The Puck Stops Here

In this lockout, I think it is clear that plan A for the NHL has been to lockout the players and wait until the NHLPA accepts the CBA offer that the owners want. So far that plan has failed. It has resulted in the cancellation of one season and the postponement (if not cancellation) of the draft. For Bettman it is pretty clear that plan B was an ill-concieved idea to use replacement players. Now that it is becoming a reality that plan B is necessary, it is becoming clear that this plan won't work. Bob MacKenzie writes about it here. Many owners do not want to use replacement players, not to mention the legal minefield that would have to be traversed to get there.

It looks like Plan C for Bettman might be to actually try to negotiate with the players. This is an unpopular position with the owners. Many hardliners want what they want and theplayers can be damned if the don't agree. Yesterday, Gary Bettman met with the Toronto Maple Leafs to discuss the idea of increased revenue sharing. Information can be found here. The bigger market owners want to part of revenue sharing. That would cut into their profits, and their idea has been that this lockout is a good idea because with a salary cap they will have increased profits. It makes no sense to jeopardize that after losing a season. At least Bettman is doing something, but at this point it will be hard to get the owners to change their tune. A good commissioner should have never let it get to this point in the first place. The NHL has fallen a long way under Bettman's watch - and I see no reason to imagine that this fall is over. That is reason enough to fire him isn't it?