May 29,2009, Gary Bettman story for Metro (NY) Newspaper
Skating on thin ice
Commish forced to defend NHL on brink of finals
Gary Bettman could not ask for more.
The defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings are taking on the hottest team and the hottest player on the planet in Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Stanley Cup finals, which start Saturday night. It seems like the perfect ending to a perfect postseason.
"I always refrain from anointing anything the penultimate. This is clearly one of the best playoffs competitively and one of the best playoffs in recent times," Bettman told Metro last week. "Look at the series. Look the number of Game 7s that we’ve had. Look at the number of lead changes. Look at the number of come-from-behind victories. That’s why I’m saying it."
Yet, it’s still not good enough. Not good enough for NBC, which forced the league to crunch Games 1 and 2 on back-to-back nights for the first time in 54 years. And certainly not good enough for the average sports fan, who can’t even enjoy a Game 7.
Both of Carolina Hurricanes’ Game 7’s were virtually invisible. The games weren’t on Versus or the NHL Network. Bettman, though, says no big deal.
“The criticism of Versus is really unfounded. [It] has been overdone and is irrelevant,” Bettman said. “They’re doing a terrific job covering the playoffs.”
According to Nielsen, though, Versus had done a 0.5 rating (721,000 viewers) and NBC had a 1.1 rating (1.8 million viewers) for the playoffs. Compare that to NBA ratings, which are setting records across the board. TNT’s NBA ratings have earned a 2.7 rating.
When it comes to regular season flubs, there's no team draining the NHL more than the Islanders. Bettman has supported Islanders’ owner Charles Wang’s proposed Lighthouse Project. The plan calls for the rejuvenation of the acreage surrounding the Nassau Coliseum and the building’s across-the-board upgrade. However, due to political wrangling, the project is in limbo. In response, Wang publicly bemoaned his financial losses while as owner and suggested that if he had to do it over again, he would not have purchased the Islanders.
The commissioner had strong criticism for the political entities that have caused the project to stall.
“We are still awaiting the approval from the town of Hempstead and Nassau County so this project can move forward. From our standpoint, it’s taking longer than anybody could have imagined for this project to get a shovel in the ground and get the reality that we’re all hoping is there for Nassau County, for Long Island and for the Islanders.
“My point of view is less relevant than Mr. Wang. And from his point of view, I’m sure it has been frustrating because I don’t think he ever envisioned that it would take this long. (Without) his commitment to Long Island and the Islanders, this franchise would not have been able to survive. He has given so much of himself emotionally and financially; his efforts have been extraordinary. And to still find himself in a position that he doesn’t have a green light to move project is unfathomable to me.”
25%
Versus reaches 75.3 million homes, according to Nielsen. That’s about 25 percent less than the number reached by ESPN, the same network Bettman refused to partner with after the lockout.
posted by Denis P. Gorman at 10:57 AM
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