Entries with the tag: gary+bettman

The NHL Hour

by Alanah on 05/08/08 at 03:05 PM
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CBC’s Don Cherry will be the guest on the NHL Hour today, hosted by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. The show is on from 4-5 p.m. ET today on XM Satellite Radio (Channel 204) and NHL.com. NHL Hour is an interactive talk radio show that is hosted by a rotation of League executives, and co-hosted by XM sports host and former NHL player Bill Clement.

At show time, you can listen live by going to the NHL Network Online, then on the “NHL Livewire” link in the left column, and the show will then be accessible in the right column.

* While on the air, listeners can call into the show at 1-877-645-6696, or send questions/comments via this email address: .
**Archived shows available for download via a podcast on NHL.com. 

The NHL Hour

by Alanah on 05/01/08 at 03:00 PM
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Pittsburgh Penguins GM Ray Shero will be the guest on the NHL Hour today, hosted by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. The show is on from 4-5 p.m. ET today on XM Satellite Radio (Channel 204) and NHL.com. NHL Hour is an interactive talk radio show that is hosted by a rotation of League executives, and co-hosted by XM sports host and former NHL player Bill Clement. 

At show time, you can try to listen live at this link, but it didn’t work last week (despite still being posted here) likely due to the switchover to NHL Network Online.  And there’s no permalink available for the show at the Network site, but you can find it at show time by clicking here then on the “NHL Livewire” link in the left column, and the show will then be accessible in the right column.

* While on the air, listeners can call into the show at 1-877-645-6696, or send questions/comments via this email address: .
**Archived shows available for download via a podcast on NHL.com.

added 4:00pm ET (Paul), You can try this link to get to the new player at NHL.com to listen, but I am not having any luck getting the audio…

added 4:06pm (Paul), The link I just posted is now working…

The NHL Hour

by Alanah on 04/24/08 at 03:05 PM
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San Jose Sharks center Jeremy Roenick and Hockey Hall Of Famer Pat LaFontaine will be the guests on the NHL Hour today, hosted by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

The show is on from 4-5 p.m. ET today on XM Satellite Radio (Channel 204) and NHL.com. NHL Hour is an interactive talk radio show that is hosted by a rotation of League executives, and co-hosted by XM sports host and former NHL player Bill Clement. 

*At show time, listen live at this link.  While on the air, listeners can call into the show at 1-877-645-6696, or send questions/comments via this email address: .
**Archived shows available for download via a podcast on NHL.com.

Update 4:14pm ET: The ‘listen live’ link isn’t working as it should. The show can be heard live by going to this link served up by the NHL Online page.

The NHL Hour

by Alanah on 04/17/08 at 01:35 PM
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NHL Director of Officiating Stephen Walkom will be the guest on the NHL Hour today, hosted by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman.

The show is on from 4-5 p.m. ET today on XM Satellite Radio (Channel 204) and NHL.com. NHL Hour is an interactive talk radio show that is hosted by a rotation of League executives, and co-hosted by XM sports host and former NHL player Bill Clement. 

*At show time, listen live at this link.  While on the air, listeners can call into the show at 1-877-645-6696, or send questions/comments via this email address: .

**Archived shows available for download via a podcast on NHL.com.

Traveling With Gary Bettman

by Paul on 04/14/08 at 04:26 PM
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from Fortune via CNN Money,

Going to 60 hockey games a year might sound like fun, but for Gary Bettman it’s just another day at the office. In 15 years as NHL chief, he has more than quadrupled revenues to $2.6 billion, added four teams and, more recently, signed a network TV deal with NBC and led the league to record attendance levels even after the 2004-05 lockout season.

But meeting with team owners, business partners and season ticket holders keeps Bettman, 55, on the road shaking hands, doing deals and catching scores on his cellphone. Fortune caught up with him in his New York office to see how he pulls it off when not on home ice.

1. Days on the road: Roughly 100.

continued

No-Touch Icing Doesn’t Look Like It Will Happen

by Paul on 04/11/08 at 10:14 PM
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Gary Bettman is in Minnesota for the Avalanche/Wild game.  He answered some questions befor the game..

from Russo’s Rants,

”I’ve been at every meeting of the competition committee since it was formed after the work stoppage — and this is both managers and players — (they’ve) said they don’t want to go to no-touch icing,” Bettman said. ”The sense is — and you get this from players as well — they don’t like play just stopping.”

