Would Rick Tochet even take this Bett-man?

 I think we've seen enough, and the time has come to say something. We, the lifelong fans of "The Coolest Game on Earth", have had quite enough of Mr. Gary Bettman. He has stripped away and watered down what was once the aforementioned "Coolest Game on Earth".  This is not a game for the casual fan. Alas, ask most people that are not regular fans, and to be sure the first thing likely to come up is the fighting. That is not a good way to be remembered. There is a lot going on in this game, and to have dropped gloves and teeth as some people's overriding image is not a good thing.

This is not a game that requires more scoring, (or bloody noses) to be interesting. We do not need "no touch" icing. We do not need smaller goalies. We do not need larger nets. We do not need trapezoids. With no offence intended, we do not need Carolina, Nashville, or Atlanta. We do not need Tampa or Sunrise Florida. We do not need rules made up in the middle of a playoff season. We do not need the face of the league protected by awful officiating. We do not need a salary cap. We do not need a second rate, third line administrator running and ruining the game we love. What we need is really quite simple. We need our game back. We need Gary Bettman to go away. We need a hockey person to run this league. Maybe we don't need an ex-player, but certainly someone who cares. Someone who cares about the history, cares about the tradition, and most importantly....about the game. And we need it soon. Let me go into this a bit more, before consigning me to the ranks of The Flat Earth Society and others that resist progress.

            I am not asking for a return to the days of no teeth and sweaters, (though the new uniforms were a major flop). I believe in the sport evolving, but there also comes a point when what some evolution becomes more of a devolution.  When I was younger, I think there were still two goalies that didn't wear masks, (Roger Crozier and one other that escapes me) I think it's a good idea that they wear them, (as a goalie myself, I know it's a good idea) although there is only one recorded death in a game in NHL history (Bill Masterton in 1968) I think that everyone having to wear a mask and a helmet is a good idea. The potential is there I suppose. I guess my point is that while some change is good, change for the sake of it isn't good.  I am all for a solid fan base, if for no other reason than there might be a better television contract. By better, I mean on a network with more households than there are Nielsen families. Let's break this down now to some of the points in my initial rant.

Contraction;

I realise that some people may not like this, but this is a case of addition by subtraction. As noted, I have no beef with the fine cities involved, and yes, I do realise that Carolina and Tampa have won Stanley Cups but in point of fact, hockey in Carolina makes about as much sense as NASCAR in Buffalo. Are there hockey fans in these cities? Yes...for now. I grew up in New York City, and was really beginning to think I was never going to see my team win The Cup. There were some really, really horrible teams at MSG for a long time, not to mention that the hated team from Nassau County was winning four in a row. But was MSG ever empty? Hardly. It would be unthinkable. There will always be Ranger fans. If we sat through the "Olde guys past their prime needing a payday" period, we'll always be here. I can't say the same for everyone. Nashville, is already talking about leaving. The Panthers have fallen quite far indeed from their shot in The Finals. The owners of these teams then complain no one comes to see them.

 Here's the plan get rid of these teams;

Carolina, Tampa, Florida, Nashville, Dallas, (sorry, but they belong in Minnesota), Anaheim, (there's really no need for two teams in L.A. area) and Columbus. I'm on the fence about Washington D.C., because they are quite cyclical indeed.  And there has been hockey on Phoenix for a really long time, so they can stay. Sorry my article, my rules

Anyway, take all of the players from these teams, put them on the three new Canadian teams, (remember Canada?  A little more hockey appropriate than Sunrise Fla., right?) Place one in Manitoba, one in Ontario, and one in Quebec. (a Maroons redux perhaps?)

Anyone left can be taken in a dispersal draft. What happens now is you get all teams with quality, not some false sense of parity created by stopping an owner from spending his or her money and rewarding the business school dropouts that don't realise that you need to spend it to make it. This brings me to my next point, the salary cap.

