The Fall of 2012

6 thoughts on “The Fall of 2012”

1. As someone that loves hockey as much as I do, this could be the last straw for the professionals.

   Give me the Juniors any day now, at least in Frisco we still the Tornado and these kids play for the love of the game and not the money.

2. Drew–

   I don’t think that the NHL will learn from this lockout, or from its prior work stoppage (2004 – 2005). That was when I quit watching. And I haven’t gone back to pro hockey since.

3. Gary Bettman is, by far, the most useless director of any sporting enterprise in American history. If he were a lawyer, he couldn’t have convicted Hitler.

   In just over 20 years of his rule, he overexpanded into threadbare markets with spotty success (Nashville, San Jose and Carolina were good calls, but Miami, Phoenix and Atlanta have been failures – with Atlanta at least making good by filling a void in a good hockey town like Winnipeg), has all but spat at Canadian fans by tinkering with the league’s economic and promotional structure – Quebec and Hamilton would be perfect homes for teams – inconsistent media deals (ESPN then Fox then ESPN then nothing then Vs. then NBC), a constant threat to sabotage the Olympic tournament (Which is a close as Hockey has to a World Cup – Can you imagine the English or Spanish Leagues shutting their stars out of Soccer’s World Cup?), first dumping a four-division alignment that played up traditional rivalries for a six-division NBA-style setup that only confused the sports pages, and THEN wanting to go back to the setup he single-handedly abandoned, but mucking that up by not even asking the players for their input at any stage, and my favorite…

   Not 1, not 2, not 3….

   But FOUR #$%^&#’ lockouts!

   Make no mistake – these are not strikes by players demanding more money, but management-imposed LOCKOUTS, to protest the current status of a deal that is already in place and jointly agreed upon. If you’re going to chew out a wide reciever for a pre-season holdout in the middle of a contract, then this is no different.

   Once again: An average of one every five years, almost like clockwork, Gary Bettman shuts down the world’s top professional hockey league for the sole purpose of taking hostages.

   From the start, Bettman has sought out an adversarial relationship with the players and officials of this league, and has shown no trepidation to endanger the game itself as a first option in negotiations, much less scuttle an entire season if need be.

   At least in Oklahoma City, I have the Barons. The AHL isn’t in a work stoppage situation, and many of the players the in NHL on 2-way contracts are coming down to the minors to play – lest anyone accuse them of caring more about the money.

   I refuse to believe that this is the work of someone who claims to even like the sport of hockey, but rather someone who is almost calculating how to destroy the game from within. Gary Bettman’s leadership does not even approach the level of pure incompetence. This is like watching Jim Rome being put in charge of Major League Soccer.

4. I agree wholeheartedly. The NHL is in trouble and is only making things worse. The last restructuring essentially killed the Colorado Avalanche, which had been enjoying great success up to that point, both on the ice and in the stands. They lost me as a fan.

   Best of luck with your business. I miss the RMN and seeing your comics every Sunday. I don’t know why someone hasn’t picked you up. Your comics are better than any column in the Denver Post sports section. Maybe you should do a web comic like xkcd, although I have no idea how that translates into dollars. I’m pulling for you.

5. Good Morning from Omaha,

   I really don’t understand this thing about hockey and the work stoppage. Just when they seemingly reestablish the fan base they turn their backs on them.

   Hockey fans are probably some of the best fans of any sport.In Omaha we have 3 hockey teams that play to almost full houses every night. I have been to a few games and while I appreciate the skill needed to play the game I think I can find something else to do with my time. The guys in the jr league love the game and like kids in HS who play football, most play it for the love of the game. At that level most sports are pure and not tainted by the stain of greed.

   The management of the league seem determined to kill this goose that has laid the golden egg in some on our countries biggest cities. And the players are getting wise to this game and I have heard bits and pieces that a lot of the best players have signed contracts to play the game in Europe. While the money may not be what the NHL pays they get to play their game of choice and get paid at the same time.

   About the only time hockey appears on one of the big 3 ( for the kids that is ABC, CBS and NBC) is when they play the game out side or the network needs to fill about 3 hours time on a cold winter weekend. Otherwise they are on versus, and if the NHL keeps this stupidity going they will soon appear on Channel 1 million, late at night, after the Viagra informercial.

   Strive for excellence, nothing but your best.

   Gene

6. Actually, I’d rather have the NHL on NBC Sports Network (nee Versus, nee Outdoor Life Network). They would easily get bumped frequently from the ESPN lineups by college basketball, baseball, pro basketball or college football with an ESPN contract.

   Meanwhile, on NBCSN, they get treated like a major sport with a dedicated studio show and pipeline to a “Big 3” game of the week (which NBC has showed every weekend for the last 4 years from Jan through the end of the season). I’d rather deal with a network that appreciates me than one where I have to fight for attention.