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COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: Good evening, everyone. Welcome to the Stanley Cup Final. Congratulations to the Los Angeles Kings and the New Jersey Devils for earning the right to be here.
We entered the last day of the regular season with 27 possible first?round playoff matchups, which is a testament to the competitive balance that we see in our game. It's also a testament to the two teams that remain: the Kings and the Devils. They are the champions of their respective conferences. Well done to both organizations.
The Kings and the Devils are obviously where 28 other clubs want to be at, this ultimate series of what has been another entertaining, exciting, and suspenseful season.
I congratulate the players, starting with Dustin Brown and Zach Parise. The coaches, starting with Peter DeBoer and Darryl Sutter. Management: Dean Lombardi and Lou Lamoriello.
Each club is four victories from the most revered trophy in sports, the one that without question is the hardest and most difficult to win.
With the excellence of the game, the skill and determination of the players, the remarkable competitive balance, and the outstanding support from our fans and our business partners, the 2011/12 season continued our strong growth and momentum.
During the regular season, we played to nearly 96% of capacity and attracted about 21.5 million people, and we're at nearly 102% of capacity for the playoffs.
In the face of what remains a challenged economy, we estimate that we did $3.3 billion worth of business, which is another record for revenues for us. I can't thank adequately our fans, business partners and broadcasters for all of their support.
In particular, in addition to the usual solid job by the CBC, TSN and RDS, we had a tremendous season with NBC Sports, which provided outstanding coverage. It is clear that the strategy of having every playoff game broadcast nationally in the United States created unprecedented interest.
In addition, we had record ad sales, record sponsorship activation, connecting our sponsors' brands with our brands and with our fans on a deeper level than ever before. We look forward to an even brighter future in traditional and non-traditional media.
We also look forward to finally beginning meetings with the Players' Association. The goal obviously is to reach a Collective Bargaining Agreement that can take the game and the business to even higher levels than have been reached over the past seven seasons.
For obvious reasons, I'm not going to go into any detail on this topic since we have yet to formally begin discussions with the Union. However, I understand that the Union is now prepared to begin talks and we're in the process of trying to set up dates.
It remains my hope that constructive negotiations can begin soon and culminate quickly so that attention can remain where it belongs and where everyone wants it to remain, and that is on the game.
Regarding on-ice matters, you may recall at last season's final, I announced the creation of the Department of Player Safety, headed by Brendan Shanahan. Brendan and his group focused on and prioritized player safety. While this is a process, it does appear to be working. Though I'm not at liberty to give you the specific numbers, we actually saw a decline, modest decline, in concussions during the 2011/2012 regular season and playoffs, the first time in three years this figure has declined, and this despite even more aggressive diagnosis and more conservative treatment.
Brendan and his group will remain focused on this issue and all aspects of player safety. While there remains work to be done, it is fair to say we are pleased with the progress and that player behavior is beginning to change. We have seen countless examples this season in which players have altered their path to a hit or to a play, and the fact is that with over 50,000 hits in a season, we're in the low double-digits of the ones we will continue to work to get out of the game.
In conclusion, before I take your questions, we feel good about where we are, and we're looking forward to an exciting, fun series. Thank you again for you all being here.
I'll take questions.
Q. Can you just give us an update, if there is one, on the Phoenix Coyotes situation.
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: Yes. I spoke to Greg Jamison early today. He continues to do the two things he needs to do to secure the future of the Coyotes where they are, in Arizona: One, working to conclude a set of documents with the City of Glendale on the building management situation. And he continues to put his equity together.
The City of Glendale I believe next week is supposed to vote on the management agreement. Once that's in place, I think Greg will be able to conclude hopefully the finalization of his equity raise.
Q. How quick do you expect that?
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: Well, the City of Glendale I believe is supposed to meet next week on that subject. So hopefully we're talking weeks.
Q. You mentioned that you reached out to the PA to start looking at dates.
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: Yes.
Q. What do you think the timeline would be if they're open to that?
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: My guess is in the next few weeks we will begin, either in small groups or larger groups, to set the table of what we each might want to be talking about.
Q. Can you say with 100% certainty that the Coyotes will be in Phoenix next season?
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: I can't say anything with 100% certainty. I think the likelihood is, based on everything we know today, the process should conclude successfully, but it's not something I'm in a position to guarantee.
Q. Given the NHL's concern for environmental matters, will you champion a 2-3-2 format for the final?
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: That's something that we've discussed with the managers over the years. From a competitive standpoint, the clubs like it the way it is. It's not something that anybody's raised recently.
