CHICAGO – Sorry, Toronto. Gary Bettman says you won’t be getting a National Hockey League team after all.
Another one, that is.
"I don’t believe everything I read," the NHL commissioner said Wednesday evening in Chicago, in reference to a recent Globe and Mail story that quoted unnamed NHL governors citing interest in putting another team in Toronto. "And I don’t believe things that cite anonymous sources."
The Globe story laid the groundwork for a second team to play out of the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, the success of which is not at all far fetched.
"The story, in its fundamental premise that this is a matter of league discussion, is absolutely incorrect," Bettman stated. "We’re not looking to relocate right now, we’re not looking to expand. Anyone who is suggesting that we’re doing either of those two things is making it up as they go along."
Those were Bettman’s strongest comments in a press briefing that came on the eve of Thursday’s general managers meetings at the Airport Hilton in Chicago, a meeting described by the commissioner as not having "anything overwhelming or traumatic on the agenda."
The Toronto angle is a sexy one, to be sure, and it may prove a long-term solution for the NHL. With the U.S. economy in trouble and the dollar in Canada – where six of the NHL’s top seven revenue teams reside – falling into the low 80-cent range, revenues could be down. That could be bad news in U.S. markets like Phoenix, Atlanta and Florida that already hemorrhage money.
For now however, Bettman remains steadfast that new revenues can offset the dollar for the 2008-09 season. If he can pull that off, Bettman should be seconded by Wall St.
"We are obviously aware of what is going in the economy," he said. "We have no doubt that if this continues… it will impact every business, every industry, including ours. As we stand here today, we have not seen any material impact. It doesn’t mean we think we’re immune to it.
"Our attendance is up. Our season tickets are up. We’re still selling sponsorships, and making marketing partnerships," he continued. "To the extent that there are some clubs that have experienced softness, that’s nothing new for those clubs. Nobody is in any jeopardy."
Clearly though, if six of the top NHL revenue-earners take a 15 per cent hit on their player costs due to the falling dollar, that will impact overall league revenues. Add that to decreased walk-up sales in many American markets where the entertainment dollar is being weakened by job losses and economic woes, and it is hard to believe that the $56.7 million salary cap will not come down for next season.
Bettman was in the seats to watch the Blackhawks take on the visiting Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night. On Thursday the GMs and their assistant GMs will meet to discuss several orders of business:
* In the aftermath of the death of Russian player Alexei Cherepanov, the GMs will discuss whether additional testing should be conducted on all players in hopes of discovering any medical conditions before the season begins.
* Discussion on the NHL Premiere in Europe next year, where it is believed that Prague will again be one of the cities to host NHL clubs.
* A goaltending equipment review, presided over by hockey operations goaltending supevirsor Kay Whitmore.
* An update on the lack of a transfer agreement with the Russian federation, and on the current standing of the collective bargaining agreement with the NHLPA.
