NHLFA co-founder Jim Boone asks Gary Bettman to retire as commissioner of the NHL
Up until a few hours ago, I was not even aware of the existence of the NHL Fans’ Association. However, such an organization does exist. The group was founded in 1998 in order to give hockey fans in North America a way to express their views on the NHL.
Today, the NHLFA and co-founder Jim Boone, are making hockey headlines. In a blog post on The Hockey News, Boone has written an open letter to Gary Bettman and politely asked him to retire from his position as commissioner of the NHL.
In the blog, Boone writes:
The time has come for you to retire as the commissioner of the NHL while you carry some respect.
There is a noticeable, growing groundswell developing among fans who want a new commissioner of their sport. As we both know, fans are the most important stakeholder in the NHL with the quietest voice. (You know my feelings about your track record when it comes to fan relations, but there’s no need to revive that dead horse today.)
If you truly care about the NHL, you would seize the moment and exit gracefully before the next round of CBA negotiations starts heating up. And what better time to usher in a new leader of the league than when the NHL Players’ Association is undergoing a governance review and is leaderless for the next few months? There’s no risk to the league when the NHL’s nemesis – the NHLPA – is in organizational turmoil.
I ask that you resign before January 1, 2010. If you are still in office in the new year, I will organize the 30,000 members of NHL Fans’ Association to encourage the NHL governors to replace you as commissioner. We feel that a new commissioner would be the best thing for the NHL.
You can read the post in its entirety at TheHockeyNews.com.
What do you guys think of this request?
