After Game 1 of the final, we'll take six more of those, please
It's too bad the NHL couldn't mandate a best-of-13 Stanley Cup final between the Avalanche and Lightning, because Game 1 proved it has the makings of a classic clash
Prior to Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman did what NHL commissioner Gary Bettman always does. Revenues are at record levels, crowds have come back, scoring is up and the TV numbers are off the charts, he reported. And everything is just great in Arizona with their 5,000-seat college arena, nothing to see here.
And after what the business of hockey has endured the past two years, we’ll give that to him. After guiding the NHL through the pandemic and coming out the other side, perhaps Bettman has earned the right to stick his chest out just a little bit. It’s been a long 27 months.
(He and deputy commissioner Bill Daly then addressed a number of topics, including tamping down any hopes that, with increased gambling, that the league would mandate that teams be less evasive about the injury status of their players. “The most important thing for us is what happens on the ice and the health and safety of our players is paramount,” Daly said. “If that means our betting partners have to take a backseat to the safety of our players, then we plead guilty to that.” So if we have this straight, you’re willing to take money from your betting partners, you’re willing to have your broadcasters shove it down our throats, you’re willing to sit back and watch Hockey Night in Canada air amateur hour with its SN Bets Big Board segments, but you’ll allow teams to continue to mislead gamblers on injuries and not announce their starting goalies? Got it. If you’re going to get into bed with somebody, pull the covers up and get into bed with them. The NFL did it a long time ago and it seems to be doing just fine. Not to mention that the notion that teams will target players with injuries is another indication the league is completely incapable of enforcing its own rulebook.)
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Hockey Unfiltered with Ken Campbell to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.