NHL commissioner says fans of all 31 teams think too many calls go against them
Commissioner Gary Bettman also talked about the Olympics, Rogers Place and goaltender interference
Yes, Edmonton will get another chance to host an all-star game or an NHL draft, and, no, despite what fans might think, there is no league bias against the Oilers.
Those were two messages NHL commissioner Gary Bettman brought to town Thursday morning when he held a question-and-answer session with fans at the Sutton Place Hotel.
The session, hosted by the Oilers and the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, kicked off with Bettman talking glowingly about Rogers Place and the emerging ICE District.
"All of this is transformational for Edmonton," he said. "The arena this is a world-class, state-of-the-art arena.
Ice District is model for other cities
"The Ice District is now being modelled in other places. This is a model for what a city can do, to not only revitalize an area of downtown that could use vitalization but [to set] the course for a city for the next 30, 40, 50 years, for generations to come."
Earlier this week, Bettman announced that Vancouver will host the 2019 NHL entry draft. The last time a draft was held in Edmonton was in 1995. Edmonton last hosted an NHL all-star game in 1989.
Credit to <a href="https://twitter.com/bobstauffer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BobStauffer</a> for keeping Gary Bettman loose during their "hot stove" sesh this am. Asked the commish how about a 'perceived bias" by some towards the Oil via lack of calls, & goaltender interference. He said that's how the fans of all 31 teams feel <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NothingToSeeHere?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NothingToSeeHere</a> <a href="https://t.co/ph6mpwLz6i">pic.twitter.com/ph6mpwLz6i</a>
—@MinDhariwal"Draft, all-star game, we're coming," he said. "But the discussions we've had are that we want the Ice District finished, so we can show it off to the world in its completed state. So it's a little bit down the road but events are coming."
Olympic hockey also came up for discussion, since NHL players were not represented in February at the Winter Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. It was the first time in five Winter Olympics that the world's best hockey players haven't played.
Earlier this week, Bettman said he had no regrets about the NHL's decision not to allow players to participate.
"It's been fabulous for the last three weeks, uninterrupted," he said. "We've seen great streaks, great games, great plays. We've had the trade deadline, all of that would have been disrupted, it would have disappeared.
"I can't prognosticate into the future, the next Olympics are a long way off. But the fact is, we have concluded after five different participations, it is very disruptive."
Questions about league bias
The focus then turned toward a heated topic among fans in Edmonton, the NHL's coach's challenge, a rule many believe has hurt the Oilers more than it has helped.
Bettman said despite what some fans may believe, there is no league bias against Edmonton or any other team. He also had a ready answer when asked about the Oilers seemingly losing more coach's challenges and goalie interference calls than they win.
"Every team feels the same way," he said. "And the fact of the matter is, the calls are made on the merits and people who are passionate about their team are going to disagree with the calls."
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"The fact is, the purpose of the rule was to give officials an opportunity to correct an egregious error," he said. "And I think maybe there have been too many coach's challenges on things that are marginal. And marginal judgment calls are always going to be subject to second guessing."
Bettman's next stop is down the highway in Calgary, where he will meet with Flames brass and season ticket holders on Friday.