the front that can give people hope to the future. I'm still a firm believer in getting the next generation interested through the grass roots and amateur levels.

You're dead on, and right now the NHL is on a mini high (by it's standards) a dream finals with a great original 6 team against the kid superstar they're basically marketing the whole league around. Not to mention the success (again by NHL standards) the outdoor game was in Buffalo on US TV, there is some reason for a bit of optimism.

The outdoor game this year imo has a chance to be huge, the story was on the front page of mlb.com, and I think the fact that it's at Wrigley will attract a lot of baseball fans. People will want to see the spectacle in one of the most famous sporting venues in the world.

The grassroots efforts in places like California seem to be having a positive effect, and I think that's the mandate everywhere right now.

I'm not ready to give up the States, and for the NHL to be the kind of league we want it to be, and have the kind of exposure we want it needs to succeed in the US.

[SteenIsThaFuture]

You're dead on, and right now the NHL is on a mini high (by it's standards) a dream finals with a great original 6 team against the kid superstar they're basically marketing the whole league around. Not to mention the success (again by NHL standards) the outdoor game was in Buffalo on US TV, there is some reason for a bit of optimism.

The outdoor game this year imo has a chance to be huge, the story was on the front page of mlb.com, and I think the fact that it's at Wrigley will attract a lot of baseball fans. People will want to see the spectacle in one of the most famous sporting venues in the world.

The grassroots efforts in places like California seem to be having a positive effect, and I think that's the mandate everywhere right now.

I'm not ready to give up the States, and for the NHL to be the kind of league we want it to be, and have the kind of exposure we want it needs to succeed in the US.

Exactly, however people up here fail to see this sometimes because the NHL is the #1 league there and they could care less about the US teams. However, I live in the US and even when I didn't I visit frquently and it would pain me sometimes to see the league I love belittled to 3 minutes of airtime on a 1 hour sportscenter with horrible commentary. To see people delegate it as a second class sport and just portraying it as "a Canadian game". When Canadians go down the first thing one of the dumb "Canadian haters" will say is, 'So you play hockey? hahaha" to the average Canadian. However I am one of the biggest overall sports fans in the world and would immediately invite a naysayer like that to the batting cages, basketball court, tennis etc to show Canadian I am.

But that sterotype is part of the problem in my opinoin, sure hockey is Canada's sport, baseball is America's sport, but baseball has made a transistion into Canadian culture and nothing will be solved until hockey is known as a sport period to all, or at least to the point where someone doesn't laugh when someone suggests to play a shinny game of hockey.

[roy_133]

But that sterotype is part of the problem in my opinoin, sure hockey is Canada's sport, baseball is America's sport, but baseball has made a transistion into Canadian culture and nothing will be solved until hockey is known as a sport period to all, or at least to the point where someone doesn't laugh when someone suggests to play a shinny game of hockey.

And the way it's made that transition into Canadian culture isn't just at the MLB level, people in Canada becoming MLB fans is in a lot of cases a product of the grassroots efforts here. Canada is producing a lot of top end young talent right now, if you look through the 1st round of the MLB draft you'll see a fair bit of Canadians the past couple years. You look at the MLB and you'll Morneau won the 2006 AL MVP, Jeff Francis started game 1 of the World Series last year, those are 2 BC boys and BC hasn't had a major league team. There is a ton of Canadian talent in the MLB right now and even more on the way.

A lot of things can spark interest, I look at the boom of Canadian baseball lately and ofcourse the Jays back to back world series come to mind as a spark, but so does Larry Walker being one of the best players in the world and an MVP, you could even go back as far as Fergie Jenkins being a hall of fame pitcher.

You look at the NHL draft and you keep seeing record number of American players in the first round of the draft, and I think the first big boom for the US was winning the miracle on ice in 80', but recently that 2002 gold medal game against Canada in the US would have been a boost, teams in "non traditional" markets going all the way to the cup finals the last few years (Tampa, Carolina, Anaheim) is a huge boost for those markets.

[SteenIsThaFuture]

And the way it's made that transition into Canadian culture isn't just at the MLB level, people in Canada becoming MLB fans is in a lot of cases a product of the grassroots efforts here. Canada is producing a lot of top end young talent right now, if you look through the 1st round of the MLB draft you'll see a fair bit of Canadians the past couple years. You look at the MLB and you'll Morneau won the 2006 AL MVP, Jeff Francis started game 1 of the World Series last year, those are 2 BC boys and BC hasn't had a major league team. There is a ton of Canadian talent in the MLB right now and even more on the way.

A lot of things can spark interest, I look at the boom of Canadian baseball lately and ofcourse the Jays back to back world series come to mind as a spark, but so does Larry Walker being one of the best players in the world and an MVP, you could even go back as far as Fergie Jenkins being a hall of fame pitcher.

You look at the NHL draft and you keep seeing record number of American players in the first round of the draft, and I think the first big boom for the US was winning the miracle on ice in 80', but recently that 2002 gold medal game against Canada in the US would have been a boost, teams in "non traditional" markets going all the way to the cup finals the last few years (Tampa, Carolina, Anaheim) is a huge boost for those markets.

The northeast states have have had these gigantic boom you speeak of to the point they're devloping top round prospects. Michigan, Minnesota, New York, New Englang, Vermont, Maine etc. all big hockey states.

The only big problem I find is hockey is either love or hate in the states no in between.