–Bettman said the league is looking at its rules regarding college players in the wake of two high-profile players — Minnesota’s Kyle Okposo and Denver’s Brock Trotter — leaving their teams at mid-season. The league is talking with college conference commissioners and the players association about the issue, which Bettman said the league is not treating lightly.

more topics discussed…

Special Playoff Edition of “NHL Hour” Today

by Alanah on 04/08/08 at 01:01 PM
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NEW YORK (April 7, 2008) – To preview the start of the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs, a special edition of NHL Hour hosted by National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman will broadcast live Tuesday, April 8 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET on XM Satellite Radio channel NHL Home Ice, (XM channel 204) and NHL.com. 

To submit questions to NHL Hour call 1-877-NHL-ON-XM (1-877-645-6696) or email .  NHL Hour will not broadcast this week during its usual time slot of Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET.

NHL Hour is a production of NHL Radio.

Update 4:30pm ET: I forgot to include the online link earlier—when it starts, you can listen live here.

The NHL Hour Today

by Paul on 04/03/08 at 02:30 PM
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NBC and TSN analyst Pierre McGuire will be the guest on today’s edition of NHL Hour hosted by National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman on XM Satellite Radio.

The show is on from 4-5 p.m. ET today on XM (Channel 204) and NHL.com. NHL Hour is an interactive talk radio show that is hosted by a rotation of League executives, and co-hosted by XM sports host and former NHL player Bill Clement. 

*At showtime, listen live at this link.  While on the air, listeners can call into the show at 1-877-645-6696, or send questions/comments via this email address: .

**Archived shows available for download via a podcast on NHL.com.

The NHL Hour

by Alanah on 03/27/08 at 02:28 PM
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“Mr. Hockey,” Gordie Howe, will be the guest on today’s edition of NHL Hour hosted by National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman on XM Satellite Radio.

The show is on from 4-5 p.m. ET today on XM (Channel 204) and NHL.com. NHL Hour is an interactive talk radio show that is hosted by a rotation of League executives, and co-hosted by XM sports host and former NHL player Bill Clement. 

*At showtime, listen live at this link.  While on the air, listeners can call into the show at 1-877-645-6696, or send questions/comments via this email address: .

**Archived shows available for download via a podcast on NHL.com.

The NHL Hour

by Paul on 03/20/08 at 03:08 PM
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Scotty Bowman will be the guest on today’s edition of NHL Hour hosted by Gary Bettman.

The show is on from 4-5 p.m. ET today on XM (Channel 204) and NHL.com. NHL Hour is an interactive talk radio show that is hosted by a rotation of League executives, and co-hosted by XM sports host and former NHL player Bill Clement. 

*At showtime, listen live at this link.  While on the air, listeners can call into the show at 1-877-645-6696.

**Archived shows available for download via a podcast on NHL.com.

The NHL Hour

by Alanah on 03/13/08 at 02:59 PM
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Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment President and CEO Richard Peddie will be the guest on today’s edition of NHL Hour hosted by Gary Bettman.

The show is on from 4-5 p.m. ET today on XM (Channel 204) and NHL.com. NHL Hour is an interactive talk radio show that is hosted by a rotation of League executives, and co-hosted by XM sports host and former NHL player Bill Clement. 

*At showtime, listen live at this link.  While on the air, listeners can call into the show at 1-877-645-6696, or send questions/comments via this email address: .

**Archived shows available for download via a podcast on NHL.com.

Mike Milbury on the NHL Hour

by Alanah on 03/06/08 at 02:56 PM
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Mike Milbury, hockey analyst for NBC, TSN and NESN—and also formerly a NHL player, coach and GM—will be the guest on the NHL Hour today.  Hosting the show today will be Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly.

The NHL Hour broadcasts live Thursdays from 4-5 pm ET on NHL Home Ice, (XM channel 204) and NHL.com. The show will re-run on XM Satellite Radio and NHL.com, with archived shows available for download via a podcast on NHL.com.

*At showtime, listen live at this link.  While on the air, listeners can call into the show at 1-877-645-6696, or send questions/comments via this email address: .

The NHL Hour

by Alanah on 02/28/08 at 03:00 PM
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NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is on the airwaves from 4-5 p.m. ET today for the NHL Hour on XM (Channel 204) and NHL.com.

