Archive for the 'Teams' Category

Idiot of the Day…

Check out this article today in the Detroit media:
http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/sports/bettman%3A-why-all-the-hate%3F

Dude, get a clue! How ignorant can you be? You couldn’t take one second to do a Google search on Gary Bettman and find our wonderful site, and the million reasons why true hockey fans hate him and what he’s done to our once awesome game.

And here’s the video of Bettman getting booed during the presentation of The Cup after Wednesday night’s game:

————–

And here are some latest comments from some of our dedicated readers, and Bettman loathers:

You are a waste of time, welcome to the new generation of accountability. You
have taken none.
You run the worst league in the world, and that is why you will never make it
further in the states.

I am appalled at the quality of the officiating in the Canuck / Bruin Cup final
. And I may be bias being a Canuck fan but when I have had over 40 calls from my
business associates in the Boston area claiming you guys are getting literally
screwed is very frustrating and a reflection on your league that is not good for
the game . The Mason Raymond no call ( Interference, holding , etc ) was the
turning point of this game !! The ref turned his head !! This injury is more
severe than your joke decision on Horton who is fine and will play again . Rhone
did not deserve 4 and Raymond deserved the courtesy of a call that would have
given Van a power play to offset a severe loss ……Then another joke call on
Sedin for unsportsmanlike conduct after being gooned by Chara ….It should have
started out with 2 power plays for the Canucks no matter which way you cut it
and that was the early outcome that set the tone !! And the late calls against
Boston who cares ?? It was over !! And don’t think it is all sour grapes of
being a Canuck fan ………I polled over a 1000 Boston Fans and they think the
officiating has been fine ……If I was a Boston fan i would agree
……..Rhone should be playing , it is unfortunate on Raymond’s injury but no
call when the puck is no where near him and the ref deliberately turns his head
but the Canucks will win and beat the refs and the league …..I go to all the
games in the USA And Canada and have watched cup series over and over and this
is the most
lopsided and inconsistent officiating / Suspension related playoff ever
……You better get it more consistent or Bowling will continue to be rated
above the NHL in the NHL Ratings ……Or is that why the Canucks have been
getting the short end of the stick . It is very obvious even in professional
eyes of many Bostonians . See you in Vancouver presenting the Cup to Henrik !!
If he can still Skate from Chara Chops that would be called during the regular
season ?? Again no consistency …..Henrik took 4 punches to the Head tonight by
Marchant ……If he retaliated they would have both gone !! So one gets away
with it !! No consistency !! I could go on and on ,and am not alone or perfect
in my analysis but when I get calls from Boston fans saying Wow are you guys
getting calls that we just did it makes you wonder on the direction and
integrity of the NHL and Mr. Bettman you are the President . Just my comments
without prejudice ….Good luck to both teams Wednesday

You think Gary heard the fans tonight??? So nice to hear vancouver auditorium booo gary while giving his presentation!!


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An Open Letter to the NHL and Gary Bettman

One of our dedicated readers – Mike Rink – sent us the following letter, which we really enjoyed and thought you would too:

Dear NHL Management, and Mr. Gary Bettman

I attended my first hockey game when I was 2 years old (a tilt between expansion partners Buffalo and Vancouver). Although my Dad swears it was a great game, I was asleep in his arms by the end of the 2nd period. Despite that inauspicious beginning, the seeds of rabid fandom were laid there, and over time they have grown and matured to the point where I consider myself an ardent NHL hockey fan. But, over the past 15-odd years, I’ve started to seriously question whether hockey actually cares about having me as a fan, nearly as much as I care about it. From skyrocketing ticket prices, to pay-per-view games, to the exorbitant price of jerseys, every year it becomes more and more expensive to be a fan, and yet I feel like, paradoxically, the more I spend the less the NHL actually wants me.

