The Dreary Business of the Hockey Business

As a blogger with an eye for all things hockey, I'm supposed to care what happens to the Phoenix Coyotes.

But I don't.

I tried following the bankruptcy process for a few days, and quickly tired of the eye-glazing legal details, the inevitable delays, the billionaire's crass attempt to wrap himself in the Canadian flag, and the usual shell game of trying to parse Gary Bettman's special brand of corporate speak.

By then, the media coverage was starting to get absurd. Last week, Canadian sports reporters were blogging live from the bankruptcy court in Phoenix, providing breathless updates on which lawyer was droning on about which deposition.

I decided to ignore it all and watch the playoffs instead. Which earns me a failing grade in hockey civics class, I guess.

Bettman versus Balsillie might be "journalistic gold," as one columnist puts it. But if you're into hockey because you like hockey, it's a bore.

Granted, this is a big story for fans in Phoenix, who stand to lose a team, and Hamilton, who might gain one.

And yes, it's an Important Story, possibly setting a landmark precedent for future NHL franchise moves.

The business of hockey has a direct and pivotal effect on how the game is played on the ice. There's no denying that. We're all supposed to follow the Important Stories, and furrow our brows over the details.

If I were a good hockey citizen, I'd take it all very seriously, and dig through the morass of the ongoing Coyotes story and its implications for Gary Bettman's stewardship of the game.

I'd rather accept the NHL for what it is: a private club operated at the whim of 30 owners and a head office that makes the Chinese Politburo look like a model of open government. The rest of us are free to take it or leave it.

The private club makes plenty of decisions I don't like. I don't like the salary cap. I don't like the double standard applied to head shots. The list goes on.

Life goes on as well. Next season beckons.

I'm glad plenty of reporters and bloggers are out there delving into the details of Bettman versus Balsillie. It's an Important Story.

But it's no odds to me whether the team opens next season as the Phoenix Coyotes, Hamilton Rivets, or Kitchener Meat By-Products. And I suspect many other fans feel the same.

(Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)