Mighty might NHL commissioner Gary Bettman proves once again he's no Roger Goodell. It seems he'll be still stuck in the minors forever.
On Friday (1/25) he was interviewed by Mike and the Mad Dog (Chris Russo) on WFAN AM in New York and he spoke glowingly about the big plans the NHL had to promote the league in Europe. He noted that one third of the league's players are from Europe and surprisingly 30% of the visits to the NHL website originate from Europe.
However, Bettman wouldn't specifically confirm for WFAN when or where games involving NHL teams would be played in Europe. He wanted to save his powder regarding that announcement for a bigger audience. He simply said, scheduling-wise, it was not going to be a big deal to arrange games with NHL teams even in places like St. Petersburg, Russia.
Well today with all the media present for the NHL All-Star weekend Bettman unleashed his big PR announcement: "about four NHL teams opening next season with games in Europe." And it blew up in his face.
The problem is that mighty might Bettman forgot to get formal approval from the NHL Player's Association, or acknowledge that fact, before making his big announcement. The Globe & Mail reported:
What is ironic is that on Friday Bettman crowed about how he and Kelly were getting along very well. Kelly even went on Bettman's one hour radio show on Thursday to do an interview. So why can't the NHL shoot straight on a major announcement?Bettman made the announcement on Saturday afternoon at the league's all-star weekend, several hours before the skills competition and Young Stars game. The Ottawa Senators and Pittsburgh Penguins will open next season on Oct. 4 and 5 in Stockholm, while the Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning will do likewise on the same nights in Prague. The Rangers will also play the 2007 Russian Superleague champion Metallurg Magnitogorsk on Oct. 1 for the new Victoria Cup, an event created for the NHL's European tour.
However, there was just one problem. The NHLPA never formally agreed to the games, which is required under the collective agreement. In talks with the NHL, the union's executive director, Kelly, told the league the players were generally in favour of regular-season games in Europe, but nothing was ever signed.
On Friday night a call was made to Kelly. The league wanted to announce the games on Saturday, since there were a lot of media around and it would generate a positive buzz. Kelly agreed but only if the press release and the announcement noted the NHLPA had still not officially granted its approval.
Whoops. When Bettman made the announcement at his annual all-star media conference there was no mention of the lack of approval from the union.
Stanley Cup - Yes, Victoria Cup - ?
The idea of the NY Rangers playing in a "Victoria Cup" sounds exciting until you remember how the NY Yankees screwed up the start of their 2004 season by playing two games in Japan against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The Yankees won 101 games that year, but started 8-11, after all the schlepping back and forth from Japan. There were also some personnel problems due to the overseas road trip.
Mike Mussina who started and lost the first game in Japan was completely thrown off his routine. He lost his next three starts and he was plagued by a series of injuries all season. He ended the year with a 12-9 record and a 4.59 ERA. Jason Giambi was also plagued that season by some type of intestinal parasite that he might well have picked up in Japan (bad sushi?). Pitcher Kevin Brown also got that same intestinal parasite that waylaid Giambi (that sushi again?).
So you can take the glamor of an intercontinental hockey game and hip check into the penalty box. It might not be worth the wear and tear on the team.
related:
The Sun / Canadian Press:
All calm and friendly as Bettman interviews new NHLPA boss Kelly
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