NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman yesterday spoke to the media on a variety of topics at the Primetime Sports Management Conference in Toronto. When asked about the Coyotes and Panthers, he said, “Both are rebuilding in different ways. Arizona has real ownership and they are improving. I like what the ownership is doing. They are doing a better job running the franchise.” He also said Panthers Owner Vincent Viola is “terrific.” Bettman: “They are trying to re-establish the value of the ticket. It’s hard and it can be painful. Vinnie has the resources to do (it) the right way. Let’s not take a snapshot, but let’s see where they are in two years.” Meanwhile, Bettman noted that at the sports book in Las Vegas, about 1% of wagering is on hockey. He said, "My bigger concern is what will sports represent longterm. Is sports a vehicle representing heroes and competition or is it about betting the spread?" Bettman also discussed the idea of having ads on jerseys, saying, "I don’t love the trend. It’s not something we want to run off and do. We are not actively pursuing it, because I think we have the best sweaters in all of sports. It isn’t a trend that I think is terrific for people to embrace. It may become an inevitable fact of life, but we will be dragged into it, not initiating it” (THE DAILY).
LET IT GROW? QMI Agency's John Matisz wrote, "The NHL’s top dogs want to make one thing crystal clear: The league is not adding a 31st franchise in the immediate future." Bettman yesterday said that the NHL's BOG "will not be voting on the topic of expansion at its early-December meeting in Florida." But Matisz noted team reps "will receive an update from Bettman on interested possible ownership groups, including much-discussed Las Vegas." Bettman said even if the league decided it intended to expand tomorrow, it “wouldn’t happen for two or three years.” He added, “We hear from places like Seattle, like Quebec City, like Kansas City, like Las Vegas -- and we’re listening." Matisz noted settling in a western city like Vegas or Seattle "seems to be preferred over a spot on the other side of the continent like perennial potential expansion candidate Quebec City" because "as it stands now," there are 16 teams in the Eastern Conference and 14 in the West. Bettman: "Eastern expansion, at this point, would probably have more issues to deal with than a Western expansion, simply because we’re already out of balance and I’m not sure anybody would want to see that get worse" (QMI AGENCY, 11/18).
MR. POPULAR: In Denver, Adrian Dater wrote under the header, "Gary Bettman Has The NHL Popular Again." Dater noted Bettman has become the "most senior of commissioners among the major pro sports." Bettman has "persevered through some tough times, and in the process has earned more of a grudging respect for the media and the hardcore hockey fan base" (DENVER POST, 11/16).
