Gary Bettman

[Phightins]

Before I start, let me apologize in advance for the rant.

 

I am sorry, but the events of this past week should be the last straw with Gary Bettman. Unfortunately I don't see him stepping down any time soon, but this man is turning the National Hockey League into an even bigger joke than it already is. There are three things from this past week that I am talking about, two of which were mentioned in other threads.

 

The two mentioned on OTR previously (the Pittsburgh Penguins "review-gate" incident and the Alex Burrows/Stephane Auger incdient) are both kind of related. I find it kind of sickening that the league is sweeping both of these incidents under the rug and keeping their investigations "under wraps". These are both huge deals, in my opinion, and they both deeply involve the integrity of the game. For those who don't know, last week in Pittsburgh during a Flyers/Penguins game, Simon Gagne of the Flyers scored what appeared to be a goal, but the officials on the ice waved it off. It was close so they went to review. Apparently it is the home team's responsibility to send all camera angles to the "war room" in Toronto where a final verdict on questionable calls is made. On TV they showed an angle that showed the puck clearly over the goal line, but the Penguins and their TV station did not send that angle to Toronto, so due to "insufficient evidence" they let the play stand as a no-goal. An announcer on the Penguins TV network could be heard laughing and saying "we saved that one". Luckily the game was a blow out and this did not affect the outcome of the game, but if it would have the Penguins should have been forced to forfeit the game, and as it currently stands IMO they should be forced to lose a draft pick. This is serious [expletive], but of course the NHL is keeping it a "private matter". Yeah, way to lose the trust of your fans Gary, especially the ones who already buy into conspiracy theories. Speaking of conspiracies, before a game last week referee Stephane Auger reportedly told Alex Burrows of the Vancouver Canucks that he was going to "get revenge" for some incident earlier in the year. In that game, Auger made at least two horrible calls against Burrows, one of which arguably cost the Canucks the game. There is no proof of what Auger said to Burrows, but there is video of the two having a conversation before the game. Much like the goal review incident, the league is staying hush hush about this too. Both have a huge impact on the integrity of the game, yet they are being swept under the rug. I guess I shouldn't expect less from Gary Bettman, however.

 

The third incident involves this hit that Sergei Gonchar put on Cal Clutterbuck (actually ECN sent me this video right after it happened):

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTv2uSAiYx4&feature=player_embedded

 

Actually this is a shot at Colin Campbell and not Gary Bettman, but Sergei Gonchar received no suspension for this, despite it being one of the dirtier hits I have seen this season. If he wears orange and black (or hell, if he wears the colors of any team that the NHL is not in bed with aka the Pittsburgh Penguins) it is a 5 game suspension at minimum. This league seemingly has two rule books.

 

 

 

Anyway, I am starting to get disgusted with some of the stuff going on in this league. What do the other OTR hockey fans think?

Edited January 14, 2010 by Phightins

[bigdog17k]

Clutterbuck guy got rocked. I thought hockey was supposed to be like this, for the most part...

[Phightins]

Clutterbuck guy got rocked. I thought hockey was supposed to be like this, for the most part...

 

You aren't allowed to take a run at a guy's head lol. That was so dirty.

[BasX]

I'll keep this short and sweet about Bettman. I've wanted him out of office since the lockout. He is just so slimy and I hate him so much.