Gary Bettman is once again being disliked for a controversial announcement
Gary Bettman has a habit of making a major announcement for the NHL right after a controversy unfolds, and it happened again on Wednesday.
Indeed, as the five players involved in the Team Canada Junior scandal were finally identified and on their way to London, Ontario, Gary Bettman and Ryan Smith, an investor from the state of Utah aiming to bring an NHL franchise to Salt Lake City, made an announcement regarding a possible expansion.
It literally happened just minutes after the other big news of the day.
Prospective NHL owner issues press release asking league for admission a mere minutes after a report says 5 players have been ordered to surrender to police to face pending sexual assault charges." - Frank Seravalli
Following the statement from Smith Entertainment Group, the NHL Commissioner released a statement mentioning that he is very impressed and wishes for discussions between Smith and the NHL to continue.
In essence, there will be an expansion team in Salt Lake City, while the Coyotes play in a neighborhood arena, Quebec has been waiting for this opportunity for 10 years, and other cities like Houston and Atlanta patiently await their turn.
When it comes to controversy, this is a significant one. Bettman knows very well that the announcement of an expansion in Salt Lake City would not be well-received, and he waited for a scandal to break before making it, so that it goes smoothly.
Nothing is official yet, but when Gary Bettman is impressed, one could almost say it's confirmed.
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