Q. What is the New Jersey situation as far as ownership goes?
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: The New Jersey situation, as we understand it, at its most up-to-date point is that the club, Jeff Vanderbeek, is working on both refinancing the debt on the club, and an equity raise. He appears to be fairly confident that he can pull this off in due course in the next few weeks.
Since I've been in touch with the banks on a regular basis, we seem to be on track.
Q. Since we're asking about clubs, do you have anything to update on the Islanders' situation?
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: They do need a new building. That remains. Charles Wang, despite tremendous frustration, to be looking at all the options that would keep the club in the New York metropolitan area.
Q. Do you consider the Olympics simply to be a Collective Bargaining issue?
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: No. I think there are a whole host of issues that relate to the competitiveness of our season and what the Olympic participation might do to that.
The benefits from the Olympics have to be evaluated as we balance it against the impact that it has. I think in that regard we have to take into account where the next two Winter Olympics are going to be.
Having said all that, I see this as joint problem solving that we need to do with the Players' Association. I don't think it's anything other than a joint issue, joint decision, that we need to do in the best interest of the game and the players.
Q. There seems to be some speculation, I know it's just speculation, that there will be a lockout next year, probably not the whole season, but a lot of people are saying American Thanksgiving being when things start up again. Is there any reason to believe that that will transpire or that you can get a deal done in time?
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: I don't understand both the speculation and the degree of negativity that it connotes considering we, meaning the League and the Players' Association, have yet to have a substantive discussion on what we may each be looking for in Collective Bargaining.
If somebody is suggesting it, it's either because there's something in the water, people still have the NBA and NFL on the brain, or they're just looking for news on a slow day. It is nothing more than speculation at this point. There can't be any substance to it because there haven't been any substantive conversations.
Q. You announced Winnipeg a year ago tomorrow.
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: Yes. Happy anniversary to Winnipeg.
Q. Knowing how well they were prepared to take on a team, how difficult it still was under that much time, if Phoenix doesn't close in the next little while, will you remain there for another year? Do you have to at this point?
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: We haven't worked on a Plan B for Phoenix. Our hope and expectation, going back to the earlier question, is this will get done. If it doesn't, we'll have to deal with it at the time. But it's not anything we're focused on at this time.
Q. Would it be possible for the League to run the team one more year in Phoenix?
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: Again, since you now know, if you didn't know it before, I'm not a big fan of speculation. We haven't figured out what we would do in the event what we hope will happen doesn't happen. So in that event, we'll focus in on it at the time and deal with it at the time. But the hope is Mr. Jamison can do what he's working on and get it done. And we wouldn't want to suggest or undercut that effort.
Q. I've heard you say this CBA was never meant to last the seven years. Could you expand on exactly why that is?
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: A little bit of history for people. We originally agreed, coming out of the work stoppage, this would be a six-year deal. The Players' Association at the time was concerned about how they would like the system. So we agreed if they wanted to shorten it to four years, they could. We also agreed that if they liked the system, they could extend it a year.
There are probably a host of things, from a day-to-day standpoint at least, that both we and the Players' Association need to focus on. Seven years is a long time for a deal to be in place.
During that time we've seen the game grow. We've seen incredible competitive balance. We've seen revenues set records each year. But that doesn't mean that there aren't going to be adjustments that each of us want to look at. I don't think it was ever contemplated that the agreement would ever be more than seven years.
Q. So you had to balance that against the fact you have had this labor peace?
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: It's been great. We love labor peace.
Q. Do you think the players Union, had you not opened negotiations, they would have done it?
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: This would require me to speculate what the Players' Association might or might not have done. You would have to ask Don whether or not that's something they would have done. I don't know.
Q. The climate going into this negotiation doesn't seem as, for lack of a better term, hopeless. It was hopeless. Everybody knew there would be a work stoppage of some length. You mention the League is in better position right now. I think the players certainly aren't hurting. Do you agree this is something that may be able to be worked out a little easier?
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: I don't want to be presumptuous and characterize where we may or may not be right now because we haven't begun the formal exercise.
But if you go back in history, one of the reasons we wound up where we did, people who were covering us at the time, remember, we had told the executive director then of the Union, at least four years in advance, the systemic problems that had become obvious to us at the time, and we were struggling mightily for a long period of time. At that point the Union was aware of it and chose to do nothing about it.
We're in a completely different situation. There's a new executive director who has gotten himself up to speed, new people, new relationships. Time will tell how this all sorts out.
