SCHMITT: Bettman must be in his glory

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June 20, 2009

BY TIM SCHMITT The Niagara Gazette Sat Jun 20, 2009, 10:43 PM EDT

Give Gary Bettman his due — the National Hockey League commissioner had a pretty good run the past 10 days or so.

The league opened the week with a fantastic finish to a thrilling Stanley Cup finals, one that anointed a new king in Sidney Crosby, and came complete with a plunked crossbar in the final minutes. This was great hockey through and through, and the Pens — whom I’ll admit I picked against — proved they’re much more than a two-man team.

Also, Bettman got word that the U.S. ratings for Game 7 were the highest of any hockey game since the 1973 finals between Montreal and Chicago.

Oh, and don’t forget that the commish won in a Phoenix court against Jerry Jones, er, Jim Balsillie, keeping the status quo for the time being and giving the Coyotes a chance to find new ownership that will keep them in the desert.

Not bad for a guy many were writing an epitaph for a few weeks ago.

The bad news for Bettman is he’s won the battle, but still losing the war. With the Canadian population now squarely behind a push to bring another franchise north of the border, an already unpopular commissioner is in danger of completely losing the masses.

He needs to become more vocal — and appear sincere — in his push for more Canadian involvement. And quick.

Market study doesn’t make sense

Speaking of hockey, sorry if I’m holding off on the doom-and-gloom scenario put forth by a Business First study that insists Buffalo is one of the six NHL markets in danger of financial failure.

The study, which notes a number of Western New York’s trouble areas like low personal income and scarce population, neglects to include how saturated the area is with hockey fans. For example, the Coyotes often earn a minute TV market share for broadcasts, languishing behind the likes of NASCAR, minor golf and even MLS.

Here, that’ll never happen, no matter how bad the team gets.

And while the Sabres claim to have lost $9 million last year, that number is skewed because they missed the playoffs. A trip to, say, the second round would have probably made the season a profitable one.

Oh, and don’t forget that the Buffalo Bandits, the best drawing team in the National Lacrosse League, are under the same ownership. And they pay those players peanuts.

Losman will resurrect career

Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad he’s gone, but watch for J.P. Losman to resurrect his career in the new United Football League.

Losman was always the wrong guy for a team that preached safe, smart passes and never put a good line in front of him.

In the new league, though, the opposition won’t be as stiff and all those traits we assumed would eventually make Losman a good NFL quarterback will make him a great one in the UFL.

And with some confidence and a big season or two under his belt, Losman will get one more crack at the big time.

He’ll fail miserably again, by the way.

Contact sports editor Tim Schmitt at 282-2311, ext. 2266.

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