Bettman is battling for the future of the NHL
The economic desperation of Gary Bettman is apparent as the commissioner fights, against so many odds, to find a way to complete this National Hockey League season.
And the good fight, really, is the most serious of Bettman’s time in office. It’s about maintaining what’s left of the NHL as we know it and what it might look like when the smoke of the coronavirus eventually clears.
Should the NHL find a way to complete this season, it will do so in empty arenas, costing the league and its teams somewhere in the neighborhood of $500 million US in lost gate revenues. Bettman can’t fight that. That will be mandated for him.
What he can battle — and is — despite restrictions in so many places, is getting the regular season and playoffs finished, in some way, thus saving the league another $500 million in lost revenue that will come from network television and sponsorship.
And that’s his goal. If there aren’t any games played, which remains a possibility, that’s $1 billion relinquished from one unfinished season. If that happens, that’s a loss around $30 million per team, from which some teams would have trouble recovering.
And there is no assurance of any kind that there will be fans in any building when next season begins and while the salary cap is expected to be artificially maintained in the $82-million range, a drop the following season to below $70 million is, in fact, possible, based on the league’s potential numbers, which could plunge the NHL into a state of player contract havoc.
No NHL team spent less than $72 million this season. Bettman and the NHL are not soothsayers. They are planning for a future but not certain of what that future is. The desperation, like with so many businesses these days, is at an all-time high, the stakes are that overwhelming.
THIS AND THAT
Why does it matter where the games are played, if they are in fact played in four different markets? We just want games, we don’t care where they are played. If there are no fans in the building, we’re all going to be watching on television. So lighting and camera angles aside, what does it matter which cities become hosts, unless you’re concerned about the hotel industry? … How do you physically distance in a professional sports dressing room? And in physical sports such as football, basketball and hockey, how do you physically distance on the field or the court or the ice? Just asking … And what happens when the first player tests positive for COVID-19 in any league. Are the games immediately shut down? And if not, why not? … This is how you can measure Bettman’s desperation. In most years — and in the worst years, like lockout years — he would barely be available to answer a question or do an interview. His smugness would be front and centre. These days, he’s Mr. TV, Mr. Casual. He’s everywhere. He’s on networks we’ve never heard of. He’s smiling in interviews with Ron Maclean, whom he tried to get fired at Sportsnet. But business comes first for Bettman and always has. He’s never been entangled in a situation this challenging, this out of his control … The NBA is taking almost the opposite public approach to the NHL. Commissioner Adam Silver is waiting rather than saying much of anything. The league has a plan to proceed, if there is a chance to proceed, but Silver has been adamant that “the data, not the date” will determine the league’s next move. He hasn’t said much more than that. I can see the NFL season beginning in September, with stadiums empty. Calgary is on hold until at least Aug. 31. Does that mean we’re looking at an eightgame CFL season, if there is any season at all? With the 218th pick in the 1987 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs selected running back Michael Clemons from the College of William and Mary.
HEAR AND THERE
Honest, I forgot how great a colour man Harry Neale was. I knew he was good. Listening to him on old games this week was both a pleasure and a bit of an eye-opener. What do Dave Hodge, Maclean, Don Cherry and the late Don Wittman all have in common? None of them have been selected for the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, the broadcast equivalent of a Hockey Hall of Fame induction. All of them are deserving, at least three long overdue.
Nice to see Sidney Crosby and Brad Marchand quickly responding with support after the massacre in their home province of Nova Scotia. And odd, not a word from Nathan Mackinnon, their Maritime neighbour … As we got count of the number of deaths in Nova Scotia, the country consumed with shock and sadness, I found it more than troubling to see some Canadian journalists and those who call themselves Canadian tweeting exclusively about the Michael Jordan documentary. Like it really mattered …
Essentially, the Red Sox set up their video scout J.T. Watkins as the fall guy for their sign-stealing escapade. Manager Alex Cora lost his job and has been suspended for his part in the Houston Astros affair and the Sox lost a second-round draft pick, but no front-office people were touched in any tangible way by Major League Baseball … I tend to be rather inclusive in my life but my Canada does not include Derek Sloan … With the second pick in the 1989 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers select offensive lineman Tony Mandarich from Michigan State. The next pick was Barry Sanders.
SCENE AND HEARD Best thing about the NFL Draft, no closeups of Drake … Second best thing: Kliff Kingsbury’s house. The Arizona head coach and former CFLER wins for that if nothing else … I also loved the shots from Sean Payton’s home. The New Orleans coach was in sweatpants and a hoodie. In front of him was an open can of Coke, another can of Orange Crush, none of that diet stuff and opened packages of Twizzlers and Lays. And you can’t eat just one …
Don’t understand the Green Bay Packers. They have an excellent quarterback in Aaron Rodgers and drafted a quarterback in the first round. They have a fine running back in Aaron Jones and drafted a running back with their second pick. The team, like all teams, has needs and the Packers didn’t address them with their early picks … Of the top 10 players in CFL history, according to the extensive TSN list, seven of them, Warren Moon,
George Reed, Mike Pringle, Ron Lancaster, Russ Jackson, Allen Pitts, Wayne Harris were never drafted in the NFL. Drafted in the NFL, albeit late: Doug Flutie, Garney Henley and Jackie Parker … The much-debated notion that the NFL was tone deaf for holding the draft in the midst of a global shutdown: Never mind. More people watched the draft than ever before … With the 119th pick in the 1973 NFL Draft, the New York Giants select running back Leon Mcquay from Tampa.
AND ANOTHER THING
Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski have become clichés. Old guys heading to Florida in their older years … Gronkowski has a few more contracted appearances with the WWE, giving him just enough time to lose his 24/7 belt because we wouldn’t want that to unsettle us in these unsettling times … So is it possible: Brady vs. Patrick Mahomes in a Super Bowl played in Tampa? It is … Note to ESPN: Abbotsford is a short drive to Vancouver. Less than an hour. That’s where Chase Claypool is from. The map ESPN showed after the Steelers drafted the Canadian made it look like Abbotsford was in the middle of nowhere … Steelers are loving the pick of the receiver in the second round, their first pick, because of Claypool’s size — 6-4, 240 lbs. and his giant hands, a late-career present of sorts for the great Ben Roethlisberger … No Canadian has ever been much in the NFL as a receiver. Jerome Pathon had a fine career and Tommy Kane was explosive for a few seasons. But Claypool should dwarf all previous Canadians in Pittsburgh … You’ve got to love Bill Belichick. On the first television shot of his desk from the draft he was nowhere to be found Friday night. His dog was seated on his chair instead, looking like he was ready to make a pick.