Why are the people running the NHL so incompetent?

Question

Expansion in Las Vegas, Kansas City? I thought nashville and florida were bad.

Answer 1

Hockey had it's greatest run under the less than stellar John Zeigler who at least while being a lawyer came from a part of the US where they actually produce hockey players. This Bettman twit comes from California and doesn't get it. He's added so many teams the talent pool is near dry. He's so obsessed with a national NHL TV contract he's destroying the game.
The Preds will move because the league wants to add two more teams. And the Balsillie price is right. And the team in KC will move about 3 years after. Totally screwed. Any chance Bettman is in the army reserve and can be called up for active duty?

Answer 2

It is all about filling the pockets of the NHL owners. Those teams sign up, and they each have to pay a hefty bonus to the league. Gary Bettman and his cronies care more about making money for themselves than they do about the game itself. They are not out anything if teams fail in Florida or Las Vegas or wherever. It is funny, too, because Kansas City already had a team once and couldn't keep it. What makes the league think they can do it now? Matters not. They'll get their money for it.

Answer 3

Why would the NHL expand??? expansion money... simple...

Right now, the Preds market value is about $20-$30 million dollars... Balsillie is offering $220 million to buy it.

A NHL team expansion fee prior to this sale (which is yet to be finalized) was worth about $60-$80 million dollars in expansion fees... as of today or after the sale, expansion fees are about $120-$150 million possibly... the market demand for a NHL franchise has risen.

Buying a struggling NHL team is not difficult but relocating it is. Current rules protect cities from losing its NHL team if ticket sales meet a minimum quota...

The league also wants to get back to a 2 conference 4 division system... so 32 team league makes sense for that... why contract when you can expand and get money doing it..!

Answer 4

Honorarius, don't be so sure of yourself. The NHL did not need the last round of expansion yet it happened primarily because of the greed of the owners. At approximately 150 million per franchise, it will not shock me if Bettman allows it to happen again in these two cities. Expansion to these two cities would work out to about 10 million per owner. That is the primary issue to most owners rather than the health of the league.

If you were an owner, would you prefer to make 10 million or foot the cost required to contract two teams? It will cost each owner at least that much to contract. Dan Wetzel stated, prior to the season starting, that the Flyers would at best struggle to make the playoffs. I read that and I was blown away, the Flyers always make the playoffs. I wrote a letter, deleted it and decided to wait until a month or so into the season to see how things shook out. Needless to say, given how their season went, my letter was never sent. I have reacted this way to more than one of his columns.

If Wetzel says they are considering expansion, whether it happens or not, Bettman and the NHL owners are seriously considering it.

EDIT: dcfury202, Atlantic City felt the same way about having an ECHL team. They literally could not give the tickets away. Vegas may work but outside of Canada, most hockey fans are fans of a specific team or player. They are not going to pay to see a game unless one of those two criteria are met. I have serious doubts about teams working in either area.

Answer 5

the NHL violated the golden rule of business...

"Do not ever take your customers for granted."

There is nothing wrong with them trying to make the game thrive in the southern U.S. In fact, I think it can. However, rather than trying to market the game and superstars, they instead changed the game in hopes of bringing in an American audience. Not only did the changes not bring in fans, it began driving away hardcore fans from places like Boston and Chicago. This is what I say is "taking customers for granted." The NHL thought that the hardcore fans will stay no matter what changes they made.

If you ask me, I think the NHL execs could have been making a hell of a lot more money had they took proper steps in marketing the game and not so eagerly chase expansion money.

Answer 6

To I have Q's: How many of the original 6 NHL teams were US teams? that's right, 4. Americans are ready for Hockey, just not so much so south of say Pennsylvania. Hockey is HUGE in Michigan, Minnesota, and Massachussetts and places like North and South Dakota may as well be Canada anyway..just kidding.

Granted, the NHL expanded too much, but I don't fault Bettman for wanting to make Hockey more popular throughout the US. face it, Hockey needs the american dollars - without it, would as many european hockey stars come to the NHL?

Answer 7

a team in Vegas would probably do pretty well, because of gambling on the out come and people just for fun. but i think that it is absolutely insane for states like Florida and California to have one team but TWO AND THREE!!! personally i think we should move the Ducks to Vegas and eliminate a few others so existing teams will have a wider fan base.

Answer 8

We would have to ask the owners and Bettman why they are so incompetent, because whatever they are doing, it is not working. They don't care about the game, they only care about the money. Which is odd, because if they did a better job, they could be making a whole lot more.

Answer 9

Actually what happened is when the guys at the top originally took the job, they thought NHL stood for the Nock Hockey League! 8^)

(you know - air hockey tables)

Answer 10

Expansion won't be happening... If anything, a team will be relocated to one of those cities... Although the guy looking at buying the Predators is wanting to move them to Hamilton, Ontario...