Over 15 years I’ve seen a concerted effort to pander to “casual” fans (glowing pucks, ridiculous game scheduling, and needless rule changes are just a few examples), while fervent supporters have been allowed to wither and die on the vine. I’ve suffered through this in silence trying to convince myself that the quality of the product on the ice made up for these other slights. And in the end, that’s what is most important – the sanctity of the greatest game on the planet. In other words, the fluff you toss towards casual fans (who will likely never be converted anyway) doesn’t bother me enough to leave as long as you ensure the game is safe-guarded.

What happened between Stephane Auger and Alex Burrows on GM Place’s ice on Jan. 10th was an absolute travesty, and I know hockey fans across Canada are livid that the very spirit of the game could be called into question. The fact that a referee’s personal grudge might’ve affected the outcome of game is absolutely the worst thing that could ever be accused. As fans, we need to know that what we’re watching is real; that two teams are battling each other on a level playing field for supremacy. Even a whiff of impropriety is a grievous, grievous warning sign. Even a hint of bias means all our passion (and dollars) count for exactly squat.

The NHL’s reaction to the allegations is downright insulting to fans. We’ve watched other sport’s governing bodies put their heads in the sand over controversies (notably steroids in baseball and referee gambling in basketball) and it makes me sick to my stomach that NHL brass would so eagerly follow suit. Your halfhearted attempt to resolve the dispute through a couple phone calls is not sufficient – this requires a serious inquiry. And yet you seem to be content to do as little as possible to avoid rocking the boat with your employees, even if it means fans can no longer trust what they see on the ice. I watched that game with my own eyes, and what happened there requires more investigation than you’ve bothered to make; fans are not satisfied, and that should be your primary concern.

Let’s make something clear – the fans are the only reason any of you have a job right now. Players, coaches, NHL staff, everyone relies on our continued passion for the NHL so you can feed your families. By effectively sweeping this under the rug, you’re slapping every fan across the face who has ever helped put bread on your table. Our wallets drive your business, and in my opinion that means you are accountable to us.

My reaction has absolutely nothing to do with being a Canucks fan, and everything to do with being a supporter of NHL hockey. As a die-hard fanatic, I need to know that every team contends on an even keel, and every game is decided by the players, and not officials; Mr. Bettman, you like to speak of parity, but I’m tempted to think you’re just paying lip service based on the NHL’s actions over the past few days.

I would strongly encourage you, Gary Bettman and NHL Management, to reconsider your course of action, and also apologize to every fan across the world who you’ve wronged today. Unfortunately, I think what makes me saddest is that I know this letter will do absolutely nothing – NHL management has proven time and again that they’re much more interested in protecting their interests than fan’s. We need reassurance that we’re watching fair games, and the NHL has not nearly done enough to provide us with that. My only hope is that this letter and others like it which have been written in the last few days will be enough to open some eyes, so we can avoid the same sort of scandal that has tainted baseball and basketball forever.

Yours,
Mike Rink

Thanks Mike!

This whole situation kind of reminds us of Tim Donaghy from the NBA. Did you see his interview on “60 Minutes” in early December? He admits that refs held grudges against certain players and owners, and thus, would make sure those players had off nights by calling fouls weren’t fouls and vice versa… and thus, would help the opposing team win. In one part of the interview, Donaghy turns the tables on the NBA, saying that they intentionally extend playoffs series and favor larger market teams, in order to turn a greater profit. Hrmmm… anyone remember the Detroit vs. Pittsburgh finals series last year? And remember, Gary Bettman is a product of the NBA… think he may learned a few tricks of the trade from David Stern?

Gary Bettman has always stunk of crookedness… and that stink has just gotten much stronger.


Related Posts:
·  What will Bettman Do (WWBD)?
·  Contact
·  There will be ice in Nashville…
·  A letter to Gary, from Sidney
·  The NHL could use a little common sense…
·  Phoenix (not) rising…
·  Goin’ back to Saskin-toons
·  Wide World of Bettman

NHL vs. Balsillie

It looks like Jerry Reinsdorf’s group has pulled out of the bidding for the Phoenix Coyotes. All potential buyers had a deadline of yesterday (Tuesday, 8/25/09) to submit their offer. Reinsdorf’s group gave reasons for withdrawing their offer, such as “an unwilling seller” and “We have faced an organized publicity effort designed to provide negative and misleading information to interested parties,” … “Not only has this stymied negotiations, but it has eroded local market demand for Coyotes tickets, luxury boxes, and sponsorships.”
The only two offers that made it in before the deadline were Jim Balsillie’s $212 million to move the team to Hamilton, and an offer by the NHL. Financial details of the NHL’s offer have not been released at this point.

