What would it take for Bettman to finally be fired?

[Drybone]

The age disparity on this board dictates the mindset and lens in which they process the information. Ergo they cannot see anything from the owners point of view as almost all of them have never owned their own business before. They are still at the employee stage of seeing everything.

[Boudrias]

You don't think the gag order is from the owners themselves? One flaps his gums and they all look bad. That's more a case of the owners protecting themselves from each other.

The highlighted part only applies to a contract offer Bettman TURNS DOWN. It takes 23 out of 30 to overturn Bettman declining an offer from the NHLPA. The only real way that clause applies is if the owners want to cave as Bettman is in fact going after what the owners want. The owners put this wheel in motion and that clause just means it will take the vast majority of owners to agree to slam on the breaks. Everything other than that one scenario still requires a simple majority vote (16 owners). Which includes Bettman getting a raise or even keeping his job.

Bettman isn't Hitler invading and conquering owner after owner usurping their control. What control Bettman has was given to him by the owners. The guys that hired him and can fire him. The surest way for him to be fired is to not do what they want. The fact he was given a healthy raise and extension would indicate he's been doing exactly what the owners want.

Those that think Bettman simply does as he pleases are delusional. Nobody keeps their job long with that game plan.

[Drybone]

Well put!

The Bettman conspiracy theorists should check out the list of owners attending the meeting with players. 4 of the 6 owners are not from the negociating committee. This is an owner directed dispute.

[skolozsy2]

Again, its because they dont WANT to know the truth. They think the owners are some non real entities whose sole existence is to provide us with NHL hockey on demand , most likely free on tv in our local markets .

I really think the owners already made a reasonable deal two months ago.

The question I want to know is........ how many of those who hate Bettman even were ALIVE or remember before he was our first commis........

Back when we had 'presidents' ? I wonder how much they would have HATED them.

[Bill Sikes]

Again, its because they dont WANT to know the truth. They think the owners are some non real entities whose sole existence is to provide us with NHL hockey on demand , most likely free on tv in our local markets .

I really think the owners already made a reasonable deal two months ago.

The question I want to know is........ how many of those who hate Bettman even were ALIVE or remember before he was our first commis........

Back when we had 'presidents' ? I wonder how much they would have HATED them.

[Boudrias]

I remember the NHL before Little Napoleon, was a much better time. Goals and assists mattered more than dollars and cents, you could follow the puck because the boards were white, not having every square inch cluttered with advertising, it was the NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE, not the CORPORATE AMERICA HOCKEY LEAGUE, the owners got involved because they loved the game and wanted to run a team, not because they saw an asset they could flip, winning on the ice mattered more than having a bigger bank account than the other owners, the president wasn't a spotlight seeker like Her Bettman, like a good ref, a good president should be quietly working in the background and be nearly invisible to the general public. I didn't hear much from Clarence Campbell until a major discipline case came up, Zeigler started the slide that Bettman has done his best to accelerate.

[skolozsy2]

I remember the NHL before Little Napoleon, was a much better time. Goals and assists mattered more than dollars and cents, you could follow the puck because the boards were white, not having every square inch cluttered with advertising, it was the NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE, not the CORPORATE AMERICA HOCKEY LEAGUE, the owners got involved because they loved the game and wanted to run a team, not because they saw an asset they could flip, winning on the ice mattered more than having a bigger bank account than the other owners, the president wasn't a spotlight seeker like Her Bettman, like a good ref, a good president should be quietly working in the background and be nearly invisible to the general public. I didn't hear much from Clarence Campbell until a major discipline case came up, Zeigler started the slide that Bettman has done his best to accelerate.

[Drybone]

Agreed, it seems that some people think the NHL was just a "sunny-day scenario" before Bettman became commish. Everything was great....players, fans, and owners were all just happy as a lark, everyone made millions and nothing was ever unfair. The league was perfect.

That "era" never existed.....and never will.

[Drybone]

There is advertising on the boards at my local rink too, as well as on the boards of all the rinks my teams play at. Aint cause my organization is greedy...or because of Bettman. Its because construction costs are so astronomical, they need any revenue stream they can generate to be sustainable.

You remember owners only caring about winning. I remember players bolting for the WHA for bigger paydays. I remember Bill Wirtz giving the Islanders a home playoff game because he could fit more seats in Chicago Stadium for a Led Zeppelin concert. Yeah...he wanted win! I remember there were relocations, bankrupt, and defunct teams well before Bettman.

I remember Vancouver not getting a team, and California getting two of them first expansion. What do you think this message board would have looked like that day? Still were a big fan of the presidents?

I remember hearing "bull----" chants in 80's at the refs. I remember Koharski being called a fat pig and told to eat a jelly donut. I remember Roger's white flag. I remember brawls and goonery and poorly reffed games forever.

I remember the fans ALWAYS whining about SOMETHING. Don't you remember?

[Tortorella's Rant]

An affair. That seems to be a career killer. Apparently it's everyone's business what a man does with his prick.

[Boudrias]

There is advertising on the boards at my local rink too, as well as on the boards of all the rinks my teams play at. Aint cause my organization is greedy...or because of Bettman. Its because construction costs are so astronomical, they need any revenue stream they can generate to be sustainable.

You remember owners only caring about winning. I remember players bolting for the WHA for bigger paydays. I remember Bill Wirtz giving the Islanders a home playoff game because he could fit more seats in Chicago Stadium for a Led Zeppelin concert. Yeah...he wanted win! I remember there were relocations, bankrupt, and defunct teams well before Bettman.