I'm hopeful that it sorts out easily because labor peace is preferable to the alternative.
Q. Can you update us on the Raffi Torres appeal process? Are you satisfied that the appeal process, as it stands, is a workable one?
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: I think the appeal process works quite well because most of you don't know this, while Brendan Shanahan administers commissioner discipline, as it's called, the fact is, I don't get involved in the decisions that he makes, in large part because that's what we require under our system and our procedures because any appeal will come to me, and I hear it on a de novo basis without deference to the original decision.
Mr. Torres sent us a notice of appeal about two weeks after the original decision was rendered. We promptly scheduled an in?person hearing, which he requested. I now have to write an opinion, which I will do, am doing, but there are a couple of other things going on. Since Phoenix's season is over, the timing of this isn't quite as imperative as if the Coyotes were still playing. But in the not?too?distant future, I'll issue an opinion.
Q. There was a story in today's New York Post saying the L.A. Kings are supposedly for sale. Could you comment on that?
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: It never ceases to amaze me when a newspaper writes a story and the principals involved absolutely deny it, and they could be the only source. But The Post was told by Tim Leiweke and by us that the story was categorically untrue, the Kings were not for sale. But they said they had their own sources and they decided to go with the story anyway. Okay, the story is not true.
If anybody here is from The Post, I apologize if I offend you, but the story is not true.
Q. You mentioned record revenues. How does that translate into profits? This time last year when the NBA was going through their labor issues, losses of about $300 million were at issue.
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: We're not having that discussion. Revenues and the business continue to grow. The economic state of the League and the franchises is something we will discuss in Collective Bargaining first and foremost.
Q. Do you have any expectation that the Devils' July 1st debt date could be extended?
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: That's not the due date. It's after that. So at least to your way of thinking, it's been extended by virtue of this conversation (laughter).
Q. On the Devils, as well. What is the deadline for the Devils to inform the League about the first-round pick and the Kovalchuk decision?
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: I don't have that on the top of my head. One way or another, they'll have to do that. Central registry has that.
Q. You mentioned the player discipline department. There's been, amongst the fans, some inconsistencies there in the playoffs. What is your level of satisfaction with that this post?season?
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: For as long as I've been doing this job, and I watched Brian Burke do it, I watched Colie Campbell do it, I've now watched Brendan Shanahan do it, there's never unanimous agreement on what is done from a supplemental standpoint. I would suggest in this era of social media where everybody has a platform and an opinion to express, the level of discourse has risen to new heights.
My guess is also that with what we've done this year, what Brendan has done with the videos, his attempt to change the culture in terms of what's acceptable or not to be safer for the players, this has been turned into more of an event than we would like, because of the videos, among other things.
I think that's okay in terms of the passion of our fans and who they root for and how they weigh in. I think it's been a good thing in terms of helping the players understand what is and isn't acceptable.
This is a long-winded way of saying I think Brendan is doing a terrific job in what is perhaps the most difficult and thankless job we have. And he's assisted by Rob Blake and Stephane Quintal and people from Hockey Operations get to weigh in. We have literally hundreds of years of hockey experience weighing in to give Brendan feedback.
So while the decision is his, there's no shortage of expertise looking at all of these issues.
Q. For the past few years, Wayne Gretzky, the greatest player in NHL history according to many, he's kept his distance, been out of the spotlight in terms of hockey. That may be entirely his choice. I'm not asking you to speak on behalf of him. From your standpoint, do you believe there has to be some form of mending of the fences, and would you like to see that happen before there can be more of a marriage between the NHL and Wayne Gretzky?
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: If you're suggesting there's a gulf or a divide, I'm not sure I agree with that. Wayne and I communicate on a regular basis. I'm hoping to see him in Los Angeles when we're out for the games. He was fairly active until he stopped coaching the Coyotes.
So I'm not sure that a 'mending' is the right description. I think when Wayne is more desirous, more comfortable being more involved, I think that's great. He's an important icon of this game, a great ambassador of the game. I can't even quantify what he's meant to this game both on and off the ice.
Whatever he wants to do, I'm completely supportive of. The closer he is to the game, the more I like it.
Q. The television landscape is dramatically different from 2004 to 2012. How much does that tremendous success help the equation?
COMMISSIONER BETTMAN: I assume you're talking about the United States - as important as the deal we made with the NBC Sports Group was from a financial standpoint, the coverage that we're getting, pre- and postgame shows, the scheduling, the promotion, the fact that for the first time in our history in the United States, every game of the Stanley Cup Playoffs was televised nationally, as I mentioned in my opening remarks, it has created a level of buzz, interest, fan interaction that we've never seen before.
