| lockman21 |
10-01-2014 12:37 PM |
Re: The NHL Thread
Quote:
Originally Posted by dmbetc
(Post 15619403)
El Cholo?
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I don't think so...that doesn't sound right...does that have a bar in it? It was basically a bar and I got chips and salsa. Basically right across the street from Staples.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ~Crashintome89~
(Post 15619409)
Defending Gary Bettman in that Decline of Baseball thread made me immediately go to the bathroom to puke my brains out.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by barbogast
(Post 15619435)
I dunno, lockman made a lot of good points
It's a interesting thought. Bettman's done a lot that has sucked, namely the lockouts. While there's a valid case that the lockouts were somewhat necessary, the answer can't be to lockout every time the CBA expires, which is what it's been under Bettman so far.
I agree 100% with the idea that not signing a TV deal with ESPN turned out to be a smart move. It may not have seemed so when games were on OLN, but now that it's flourished into what it's become, it looks really smart. NBC has the NHL all to themselves and can really showcase it, and they've basically built a channel (NBCSN) around it.
Basically everything post-rock bottom days of 2005 (except that pesky lockout) from Bettman has been solid from a business standpoint
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Here's the thing...I think the position of pro sports commissioner is an easy scapegoat and easy person to hate. I mean, look at the commissioners we've had over the years. None of them are liked. Now is that just a coincidence and they are all douche bags, or is it just the position isn't one that fans naturally gravitate towards? Maybe it's that the position typically will draw in weasely douche businessmen that don't care about the integrity of sport? I don't know.
What I do know is this...as easy as it is to hate on Bettman, when you look at guys like Selig or Goodell...it could be a hell of a lot worse. Roger Goodell makes Gary Bettman look like Superman. Bettman has caused us all plenty of stomach ulcers, migraines, and pillow cases stained with our own tears, but he also has made some incredibly ballsy and well executed decisions that really helped the game of hockey grow.
Like I said, I have such a weird love/hate relationship with him. As a hockey purist that loves watching the NHL, I hate to see changes like the trapezoid and lockouts, but more than I hate those things, I love seeing new rinks pop up and seeing toddlers/teenagers/adults/whoever lace up for the first time and experience the REAL magic of hockey...stepping out on to a fresh sheet of ice and smelling that unmistakable combo of fresh ice and sweaty, moldy pads. Bettman has helped more people get into hockey than arguably anyone else on this planet. Rinks are popping up left and right. Chicago literally can't handle the capacity of hockey players it has now, and I know other cities are similar. It's easy to hate Bettman, and part of me always will for him taking away memories of mine and forcing the loss of portions of my favorite players careers through lockouts, but maybe it was a necessary evil to create some of these REALLY good things that have come from the lockouts.
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