I remember Vancouver not getting a team, and California getting two of them first expansion. What do you think this message board would have looked like that day? Still were a big fan of the presidents?

I remember hearing "bull----" chants in 80's at the refs. I remember Koharski being called a fat pig and told to eat a jelly donut. I remember Roger's white flag. I remember brawls and goonery and poorly reffed games forever.

I remember the fans ALWAYS whining about SOMETHING. Don't you remember?

[Smashian Kassian]

He's not getting fired. he makes the owner's more and more money each year (for the most part) Why would they fire him.

The only way he will be fired is if the game goes back to an unstable era, which is probably impossible. They will feel a big hit from this lockout but the fans will go back eventually, some quicker than other's but they will get back to this point and continue growing eventually. And Gary will hold this position as the Comish till he get's too old to do so.

Then it will probably get handed over to Bill Daly, a huge change right? Not so much.

[Drybone]

He's not getting fired. he makes the owner's more and more money each year (for the most part) Why would they fire him.

The only way he will be fired is if the game goes back to an unstable era, which is probably impossible. They will feel a big hit from this lockout but the fans will go back eventually, some quicker than other's but they will get back to this point and continue growing eventually. And Gary will hold this position as the Comish till he get's too old to do so.

Then it will probably get handed over to Bill Daly, a huge change right? Not so much.

[Smashian Kassian]

The owners will always have a 'bettman' to do their bidding and run the league. Firing bettman does nothing. I think what you are suggesting is changing the power structure of the league.

You do this by getting the union into profit sharing / ownership with the league. The union could give up major salary concessions on the front end to become part owners.

This is a viable way, if you could get the owners to do it.

[etsen3]

Bettman will be fired whenever he quits doing the job that the owners want out of him. Which is to make them more money. Bettman is not the cause of all this, he only represents the owners. Even if Bettman wasn't comissioner, we may still have the same situation, because the owners would hire someone else that would do the same job. If I were to blame anyone for the lockout it would be Donald Fehr (he is more the leader of the group than Bettman is), as well as the hardline owners such as Jeremy Jacobs.

[darkpuncher]

Bettman will be fired whenever he quits doing the job that the owners want out of him. Which is to make them more money. Bettman is not the cause of all this, he only represents the owners. Even if Bettman wasn't comissioner, we may still have the same situation, because the owners would hire someone else that would do the same job. If I were to blame anyone for the lockout it would be Donald Fehr (he is more the leader of the group than Bettman is), as well as the hardline owners such as Jeremy Jacobs.

[Bill Sikes]

Bettman will be fired whenever he quits doing the job that the owners want out of him. Which is to make them more money. Bettman is not the cause of all this, he only represents the owners. Even if Bettman wasn't comissioner, we may still have the same situation, because the owners would hire someone else that would do the same job. If I were to blame anyone for the lockout it would be Donald Fehr (he is more the leader of the group than Bettman is), as well as the hardline owners such as Jeremy Jacobs.

[BenDrinkin]

I don't think he will ever be fired if he hasn't been already. He has tricked the portion of owners needed for him to stay in power, by making them think that the increase in popularity of hockey since he came into power, was HIS doing. But the fact of the matter is that ALL sports popularity has increased across the board in that time span. This was not because of him, but rather, in spite of him.

[Ghostsof1915]

Anyone who's been alive as long as the Canucks has been in existence knows how poorly the league is run. The NHL has been successful in spite of it's leadership. This illustrates the type of owners that have traditionally been with the NHL. They may be good business people in their field. But they know nothing of entertainment or sports entertainment, nor do they care about their own customers.

The fact that we've had 3 work stoppages, and they've signed off on Bettman's hair brained schemes to win over non-traditional hockey markets, speaks volumes. The players are what the fans pay to see, and it seems the players and coaches and fans are the only ones that care about the sport.

The fact that the NHL had deals with ESPN and ESPN 2 in the 90's and let that partner walk away shows how short sighted they are. The league used expansion to provide revenues during the dead puck era. They didn't do anything to fix the dead puck era for almost a full decade.

NHL fans have a right to complain. Who do you think pays for all this? That sad part is the league doesn't want to listen to it's best customers.

It's arrogant presumption to think "I'm a business person I know best!". Well if you don't provide products and services that customers want, you don't stay in business very long. And businesses that do listen to customers are the ones that make even more money. I've seen from practical experience that there's a lot of stupid business people out there. And their companies don't last long, because their competition who does the job better, and more to the customer's satisfaction takes business away from them.

[Ghostsof1915]

This is the problem, he isn't actually doing his job, his job isn't to be a puppet for the owners, his job is to protect the game from the owners, his job is to LEAD not follow, the owners job is to make money, the commissioner's job is to see it is done in a legal and ethical manner.

[the owners are discussing the commissioner's job with Judge Landis]

Judge Friend: Well we're in search of someone uh...

Charles Comiskey: We feel that we need a commissioner who will clean up baseball and give a new face to the sport. We're prepared to grant you certain powers...

Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis: Absolute powers

Charles Comiskey: Absolute powers?

Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis: Won't work any other way. People won't believe it. Absolute powers

Charles Comiskey: Well we're prepared to give you a 5 year contract...

Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis: Lifetime contract

Judge Friend: Lifetime?

Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis: A man worried about his job is bound to play favorites. Now you gentlemen don't want that do you?

Charles Comiskey: Well a lifetime contract sounds a little...

Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis: [slaps flyswatter down on the desk] I'm due back in the courtroom in 5 minutes gentlemen, let's talk salary.