Bettman wants Thrashers’ owners to get their act together

"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 Atlanta Spirit owners want you to believe all is well. But now somebody above them is saying the same thing as everybody below them.

The Spirit long has been defensive about how their structure and courtroom battles have affected their tenure. They’re currently enjoying success with the Hawks. But basketball always has been a
higher priority. The group’s lack of commitment to doing what it takes
to build a winning hockey franchise – and their seeming indifference to
the problems – have worn on Thrashers’ fans and, to a degree, players.
There were several points in negotiations with Ilya Kovalchuk when he
and agent Jay Grossman were getting mixed signals from owner Bruce
Levenson.

The franchise struggles are not going over well with Bettman. He views hockey’s success in Atlanta as an important part of the big picture in the NHL.

The Thrashers are failing on several fronts. They’re 28^th in the league in attendance, averaging 4,000 fans fewer per game in season 10 (13,204, according to inflated announced figures) than in
year one (17,205). They have failed to cultivate new fans. They’ve
burned bridges with old ones. General manager Don Waddell, the only
constant from day one, acknowledges the team will fail to meet
financial mandates from the league, which means it will be docked a
portion of its take from the NHL’s revenue sharing program.

On the ice, it’s no better. If the playoffs opened today, the Thrashers would be on the outside for the ninth time in 10 seasons. They also just traded the face of the franchise, Kovalchuk, to New
Jersey, which leaves the team lacking a marketable star.

Rumors of the franchise being sold and moved are constant. The Spirit have acknowledged only that they have sought to bring in new investors, especially following the expected exit of partner Steve
Belkin. The uncertainty has made for an unstable atmosphere.

Spirit owners have long claimed their litigation has had no effect on the teams. Bettman isn’t convinced.

“Let’s put it this way,” he said. “We can always agree to disagree on how much it hurts. But it certainly doesn’t help.”

Bettman remains confident in the Atlanta market, saying: “Ultimately, I believe when this all gets sorted out, the franchise will be in a better place.”

He then stopped and laughed, realizing it was a poor choice of words, given rumors of a move.

“Can I change that? What I mean is the franchise will be in a better situation.”

He would not discuss whether owners have shopped the Thrashers: “Whether a club is or isn’t on the market, unless the club makes an announcement, we don’t discuss those things publicly. It’s just a
policy of mine.” .....: