Who's at the helm, anyway?

Accomplishments a plenty this weekend. Wayne Gretzky logged win number 99. Anything ending in 99 is significant for the great one.

And Marty Turco put win number 200 under his belt. The problem with this one is that no one outside of Dallas and Anaheim was able to see the excellent, very spirited divisional affair.

Yes, I’m again complaining about the NHL Network. But on a broader level, I question, who does Gary Bettman answer to? Was anyone else watching his involvement with the all star game closely?

When interviewed and presented with anecdotal evidence that the league may benefit from giving every team appearing in each building once per year, he defensively quoted vague polling that the NHL office had done that said the current schedule built rivalries.

His argument holds little water to those of us who recall the 80’s, 90’s, & pre-strike 00’s, where rivalries existed. Instead, the NHL continues to hide the league’s new stars, with Ovechkin, Malkin, Staal (all of them), & Crosby are all kept in the eastern quarter of the US, save maybe one extended trip west. This potential star power is barely used off the ice and not used at all on the ice as an ambassador of our game.

Capping Bettman’s all star experience were the raining “boo’s” he received when he took the ice to give the final awards. Come on Gary – take the hint! You dropped the ball on the CBA. You chose to tie the league to an upstart network instead of giving it free to ESPN, which would have brought greater exposure, marketing, Sportscenter time, and more. You’ve chosen to use a new, league owned network to take more games away from fans. All of this seems very counter-productive.

Let’s give some thought to the health of the league as a whole and not just a few east coast pocket books. Tack on $10 – 20 for the Center Ice programming and give the NHL Network as part of that purchase. Adjust the schedule so every player is in every city once per year. Recent ads are great, but not widely used, let’s spend some marketing money. Too many of my co-workers who watch ESPN daily do not know who Crosby or Ovechkin are.

If the league office thinks it has evidence this won’t work, show it to us. The commissioner no longer has the credibility with the fans (or at lease a few I talk to) to make statements regarding the leagues research and be believed.

Stars & Wings nationally in just about an hour. Wings have lost 5 straight but have had a lot of success against Marty Turco. Dallas needs to keep pace in a tight divisional race, and comes in winning 8 of the last 9. Hopefully the teams will provide a hard fought Western Conference game, putting our best face forward. Enjoy all!