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5:58 PM EST, 11/04/2005
Buoyant Bettman says new NHL season "remarkable" given year away
WASHINGTON (CP) - NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, proclaiming the new hockey season a "remarkable" story after the bitter year-long lockout, said Friday a more fluid, action-packed game is paying off.
Five weeks in, attendance is strong in most markets with five per cent more fans and television ratings are up, especially in Canada.
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"Oh, do I love Canada," Bettman told a National Press Club lunch crowd, noting that ratings have risen 50 per cent on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada and a whopping 200 per cent on TSN since the 2003-04 season.
"Who ever believed it could come back this strong? Actually we did," said Bettman, who also credited avid, knowledgeable fans and a total overhaul of the league's economic system which features a salary cap.
"Now the team's ability to compete is based upon its hockey, front office and team-building skills, not on the team's ability to pay," he said. "We have emerged as partners with our players and our fans."
Still, there are trouble spots, including low ratings for hockey on the Outdoor Life Network in the United States.
The Washington Capitals have had dismal crowds. The Buffalo Sabres and the New Jersey Devils have had a lot of empty seats.
But Bettman was buoyant, noting hockey is king in many U.S. cities such as Philadelphia and Detroit.
"Our fans have set an all-time attendance for the month of October and we're playing to over 91 per cent of capacity.
"Mere months ago, this league faced what some - not we, but some - characterized as the worst crisis in our history."
High ticket prices, instability of franchises and the widening gap between "have and have-not" teams required a revolutionary approach, said Bettman.
"There were simply too many bankruptcies and too many owners who had enough of losing money or not being competitive and too many fans distracted by our problems.
"Things had to get fixed and this conviction was shared by all 30 of our teams."
Canadian teams, said Bettman, "are doing spectacularly well."
"The way this system now works, all teams can be competitive in terms of talent on the ice," he said.
"All franchises can be not only survivors but fully competitive teams under the new NHL," and the new revenue-sharing program means Canadian teams won't suffer because of a lower dollar compared with the U.S.
But Bettman doesn't forsee a return to small-market Canadian teams such as Winnipeg or Quebec City.
"That's not something we're looking at right now. It's not on the radar screen."
There are fewer fights now, said Bettman, down 40 per cent from the last season.
"You're seeing less fighting because the game's more wide open."
On other issues, Bettman said he expected new, cooler uniforms for the start of the next NHL season.
Asked about Congress considering steroid testing for professional athletes, Bettman said it would be hard to do in hockey with one-third of players from outside the country.
"We don't think performance-enhancing drugs is much of an issue," he said, calling a "one-size fits all program for all sports "a little over-reactive."
Buoyant Bettman says new NHL season "remarkable" given year away
WASHINGTON (CP) - NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, proclaiming the new hockey season a "remarkable" story after the bitter year-long lockout, said Friday a more fluid, action-packed game is paying off.
Five weeks in, attendance is strong in most markets with five per cent more fans and television ratings are up, especially in Canada.
Click here to find out more!
"Oh, do I love Canada," Bettman told a National Press Club lunch crowd, noting that ratings have risen 50 per cent on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada and a whopping 200 per cent on TSN since the 2003-04 season.
"Who ever believed it could come back this strong? Actually we did," said Bettman, who also credited avid, knowledgeable fans and a total overhaul of the league's economic system which features a salary cap.
"Now the team's ability to compete is based upon its hockey, front office and team-building skills, not on the team's ability to pay," he said. "We have emerged as partners with our players and our fans."
Still, there are trouble spots, including low ratings for hockey on the Outdoor Life Network in the United States.
The Washington Capitals have had dismal crowds. The Buffalo Sabres and the New Jersey Devils have had a lot of empty seats.
But Bettman was buoyant, noting hockey is king in many U.S. cities such as Philadelphia and Detroit.
"Our fans have set an all-time attendance for the month of October and we're playing to over 91 per cent of capacity.
"Mere months ago, this league faced what some - not we, but some - characterized as the worst crisis in our history."
High ticket prices, instability of franchises and the widening gap between "have and have-not" teams required a revolutionary approach, said Bettman.
"There were simply too many bankruptcies and too many owners who had enough of losing money or not being competitive and too many fans distracted by our problems.
"Things had to get fixed and this conviction was shared by all 30 of our teams."
Canadian teams, said Bettman, "are doing spectacularly well."
"The way this system now works, all teams can be competitive in terms of talent on the ice," he said.
"All franchises can be not only survivors but fully competitive teams under the new NHL," and the new revenue-sharing program means Canadian teams won't suffer because of a lower dollar compared with the U.S.
But Bettman doesn't forsee a return to small-market Canadian teams such as Winnipeg or Quebec City.
"That's not something we're looking at right now. It's not on the radar screen."
There are fewer fights now, said Bettman, down 40 per cent from the last season.
"You're seeing less fighting because the game's more wide open."
On other issues, Bettman said he expected new, cooler uniforms for the start of the next NHL season.
Asked about Congress considering steroid testing for professional athletes, Bettman said it would be hard to do in hockey with one-third of players from outside the country.
"We don't think performance-enhancing drugs is much of an issue," he said, calling a "one-size fits all program for all sports "a little over-reactive."
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