Sports have always held a very interesting spot in the world of American business. Though the ultimate in inter-state commerce, they are not subject to the same rules. But one thing is for sure, none of these owners will ever be on line for soup or government cheese. The entrance fee into any of the sports leagues is very high indeed, so rest assured, these guys are all comfortable. You'd never know it from the way some of them carry on, however. "We're not making any money", they bawl. We need a new building...no one wants to come to this one! If you don't give us a new building, (built with tax money, of course) and tax breaks, we're going to leave. The amount of absurdities in all of this is numerous, but let me mention a couple;

• 1. Maybe it's the fact that you won't pay your players enough to stay, so the team stinks? Could that be why no one comes out? Say what you want about George Steinbrenner and John Henry spending money...they always put a good product out there. You can't a ticket to either team. That sounds like Business101 to me.
• 2. Maybe all of your whining isn't so good for public relations. Nothing warms the hearts of Mr. and Mrs. Average fan, (who can't afford tickets for the family to a game) than hearing some millionaire whine about how his profits are down.
• 3. Asking a municipality to foot the bill for your toy box? Enough said.

So with the help of our little administrator (after locking out and taking away the game from an audience that was starting to warm to the game? There's your occasional fan base!) they come up with a salary cap. Now, the cheapskates running these teams can hide behind a cap. You know, it seems to me that someone once said;"If you build it, they will come." It seems as simple as that. We have some short takes for other changes, but these are quicker, I'll just list them;

• 1. The Trapezoid: This little bit of geometry is behind the net, and it restricts goalies from playing the puck anywhere, as they have been allowed to forever. I always thought it made for exciting hockey, guys like Brodeur and earlier, Ron Hextall. It was a little too exciting watching Mike Richter (as a Rangers' fan) try to handle the puck, but my felling is, you take that chance, you take what happens. Why is it there?
• 2. Size Doesn't Matter: We don't need to make the goal bigger. Here's a little piece of news for Mr. Bettman, and actually all of the other commissioners that somehow link more scoring to better games: if you ask any REAL fan of any sport, not the corporate hacks, or the guys that show up only for the playoffs (in the company seats) what they would rather see, and you will almost always hear a 2-1 game over a 7-6 game. (note to baseball: put the mound back where it was, and put the seams back on the ball)

•       3.Shootouts: Yeah, ties aren't great, but I guess as long as you keep them out of the playoffs.

• 4. No Touch Icing: I was on the fence about this one for awhile, but I think it's a bad idea. It encourages hustle, and as long as the goal of the chaser isn't to cripple the defenceman going for the puck, it's okay.
• 5. The Avery Rule: Okay, we all agree that it was kind of bush league, very schoolyard. But you don't change or add a rule IN THE MIDDLE OF THE PLAYOFFS! Do you want the league to be any more of a laughing stock? And having the referees watching certain players a little closer than others has to go. Yes, every sport has done it forever, but let's set a precedent here...everyone treated the same. And that goes for the Crosbys and the Averys of the sport. If someone falls down and Avery is anywhere near him, Avery gets the call, (my son and I call it 2 minutes for being Avery) and someone can mug him and nothing gets called.
• 6. Playoff Seeding: winning a division is wonderful, but if you're in a division that is really bad like, say, The Southeast...why should you be seeded ahead of a team that has had to claw their way through 5 teams that could all have won you division? Either bring in a straight 1-8 point seeding, or if you must be rewarded for winning your group, at least put the team in its proper place. Of course, if some of my other suggestions are taken to heart...this one may be moot.

But for any of these to happen we have to hope for the biggest change of all, and that would be to get rid of the current commissioner. Now I'm sure that Gary Bettman came into this gig with the best of intentions, though we know what road that paves, and never truer than now, as he is slowly destroying the game we love. He seems to have no idea what he is running. He gives the impression of a really bad substitute teacher that never goes away. We need to get a hockey person to run this league, or at the very least, a hockey journalist. We don't need a second rate lawyer. We've had enough things ruined in this life by second rate lawyers. This may have no effect at all. It may end up being another bit of stomping left to the vastness of the Ethernet. But if it does nothing else, it may clear our heads, and maybe clear some heads in the league offices. The game should still belong to us...the fans...and the players. I am not naïve enough to think it isn't a business, run by businessmen, but I know there has to be a better way and better person for the job (John Davidson anyone?)

So Mr. Bettman, please do the best thing you could do for this game that we love...go away...NOW!