Well here’s one from Gary Bettman even more stunning than, a) 10 consecutive seconds of silence from Pierre McGuire, and, b) an observation from Mike Milbury about Alexander Ovechkin that doesn’t also contain a reference to Sidney Crosby having won the Stanley Cup last year:
Seems that during Thursday’s press conference in Vancouver during which the commissioner addressed the issue of the NHL sending its players to Sochi, Russia for the 2014 Winter Games, Bettman actually referred to the league’s players as “our most important asset.”
Odd, no one can remember those words passing through those lips before or during the 2004-05 lockout.
“To be at these Olympics we must basically hand over control of our most important asset — our players,” said Bettman, who historically has embraced the Board of Governors as the league’s most important special-interest group.
Bettman isn’t wrong, of course. The players are the NHL’s most important asset and the league does essentially hand over control of the athletes to the IOC, IIHF and Olympic television rights holders throughout the tournament that enhances the Games and elevates the league.
The commissioner isn’t wrong about the league’s enforced subservience to the IOC throughout the Games, and he isn’t wrong to gain privileges and rights from the governing body in exchange for the NHL’s continued and unbroken participation in the Olympics.
Surely, the IOC can see as the commissioner does (as anyone would) and acknowledge that there is a significant flaw in a partnership where all of the power resides with one partner, even though the other is supplying the talent.
The NHL has every right to demand the NHL Network be granted meaningful rights and access to the tournament and to the players, at and away from the rink. The NHL must be granted every opportunity to take advantage of its association with, and its participation in, the Olympics. Television exposure is the currency of the exchange.
Speaking of which. If you are one of those people who has been endlessly whining about missing the first four minutes or so of Canada-Norway and the first three minutes or so of Team Jagr-Team Gaborik, you sound childish.
Hockey is not being disrespected by NBC. Viewers who happened to be home during the day and would have enjoyed watching Lindsey Vonn go for it live in the downhill, they were disrespected. Sports and competition are being disrespected by NBC, but hockey does not measure among the victims.
I have never quite understood why people who love hockey are so consumed with validation from the masses who simply do not appreciate the sport. Of course NBC isn’t devoting three hours of a preliminary-round hockey game between the U.S. and Canada on its prime commercial network.
To expect otherwise is lunacy, and to protest the network’s decision by playing the lack-of-respect card is counter-productive.
Yes, it is unfortunate that the enticing matchup will notbe available in HD while it is televised on MSNBC, presumably from start to finish. Anyone who wants to watch — maybe not DirecTV people, actually, which would be unfortunately commonplace for them, given the ongoing dispute that has kept Versus dark all season — can watch, just as every single game in the tournament has been and will be televised.
Live, by the way. As will the gold medal game be next Sunday on NBC.
No one can convince me that this winter recess ruins the NHL regular season’s momentum, as a chorus of management voices has warbled. Seriously. What momentum? Scoring is down, the percentage of games going to a shootout is up, and the loser’s point has created a parody of parity.
If Bettman and the Board believe the hiatus is harmful, the league should present empirical evidence of related financial distress or reverse during the prior three Olympic-interrupted seasons.
Otherwise, the commissioner should get to work on ensuring that the league and the players — the NHL’s “most important asset,” according to Bettman, who knows best — are rewarded for enhancing the Olympics.
Scott Niedermayer is 36 and Chris Pronger is 35 and looking like it, when they were both eight years younger winning gold in Salt Lake in 2002, which is a primary reason why though Canada is a very good team, it is not a great one this time.
We can talk about the crippling mistakes made in free agency. But none would have been necessary (to coin a Yogi-ism) had the Rangers just drafted well in 2003 and 2004, instead of turning a sixth-overall, a 12th-overall and a 19th-overall into Al Montoya, Hugh Jessiman and Lauri Korpikoski, respectively, when corresponding options could have produced Drew Stafford, Zach Parise and Travis Zajac.
There are 11 2003 first-round selections playing in the Olympics, and seven were selected after Jessiman out of Dartmouth at No. 12.
A strong performance by Chris Drury, and so far so good through two games, could provide an important springboard for the captain, who has to be a meaningful offensive presence for the Rangers the rest of the way.