Barack Obama pictured at a 2008 rally in North Dakota (courtesy Alex Snell)

It is always a tough time of year for Winnipeg Jet fans. January 19, 1996 was the day officially the NHL approved the move to Phoenix. While the years long fight to save the team was lost before this date, it made the loss official. It was like putting up the tombstone while the victim was still playing out the schedule.

The timing is curious, even if it was going on 14 years ago, that the traditional Inauguration Day is the next day in the United States.

So as Barack Obama takes the oath of office today, thoughts swirl this week about leadership, vision, attitude, change and “righting a wrong” as NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman himself referred to the move out of Winnipeg not that long ago.

Leadership is never shown in good times. Anyone can hold the reigns when things are smooth. Leadership is really only shown and built when things turn for the worst. Some of the most revered leaders are the ones who led during the most difficult times. Four come to mind most quickly; Churchill and the Nazis, Gorbachev and the Berlin Wall, Giuliani and the Twin Towers and JFK and Cuba.

Barack Obama enters the Oval Office with huge problems waiting for him. Some argue that no President outside of both World Wars face such daunting tasks both at home and abroad. As a Canadian, I can only hope for the best for him, since our country has a vested interest seeing a successful American neighbour to the South, let alone a more successful and peaceful world.

So with that backdrop, I wonder about the NHL now and how it faces trouble like no time in its’ entire history with many teams hurting and several more close to closing the arena doors for good.

Several questions come to mind that only a few people can answer. Do the board of governors have the courage to face up to the reality that best laid plans of the past may need to be changed? Has the attitude of “Yes we can!” meant a stubborn, stay-the-course-at-all-costs mentality? Or does “change you can believe in” mean just that: adjust strategy to meet demands of a rapidly changing world? Do they have the strength to see a new vision for this league? The good news is we the fans will get our answers. The bad news is that it may take years for them to surface. Hopefully it won’t be long not only to “right a wrong” but also to bring respect back to the league as a whole entity.

The media and fans clearly see that a change is needed, but will the NHL react in time? Will the Commissioner make the necessary changes to his plans to see the most successful league possible? It may require swallowing a little bit of pride, which will honestly be a short-lived uncomfortable feeling. That decision will be praised and later legacy remembered as “for the good of the game”. Certainly, it will require a lot of hard work from both the NHL and NHLPA.

Iron gains strength when subjected to fire, so does leadership and character. Is the Commissioner willing to take those tough decisions that demonstrate the kind of leadership mentioned earlier? Or given a negative answer above, are the board of governors then willing to step up and take the most difficult decision of all: replace their leader in a time of trouble for one who is willing to take on the burden and lead this great game forward and back to glory.

No agenda, woman or man is bigger than the game. To forget that, would be an unforgivable Offside.

If you think, I’m Offside on this blog, have your say on the newly released version of the Manitoba Mythbusters forum. http://manitobamythbusters.com/forum

Better days are coming!

Chris
Chair, Manitoba Mythbusters
www.ManitobaMythbusters.com
~ The Reality May Excite You! ~