Summer 2025: NHL Offseason

[That Aud Smell]

1 hour ago, shrader said:

That may be the first time I've ever heard it.

But as for Bettman, the moment he became self aware, he became the greatest commissioner in sports.  They're all so boring, but at least he played into the booing.

As much as I harbour sports-hate for the guy ... I have to admit this is correct. He became something like a pro wrestling "heel" in a suit.

[triumph_communes]

I still can’t get over his gaslighting over the animated board ads. Boo Bettman 

[shrader]

38 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

As much as I harbour sports-hate for the guy ... I have to admit this is correct. He became something like a pro wrestling "heel" in a suit.

And he plays it so well. I don’t know a thing about the guys running baseball and bouncyball these days, but Bettman was the first one to show some personality. 

[That Aud Smell]

12 minutes ago, shrader said:

And he plays it so well. I don’t know a thing about the guys running baseball and bouncyball these days, but Bettman was the first one to show some personality. 

Adam Silver is an interesting character. He appeared on Pardon My Take (a Barstool podcast, if you're unfamiliar) at least once and acquitted himself pretty well, I thought. He exhibited a sense of humour, anyway. PMT also had the baseball commissioner on -- I don't recall his name and found his appearance to be excruciatingly dull.

[shrader]

5 minutes ago, That Aud Smell said:

Adam Silver is an interesting character. He appeared on Pardon My Take (a Barstool podcast, if you're unfamiliar) at least once and acquitted himself pretty well, I thought. He exhibited a sense of humour, anyway. PMT also had the baseball commissioner on -- I don't recall his name and found his appearance to be excruciatingly dull.

All I know about Silver is that he looks like the scream painting. So he does get some points for that. 

[ponokasabre]

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/buffalo-sabres-team-preview-can-they-break-the-rebuild-curse/

[PerreaultForever]

1 hour ago, ponokasabre said:

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/buffalo-sabres-team-preview-can-they-break-the-rebuild-curse/

Their 3 questions are pretty much the same questions we all have. I'd add can Quinn be something as a 4th question and then my biggest question I'm still asking (every year) and that is what are they? What's the team identity? What exactly is the system and what do they want it to be? 

It seems to me for success you decide an identity and then you build for that identity and play that way. We seem to just rotate bodies and ideas and try to let something develop, but it never does. 

[Taro T]

29 minutes ago, PerreaultForever said:

Their 3 questions are pretty much the same questions we all have. I'd add can Quinn be something as a 4th question and then my biggest question I'm still asking (every year) and that is what are they? What's the team identity? What exactly is the system and what do they want it to be? 

It seems to me for success you decide an identity and then you build for that identity and play that way. We seem to just rotate bodies and ideas and try to let something develop, but it never does. 

Ruff used to do it the right way - see what he has and then design and implement a system that the players he has can be successful at.  He had several different systems (at least 3) throughout that 1st 16 or so years he was the HC.  

Not sure if it's the game passing him by, the assistants he had being unable to actually implement a system, or the trip to Europe (that really can't be used as an excuse beyond early November especially when the team was in a playoff spot by late November (but back out of one by the end of that month)), but he did not do that, at least not successfully, last year.

With Reimer between the pipes, they started to gel, but until it's demonstrated to not have been because they were playing more relaxed with nothing to realistically play for and their opponents being unable to avoid the 'we don't take these guys seriously' letdown will have to assume those are the reasons they had some degree of success down the stretch and it wasn't because a winning system was installed down the stretch.

[LabattBlue]

4 hours ago, shrader said:

And he plays it so well. I don’t know a thing about the guys running baseball and bouncyball these days, but Bettman was the first one to show some personality. 

Wasn’t Goodell the frontrunner in this regard?  I always felt Bettman was trying to mimic him.  

[Taro T]

3 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

Wasn’t Goodell the frontrunner in this regard?  I always felt Bettman was trying to mimic him.  

Goodell took office in 2006.  Bettman in 1993.  Who was mimicking whom?

[LabattBlue]

18 minutes ago, Taro T said:

Goodell took office in 2006.  Bettman in 1993.  Who was mimicking whom?

Im referring to the draft schtick.  I don’t remember Bettman playing to the crowd boos prior to Goodell regardless of who was commissioner first. 

[Taro T]

18 minutes ago, LabattBlue said:

Im referring to the draft schtick.  I don’t remember Bettman playing to the crowd boos prior to Goodell regardless of who was commissioner first. 

Honestly not sure when he started leaning into them.  But he's been getting booed heavily since at least '99 and likely going all the way back to '93.  It's an annual rite of early summer.  Bettman shows up and the boo birds come out in force.