Only Gary Bettman Can Screw This Up

Last night's USA-Canada game was the highest rated hockey game since the 1980 Miracle on Ice. The NHL will look to ride the success of that game going forward with the rest of this season. People are interested in hockey for the first time in a long time. Of course Gary Bettman is trying to screw all of this up.

Bettman is considering pulling NHL players from the 2014 Sochi Winter games. The issue at hand will have to wait until the players and the owners meet for collective bargaining. And of course the owners don't like the Olympics because they don't make a profit from them.

"That could prove a contentious issue between the league and its players. It appears most NHL team owners aren't keen about future Olympic participation, claiming the NHL hasn't seen the profitable return it expected since allowing their best players to perform in the Winter Olympics nor has that participation improved the league's visibility in the all-important American sports market."

Hm, how does a 17 point rating sound to the owners? I would say the league receives huge visibility every time Doc Emrick mentions a certain player and the NHL team he plays for. How many people watching thought to themselves that they will watch their local hockey team now knowing that a certain player representing their country also plays for their local team?

Bettman and the owners do have a good point though in that the NHL should be more tied to the Olympics besides their players.

"Bettman and company would want its brand more conspicuously tied in with the Olympic brand, allowing The NHL Network far greater access to its players before and after games, and increased prime time television coverage on whichever American network carries the 2014 Winter Games."

I do agree with Bettman on this point. NBC's coverage of the Olympics was atrocious. Games were tape delayed on the West Coast and NBC pretty much focused all their coverage on Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin. If I was the NHL I would force whoever is carrying the game for the American market to broadcast games in prime time and no delayed feeds. And if they do delay the games, then have a stream that is easy to use.

Ask anyone from Fear The Fin, and they will tell you how unhappy they were with the NBC stream. For one it was hard just to access the stream. You had to give your cable provider account information just to access the stream. Then once you had the stream it would cut out to a commercial during the middle of the game. It was terrible.

Still though it would be foolish for the NHL, Bettman, and the owners to pull the players from the Sochi games in 2014. Olympic hockey is some of the most exciting, edge of your seat sporting event. And this is enhanced by the participation of NHL players in the Olympics. Of course, Gary Bettman is the only sports commissioner who can't figure out a way to turn a profit from the Olympic games.

Can NHL afford to skip Sochi Games? (Fox News)