If I'm not mistaken, our viewership on television in the United States this season in playoffs is the highest it's been in 15 or 16 years. I think it was a dramatic, important step forward. We are thrilled with the NBC relationship. We think they're just treating the game great.
I look forward to seeing you over the next few days, maybe couple of weeks, both here and Los Angeles. Thanks for being here and enjoy the final.
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Four members of the Phoenix Coyotes who showed their displeasure with the officiating after their Game 5 loss to the Los Angeles Kings will not be disciplined.
NHL vice president Colin Campbell told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun of ESPN.com that while the league was not pleased with the actions of forward Martin Hanzal and goaltender Mike Smith, as well as the comments of defenceman Keith Yandle and forward Shane Doan, he spoke to all four players and chose not to pursue the issue further.
The Coyotes were incensed that Kings captain Dustin Brown was not penalized for a questionable hit on Coyotes defenceman Michal Rozsival in overtime just prior to the series-winning goal.
Hanzal skated aggressively toward one of the officials and made a threatening gesture while Smith threw his stick in the direction of the officials.
"I told Hanzal, 'The way you went at the official after the game physically, you didn't make contact, but that was disrespectful. You're lucky you weren't suspended by the official for doing something like that. Even though you didn't make contact I thought it was (of) a threatening nature,'" Campbell said to LeBrun.
Yandle questioned the integrity of the officials, implying there was no coincidence the referees were wearing the same colours as the Kings while Doan expressed his thoughts to Brown during the post-game handshake.
"I said to Yandle, 'I thought your comment about who was wearing what colour was wrong. That's the integrity of the game and you're suggesting that because you didn't have an owner that you have no support?' I said, 'Not a chance,'" Campbell added.
"I said to Doan, 'Your comments after the game were not totally correct about the officiating and what you thought. I didn't hear anything after the Chicago series after (Marian) Hossa got hurt and a major wasn't applied. I didn't hear anything from the Chicago Blackhawks,'" said Campbell, who added that Doan was most apologetic during their meeting.
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NEWARK, N.J. (AP) NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman expects negotiations with the players' association on a new collective bargaining agreement to begin in a couple of weeks.
In a wide-ranging 25-minute news conference before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals between the Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils, Bettman said Wednesday that talk of a lockout next season is nothing more than speculation at this point since labor and management have not met.
''Time will tell how this all sorts out,'' Bettman said. ''I am hopeful this all sorts out easily because labor peace is preferable to the alternative.''
The NHL canceled the 2004-05 season before an agreement was reached that included a salary cap for the first time. That agreement expires in Sept. 15.
Bettman believes the current labor scene is very different than in 2004, adding that new NHL Players Association executive director Donald Fehr is up to speed and knows the issues facing both sides.
''I have some ideas about how it's going to go, but I have learned that making predictions in this business is a bit of a foolish enterprise,'' said Fehr, who sat in on Bettman's news conference because he wanted to hear him personally instead of watching it on television. ''Too many things can happen that can cause you to change course.''
Fehr hopes the season can start on time.
''That's the goal,'' he said. ''Hopefully, it is a goal that everyone shares.''
Bettman also said he expects the sale of the Phoenix Coyotes to be finalized and that he is hopeful that Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek will be able to stabilize his financial position with the team. The commissioner also shot down a New York newspaper report that the Kings were for sale.
Neither Bettman nor Fehr wanted to discuss what they felt would be the major issues in the upcoming labor talks although the obvious issue will be money.
''You don't have the kind of atmosphere going on which necessarily presaged a conflict,'' Fehr said. ''You don't seem to have that. I have been in both situations before and whether you have it or don't, doesn't necessarily predict the outcome. Gary has been through this a number a times, I have been through this a number of times.
''Hopefully, we're both professional enough to treat it that way.''
Lockouts have been a part of sports in recent years. The NBA was forced to play a shortened season this year after a five-month labor dispute resulted in a lockout that pushed back the start of the season until late December.
The NFL also experienced a lockout that wiped out most of the offseason training program and had teams reports to training camp late.
''If somebody is suggesting (a lockout),'' Bettman said, ''it is either because there is something in the water or people still have the NBA and NFL on the brain. Or, they are looking for news on a slow day.''
