Gary Bettman
 

Man, I don't think there's anyone in the world of sports I hate more than this guy. I don't know what I'll end up doing with another NHL lockout if it ever happened. It's pretty nuts.

I've never liked the guy. I can see how *some* people in Winnipeg could tolerate him for bringing back their team, but the fact that he actually moved the team to Phoenix and wouldn't move them to Hamilton ****es me off.

I recently learned how much he makes a year. http://www.sunnewsnetwork.ca/sunnews...13-133152.html It's utter nonsense. I don't see how this man deserves to make this much... the guy clearly doesn't care for the game of hockey.

I guess we in Calgary or Alberta in general need to just look at game 6 of the 2004 final to remind ourselves how much we hate this "man"

What do you think about him?

Bettman may very well have saved the NHL from a mess by not approving Balsillie attempted move to Hamilton. Jim Balsillie's not the business man he seemed to think he was.

What did Bettman have to do with game 6 of the final?

By no means do I think Bettman is god but much of what he does and says is a group opinion of the league. That opinion needs a face and that face is Bettman.

Get over it! The Flames suck and they lost?

Like mentioned Bettman is the face of the NHL, and speaks for the governors of the teams.

Its Billionaires(owners) versus Millionaires(players).

The worst part of this is that the owners need protection from themselves! Crying poor and loosing money, then offering these insane contracts. As a player would your turn down 5, 7, 10, 14 million dollars a year???

BW

Kind of like blaming vince mcmahon for the state of wwe IMO

bettman is the chair, he has no hockey background. He's a business man charged with making the league run and making money. He goes after other studio bigwigs and gets revenue for the league, he markets it and presents it as a business.

IMO he's made mistakes, a lot, but not all his decisions are bad. NHL revenue is up, salaries and attendance are up. the league is starting to expand into non-traditional markets which equates to a larger fan base and more people introduced to hockey. More people means more networks carrying games which means more availability to watch hockey which means NHL makes more money.

Get over it. Canadians win the Cup, Canadian teams float and lose because they don't HAVE to win to keep us Canadians as fans. That goes as much for the Leafs, the Habs, the oilers, the flames, the sens and the nucks. None of those areanas are empty because we keep going.

Bettman's got as much to do with that as I do with the price of tea in China.

Bettman is not much different than David Stern in the N.B.A. I can't stand either, the games may have gone into non-traditional areas and even global, but the quality of the game has nose dived and the players are a bunch of entree whiners. And you don't have to be a genius to see who the comish wants to win the championship.

If there is a Stoppage whether it be a Strike or Lockout...I am about done with the Nhl,I Have other Interests,I Believe there all over paid from the Owners down to the 4th liners,Most average familys cant afford to go to more then a game or 2 a year..Grizz

Wtf does bettman have to do with '04 flames? Lol

and how can you possibly think hamilton is the right market for an nhl franchise??? Good god man.

The guy has made **** poor decisions, but hes also nade the nhl a very profitable business. As one gent stated, hes not paid to know the game itself, hes paid to manage and make money for the business that is the nhl. Seems that most guys that boo bettman know
Plenty about hourly wage grunt work, but absolutly jack about making a venture profitable.

He will still likely make his $8 MM a year salary...even if they strike. Nice job. Free game tickets...luxury boxes...free travel to games...maybe even free popcorn!

Lol,Your right the Flames do suck and the Oilers stink even worse....Grizz

More like free beverages and steak dinners in the luxury boxes.

Bettman is paid by the league, the owners. He's the face of the nhl, the guy repsonsible for the owners and stake holders to make money. He negotiates on their behalf and is a LAWYER. yes, he will make his salary if they strike, just like the owners will start renting out their areanas left right and center to get them generating revenue if there is a lockout.

The only losers are the players if they get too greedy and can't come to a consensus.

no hockey ... hmmm ... anyone want to take a new guy 'yote hunting this winter? There's my level of commitment to hockey. Life will go on ... somehow.:rolleye2:

Probably has something to do with a legal goal that was dis-allowed.

Bettman has no say in goal allowances or dissallowances. Thats not how it works

But he can inform the refs on how a game is called. It happens, it's not about the game anymore it's big business.

Bettman: Can't stand him. Feel the same way as Chris Chelois does about him.
But his salary? Probably around the same as any other CEO/president of a $3 Billion dollar company would make. It's less than half of the commissionaires of NFL and MLB and probably NBA as well. I got nothing against that. I have more of a problem with a 20 year old kid making half a million dollars every two weeks, after taxes.

Oh little Gary how I dislike his demeanor and inability to give a straight answer. But the game has grown in leaps and bounds since he has helmed the ship. I like that hockey is on tv everyday and pro's play in the Olympics and small market teams do have a chance again. They just tend to run the teams crappily and the chumps (like myself) continue to line the pockets of players and owners alike

He doesn't work for you and me. He works for 30 team owners and has for years. If they didn't think they were getting good value they would replace him.

Bob Nicholson's job is to grow hockey in Canada. Gary Bettman's job is to line the pockets of NHL owners.

But you gotta admit that there is a symbiosis between the two, more NHL more kids playing minor hockey, more minor hockey more quality junior hockey more quality nhlers, more quality international hockey etc etc

There's talk of management being able to cancel the Heritage Classic right up until game day!! :mad3::mad3::mad3:

talk????...wonder where that comes from??......

When I was at the Olympics in Vancouver I meet him in an elevator with mark messier at my hotel. Messier was very nice and chatted for a minute. I asked Gary b how he was enjoying the Olympics and he grunted at me.......a real douche

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Entry level contracts prevent 20 year old kids from making much more than league average, only the highest paid players would be anywhere near half a mil a week, not sure if anybody in the NHL would be in that area

For whatever the optics of the situation are worth, and it's probably not much, Gary Bettman and the owners just made themselves look like the unreasonable ones in the NHL contract talks, when they come out saying a wide gap still exists. I thought the NHLPA proposal was rather reasonable. A couple of the ideas seemed a little odd, but overall it seemed to be well thought out. Curious to see what the owners come up with beyond the "wide gap" line they are spouting

i know nothing of the latest contrat talks...and dont really care. this thread asks about bettman. am i alone, or would anyone else just love to see someone put him in a headlock and squeeze till his head popped like a zit?

You are not alone.