Judge Redfield T. Baum will now have to decide whether or not Balsillie’s offer is worthy and he is a capable owner, even though the NHL Board of Governors have turned him down with a vote of 26-0. If the Judge decides against Balsillie and favors the NHL and their offer, the NHL says that they will then sell the team to a private investor.

There will be a hearing on September 2nd to work through some documents that Balsillie has filed, including a provision that would allow him to walk away from his offer and the deal if thing are not settled by September 14th. The auction for the sale of the Coyotes is set for September the 10th.

Doesn’t this tell Bettman and the NHL anything?? NO ONE wanted to make an offer to keep the team in Phoenix. Can’t they get a clue??!! An NHL team cannot survive and thrive in Phoenix. Please stop making the other teams in this league financially support your bad decisions, and do what is right for the league, the sport of hockey, and its fans… LET BALSILLIE WIN and LET HIM MOVE THE TEAM TO HAMILTON where Canadian citizen live and breathe hockey.


Related Posts:
·  Hockey Hero?
·  Bettman bettin’ Nashville! (but what’s Jim thinkin’?)
·  Hey Hey Hamilton!
·  Phoenix (not) rising…
·  Time to send a message… No more hockey in the Desert!
·  Kansas City, here I come…
·  Bettman gets desperate… again
·  Canada, eh?

Phoenix (not) rising…

We haven’t had a lot of time over the past few weeks to keep you all up to date. But here’s a quick summary of the latest happenings in the Phoenix Coyotes debacle…

The NHL Board of Governors rejected Jim Balsillie’s bid to purchase the Coyotes (suprise! hah), and gave positive responses to bids put forth by Ice Edge Holdings (a group of U.S. and Canadian investors) and Jerry Reinsdorf. Both bids were to purchase the team and keep them in Phoenix, with the Ice Edge Holdings groups also proposing that the team would play five game in Canada… in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan or Halifax, and Nova Scotia. Ice Edge is offering $150 million and Reinsdorf bid is for $148 million, both much less than Balsillie’s $212 million offer.

However, the most recent news is very good…Judge Baum has decided to let any and all interested parties be involved in the open auction for the team on September 10th, which means that Balsillie will be allowed to take part! The Judge said specifically that the offer from Balsillie would be considered. Balsille also got a little help yesterday… the largest creditor of the Coyotes (which is owned by Michael Dell of Dell Computer) said that they wanted to be paid in full and in cash, and that only Balsillie’s bid would fulfill their request. The Globe and Mail has a great article on all of the latest. Check it out.

Yes, there is still hope for Canada!!


Related Posts:
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·  The Great One and Notso
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·  Hockey Hero?
·  NHL vs. Balsillie
·  Canada, eh?
·  Bettman’s NHL Strikes (out) Again!!
·  Make It Seven!!!

Picture of the day…


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Canada, eh?

5/19/09 Update: Bankruptcy judge Redfield T. Baum today ordered the NHL and Phoenix owner Jerry Moyes into mediation until the 27th of this May, pretty much making fun of the fact that the NHL could not handle this outside of his courtroom.

This is a good sign for Balsillie, for the fact that the judge didn’t simply (as many expected) side with the NHL. It could be bad news for Balsillie, however, as this delays the possible transfer of the team, especially with prior concerns by the NHL about it interfering with next year’s schedule.

It sounds to us like the judge just hasn’t researched and learned enough about this case to yet make a decision… but we definitely do like his sense of humor:

“To save the suspense, I’m not going to rule from the bench today,” he said.

