NHL commissioner Gary Bettman still believes in Atlanta as a hockey market, but the Thrashers have been hurt by ownership squabbles.
Smart, objective businessmen know that when a company goes belly-up, it’s probably not the fault of the minimum-wage schlepp on the assembly line. So it follows that when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was asked about the myriad problems the league’s Atlanta franchise is having, he didn’t point to an underachieving goalie or a failed intern in marketing.
It starts at the top. It always starts at the top.
“Ultimately, the ownership situation has to be straightened out,” Bettman told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “It’s difficult to operate a franchise when owners aren’t getting along. It’s even more difficult in a recession climate. A team has to be at its very best. Issues have to be resolved and everybody has to be together so they can interact with fans. But that’s difficult when the owners aren’t together.”
The …
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