Categories
Dans les coulisses

Jean Perron feels Gary Bettman is “losing control of the NHL”.

SUNRISE, FLORIDA - JUNE 08: Commissioner of the NHL Gary Bettman speaks to media during a press conference prior to Game One of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena on June 08, 2024 in Sunrise, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

It’s been a busy couple of weeks in the NHL. Between a historic Game 7 between the Panthers and Oilers, an amateur draft and the opening of the free agent market, there’s been plenty of action on the Bettman circuit.

Hockey fans got their money’s worth, shall we say.

That said, if we’re talking about game #7 (and the finals in general), we can sense that there was something special about it. The timing of the final may have played a part, but for much of the series, the excitement was absent.

And seeing Linus Ullmark, the reigning Vézina Trophy winner, being traded just minutes before game #7 was also strange.

All this prompted Jean Perron to talk a bit about the situation on a recent episode of La Poche Bleue… and the former Habs coach even said he felt Gary Bettman was losing control of the NHL.

(OBOXADSQ || []).push({“cmd”: “addBanner”});

Our colleagues at HabsEtLNH made the find this morning.

In addition to the Ullmark deal, the former coach also brought up the Conn-Smythe Trophy saga (when Connor McDavid didn’t show up to pick up his trophy) and the Coyotes moving to Utah as signs that the commissioner may not have both hands on the wheel.

At the same time, Bettman has been criticized for years for insisting on keeping the Coyotes in Arizona. I find it hard to say that the league looks bad on the move when it’s been criticized for the opposite for a long time.

That said, I’ll agree with the former coach on one point: it’s true that the league didn’t always look good during the finals. It took a pretty rocky series for there to be interest from the general public (and it’s ridiculous that it was played so late in the year), and the timing of the Ullmark deal wasn’t ideal.

Maybe not to the point of saying that Bettman has lost control of his league… but to the point where there are questions that need to be asked on the NHL side.

Overtime

– Like.

– He’s happy to be back.

– He wants to win… but I guess the $30M over six years didn’t hurt either.

– Impressive.

– Wow.