Hopefully his decision ends up coming from a bench favored by Hamilton.

Gary Bettman might not want a new NHL team in Hamilton, but he might be willing to let a team move back to Winnipeg. Bettman says that Copps Coliseum (where the Hamilton team would play) is over 30 years old and too old, and that only an expansion team would be allowed in Hamilton (which we all know will never happen). Another reason Bettman has given for not allowing the sale/move of Phoenix to Hamilton this year is because it would interfere with the 2009-2010 NHL schedule… which we don’t believe has been released yet. Either way, Jim Balsillie stated over the weekend that he is willing to delay the move of Phoenix to Hamilton until the 2010-2011 season, if scheduling was such a problem.

While all of this goes on and Bettman and the NHL said they have also been in talks with Chicago White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf, about buying the team for $130 million and keeping it in Phoenix… the bankruptcy court showdown between Moyes and the NHL should end tomorrow – Tuesday, May 19th – with a ruling expected.

We do like the fact that Bettman has brought up Winnipeg’s name in the move of the Coyotes to a new place… but doubt that he is serious about it at all, and it is more of a PR stunt. Furthermore, why is he trying to prevent a thriving NHL franchise from existing in Hamilton, when one in Winnipeg already failed??! Once again, little Napoleon won’t let his ego out of the way and do what’s best for this league and sport…


Related Posts:
·  Bettman and Robbin’ (Canada, that is)
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·  Elevated Coverage or Elevated Ego?
·  Kansas City, here I come…
·  Bettman screws Canada… again!!!
·  Bettman’s NHL Strikes (out) Again!!

Bettman’s NHL Strikes (out) Again!!

5/8/09 Update: The Phoenix Bankruptcy Court judge overseeing this case delayed it until May 15th… hoping that the NHL and Coyotes’ owner Jerry Moyes can figure out who owns and has control of the team. Buttman and the NHL will appear in court on the 15th to state their case, and Moyes will state his case on the 17th… with the decision to come on the 19th. You can read all about it here.

Where are all these rules and regulations about how a team is operated and sold that Bettman talks about?? Where are the rules about not letting a crook like Boots Del Biaggio invest in a team??? We think Bettman and his compadres don’t want Balsillie to have ownership of any of these teams, because Balsillie will not relocate the team to Kansas City or Las Vegas, where the little weasel hopes to put the next NHL team. You know… a place in the south where no one cares about or knows anything about hockey… instead of in Canada, where people live and breathe hockey. Makes sense, doesn’t it? hah. Mr. Bettman, wake up and get over yourself and how you are ruining the game… and do what’s best for the game, the NHL and its fans!!!

Yes, we’re still alive here at FireBettman.com … once again, sorry for our long absence.

The playoffs are finally here again (like us), and Bettman’s NHL is at its worst…

The Phoenix Coyotes have filed for bankruptcy… anyone with a brain (not Bettman) could have told you this one was coming. Since Bettman couldn’t see it coming, he and his NHL morons are challenging the bankruptcy filing in court this afternoon. Now why would they challenge this? Because the Canadian millionaire Jim Balsillie is once again interested in owning an NHL team, and has offered Phoenix majority owner Jerry Moyes $212.5 US million with the clause of moving the team to southern Ontario (ie, Hamilton).

Bettman says he doesn’t believe Balsillie would be a good owner, rather than admitting that he does not want a successful team in Canada! He thinks giving Phoenix another chance and trying to *make* them succeed in Phoenix will work out in the long run. Our guess is that Bettman is convincing another one of his crooked buddies (remember Boots Del Biaggio and the Predators??) to be an idiot and offer more money than Balsillie to keep the team in Phoenix. Didn’t he learn from the first time? Oh yeah, we forgot… he ain’t that smart and cares more about his ego than about NHL quality and success.

Apparently, Phoenix fans are smarter than Bettman… the main fan site has already been put up for sale. We recommend not buying it. Furthermore, Balsillie has gotten support from around 100,000 NHL fans (and we suspect there are more of you on this site), and from Prime Minister Stephen Harper! Yeah Canada!