In the talks in 2004, the players' association proposed that all existing contracts be rolled back by 24 percent in an effort to ease the cost to clubs without the creation of the salary cap. The owners liked the idea of the contract cuts. But in the end, they negotiated a deal that included those on top of a salary cap.
Fehr laughed when asked about similar concessions this time around.
''You don't like me in this job,'' he asked. ''We won't make any major economic proposals that the players aren't familiar with and don't approve of. Secondly, they recognize that they made enormous concessions in the last round of bargaining, and that is part of the backdrop that leads us into this round of negotiations along with a lot of other things.''
Fehr hopes for a better deal this time around.
''Players understand what happened the last time,'' said Fehr, the former head of the baseball union. ''Everybody understands what happened the last time, and that is part of the backdrop of what these negotiations will be about. I want to caution you, it's not the only thing, but it's there.''
Bettman said the NHL had record revenues in excess of $3.1 billion, but he refused to say how much was profit. He said he would talk about that during negotiations with the union.
The commissioner said there was a ''modest decline'' in concussions this season, the first time that has happened in three years. He refused to get specific.
''We are pleased with the progress, and player behavior has changed,'' Bettman said.
Earlier Wednesday, the league's general managers had a 4 1/2-hour meeting in New York to discuss potential rules changes.
Nothing was settled, and the most intriguing proposal won't even be truly considered until a year from now, at the earliest. In an attempt to curtail teams in the playoffs from ''sending a message'' in a physical and illegal way, penalties incurred in the closing minutes of a postseason game could be ''traveled'' or carried over to the next game in the series.
These would be penalties that wouldn't necessarily be subject to a suspension, but also not incidental to the regular course of play. One example could be the hit that Nashville's Shea Weber laid on Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg in the first round. Weber was fined $2,500 for smashing Zetterberg's head into the glass.
''It's radical,'' Red Wings GM Ken Holland said. ''We think there is something there. Let's all stew on it, let's think about it, and when we reconvene next year, we can further discuss it if we think it's got merit. Nobody else does it, so we don't just want to sit here in a room and in 10 minutes make that determination.
''The reason you put rules in, you really don't want people to break the rules. But if they do break the rules, then you want to have somebody with some power to discipline somebody. Right now, is there a gray area late in the game whereby there is not a suspension and people can do a lot of message-sending, does a deterrent of a possible traveling penalty have merit?''
The GMs also discussed the hybrid icing rule, which combines touch and no-touch icing. Although only one player was injured this season on an icing play, there is concern that races for the puck at the end boards creates a potentially unnecessary dangerous situation.
Before that would ever be adopted into the NHL, the GMs would like to try it out in the American Hockey League. It is already used in college hockey.
Several of the managers are also concerned that the game is becoming too defensive-minded and trending more toward a soccer-type style. The New York Rangers secured the top seed in the East and reached the conference finals by strengthening their defensive play with a team-wide dedication to blocking shots.
After the NHL lockout wiped out the 2004-05 NHL season, a package of new rules to spice up the game was adopted. Something similar could be coming in the not so distant future.
''I like offense in the game and I like offensive opportunities,'' Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis said. ''If those opportunities aren't present in the course of a game, I don't like it and I don't support that.
''What I've seen is the lowering of scoring opportunities. You don't see many odd-man rushes at all, and the collapsing around your own net to block shots and not challenge the point man.''
The NHL plans to have a bit of a rules summit in August to discuss what issues clubs are having with rules such as hooking, holding and interference, and what changes might have to be made in the way those infractions are whistled.
General managers, coaches, players and referees are expected to attend.
''I want to know what is real,'' said Colin Campbell, the NHL's senior vice president of hockey operations. ''Sometimes you can get more at the problem in August after the season has gone away before we start another season.''
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Whether netminder Mike Smith remains in a Coyotes sweater long-term could depend on goalie coach Sean Burke's status with the team, according to The Arizona Republic.
Burke, who helped Smith achieve a renaissance season, does not have a contract for next season, and that could sway Smith when it comes to negotiations, which General Manager Don Maloney would like to start this summer.
"I think it has an impact on it," Smith said. "Obviously his contract is up. I have a year left. Looking at the long-term, he's made me a better goaltender. I couldn't have done it without him, and I believe he's the best guy in the league at what he does. To be able to have a guy like that to lean on and he shows confidence in me every game whether I'm at my best or not, it's very easy to go out there and just do what I have to do and be the best."
Burke, who also serves as the director of player development, doesn't plan to leave but he'll address the issue with Maloney in a few weeks.
