Gary Bettman is one of the most despised men in sports right now—and for good reason. He is presiding over his third NHL lockout, and after reducing the 1994-95 season to 48 games and canceling the 2004-05 season, the 2012-13 season is hanging by a thread.
This week, Bettman and NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr sat out of negotiations, as six owner and 18 players filled their spots. Progress was made. But as soon as Bettman and Fehr reentered the process, the negotiations blew up (via Yahoo.com).
Is this man good for hockey? You come to your own conclusion.
Though he orchestrated this lockout, Bettman has done some positive things for the NHL. Revenues have increased (h/t Sportsnet.ca) dramatically under his watch, and he has brought the league a respectable 10-year, $2 billion television contract with NBC Sports.
In addition, changes have been made on the ice that were designed to make the game more entertaining. Not all of those changes—such as removing the red line for the purpose of allowing two-line passes—have worked out as intended, but he has tried to bring more offense to the game.
He is also con ...
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Article written by Steve Silverman
NHL Lockout: Gary Bettman Should Never Be a Hockey Hall of Famer
December 7th, 2012 by Steve Silverman Leave a reply »
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