With the NHL targeting a 2020-21 season start date of January 13th, at least one person believes NHL commissioner Gary Bettman took a chance that didn't pan out for the first time in a while.
"My personal opinion is Gary Bettman made a bet," said agent Allan Walsh during a recent appearance on the Spittin' Chiclets podcast. "That by December or January the pandemic would be past us and we would be able to put, at least at the beginning of the season, about 25 percent capacity of fans into buildings and very soon thereafter move to 50 percent. That was the thinking back in June and July as the deal was being consummated and my feeling is that Gary, for the first time in a long time, made bets that didn't pan out."
Several reports have stated that some owners aren't happy with the new collective bargaining agreement signed just before the start of the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs. Walsh addressed that.
"I think a lot of people don't appreciate the dynamic that takes place on the league's side," said Walsh. "Gary has an executive committee of the board of governors which are 8 owners. The rest of the owners are very much out of the loop as to the progress of negotiations, very little information is shared. How do I know? Because some of them are calling me and asking me what I know, and I was flabbergasted to get some of those calls."
Walsh was asked about reports stating Boston Bruins' owner Jeremy Jacobs was among the most vocal of the owners not happy with the negotiation process and the last CBA. He would not state on the record whether he knew anything about that.