NHL Hour is an interactive talk radio show that is hosted by a rotation of League executives, including Commissioner Bettman, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly, and Senior Executive VP of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell. The show is co-hosted by XM sports host and former NHL player Bill Clement. 

*At showtime, listen live at this link.  While on the air, listeners can call into the show at 1-877-645-6696, or send questions/comments via this email address: .

**Archived shows available for download via a podcast on NHL.com.

Bettman in Congress

by Alanah on 02/27/08 at 12:37 PM
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From CBC Sports,

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told a U.S. House subcommittee on Wednesday that hockey is not plagued by steroid use among its players.

Bettman joined his major-league counterparts — baseball commissioner Bud Selig, NBA commissioner David Stern and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell — in Washington where he testified that only one player has tested positive for steroid use in the 2½ years since the NHL resumed play after the 2004-05 lockout.

“As a historical matter, the many years that NHL players have been tested in international competition, as well as recent testing under our program, suggests that performance-enhancing drugs had never been part of the culture of the NHL...”

continued...

Ted Leonsis on the NHL Hour Today

by Alanah on 02/14/08 at 02:30 PM
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Ted Leonsis, owner of the Washington Capitals, will be Gary Bettman’s guest on the NHL Hour today.

The NHL Hour broadcasts live Thursdays from 4-5 pm ET on NHL Home Ice, (XM channel 204) and NHL.com. The show will re-run on XM Satellite Radio and NHL.com, with archived shows available for download via a podcast on NHL.com.

*At showtime, listen live at this link.  While on the air, listeners can call into the show at 1-877-645-6696, or send questions/comments via this email address: .

Ron MacLean on the NHL Hour Today

by Alanah on 02/07/08 at 12:28 PM
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CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean will be Gary Bettman’s guest on the NHL Hour today.

The NHL Hour broadcasts live Thursdays from 4-5 pm ET on NHL Home Ice, (XM channel 204) and NHL.com. The show will re-run on XM Satellite Radio and NHL.com, with archived shows available for download via a podcast on NHL.com.

*At showtime, listen live at this link.  While on the air, listeners can call into the show at 1-877-645-6696, or send questions/comments via this email address: .

Bettman From Denver

by Alanah on 02/05/08 at 01:08 PM
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From Terry Frei in the Denver Post, some quotes from Gary Bettman’s press conference in Denver yesterday:

On his impressions of the season so far: “The competitive balance is incredible. The races are exciting. The notion that every game counts and matters and is likely to have an implication in terms of who does and doesn’t make the playoffs and the seeding, I think is great for the fans.”

More on the schedule: “Our best attended games are our divisional games. Our next best-attended games as a general rule are our conference games. And while the numbers aren’t dramatically different, the least of the three are the interconference games.”

more comments from Bettman (bottom half of the post)

How Good Is Bettman - On The Ice

by Paul on 02/05/08 at 07:28 AM
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Tocchet Returns to Coyotes this Week

by Alanah on 02/04/08 at 01:20 PM
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From Jim Gintonio from AZ Central,

I’ve learned that Bettman is on his way to Denver, and with the Coyotes in town to play the Avalanche, there seems to be little doubt that he will meet with Coyotes officials.

Tocchet will be back behind the bench Thursday when the Coyotes return home after a five-game road trip, and fans likely will see an even more energetic Coyotes team take the ice.

more

Bettman Visits Denver

by Paul on 02/03/08 at 07:29 PM
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from Terry Frei at All Things Avs,

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is planning to be at the Avalanche-Coyotes game in Denver Monday night, and is scheduled to meet with the media before the game....

But my biggest criticism of him is his devotion to the art of the “spin.” I really believe hockey’s fandom — and I’m not talking about the wacko wing, but the intelligent core — appreciates candor and frank talk…even if heads aren’t nodding in agreement

more

Gary Bettman’s NHL

by Alanah on 01/31/08 at 06:22 PM
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From Jim Kelley at Sports Illustrated,

GB has done one heck of a job. Costs, for the most part, are capped. Revenue is up. Attendance is stable though lower than annually reported since the NHL came off the second of Bettman’s forced lockouts. And—this is most important and dear to every owner’s heart—the value of franchises has risen dramatically on his watch

Example: the expected sale of the Edmonton Oilers. The struggling franchise in what is arguably the NHL’s smallest city is expected to change hands for upwards of $200 million. Compare that to the $50 million cost of an expansion franchise (Ottawa and Anaheim) the day before Bettman was anointed in Palm Beach, Fla. in February 1993. Even with inflation, the increase is staggering—not nearly the value of an NFL or Major League franchise or even one in the NBA (which is hard to gauge because there haven’t been nearly as many in bankruptcy or for sale), but in the NHL, it’s a noteworthy achievement.

more...

