Walt gets angrier by the day at the elfin Gary Bettman, American head of the "National" Hockey League, the one who has presided over -- and been largely responsible for -- the decline and near demise of the world's greatest sport.
Attention was first called to Bettman's follies in The Death of Hockey, by Jeff Z. Klein and Karl-Eric Reif (Macmillan Canada 1998). [It should be noted that in spite of the Canadian publishing imprint, Messrs Klein and Reif are Buffalonians or Buffaloites or whatever denizens of Buffalo are called. Ed.]
Their book followed on the NHL lockout of 1994-5, which resulted in a shortened season. But it preceded the lockout of 2004-5, which caused the loss of an entire season. 2005 marked the first time the Stanley Cup was not competed for since the great flu epidemic of 1919. Here's Canuck comedian Rick Mercer's analysis.
But that's history, eh. Why bring it up now? Because with Bitchman, as in all of life, history repeats itself. Apparently not satisfied with having failed to destroy the NHL in two attempts, (to the benefit of the NBA from whence he came), the mighty midget has caused yet another lockout this year -- the third on his watch. The comments of Messrs Klein, Reif and Mercer are as trenchant today as they were when first published.
Want another opionion? Try this one: NHL Lockout: Work Stoppage Makes Gary Bettman Worst Commissioner in US [sic] Sports
And don't forget Walt's post of a few days ago: Hockey lovers should throw pucks at Bettman until he goes to hell or the NBA. So it has been written. Now let it be done!
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