does anyone find this strange?

Question

Gary Bettman put in clauses to prevent Jim Ballsile from moving the Penguins to Southern Ontario, yet is doing nothing to prevent Mario Lemieux from moving the team to Kansas City? Do I smell a bias here? Is Bettman still that clueless that hockey thrives the most in Canada and the northern states? Or is he just trying to destroy the game?

Answer 1

First off, I have to say Im in the Bettman-hater camp, and its a shame that the pens will likely be the first team to have won a stanley cup and since then moved... but that being said, its not bettman's fault that the pens couldnt move to S. Ontario. It is written in the Constitution of the NHL that each team has a protected area, in which other teams cant infringe upon. There are exceptions, but this requires negotiations between the existing team and the new team. In the case of the Buffalo Sabres, they infringed on Toronto's area, and had to pay ridiculous sums of money to the leafs to be allowed to be in Buffalo. For another team to move to the area, it would have to negoitiate with both teams(and possibly the red wings). However, because a large majority of Buffalo's fans come from S. Ontario, they would object, and the Leafs are likely to do the same...

My vote is for Winnipeg

Answer 2

Yes, teams moved from Winnipeg and Quebec but that was in the old NHL without the cap. A Canadian team in a hockey hotbed like Ontario will make money. The NY area has 3 teams and LA has two. The leafs have been sold out since my dad was a boy so Southern Ontario could support another team. Bettman, who doesn't know how to skate by the way, doesn't think he can sell hockey to US markets with teams like Winnipeg, Halifax, Hamilton etc. But I don't see people beating the doors down to see Nashville or Pheonix or Columbus (ooo exciting). Bettman has a bias. We in Canada make it worse by slagging him every chance we get. There isn't many Canadians (maybe none) who have anything nice to say about him.
Ballsile got screwed. I hope Mario loses his shirt on the team if he was any way supportive of the snub to Ballsile. Let's move the Pens to KC where not one but 2 teams have already failed because after all Bettman has turned all the folks in Missouri into great hockey fans. Oh wait, the Blues play to a half empty arena. Nevermind. Oh and BTW the Pens used hold their training camp in my hometown of Brantford. Bringing them here would seem like a completion of a big circle.

Answer 3

The first NHL game I ever saw in person was an exhibition game between the Kansas City Scouts and the Minnesota North Stars. Neither of those teams exist in those cities today. The Scouts did not make it in Kansas City and moved to Denver, as the Colorado Rockies, then to New Jersey as the Devils. The North Stars were moved to Dallas and became the Stars. But now, there is a successful team in Denver, and in Minnesota. Maybe it is time to let Kansas City have another try.

But, I am also sympathetic to those who want to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh, and to those in Winnipeg and Quebec who used to have NHL hockey and lost it, and want to have another try there, too.

The people who say the NHL needs to concentrate on cold weather locations forget that the LA Kings have been successful for decades. And what about the Sharks, Stars (formerly Minnesota), Coyotes (formerly Winnipeg), Ducks, Lightning, Predators, Thrashers, Hurricanes, Panthers and Blues? It is hard to imagine playing hockey outdoors in any of their cities (OK, Nashville and St. Louis, maybe a couple of days a year), but they seem to be paying the bills.

It is a conundrum.

Addition: One poster says KC has had two failed chances in the NHL. I only know of one.

Trivial fact: The last former KC player in the NHL (Wilf Paiement) played his final season with the Penguins.

Answer 4

Bettman SUCKS!!!! He still has no clue how to promote the NHL and of course Canada deserves a nod at another team and I wish their would be another Winnipeg team too....NHL hockey deserves to thrive like the NBA but it just doesn't have a David Stern to lead the way....I'm not sure why Wayne or Mario doesn't try their hand at running the NHL....I think players like them would bring a marketing tool that would promote the NHL and with the youth movement of Crosby, Ovechkin, Malkin, Staahl, Penner, Kunitz, Getzlaf, Perry, Kopitar, Kessel, etc....it SHOWS a BRIGHT future for the NHL

Answer 5

If Balsille wants his dream to come true he needs to get out his big Crackberry chequebook and make it happen. If Bettman has some clause, that's what attorneys are for.
Money talks, bullshit walks

Answer 6

Yah, the NHL really thrives in Canada. Just look at Quebec and Winnipeg.

Answer 7

the NHL needs to expand their borders more to the U.S. and improve on their fan base in Canada so maybe they just need more teams.

Answer 8

Its called part ownership of the arena in KC, not some government socialist run arena with the funny colored seats in that village of Hamilton. Money is what its all about.