*related: an earlier article considering Bettman’s tenure posted on KK today.

Update 6:32pm ET: Pierre LeBrun at the CP flashes back on Bettman’s legacy today as well.

Brian Burke on the NHL Hour

by Alanah on 01/31/08 at 02:21 PM
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Anaheim Ducks’ GM Brian Burke will be Gary Bettman’s guest on the NHL Hour today.

The NHL Hour broadcasts live Thursdays from 4-5 pm ET on NHL Home Ice, (XM channel 204) and NHL.com. The show will re-run on XM Satellite Radio and NHL.com, with archived shows available for download via a podcast on NHL.com.

*At showtime, listen live at this link.  While on the air, listeners can call into the show at 1-877-645-6696, or send questions/comments via this email address: .

Bettman Has Made The Game Better

by Paul on 01/28/08 at 08:03 AM
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from Bucky Gleason of the Buffalo News,

Bettman deserves a good share of praise for fixing the game, whether it was his own doing or hiring the right people around him to get it right. It’s half the battle. Bill Daly, second in command, has given him a major boost. Both are intelligent visionaries who have become better peer listeners.

The league has done a much better job marketing its players, which is to say it’s making a concerted effort....

By now, you must be wondering if Bettman bought me a beer or bailed me out of jail over the weekend. Over the past decade, there were times I couldn’t imagine giving him credit for being 5-foot-6, let alone leading hockey from the ruins.

For all of his flaws, Bettman’s biggest over the years has been connecting with the people. He has a way of alienating fans with selfrighteous speeches, legalese and stretched truths that made people question whether he had a genuine bone on his body. Predictably, he was booed after the game Sunday.

more

Long Time Listener, First Time Caller

by Paul on 01/24/08 at 06:39 PM
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from the CP,

All was warm and friendly as NHL commissioner Gary Bettman interviewed NHL Players Association executive director Paul Kelly on his weekly radio show on Thursday.

“Paul has been really good to deal with,” Bettman said after the 15-minute interview ended on the NHL Hour show on XM Radio from New York.

The two men represent opposing sides in a league that had the entire 2004-05 season wiped out by a lockout, but Kelly is the new man, taking over three months ago after the house-cleaning that swept former boss Ted Saskin out of the NHLPA.

continued

added 6:45pm, from Bob McKenzie of TSN,

NHLPA executive director Paul Kelly surprised some earlier this season when he suggested the players would be in favor of adding a couple of games to the NHL regular season, to make it 84 instead of 82.

Sources say the NHL board of governors will get its chance to vote on that concept this weekend in Atlanta at the NHL All-Star Game.

The governors have previously been lukewarm or even opposed to bumping up the schedule to 84 games, but that proposal was often in the context of going to the Detroit Red Wing-sponsored schedule matrix, where there would be a home-and-home (30 games) series with all teams in the opposite conference.

continued

Paul Kelly on the NHL Hour

by Alanah on 01/24/08 at 02:12 PM
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The NHLPA’s Paul Kelly will be Gary Bettman’s guest on the NHL Hour today.

The NHL Hour broadcasts live Thursdays from 4-5 pm ET on NHL Home Ice, (XM channel 204) and NHL.com. The show will re-run on XM Satellite Radio and NHL.com, with archived shows available for download via a podcast on NHL.com.

*At showtime, listen live at this link.  While on the air, listeners can call into the show at 1-877-645-6696, or send questions/comments via this email address: .

O’Ree on Today’s NHL Hour

by Alanah on 01/17/08 at 03:49 PM
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NEW YORK (January 17, 2008) – In celebration of the 50th anniversary of his NHL debut, Willie O’Ree will be a guest on today’s edition of NHL Hour hosted by National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman on XM Satellite Radio.

