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Next Nhl President


sajc

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Raise Clarence Campbell from the dead :puke:

yeah !! and rocket richard :lol:

I'd like to see a guy like lamoriello(spelling??) in there. although nhler wouldn't be allowed to sport facial hair :lol:

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the issue isn't Canadian or American (why does it come down to this so often???)

the issue is that they have a passion for hockey. not a passion for players or owners or money or investors or the past or the future.

a passion for the game. period.

i actually think Mike Gartner would be a good choice. or - what if Ken Dryden fails at become the Liberal Leader - he might be a good choice. I like the Lou Lamorello (spelling - i don't know either!) is a good idea. Bud Selig is a bad choice. Glenn Healy is another bad choice. How long until someone recommends Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux?

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Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux would be bad choices. Terrible choices. And it would be a terrible decision for either of them (especially Gretzky) if they took the job.

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the issue isn't Canadian or American (why does it come down to this so often???)

the issue is that they have a passion for hockey. not a passion for players or owners or money or investors or the past or the future.

a passion for the game. period.

i actually think Mike Gartner would be a good choice. or - what if Ken Dryden fails at become the Liberal Leader - he might be a good choice. I like the Lou Lamorello (spelling - i don't know either!) is a good idea. Bud Selig is a bad choice. Glenn Healy is another bad choice. How long until someone recommends Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux?

OMG

LMAO

Imagine! Just imagine if Glen Healy was the next boss of the NHL.

WOW

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what about ted saskin?? hey already half of the players don't like him..he's almost there :lol:

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Who cares, its going to be a lawyer. The days of somebody who knows anything about hockey being the next President is long gone.

Oh wait...didn't Stu Grimson just go back to law school.... maybe there is hope.

I'd say Ken Dryden, but he's too interested in serving his riding as MP

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Who cares, its going to be a lawyer. The days of somebody who knows anything about hockey being the next President is long gone.

That's exactly right! And as it should be. We always complain that the league isn't exposed properly or marketed the right way...well, a hockey guy won't do the job.

A business guy, and a corporate lawyer is very much a business guy, can lead the charge into the corporate world. If that guy surrounds himself and his office with the right hockey people, then it will be a fine operation.

For today's scenario, Bettman is the mouthpiece of the NHL and its corporate partners, the real changes are thought of by hockey people, Colin Campbell, Mike Murphy and the competition commitee. Bettman has a highly-valued opinion that can determine whether anything is implemented, but the idea creation is not in Bettman's duties.

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I agree with GoHabs2002. The NHL is a billion dollar corporation, and leaving it in the hands of some dumb, passionate ex-player is suicide. The NHL needs an educated businessman with a strong marketing background (Bettman studied labor relations). I believe Bettman actually did a pretty good job so far; league revenues increased enourmously under him, he entered new markets (some of them like an Jose and Colombus with great success), there is some great parity throughout the league, and the game experience is currently the best it's been in a long time. Also, although I'm not sure how much credit Bettman should het for this, the junior and college leagues in the US have become much stronger (to a point where many players are considering the NCAA before the CHL), which should help promote hockey to High School and College students.

The only place where I feel he failed (at least so far) is in the marketing aspect. This is a great game, both inside the arena and on television, and it shouldn't be this hard to sell it. I think there's been too little efforts to increase the popularity of the game in the big msrkets, and to develop a taste of this sport in the non-traditional ones. Also, I think there's been too much emphasis on how brutal and physical the game was, when really it isn't; my guess is that many people tuned in expecting to constantly see bone-crushing hits, and were disappointed to see that the game looks nothing like the commercials... not familair with the "real" game, they watched something else.

Edited by CerebusClone
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My pick would be current head of Hockey Canada Bob Nicholson. When he took over that job, the state of amateur hockey in Canada was horrible. Canada rarely did well in international play. After he was in place, he helped develop the Program of Excellence, which saw the bright stars of Canadian hockey identified early in their junior careers and brought together for smaller tournaments like the under-17 and under-18 events, which prepared them for the big world junior tournament. He also went beyond that in giving coaches at all levels help in teaching kids how to play, from an individual point of view as well as a team. The three major junior leagues have never been healthier, and if you look at the USA Hockey, it almost a carbon copy of Nicholson's system, particularly with the under-18 team in Ann Arbor, Michigan. As well, many of the European countries are looking at the Canadian development program for ways to develop their own young players. He's a hockey guy from the bottom up, he understands how the game can and should be played, while also keeping in mind the business side of the equation. If it's good for business, but not for hockey, then he won't sacrifice the game just to make a buck. He'll find a way to keep both sides happy.

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