Photo Courtesy of Alex Snell

The Commissioner is Offside for trying to cover the blueline with hundreds if not thousands of little white lies. So much so, the blue paint is being obstructed by a WhiteOut only rivaled by the original created in Winnipeg (not Phoenix nor Penn State).

The move against Gary Bettman may already be slowly starting.

NHL Board of Governors are starting to sing a different and gloomier tune, albeit without going on the record (for now). Leaks that have fed most of these gloomy franchise stories over the past year come from somewhere "in the know" since these leaks have turned out for the most part to be true. ie. Phoenix being bailed out by the league.

And some "leaks" seem to outwardly challenge the NHL Head Office such as Nashville's recent public report that team dollars may be funneled to buy its’ own tickets to qualify for revenue sharing. If nothing else, it makes the NHL look like it is on shaker ground than what NHL leadership is portraying. I can only imagine the type of call Gary Bettman made to Predators owner David Freeman that day!

Some reporters have said that unnamed BOGs were fine with the NHL passing out rosy glasses and singing happy tunes to the media and public, but they got frustrated when their leader started to say the same things inside their closed door meetings. The media suggests that it is the NHL upholding franchise values by doing so. But the NHL is undermining their credibility and that of hockey itself. This is something you can’t easily restore when you really need it. And that time is coming.

The real and priceless reason why there isn't anyone from inside the NHL calling out Gary Bettman on some of his statements: Fines! The BOG can't openly challenge Gary Bettman or even go on record as differing in their personal points of view because the Commissioner will impose fines as he has in the past. Don’t try it; but imagine fining your bosses?

Now much like breaking team curfew, if one or two players do it, they get a stiff bodycheck by the team. However, if a whole bunch of players decided to sneak out then it's called "team-building" not breaking curfew. This is the critical mass effect and it works with BOGs and Commissioners as it does with head coaches and players.

So far the pot has simmered, but the economy, or lack thereof, may be the trigger to this critical mass.

The media already report the Commissioner’s statements with obvious contempt. They see the NHL headquarters as more of a glorified cheerleader rallying support for the accused than an institution with a steadfast foundation. Look for the media to soon cut to the chase and report more and more comments from the 30 BOGs on the record or off.

On the other hand is NHLPA Executive Dirctor Paul Kelly, who prosecuted Alan Eagleson for US Justice. So he knows a thing or two about honesty and integrity. He has nothing to gain by hiding NHL problems. In fact, his players have money to gain if these problems are exposed, troubled teams run out of options and are moved to places where losses may be turned to break-evens, or even profits overnight. This is more of an open-heart surgery approach to patient care rather than the “let-it-work-itself-out” approach to medicine from which the league clings.

That is why the escrow went up almost double without any move to hide it. The players have little to conceal and even less reason to do so. Doing so may cost the NHL a team to foreclosure and many player jobs to go with it. Soon the NHLPA may become the fans only avenue for true NHL news, should the NHL continue to cover small white lies with necessarily bigger and bigger ones.

And entering the next labour agreement which is just 3 years away, the fans and media know all to well how much it helps having credibility on your side.

That’s when the cheerleading begins in earnest.

If you have a different perspective or simply want to let go some steam, log into the Manitoba Mythbuster Forum and have your say.

Chris
Chair, Manitoba Mythbusters
www.ManitobaMythbusters.com
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