gizmo2337 Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bookie Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 I agree with most of what Ghost of 1915 said, except the ESPN deals. ESPN was dicking the league around throughout the 90s and they did well to sever ties and find a new partner. But yes, the NHL likes to trumpet their revenue increases. I think with better management of the league they could be neck and neck with the NBA these days. Might sound odd but the NBA was considered a joke of a league through much of the 80s. They were basically saved by Michael Jordan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baggins Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boudrias Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 You have a couple of things backwards. The NHL didn't drop ESPN. They dropped the NHL when they could have gotten a long term deal for peanuts. Why? Because ESPN got better ratings from bowling. Btw, the NHL hadn't been on ESPN1 since the early 80's. ESPN2, where the lesser sports reside, carried the NHL. It wasn't Bettman's "hair brained schemes" it was the owners. When they first hired Bettman he was given two priorities: Expand the league and get a national US broadcaster. A national broadcast is a hard sell for a sport that isn't national. Which is why expansion went into non-traditional markets. This wasn't Bettman's idea, it was the mandate he was given by the owners. I may not like all the NHL choices but I understand them. Hamilton doesn't create new fans. New markets create new fans. You can't get a national broadcaster without a national sport. The dead puck era balanced the game out between the free spenders and the poor expansion teams. The free spenders still had the advantage but at least the poor teams were not getting blown away game after game. It's tough to sell fans on a team that consistently gets blown out. These are pretty simple concepts. The problem with going into non-traditional markets is it takes decades to create a strong following. But that's made more difficult if those teams can't even compete. Which means there has to be a balance between the have and the have nots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldnews Posted December 18, 2012 Share Posted December 18, 2012 To the point, great post. The NHL cost structure cannot survive, long term, on a 'gate' driven revenue stream. The half dozen USA franchises in serious trouble might end up with a couple being relocated but the owners took a risk which was worth it considering the carrot of expanded USA media sales. The NFL has $45 billion in media contracts, the NHL has > $3 billion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mauii Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 Apparently, the Commissioner is expected to meet others conditions, and wherein such other criterion's are required of the Commissioner, one needs to assess how successful he has been at meeting them: "According to the NHL Constitution, Article VI, section 6.1: "6.1 Office of Commissioner, Election and Term of Office The League shall employ a Commissioner selected by the Board of Governors. The Commissioner shall serve as the Chief Executive Officer of the League and is charged with protecting the integrity of the game of professional hockey and preserving public confidence in the League. The Board of Governors shall determine the term of office and compensation of the Commissioner. The Commissioner shall be elected a majority of the Governors present and voting at a League meeting at which a quorum was present when it was convened."[1] In Section 6.3, his duties are spelled out as having "responsibility for the general supervision and direction of all business and affairs of the League", co-ordinates matters between member clubs and serves as the principal public spokesman for the League. The Commissioner also has authority over dispute resolution, League committees, interpretation of League rules, appointment of League staff, NHL financial matters, contracting authority, scheduling, officials and disciplinary powers.[2] The Commissioner also determines the date and places of Board of Governor meetings." [Emphasis my own] The fact that he gets booed by fans wherever he goes does not bode well for the reputation of the NHL. When I go grocery shopping, I rely heavily on what the majority of consumers are buying ie. the most popular product on the shelf, as I'm not that familiar with grocery items because I don't shop that much and this saves me from disappointment and wasting my money. Thus far this method has not failed me, which further reaffirms to me that consumers really do know best. I actually found the NHL Constitution (the rules by which govern the league) from the HFBoards Forum. It's attached as Exhibit A to the William Daly Declaration (http://v1.theglobean...CoyotesDaly.pdf). Take note of the indemnification clause only for the "Commissioner" under s. 6.4. Granted, the Commissioner is only covered if he/she had acted in good faith. Oddly enough, other officers of the league are not offered the same protection, unless, I missed it. In this day and age, officers can be held personally liable for any wrongdoing on behalf of the company anyways. "From the William Daly declaration: - NHL Constitution: pages 26-56 - NHL ByLaw 35 (Transfer of Franchise Ownership): pages 58-59 - NHL ByLaw 36 (Transfer of Franchise Location): pages 79-83 - NHL and NHL Enterprises licensing agreement: pages 61-77" And the irony of it all, the NHL is a "not for profit" entity? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerines Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 How bout a bullet in the head? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baggins Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 How bout a bullet in the head? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kurtis Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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