In other NHL news… did you see the disallowed goal in the Detroit vs. Anaheim game on Tuesday night? If not, here is some of the worst officiating you will ever see from Bettman’s boys:

Simply ridiculous and inexcusable. We’re not saying Detroit should have won… but this is a great example of how terrible the officiating has gotten in the NHL due to rule changes, terrible new officials, and the ambiguity of what constitutes a penalty in the “New NHL”. This play should be reviewable!! Especially since it could have made a difference in the outcome of the game.

It’s good to be back and updating you on the latest news in the NHL and the terrible path that our mental midget commish continues to lead the league down… so stay tuned and keep checking back!


Related Posts:
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·  NHL Hour with Gary Bettman – 03/13/08 @ 4pm EDT

We’re back!!!!!!

We sincerely apologize for our lack of posts this summer… it has been a very busy summer filled with higher priorities. We know we have missed out on covering some major and controversial stories surrounding our favorite little man… but we are hoping to get things back into full swing for the upcoming NHL season, and plan on increasing our coverage and making sure we do everything we can to get rid of the man we all love to hate… Gary Bettman.

In the meantime, here is an email that Paul Lefebvre from Delaware, OH sent us, which sums up the summer’s top Bettman stories and our opinions on them quite well:

“Not bad enough that Mr. Bettman threatens to strip ownership of the team in NY (Rangers), and decides to suspend the Anaheim Ducks owner indefinitely for off ice legal issues, now comes word that maybe he himself may have been caught with his own hand in the cookie jar. The Nashville Predators sale has stunk from the beginning. How does an owner (Craig Leipold), a businessman, turn down cash money from Jim Balsillie in excess of $220M for a financed deal of less than $200M tt which he himself contributed $10M? Here’s maybe how.

Mr. Bettman promises Leipold clear and very quick sailing to ownership in Minnesota. After the commish sees the investor group trying to buy the Nashville franchise having trouble getting financing together, he either A, closes his eyes and says go ahead boys, I don’t want to know, or B, gets on the phone to his two closest confidants in LA Kings owner and Nashville owner (Leipold) and says make this happen, Balsillie cannot have a team. Either A or B is cause for termination.

Gary Bettman claims he had no clue that two of his closest NHL confidants – L.A.’s Philip Anschutz and Minnesota’s Craig Leipold – had lent San Jose banker Boots Del Biaggio a combined $17 million (U.S.) to help him pay for a $25 million stake in the Nashville Predators. C’mon Gary.

Nashville investor, ‘Boots’ Del Biaggio filed bankruptcy. Turns out that the ownership group of the LA Kings, AEG Facilities lent Boots $7M. Also turns out that the Nashville owner (Craig Leipold aka Seller) lent him $10M. AEG Facilities also owns the venue for hockey in KC. Del Biaggio has long been searching for a franchise to move to KC. The reasoning for the seller of the team lending money to a buyer leaves the door open for many explanations and we’ll have to see what floats to the surface. How is this tolerated? Maybe these two owners are able to say to Mr. Bettman, “if we go down Gary, you are coming with us”. This seems to me to be the only way they can escape Bettman’s well documented wrath.

How in the world is Bettman getting a free pass on this!? He is quite the politician, and seems to always have an answer for everything, but I have seen or heard nothing of anyone press him since the series, before the wheels came off Del Biaggio.”

Thanks very much Paul!!!

We will try our hardest to help make sure that the little man doesn’t get a free pass on all of this… so get ready and look forward to more posts from the FB stuff. Once again, sorry for our lack of posts over the past few months… it is GREAT to be back and covering the worst commissioner ever!!!

cheers,
Puckhead & JB


Related Posts:
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·  Predatory Ownership
·  Money, it’s a gas…
·  Hack Attack, Again(la)
·  Bettman’s NHL Strikes (out) Again!!
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·  Gary’s Almost-Stars Game
·  Every team will play Nashville next year…

Bettman and NHL counterfile against and threaten the Rangers… plus other Bettman news

Just when you think Gary Bettman couldn’t get more full of himself and ‘his NHL’… today he and the NHL filed a counterclaim against Madison Square Garden LP (owners of the New York Rangers), threatening disciplinary action for “materially breaching their contractual commitments to the league and the other 29 member clubs – as well as for compensatory damages stemming from those breaches.”

