Gary Bettman once again covers himself in ridicule and it looks like the end

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David St-Jean
July 13, 2024 (3:58 PM)

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Gary Bettman is no stranger to the NHL, having decades of experience as commissioner.

However, his stubbornness regarding the Arizona market has led to significant embarrassment, and it seems he still doesn't grasp the severity of the situation.

Simply put, hockey has never worked in Arizona! There's no other way to say it. Yes, there are fans, and they are loyal, but the market has never flourished.

It's a clear failure, and the commissioner should admit fault, yet he continues to repeat the same excuses.

"I believe there are fans there, I believe it's a good market. But someone, before we can even have that discussion, has to solve the arena problem, and that's been discouraging." - Gary Bettman

The Coyotes have been partially supported by other organizations and revenue sharing. Bettman bought the franchise for $1 billion and gave that money to Alex Meruelo, the Coyotes' owner, to invest in a new arena. This project failed, and Meruelo left with the billion, an excessive amount for the franchise's low value.

Ryan Smith bought the Coyotes for $1.2 billion, a meager price under the circumstances. If the Montreal Canadiens had to move, the price would have been much higher.

Instead of realizing he was misled in the deal with Meruelo, Bettman persists in protecting the businessman.

"Alex took over a franchise with a number of challenges that he didn't create. He invested a lot of money trying to make changes, but I don't think the stars aligned. And that franchise, long before he arrived, had location issues." - Gary Bettman

An owner should conduct market research before making such a significant investment in an NHL team. If the situation wasn't suitable when he bought the franchise, why should it be the NHL's problem?

The only thing clear in all of this is that Bettman made promises and stubbornly kept the team in Arizona for far too long.

The management of this issue has been a disaster from start to finish, and it's Gary Bettman's signature from A to Z. He needs to step down for the good of the NHL and the future of the world's premier hockey league.

Credit: Gonordiques.com
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Do you believe that the mismanagement of the Coyotes over all these years is sufficient reason to remove Gary Bettman from his position as NHL Commissioner?
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