On January 18, 1958, playing for the Boston Bruins against the Montreal Canadiens, O’Ree became the first black person to play in the NHL. O’Ree played 45 games with the Bruins from 1958-61. His professional career spanned 21 seasons, mostly in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Los Angeles Blades and the San Diego Gulls. For the past 10 years, O’Ree has served as the National Hockey League’s Director of Youth Development and hockey ambassador for NHL Diversity and has introduced the game to thousands of future players of diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds.

NHL Hour broadcasts live Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET on NHL Home Ice, (XM channel 204) and NHL.com. The show will re-run on XM Satellite Radio and NHL.com, with archived shows available for download via a podcast on NHL.com.

*At showtime, listen live at this link

Campbell Joining the Commish

by Alanah on 01/10/08 at 01:19 PM
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Gary Bettman’s NHL Hour will have Colin Campbell on the air as a guest at around 4pm ET, or so.

The NHL Hour can be streamed live here.

The NHL Hour

by Alanah on 01/03/08 at 01:51 PM
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NHL Hour broadcasts live Thursdays from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. ET on NHL Home Ice, (XM channel 204) and NHL.com.

The show will re-run on XM Satellite Radio and NHL.com, with archived shows available for download via a podcast on NHL.com. NHL Hour is a production of NHL Radio.

[This link broadcasts a live audio stream at show time.]

Suggestions For The NHL Hour

by Paul on 12/13/07 at 06:08 PM
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from Terry Frei at ESPN,

But it all did get me to thinking: What issues should Bettman tackle on his show?

I understand subscription radio is, at least in theory, completely immune to ratings pressures and rather is driven by purchase and subscription revenue. But Bettman still should be thinking about quality, and perhaps even controversy, so here are some suggestions:

• “Creative Math”: Bettman explains how ticket prices, the league’s single biggest problem because they provide rationalizations for bailing out and staying away, remain startlingly and stiflingly high in the wake of the lockout and the implementation of the salary cap.

read on

Tampa Sale Back on Track?

by Alanah on 12/11/07 at 06:57 PM
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From Bob McKenzie at TSN,

There is still much work to be done, but it looks as though the sale of the Tampa Bay Lightning is on its way to being resurrected.

Sources say NHL commissioner Gary Bettman yesterday mediated a resolution of the dispute, and lawsuit, between proposed partners Jeff Sherrin and Oren Koules, who hand intended to work together to purchase the Lightning franchise from the Detroit-based Palace Sports and Entertainment.

The net result is apparently that Sherrin and Koules have reached a settlement on their issues, the lawsuit has been avoided, and Hollywood producer Koules, of Saw (I,II,III and IV) fame, now has the green light to resume negotiations with the Lightning’s existing ownership. Koules is a former minor league hockey player.

continued...

Bettman Talks Numerous Topics

by Paul on 12/08/07 at 06:15 AM
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Garry Bettman answered some fan email with Stan Fischler and Al Trautwig last night.

This was a 2-part Q & A and the first part can be viewed here…

The NHL Hour

by Paul on 11/28/07 at 08:25 AM
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from Chris Zelkovich of the Toronto Star,

But while Bettman’s performance won’t cause any talk-radio hosts to worry about job security, the NHL boss deserves credit for going where no sports commissioner has gone before.

On the other hand, the NHL Hour wasn’t exactly a baptism by fire. Though the first call must have given Bettman chills, John from Winnipeg wasted no time in telling the commissioner he wasn’t going to ask about the Jets returning to Manitoba.

Most of the callers, all but the aforementioned from the U.S., either lobbed softballs at the commissioner or praised him and the state of the game.

more

The NHL Hour

by Paul on 11/27/07 at 03:59 PM
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Listen to the debut of the NHL Hour on XM from 4-5p ET today.

Bettman In The Media

by Paul on 11/27/07 at 12:46 PM
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from Reuters,

“I believe that under the current system that all our markets can support their clubs. Contraction isn’t something we have any interest in,” Commissioner Gary Bettman said at the Reuters Media Summit in New York. He also said the league was not in any kind of expansion process.

more

added 12:58pm, from NHL.com,

The National Hockey League (NHL) and XM Satellite Radio today announced a new weekly live satellite radio show titled NHL Hour which will be hosted by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and a rotation of League executives. The show will debut Tuesday, November 27 at 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. EST on NHL Home Ice (XM Channel 204) and NHL.com. On December 6, NHL Hour will begin airing every Thursday from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. EST.