At the beginning of the 2007-2008 season, MSG LP sued the NHL for violating anti-trust regulations, and monopolizing teams’ promotions. The suit came after the NHL made every team turn over the private operations of team web sites and promotional activities to the NHL offices in New York. The lawsuit was taken to court three times, and the NHL won every time. The Rangers owners have challenged the decisions based on anti-trust regulations, and now the NHL will have nothing to do with it… so they have filed this counterclaim with an intent to stop MSG’s continuous actions against the NHL… with a threat of fining, suspending or making MSG lose ownership of the Rangers.

What?? The Rangers or no team can challenge the “rules”??? Everything the NHL does is completely correct and no one can say otherwise??? This is typical Bettman style… never admitting he’s wrong, sticking to his rules even though LOTS of people who know much more about business and hockey disagree, and doing anything he can to counter-attack and shed the blame when there is constructive criticism about the way he is operating the NHL (“NHL Hour” anyone??). Why would any team want to turn over their web site or promotions operations directly to the NHL? The only thing the NHL cares about is posting Sidney Cry-baby’s face all over their ads, putting teams in markets that will never survive, putting NHL games (even almost all of the playoff games!) on a TV network (Vs.) that no one really knows about or receives, turning the game into the NBA or other over-dramatic productions/sports, and making the owners money no matter how much it costs/hurts the fans and game.

In other news, apparently the NHL Players Association isn’t too happy with Mr. Bettman either. Before the infamous lockout of 2004-2005, one of the main reasons Bettman and his cronies insisted on a salary cap was to reduce ticket prices for fans. Just the opposite has happened… ticket prices have gone up… and there are still teams, such as Phoenix and Florida, who are losing money. Point being, no one but certain team owners are reaping the benefits of the salary cap and the new collective bargaining agreement. The players, fans, and many teams are worse off than they were before 2004-2005. It’s apparent the NHLPA is getting more frustrated with Bettman and his antics and tactics… as the article states “The union also agreed to form a committee to decide whether to opt out of its labour agreement next summer”.

Also, tomorrow night (June 20th) is the beginning of the official 2008 NHL Draft in Ottawa!! The thing we’re most excited about is to see how loud the “boos” are at Scotiabank Place when lil’ shit-fer-brains steps up to the microphone.


Related Posts:
·  Baseball on ice…
·  12 signs Bettman’s job may be in jeopardy
·  Simon sits for 30 games…
·  A Bittersweet Beginning…
·  Simple Simon Strikes Again
·  Simple Simon?
·  Ted Lindsay places blame on Bettman…
·  Tootoo Booboo?

Vincent Lecavalier will be today’s guest on NHL Hour with Gary Bettman

Vincent Lecavalier

Update: To listen to yesterday’s NHL Hour please click here.

Today’s (05/29/08) guest on “NHL Hour” with Gary Bettman will be Vincent Lecavalier — the high scoring, powerful forward for the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The show airs at 4p.m. EST on XM Radio channel 204, or you can listen through the NHL’s live stream. You can call your questions/comments in at 1-877-645-6696 or e-mail NHLHOUR@NHL.com. If you miss the show today, we will post a link to the NHL’s podcast of the show tomorrow.


Related Posts:
·  The one and only Don Cherry will be today’s guest on the NHL Hour with Bettman
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·  NHL Hour with Bettman and Colin Campbell
·  NHL Hour with Gary Bettman today on XM Radio
·  Gary Bettman XM radio show debuts today
·  NHL Hour with Gary Bettman – 03/13/08 @ 4pm EDT
·  NHL Hour with Gary Bettman – 12/20/07
·  NHL Hour with Gary Bettman – 01/03/08


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