NHL owners reportedly think Bettman “has got to go”

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman set off an absolute firestorm of controversy earlier this week when he and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly held a press conference to answer questions about the Chicago Blackhawks' sexual abuse scandal and the fallout from former Blackhawks' prospect Kyle Beach's interview with TSN's Rick Westhead.

To say that Bettman absolutely fumbled the press conference and created an even bigger problem for the NHL would be the understatement of the century.

Eerything that came out of Bettman's mouth was either worthless or outright offensive. Frankly, as a hockey fan it was a total embarrassment. First off, Bettman contends that the league knew nothing about the allegations until the Blackhawks gave them a "heads up" about Beach's allegations in December, 2020. Daly contradicted Beach's statement saying that the league took no action for five months saying "there was no merit" to Beach's claims.

From there Bettman would defend the NHL's disciplinary actions which most fans feel are/were too light. Bettman dismissed the fact that the Blackhawks' fine of $2 million was not enough, despite the fact that the Arizona Coyotes were fined $3 million plus the loss of draft picks for their role in testing undrafted players. Bettman said both of those fines have "different context and different facts". So... if you're keeping score at home, asking 18 year olds to undergo fitness testing is more punishable than covering up sexual abuse. Got it.

Next Bettman defended the league's decision to allow now disgraced Florida Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville to coach last week despite the fact that the league knew about Quenneville's culpability as it relates to Beach's claims. Bettman said, he didn't want to "prejudge" Quenneville in that moment.

"I suppose people can differ on that point, but he had already coached 867 games since 2010, and I wanted to make sure that no one, including Coach Quenneville, could say that I had prejudged him," Bettman said. "Again, people can disagree on this, but I was focused on the long term, not that one game."

As for Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff and why he avoided punishment, Bettman cited Cheveldayoff's "limited authority" from his time with the Blackhawks as his reasoning for essentially allowing Cheveldayoff to get off scot free.

Finally, when asked if the NHL will publicly commit to providing counselling to the former teenager who was abused by Aldirch, Bettman responded that he'd "need more information," before making any commitment. Um... Aldrich was convicted for assaulting the boy in 2014, what more information do you need Gary?

All of this is to say that Bettman has absolutely dropped the ball as a leader once again. This guy has locked out the players and looked the other way on so many situations and yet he continues to run the world's biggest hockey league. Why?

Well... if you're like me and you want Bettman out, you're not alone. NHL mega-agent Alan Walsh ripped into Bettman on his latest podcast and reported that NHL team owners are beginning to turn on him finally.

From Walsh himself:

"We got lawyer Gary playing word games, insulting reporters, insulting Sheldon Kennedy, it was just outrageous, the farce that happened yesterday and I think in many peoples minds, including NHL owners, that solidified the moment where everybody started saying in a cascading effect, this guy has got to go".

"Let's say it the way it is, Gary Bettman despises the players. He does, and everything he does shows us that".

"When Gary Bettman was asked about the fine and it was compared to ARI with the draft prospects and the draft circumvention and he said, different context, different facts."

"The message he sent by saying those words is that circumventing Gary Bettman's precious salary cap is more egregious than sexual assault of a player".

Alan Walsh

Amen, Walshy!

But, unfortunately... as much as I'd love to see Bettman ousted... I'll believe it when I see it.