NHL versus Rangers the latest insanity

June 23, 2008   ·   Derek Felix   ·   Jump to comments

You know it’s gone to hell when the NHL gestapo starts making threats to get rid of the Rangers’ ownership due to a difference in philosophy regarding what’s appropriate for the league’s 30 team websites.

To quote a star from another sport, “We talkin’ about WEBSITES!”

Are they freaking kidding here?!?!?!?!?! I wish I could say NHL commish Gary Bettman was but apparently he’s really lost his mind. Granted. There’s no way he’s making the decision himself but why should the league have full control over what the 30 teams put on their sites? Aren’t they supposed to be for the fans? Considering the cost of tickets these days as the league continues to rake it in since they got their wish a few years ago, aren’t the fans being forgotten about?

Without us to fill up arenas, where would this league be? Nowhere! It’s nice to know that at least the Rangers want to give their fans something because when it comes to ridiculous costs, few teams compare with what Jim Dolan is getting away with. We’re talking crazy playoff prices which defied logic. What if they had made say the Conference Finals or even the Cup Final? Not every fan would’ve been able to afford it.

So whose responsibility is it? Ah but wait. Higher ticket costs have become a common theme in the salary cap NHL. As it turned out, ‘cost certainty’ was just a way to put more money into the league’s and owners’ pockets. Unfortunately, that excluded fans. So, who pays through the roof after an entire 2003-04 season went up in flames? You guessed it.

What does this have to do with this latest preposterous issue between Bettman Inc. and Dolanvision? Just this. It’s the same ass backwards approach which is coming from league headquarters. To even contemplate actually threatening to rid of a team’s ownership over such petty nonsense is just crazy. It speaks to how off the wall the current leadership is.

The same one mind you that thought it was a novel idea to sign over with a network which hasn’t proven it cares enough about the NHL fan. You now know the former OLN as Versus. A station which continues to make mind boggling mistakes. There’s really no need to repeat them because I’ve come to the conclusion that it will only continue. And since they’ll continue airing games over the next six years, there’s not much we can do about it.

By show of hands, who actually prefers the new team sites which have been mandated by the league which for some reason saw fit to oversee all 30 beginning last Fall? To be honest, it’s just not as good. Why must the NHL go and ruin everything? So much for having creativity. Oh wait. This league NEVER does! They wouldn’t know the first thing about marketing if it hit them right between the eyes a la a football to Stuart Scott’s glass eye.

If the league wins this lawsuit, then Dolan could be out. I loathe him about as much as any Ranger/Knicks fans. However, I think the league is taking this way too far. They shouldn’t be threatening to get rid of ownership because of a difference in opinion regarding site control, etc. Why not just go to court and get an official ruling? They already won once in November.

Let’s say the Dolans were out. The league could then do whatever it wanted with the Rangers franchise. This is the marquee American franchise in the biggest market. Having such uncertainty the team which plays in Manhattan wouldn’t be beneficial. It would just be more negative propaganda.

I can’t comprehend what the NHL is trying to do here. They’re coming off their best Stanley Cup ratings since 2002. It would be wiser to go to court and get an official ruling and put this behind them. Instead, it’s just another unnecessary distraction.

I’m baffled beyond belief.