Gary Bettman was also on Fox Business News yesterday- Watch the video…

Continue Reading »

So That’s Where The Idea Came From

by Paul on 11/20/07 at 02:09 PM
Comments (1)

from the Ithaca Times,

Gary Bettman, the commissioner of the National Hockey League, spoke to members of the Cornell University community on Saturday, Nov. 11. Bettman, an alumnus who graduated ‘74, hit on moments of controversy in his tenure at the NHL and previously at the NBA, including the installation of salary caps in both leagues and NHL work stoppages in 1994 and 2004....

Is it true that while you were at the NBA you were known as the “Pope of Salary Caps”?

GB: There were some people - and I’m not sure in flattering ways - who always referred to me that way because there had never been a salary cap before and I was the one who installed it. It was no secret that when the NFL decided, after all the litigation in the ‘80s, that they wanted a cap they actually came to visit. Baseball consulted us as well....

more

Schedule Talk

by Paul on 11/18/07 at 08:18 AM
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from Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun,

Gary Bettman might finally have a winner on his hands. When the league’s board of governors meet Nov. 28-29 in Pebble Beach, Calif., it’s expected they’ll approve a change to the schedule which will allow every team to face each other at least once per season. After failing twice to get the schedule changed, it’s believed Bettman has finally come up with a format the governors will support. Here’s what the new format could look like: Teams will play six games against divisional foes, down from eight; it’s expected clubs will face the other teams in their conference four times (status quo); the remaining 18 games on the schedule would be played against the opposing conference.

read on for more NHL talk plus some trade rumors…

Scoring Down for Second Season

by Alanah on 11/13/07 at 05:20 PM
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From Pierre Lebrun at the CP (via NHL.com),

Scoring is down for the second straight season in the NHL and there’s no easy solution to fix the downward trend.

The league was averaging 5.5 total goals per game through Monday night (not counting shootout tiebreakers), down from 5.9 through the same number of games last season and markedly down from 6.2 at the same point in the first season coming out of the lockout when a number of rule changes opened up the game.

That’s 100 fewer goals from last season through 251 total games and 175 fewer goals from 2005-06 at the same point.  Is the league alarmed?

“Not yet,” commissioner Gary Bettman told The Canadian Press.

continued...

Line Of The Day

by Paul on 11/12/07 at 03:29 PM
Comments (2)

Even more unexpected was the unveiling of a brand new XM satellite radio show hosted by – wait for it – Gary B. Bettman!

Even if it winds up being the hockey equivalent of The Chevy Chase Show, I sincerely hope Bettman’s program lasts long enough so he can get Ron MacLean as one of his guests; and I really sincerely hope he holds the Hockey Night In Canada host hostage live on air until MacLean agrees with Bettman’s philosophies on the game. Payback’s a bitch.

-Adam Proteau of the Hockey News

The Commish On The Air

by Paul on 11/12/07 at 09:19 AM
Comments (4)

The National Hockey League (NHL) and XM Satellite Radio today announced a new weekly live satellite radio show titled NHL Hour which will be hosted by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and a rotation of League executives. The show will debut Tuesday, November 27 at 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. EST on NHL Home Ice (XM Channel 204) and NHL.com. On December 6, NHL Hour will begin airing every Thursday from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. EST.

Continue Reading »

Mellanby Blames Bettman

by Alanah on 11/06/07 at 08:19 PM
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From Dave Waddell at the Windsor Star,

Essex native Ralph Mellanby, the 73-year-old former executive producer of Hockey Night in Canada for two decades, says NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is responsible for many of the league’s problems.

“Bettman to me is the real problem for hockey,” said Mellanby, who will be signing his book Walking with Legends Saturday at 2 p.m. in Chapters at the Devonshire Mall and at the Essex Legion at 3:30 p.m.

“He’s done so much damage to hockey it may never recover. We don’t have time to go through the litany of errors.”

Mellanby cites the usual laundry list of being in bad hockey markets, ignoring European opportunities, slowness to improve a deteriorating product, turbulent labour relations, the ignoring of Canadian markets, the reluctance to embrace change and some controversial TV deals and asks why Bettman is still employed.

continued...

Tampa Sale Appears to be Ahead of Schedule

by Alanah on 11/01/07 at 01:21 AM
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From Eduardo A. Encina at the St. Petersburg Times,

After meeting with him Wednesday in New York, Light