We all know how Gary Bettman gets every ounce of the heat from NHL lockouts, albeit most of that is well deserved hatred. He is the figure head of that the NHL owners and by being their agent, his job is being the bad guy. Fans have been screaming for an end to the most recent ongoing lockout, some even went to the extent of making videos and motivational pictures. While these were fun to watch and pass around, ultimately it's not the popular vote that's gonna end this lockout. Please do not misunderstand me, there is nothing that I hate more than an NHL lockout. But to be as unbiased as I can be I must point this fact out and acknowledge the truth of the matter at hand.
Gary Bettman is not a fan of the game of hockey, not nearly as much a am and I'm guessing anyone reading this is a bigger fan than Mr. Bettman. This is a fact that he has never denied and as sad as this is to type, being a fan of the game is not a requirement to be the commissioner of the National Hockey League. Mr. Bettman is required to be a brute, ruthless, willing to cut his nose off to spite his face businessman and he is just that. A man who is willing to put his entire business on hold, with as much leverage that the has created for himself, in an effort to get more money from every possible different area is a man who you want fighting for your wallet. Gary Bettman isn't going to win any fan awards (at least in any kind of positive light) but it can't be ignored that he is a smart man. Even his changing of the rules of his position (he took most restrictions off of the commisioner's job and set up hiself to only need eight votes from owners in order to do anything) was pure genius! And his bullyig techniques and his sneaky tactics such as portraying the NHL's last CBA offer as what the Playes Association wanted only to find out he'd hidden clauses that were no different than every other owners offer. That stuff won't engrave him in many if any fan's heart as Teddy Bear of the month but he played his cards the best he ould and is still doing so.
This is not in any way a fan who enjoys what Mr. Bettman is doing, in my opinion the best thing for the future of the NHL involves firing him and bringing a new commissioner in, but as a realist I must admit what seamingly no other fan is willing to: Gary Bettman may be the best thing to happen to the National Hockey League owners. He has gotten them to the point of the NHL making an annual 3.3 BILLION dollars. 3.3 billion dollars that he helped bring in by the advent of the Winter Classic, oversea games and the creation of the entire playoff system we have watched for years now. Again, all such smart moves.
Just some thoughts from a different perspective.
-Veejay22
