The lack of a television deal with ESPN is now the No. 1 gripe in hockey today. Players complain about it. General managers complain about it. Coaches complain about it, and fans truly complain about it in most vulgar terms.
ESPN has the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball, NASCAR, college football, WNBA, soccer, golf, tennis, poker, hunting and fishing and some sport that requires big, burly men to pull a bus.
But there is no NHL on that channel. Can hockey be a sport if it isn’t on ESPN?
Bettman has to get the NHL on ESPN in 2008-09, or we do have to hold him accountable. This can’t be about the money. He doesn’t have to give ESPN exclusive rights. If Versus wants games, let the network have some. Let’s be like other sports, and spread the games around. But make sure the sport has ESPN’s stamp of approval.