Devil's Advocate: taking a position one does not necessarily agree with for the sake of argument. This process can also be used to test the quality of the original argument and identify weaknesses in its structure.


Well the occurrences of the past week have certainly shifted focus back onto the Coyotes, and unfortunately it’s not because they’re still battling it out in the playoffs. As it stands right now, the two viable purchasers of the franchise that would keep the club in Glendale have backed out of the process leaving the NHL, the owner of the franchise, with only a purchase agreement with Canadian billionaire David Thomson as a “sure thing” for them. The latter of course is understood to be contingent on the club moving back to Winnipeg, not remaining in the Phoenix area. While this is no guarantee that this scenario will happen, it is certainly the closest the NHL has been to returning to Winnipeg in a long time (aside from that this past February when Bettman was trying to find someone to buy the Atlanta Thrashers to relocate there, but we’ll ignore that!).

Now should this come to pass, there are going to be many people looking to call out Bettman on how this was never going to work and suggest that this move will result in Gary having “egg on his face”. While I count myself as someone who certainly views Bettman’s overall expansion plan with a great deal of suspicion and questions it’s feasibility in some cases, I’m going to set that aside for the time being and play the “Devil’s Advocate” around some of the comments being thrown around regarding Bettman on this issue. Agree? Disagree? Let me know. Just remember: I may not agree either!


1. Bettman knows the gig is up! They already have Winnipeg on the schedule for next season!

Well hold up! This is not a sign of Bettman giving up on anything or making any kind of admission! Make no mistake: remaining in Glendale is a priority for the NHL if for no other reason than a return on investment given the amount of money they have dumped into keeping the league from being relocated in the past two years! Rather, this is a sign of responsible management, something many people are quick to accuse the NHL of lacking. As I previously stated, the NHL has a purchase agreement ready to go with a buyer who would move the team to Winnipeg for next year. While the league is not saying this is going to happen, why not be prepared should it come to fruition? Thus, in addition to a schedule including Phoenix, create a schedule with Winnipeg that could be thrown into action if needed. Makes sense.



2. Bettman’s US expansion plan was a failure and this proves it!

This argument hinges on two things that we will take one at a time. First, it assumes that he calls the shots. This is perhaps this biggest misconception of his role in the league. While I’m sure he does have the ability to speak freely and offer ideas, suggestions and directions for the league and its operations, it is the owners who call the shots, not Gary! He is effectively a figurehead for the owners, a single public representative speaking to the wishes of the 30 franchises. This is not to say that I believe his hands are clean on this, as I’m sure he holds some sway in the room. However, it is ultimately the owners decision to expand, where to expand, to whom the teams will go to and how the expansion will occur (new team or relocation).

Second, this also assumes that Bettman spearheaded the expansion movement, which is false. Bettman was hired in 1993. Before he was hired, San Jose and Tampa Bay had already been awarded teams, while franchises in Anaheim and Florida had been decided on and were about to be announced. Under his watch Minnesota goes to Dallas (success pretty much), Quebec goes to Colorado (another success), Hartford goes to Carolina (they’ve won a cup and have built a successful base), Nashville and Atlanta have been awarded team in the south, but then Minnesota and Columbus get teams in the north. The Phoenix comes from Winnipeg and may head back. So if anything, his tenure was not the start of expansion, was defined more by relocation, and of the teams where expansion has occurred it’s an even 50/50 split between northern and southern US. To call this his plan is inaccurate. It’s a continuation of a plan that was already in place when he arrived.

Now, reports around the financial state of these franchises as a whole suggests that there are many of them who are in some serious problems. This cannot be denied. But is it Bettman’s fault? After all, he’s just the representative, not the one who tells the owners what to do. He can counsell. He can suggest. He can argue for certain approaches. But ultimately it is the call of the owners and thus he cannot bear the brunt of the blame. But he’ll take it, and rightfully so. It’s what he’s paid to do!


3. It will be a blow to his ego to move a team back to Winnipeg!

Was it a blow to his ego to award a franchise to Minnesota after their team was re-located to Dallas, something that occurred during his tenure? Not really! Was it a blow to his ego this past winter when he met with representatives from Quebec City around bringing a franchise back upon a new arena being built, a talk that while not definitive sounded quite promising? Hell no! Fact is, as much as it ended up not working out in Phoenix, a lot of things have changed north of the border too. How about a new arena? Check. A Canadian dollar at par with the US greenback as opposed to only worth 60 to 70 cents? Check. A billionaire owner ready to pony up and support the team? Check. How about in Phoenix? Well the dollar has dropped considerably across the country, the owners constructed an arena in a very inaccessible suburb of the city, and as a whole the team has not been that great in its time there. When you’ve got professional baseball, basketball, football and the college equivalents of all three in town, a sub-par hard to get to hockey team is not going to rake in the bucks. As it stands right now, Winnipeg makes much more sense than Phoenix! If it was all about ego (nevermind making the assumption that it’s his call to make anyways) he’d not have an agreement in principle sitting there with Thompson anyhow.

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So that’s the “Devil’s Advocate” argument! Does any of this ring true or hollow to you? Have at it in the comments and let’s see how this plays out over the next little while!

Shawn Gates
[email protected]
Twitter: ShawnHockeybuzz
Facebook: Shawn Gates
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