In a world filled with personal agendas and grind-able axes, skepticism can be a valuable tool in the battle for self preservation.
What, exactly, Gary Bettman is trying to preserve right now is anyone's guess as Jim Balsillie continues in his effort to buy into the NHL ownership circle.
In light of today's announcement regarding Balsillie's newest corporate partners, it is officially time that Gary put down the axe, step away from the grinder, and walk a long way back from the forest to bring the trees into clear view. He should do so if for no other reason than to give Friday's announcement the respect that it is due: Two legitimate, reputable and powerful Canadian corporate entities have now aligned with Balsillie in his bid to buy the Phoenix Coyotes.
Labatt has been brewing beer in Canada for 160 years.
It is a company built on good decisions, and one that does not align itself with partners of this magnitude without careful planning and due diligence, so the risk/reward for Labatt, along with Home Hardware in terms of brand reputation is an extremely important factor to consider, and part of the point of this latest exercise. It is one that Bettman must acknowledge in what has become a far more arduous process for a Canadian billionaire than anyone could have imagined.
So what could the NHL commissioner possibly be afraid of that Labatt and Home Hardware are not?
Legitimate possibilities are becoming narrower by the day and at this point, all signs point to power. Money is power, and Jim B. has more of the former than he knows what to do with as the 430th richest man on the planet, according to Forbes magazine.
If that is the case, and this is all about power, then it is a damning indictment of the confidence emanating from the NHL head office in New York.
David Stern surely thought long and hard about granting high profile "musician" Jay-Z admission into the NBA ownership circle when Jay-Z purchased the New Jersey Nets in 2004.
Stern clearly weighed the pros and cons of the deal, and made a decision in the best interests of the NBA as an association, not David Stern as a brand, and the publicity the move garnered was hardly career limiting for the commissioner, although he undoubtedly had no shortage of voices suggesting he rule otherwise.
If Jay-Z can successfully buy into the New Jersey Nets, all the while laying claim to a body of work that includes the song "Moe Money, Moe Cash, Moe Hoes," perhaps Balsillie's strategic partners shouldn’t be Labatt and Home Hardware; they should be the estates of Tupac and Biggy Smalls.
As Jeremy Roenick once said, "Wake up, NHL."