Memo to Bettman: America Doesn't Care

When Gary Bettman became commissioner of the National Hockey League in 1993, the NHL began to focus much of its efforts on 'Americanizing' the game by reaching out to every corner of North America. The key to growing the game, they insisted, was to tap into all possible American markets and expand, expand, expand. Fast forward to 2009, and it is easy to see that the commissioner forgot about the business principle, 'location, location, location'- now he's learning that lesson the hard way. And no, Gary Bettman's crucial mistakes cannot be redeemed by changing the shape of a goal post.

Meanwhile, across the border where hockey talk rules the water cooler, Canadians have been patiently waiting...and waiting...and waiting some more. After placing franchises in Tampa Bay, Florida, Phoenix, Nashville, and Atlanta, Canadians were waiting for Bettman to unveil a new franchise for the country that lives and breathes hockey.

This past December, Canadians got an answer from Bettman with regards to expanding the game in Canada.

"Can the Ontario market support another team? Probably, but you can't base a decision on probability. You have got to study the market closely."

Perhaps Mr. Bettman should follow his own advice, and practice what he preaches. Isn't it safe to say that Bettman put the cart before the horse when expanding into the southern US? Did he really believe that markets such as Florida, Phoenix and Atlanta would flourish? If Bettman was the one who studied the market in Atlanta and believed Georgians would feel that hockey was the greatest thing since sliced bread, then NHL executives must ask themselves if this is the man who should lead the NHL in tough economic times.

Since the lockout, many of the NHL's new hockey markets are suffering and are in financial peril; revenues, attendance, and viewership are all down. Now that Bettman is seeing for himself how his expansion aspirations have not worked out according to plan, he has redirected his efforts on changing the game itself. For the past three seasons, the NHL has continued to brainstorm ideas on how to make the game more exciting for its non-traditional hockey markets. However, it is important for the NHL to realize that changes off the ice are just as important (if not more) than changes to the rulebook.

For a game that has the tradition of baseball, athleticism of basketball and the toughness of football, it is hard to believe that hockey is not as popular as other sports in America. However, the commissioner needs to understand that not everyone will welcome hockey with open arms...even if he does decide to change the size of the net. It was his decisions regarding off-ice issues that Bettman and his NHL are paying for now- and boy are they ever paying.

Is there any shame in accepting that some American markets simply don't like hockey? If the National Hockey League wants success, they have to go to successful markets, regardless of the territory. The NHL has to jump over this mental hurdle and face it- Americans don't love hockey as much as they love their football and baseball. Gary Bettman's decisions on new franchises shouldn't be driven by the all mighty dollar; rather, he should inject hockey into markets that crave it.

Moreover, the league needs to contract to 26 teams; eliminate the Phoenix Coyotes, Florida Panthers, Atlanta Thrashers and Tampa Bay Lightning and relocate the Nashville Predators to Winnipeg. With this transition there will be fewer (but better) teams, and making the playoffs will become more of a realistic goal for all franchises. Teams would be more competitive, and owners would be more inclined to measure success by the number of games won rather than the number of 'Benjamins' in their pockets.

Secondly, the National Hockey League needs a new television deal. The 2008-2009 NHL season is currently being played, but is not being watched. The day when ESPN cut ties with the NHL and discontinued airing hockey games was a huge step back for Bettman's plan of Americanizing the game. Since moving to a much smaller network, Versus, the league has lost a great deal of exposure. This issue has nothing to do with how exciting the game of hockey is, but was rather a terrible off-ice decision that the NHL is now paying dearly for. How can Gary Bettman possibly expect the casual fan to watch hockey when the game isn't being broadcast on a major American sports station? Memo to Bettman: return to ESPN and get your highlights back on SportsCenter.

However, as much as the commissioner needs to accept that some parts of America don't want hockey, fans of the game also need to realize who the real Gary Bettman is. Bettman serves at the pleasure of the league's owners- not the league, not the players, and certainly not the fans. When Bettman speaks of the game, he is not referring to the one that fans watch on the ice. No, he is referring to the one played by the owners of NHL teams. To owners, the winner is the owner who stuffs his pockets with more dollar bills than any other. So long as each owner is happy and making money, so too will Gary Bettman.

As long as Bettman is at the helm, fans can expect little change regarding off-ice issues, and will once again be subject to a number of empty ideas on how the NHL can make America love hockey. Unfortunately for the NHL, despite Bettman's countless attempts to court America, it looks like he will never take the hint.