Gary Bettman needs to go away. He needs to retire, or be removed as the NHL Commissioner. The dude reportedly makes over US $7 million a year (and that was in 2009, so it could be more now). He's done a lot of questionable things. Yes, he fixed free agency a little bit. But he's to blame for the over-expansion to non-hockey markets, which to say the least, hasn't really gone as planned. Rather than "Americanize the game," I think he should have focused on bringing the game back to Canada. Instead we've got not one, but two teams in Florida, and one in Phoenix of all places. Along with Atlanta, Carolina, etc. Anyway, below are some examples that show how little Gary knows the NHL fan base.
NHL Guardians, need I say more? This move is almost as genius as The SciFi Channel re-branding to SyFy because they thought it would help them target "Non Geeks." Talk about abandoning your key users! Okay, some of the Guardians were kind of cool, but ultimately it was a bust. Was Gary trying to target comic book aficionados, hoping they'd all of sudden become fans of hockey? Very strange move on his part, and it shows he doesn't understand his users.
Clay Aiken at the 2011 All Star Game. The dude is a former American Idol contestant. I really shouldn't have to delve further than that. I get that he's from Raleigh, but that doesn't mean the typical NHL fan would listen to his music, or that typical "Claymates" would all of a sudden get into hockey. Get an up-and-coming Canadian band, like
Neverending White Lights. I really don't know what the NHL was smoking when they picked Clay. Is he a hockey fan? I know he's performed at various NHL arenas, but unsure what the connection is. Three Doors Down I can live with, but they aren't exactly "hip" or "now." Again, I'd have gone for Three Days Grace. (It's actually a working theory of mine that someone got the band names mixed up and offered the gig to the wrong one.) Show a little respect for Canada; that's all I'm suggesting. Canada is literally a hot-bed of music, use it to your advantage!
Favoritism to Sid the Kid, Super Mario, and the Pens. This has definitely gone too far. The Penguins' Matt Cooke has played some really dirty hockey, and he needs to pay for it. Despite the fact the Head Shots rule didn't exist before Savard's injury, his play was dangerous and he should have received a suspension. The fact that he didn't get anything for it is criminal. Also, Lemieux has recently condemned the NHL and claimed he doesn't know if he wants to be a part of it all anymore because the NHL wasn't hard enough on the New York Islanders. Give me a freakin' break. For that statement alone, Mario should have received a fine. Instead, Gary is saying he's not commenting on it at all. Show us some character, Gary. Stand up for the NHL.
Pens Favoritism continued, World Cup Silliness. I am under the firm belief that teams that haven't had the Winter Classic yet should have gotten the opportunity to host it before the Penguins got their second turn. It's a huge cash cow for the NHL, and I had a blast with all the new memorabilia the Boston Bruins came out with when it was our turn. Personally, I'd like to see a NY Rangers/NJ Devils Winter Classic.
I will admit, HBO's 24/7 Penguins/Capitals was a fantastic way to promote the game. But we can still gain new fans for the NHL without Side and Ovi. Trust me. I really hope that Bettman was kidding when he said they were looking to eventually have Winter Classics in the south. Really Gary? The Winter Classic concept is great... but don't have a Winter Classic anywhere that's going to be artificial. And as my friend Jo has said, we don't want to see palm trees in the distance.
For God Sakes, NBC (and Versus) Knows Zilch About Hockey. Why are we dealing with these guys? They only want to talk about the Pens. And maybe a little about the Caps. But mostly about the Pens. Especially Joe Beninati. He will even bring up Crosby and Pittsburgh in games that don't involve the Pens. I know he's got a history with the NHL, but I'm going to let you in on a little secret: most of us are annoyed by him. Annoyed so much we mute the sound so we don't have to hear about Sidney or his beloved Caps. Do some research. Figure out who the best announcers are. I'm gonna put my vote in for the King's Bob Miller. But please, please no more Beninati. Versus and NBC don't give a crap about hockey--they don't even do pre or post-game shows. You know, the least they could have done was show the All-Star Game on NBC. But it was hidden away on Versus, where pretty much nobody watched it. It was a really bad deal, Gary. Remember that when their contract is up. Oh, and don't ever sign a long-term deal with them again. Remember: they HATE hockey. They want to bury it between golf and gymnastics broadcasts.
Give Your Fans More of What They Want. I noticed that TSN has actually created an iPhone app (for Canadian users only, alas), to follow the NHL trade deadline. This is a fantastic idea! I don't know why the NHL hasn't jumped on something like this, and expanded it to include the US fan base as well, and have Droid and Blackberry versions of the app as well. The NHL continually misses the boat on things like this.
Center Ice Sucks. I had a lot of problems when I first subscribed to Center Ice. It kept freezing up (thankfully this doesn't happen anywhere near as much as it used to), and 90% of my teams games are not in HD. This is my main problem/frustration. I'm paying $170 to see my team's games in crappy non-HD. I propose that they create a new subscription type of Center Ice, Center Ice HD. I'll pay more to get my games in HD. This is just a really obvious idea, Gary. If you pitch it you can steal it from me and pretend it was your idea.
That's it for now, but I'm sure I'll think of more complaints as soon as I hit the post button!
