Despite Bettman’s claims, all is not well in the NHL

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/02/2022 (1687 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s fitting that Gary Bettman’s latest “State Of The NHL” address happened in Las Vegas. Much like Sin City itself, it was filled with plenty of smoke and mirrors designed to distract you from what’s really going on.

Don’t be fooled by this predictable sleight of hand. Despite the commissioner’s “everything is fine” approach on Friday afternoon, there’s no shortage of fires burning around the league right now, including many of the self-inflicted variety. And they are casting a pall over a glitzy All-Star weekend that’s supposed to be a celebration of everything we love about hockey.

The biggest inferno surrounds the Chicago Blackhawks and chairman Rocky Wirtz, who emptied a jerry can of gasoline all over a team town hall earlier this week with an unhinged temper tantrum. When asked a very reasonable question about what steps his organization has taken in the wake of the Kyle Beach sexual assault scandal, Wirtz lit the match by saying “It’s none of your business.” He went on to suggest that because the media, and by extension the public, don’t work for him, they’re not entitled to any answers about how they’re working to prevent tragic history from repeating itself.

As damning as that pitiful display was, the lack of action from Bettman is just as troubling. He had the audacity to brush off Wirtz’s behaviour as him “having a moment,” and suggested he was overly “emotional” because of — get this — “what has happened to that franchise because of Kyle Beach and with Kyle Beach.”

Sheesh.

Wirtz should have been given a permanent time-out for the type of tone-deaf response which perfectly illustrates the toxic culture that permeates hockey and allows predators like Brad Aldrich to get away with heinous crimes. Wirtz even interrupted his own son, Danny, who is the Blackhawks CEO, when he was prepared to offer some insight. If that very public act alone doesn’t demonstrate power imbalance and make you question how abuse claims would be handled behind closed doors, then nothing will.

The NHL loves to have you believe times have changed, and that they’re really, truly, honestly taking these things seriously. Just trust them. That was the message last October when a damning independent report was released into how the 2010 incident was botched by the Blackhawks and ultimately led to another young hockey player being molested. Several key figures lost their jobs, with only Jets general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff left standing.

Other than a flimsy written apology issued a few hours later — I’d be stunned if Wirtz had a direct hand in a single world likely put together by the PR folks tasked with mopping up his mess — he skates without any repercussions. And the sport is once again left with a big black eye. Sadly, there are likely other owners out there nodding in silent approval with Wirtz. His only crime, at least in their eyes, is saying the quiet part out loud.

And the NHL, once again, can’t help but shoot itself in the foot.

The same sad scenario continues to play out when it comes to the Hockey Diversity Alliance, formed by several current and former players with a mission “to eradicate racism and intolerance in hockey.” The NHL has said all the right things when it comes to the HDA, but it appears to be nothing more than lip service. Just last month, co-founder Akim Aliu said the HDA reached out to the NHL about their new #TapeOutHate campaign, seeking permission to wear league logos and uniforms in their video. The request was denied.

“There’s always an excuse as for why they don’t want to work with a group like ours,” Aliu told ESPN. This is just the latest in a growing list of examples of the two sides being on very different pages. And with racist incidents continuing to happen in hockey leagues around the world — there were three high-profile ones in the past few weeks alone — this certainly reflects poorly on the NHL.

So, too, does the ongoing debacle in the desert and the sad-sack Arizona Coyotes. For reasons apparently only clear to Bettman himself, he refuses to give up on a futile franchise that has become synonymous with failure. And now, faced with having no arena to play in next season and no tangible plan in place for construction of a new building, he’s apparently ready to sign off on the team moving to Arizona State University’s yet-to-be-completed 5,000-seat arena for the next three or four years.

All of which screams “bush league.” Bettman suggested Friday the Coyotes might actually produce more revenues playing in a tiny college barn than their current set-up in Glendale, which tells you just how dire the situation is. And yet, the notoriously stubborn Bettman refuses to budge and look at re-location, despite several markets — Quebec City being at the top of the list — standing by just waiting for an opportunity. He even suggested Arizona is a “vibrant” hockey market.

There’s plenty of on-ice issues as well. I’m not sure officiating has ever been more inconsistent, with no shortage of head-scratching calls and non-calls. You know it’s bad when players are getting suspended for reckless plays that cause major injuries — Dmitry Orlov’s blatant knee-on-knee against Nikolaj Ehlers being but one example — despite the fact it didn’t even warrant so much as a two-minute penalty at the time it occurred.

I’ll give the league at least some benefit of the doubt here, as the experienced zebra ranks have been thinned by some retirements along with injuries and COVID-19-related absences. That’s led to an infusion of fresh faces, and the inexperience is clearly showing at times. Far too many nights, it’s directly impacting the outcomes.

Not to be overlooked is the important matter of competitive integrity, especially earlier in this season when several teams iced severely shorthanded lineups as the virus left them without 18 healthy skaters for some games. Why some clubs were forced to keep playing through major outbreaks, and others were allowed to put activities on pause prior to a league-mandated extended holiday break, remains a mystery.

More recently, we’ve seen all seven Canadian teams play in empty or near-empty venues due to public health orders. Bettman conceded that is having a “devastating” impact north of the border, both in terms of economic and competitive factors. It’s not a problem of the NHL’s making, of course, but one that undercuts the overall health of the league. So, too, does the situation in Calgary, where a new arena deal recently fell through and the Flames find themselves facing an uncertain future.

Last, but certainly not least, is the Evander Kane saga. The fact he continues to get chance after chance despite investigation after investigation — seriously, how many media “redemption” interviews is this guy going to do before he ultimately hangs up his skates? — reflects poorly on all involved.

Add it all up and not even the great David Copperfield could make all of these problems disappear, despite Bettman’s claim to the contrary that business is booming.

I’d suggest this would be a perfect time for Bettman, now in his 30th year at the helm, to step aside for a fresh voice at the top, but it’s apparent the 69-year-old has no plans to pack it in anytime soon. Although his contract is set to expire after this season, there’s been talk of a five-year extension.

”I plan on being here for a long time,” Bettman said recently. “So you’re still stuck with me.”

Lucky us.

mike.mcintyre@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @mikemcintyrewpg