Bettman: NHL’s Successes Outweigh Ugly Incidents

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman urged fans and critics Thursday to judge the season by what he considers its many successes, not the ugly and widely publicized Marty McSorley incident or the tragic eye injury suffered by Toronto defenseman Bryan Berard.

In discussing the state of the NHL leading up to next week’s playoff openers, Bettman said the league will set an attendance record, penalty minutes have declined 22% from two years ago, more teams will make money this season than last, scoring has increased for the first time since 1992-93 and payrolls will grow by about 4.5%, one of the smallest rises in a decade.

He also proclaimed triumphs for the revised crease rule, which allows attacking players to be in the crease when a goal is scored, and the rule mandating four-on-four play in regular-season overtime games.

“We believe that on balance, this has been an excellent season,” Bettman said. “There have been incidents we would rather not have had, but those incidents do not define the playoffs or the game.”

Bettman said the NHL strongly condemned on-ice misbehavior in suspending McSorley for the rest of the season and playoffs for hitting Vancouver forward Donald Brashear on the temple from behind, and in suspending New Jersey defenseman Scott Niedermayer for 10 games for striking Florida’s Peter Worrell over the head with his stick. “These are two of the harshest penalties in NHL history,” he said. “Those acts do not define our game or the 700 other players who play our game.”

But Bettman acknowledged he was startled to learn that Berard had said he won’t wear a visor if he resumes his career after suffering a possibly blinding blow to his right eye. Players can’t be compelled to wear visors because equipment rules are determined through collective bargaining. Bettman said he asked the NHL Players’ Assn. if it would object to a standard for the tightness of chin straps on helmets, and was told the union would object.

“The NHL’s position is, anything we can do to reduce injuries, especially potentially devastating ones, is something we should work together to effectuate,” Bettman said. “I am going to encourage more protection, but at the same time I’m going to be responsive to players’ needs. I don’t want to draw a line in the sand and say, ‘It’s my way or the highway,’ because we’re going to get the highway.”

Details for NHL players’ participation in the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics have been settled to the satisfaction of the NHL, NHLPA and International Ice Hockey Federation, Bettman said, but the IIHF must reach agreements with the International Olympic Committee and host organizers.

“I think it would be a good thing for the sport to have the greatest players in the world representing their countries in Salt Lake City,” he said.

He’s happy with the scoring increase to 5.5 goals a game from 5.3 last season but Bettman doesn’t favor proposals to increase the number of playoff qualifiers.

“I believe where we are now, with 16 of 28, [and next season] 16 of 30, is better than when it was 16 of 21,” he said. “I love having the regular season this good, and doing anything else with the playoffs is not on the radar screen right now.”

Bettman would not specify how many teams will lose money. Previous estimates have ranged as high as three-quarters of the clubs.

“More teams are making money this year than the year before and my expectation is more will make money next year,” he said. “Even if that bunch consisted of one, I would not be happy. The growth of revenues exceeded salary growth projections . . . [but] my concern is for some clubs, we may see that increase of a base that’s already too high.”