Bettman: Why All the Hate?

When NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was introduced before the crowd in Vancouver for the trophy presentations on Wednesday night, the chorus of boos rang so loud you could barely hear a word Bettman was saying. The question I have, is why do people HATE this man so much? I think it has become so cool to boo this guy, hate this guy, talk trash about this guy, I'm not even sure the majority of people even know why they boo him.

Listen, I know to hockey purists, the argument is that Bettman "ruined" the game. Taking the history of the sport away with replacing the names of the conference's, from Wales and Campbell to generic names like Western and Eastern. Turning 4 divisions: Norris, Smythe, Patrick and Adams into 6, again with directional names.

I understand that the NHL lost an entire season due to a lockout. Expansion has watered down the talent pool. Gary Bettman has done some things that can and should be questioned to say the least, but the venom in which he is treated at public appearances, such as handing out the Stanley Cup on Wednesday night should be embarrassing to every hockey fan.

The fact of the matter is that the NHL has never been as finiancially stable is it is now under Bettman's leadership. I know hockey fans don't want to hear this but it's true.

The competitive balance in the NHL has never been more level than it is today under Bettman's leadership, thanks to his institution of the salary cap. I know hockey fans don't want to hear this either.

People are watching hockey again too! I know hockey fans don't particularly care too much for having their product on a network like VERSUS, but in all honesty, VERSUS does a much better job covering games and going back to the studio for in-depth analysis after the games and between periods. Oh and by the way, there weren't too many options for Bettman to look elsewhere. If there was a better TV package out there for Bettman to move, he would've done it.

All that being said, game 7 of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final on Wednesday night drew 8.5 million viewers in the United States. That makes it the 4th most-watched NHL game in League history. Bottom Line, Bettman has certainly made his fair share of mistakes but the game has never been as financially stable, competitive, or talked about as it is today under Bettman's leadership. How about some credit where credit is due.

I was thinking about the comparison to another maligned commissioner, MLB top man Bud Selig. He has become a punch-line for action (or in-action) he's taken.

The All-Star game tie, having the All-Star game winning league be the home team in the World Series, baseball purists don't like the instiution of the Wild Card or Interleague Play, not to mention the unbalanced schedule. When you look at the pros and cons of Selig's tenure as commissioner it almost seems far worse than that of Bettman, but Selig isn't nearly as HATED as Bettman is. I think Selig is just an afterthought when it comes to baseball fans.

He isn't even in the same hemisphere as Bettman when it comes to the way fans of their respective sports feel about the two men. We aren't going to agree with every change, good or bad, these Commissioner's make, but to me, the downright hate for Bettman should stop. Or if you do continue to boo him, at least know why you are doing so.