In his 14 year reign, Bettman’s NHL Stanley Cup Championship has become closely aligned on the calendar with the NBA season. There was a time when the Cup was won in April and then May. Competing head-to-head with the NBA playoffs is pretty stupid from a marketing standpoint. The NBA has been a stable pro sports league (season not shut down twice in ten years) with a larger fan base and more revenue while playing the same number of games as the NHL. Why compete? If Bettman had a brain he could shorten the season so the Cup was played for in May. Yeah, I know, the owners would probably cringe at the thought of losing 10 or 12 games of revenue, but they are not looking at the overall possibility of increasing popularity and its associated profits. (I’m willing to pay more for my tickets to see a better NHL.)

The NFL, duh, football, has the most revenue and the fewest games with the shortest season. The NHL has the longest season with the most games and the least revenue. Football stadiums DO hold more fans per game, but the NHL plays over 50 more games. An increase in popularity (read: attendance; owners read: profits) by moving the Cup finals to May would probably result and the players would have another month to recover and reenergize. Is it any wonder why our great sport is aligned with the NBA? Our 1st ever commissioner came from the NBA; thanks for nothing Stern! Getting rid of the lawyer in charge (Bettman) and hiring a B-school grad to assist a respected great-hockey-mind commisioner will improve our beloved sport! Whadaya think?