"Mike was tremendous to work with, and I don't see that changing but you just never know in this business," Burke said. "So I'm just going to kind of let it play out."
Maloney also doesn't anticipate any changes.
"I think it's a good marriage," he said. "We certainly expect Sean back with us."
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Ray Whitney is getting tired of the instability with the Phoenix Coyotes' ownership situation.
Whitney believes the Coyotes were at a competitive disadvantage in the Stanley Cup playoffs in comparison to other teams because the club does not have an ownership group to defend them.
"I don't want to go through another year and be a doormat in the league where you don't have ownership and people to stand up for you," Whitney told Sarah McLellan of Azcentral.com.
The Coyotes were frustrated with the officiating in their series loss to the Los Angeles Kings and the Western Conference final.
"It's tough for our management. It's tough for our coaching staff, and eventually it runs down. It's tough for players," Whitney said. "I didn't feel like we had the same competitive edge as everyone else.
"Who are we going to complain to? Our owner gave the trophy out to the other team."
The Coyotes have made the playoffs in three consecutive season and they were able to reach the Western Conference final this season despite working with several limitations in their organization.
"Everyone has a tough schedule at times, but I felt the length of tough scheduling we had was not great," Whitney explained. "Then I thought in the playoffs if you have an owner that's not going to stand up for some of that reffing that you saw and stuff like that, it wears on you as a player."
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The NHL is investigating some Phoenix Coyotes players for their criticism of the officiating after their Game 5 elimination loss to the Los Angeles Kings on Tuesday.
"NHL is still deciding on discipline, if any, should (be) handed out for actions and words of 4 Coyotes after loss. (Martin) Hanzal, (Keith) Yandle, (Mike) Smith, (Shane) Doan," tweeted Sportsnet's John Shannon on Thursday.
Colin Campbell, the NHL's senior executive vice-president of hockey operations, told the National Post on Friday that he doesn't know when his investigation will be complete because contacting players for interviews once their season ends can be challenging. No interviews have taken place yet.
Campbell did not rule out the possibility of fining (the maximum allowable is $2,500) or suspending players for games next season.
Doan, Smith and Yandle all vented their frustration to the media after losing the Western Conference final in overtime. Kings captain Dustin Brown hit Coyotes defenceman Michal Rozsival with a questionable knee-on-knee just 12 seconds before Kings forward Dustin Penner scored the winning goal. Rozsival left the game; Brown went unpenalized. (Coyotes general manager Don Maloney later said Rozsival's knee is not structurally damaged but badly bruised.)
After the game, Hanzal acted aggressively toward the referees. Doan and Hanzal exchanged words with Brown during the post-series handshake line. Goaltender Smith invoked teammate Raffi Torres' 25-game suspension and said that Brown "should be done forever." Defenceman Yandle said that the referees were playing for the Kings.
"Their actions were unprofessional and unacceptable," Campbell told ESPN.com.
Doan expressed regret on Thursday that he was not more gracious in defeat, but Smith did not retract his feelings.
"I don't regret anything I said. It needed to be addressed," Smith told reporters during the Coyotes final media availability. "I've been honest all season long, and I'm not going to change because a game put us out."
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A Glendale city council member is sick and tired of the Phoenix Coyotes relocation turmoil.
Joyce Clark tweeted her dismay towards the situation, saying that the cities in Canada chasing the NHL franchise are "poachers."
I will be so pleased when Coyotes issue is settled. Then all of these Canadian poachers can move on to another team and another city.
"We get emails, we get tweets from Canadians -- sometimes posed as Arizona residents -- saying 'it's a bad deal and the city of Glendale shouldn't be investing in a hockey team,'" Clark told Metro Saskatoon.
Wanting to keep the team in Glendale, Clark states the Coyotes are a vital part of the community.
"It's sited in a major sports and entertainment district in Glendale and we rely upon the 42 nights of hockey games to help to keep what we call Westgate healthy," Clark said, "so that's a major reason for supporting keeping the Coyotes in Glendale and in Westgate."
Clark also mentioned to Metro Saskatoon that she has no problem with Canadian cities getting NHL teams but is against the relocation of current teams that are growing.
"In Canada, you have a market of people who enjoy hockey and love hockey, if you want to build new markets, you go to where there is no hockey and try to build those markets and that's exactly what the NHL is doing," Clark explained.
Saskatoon Mayor Donald Atchison feels that Clark is targeting the nation as a whole instead of certain Canadian cities -- including Saskatoon.
"It almost sounds like she's calling the nation poachers," Atchison told Metro Saskatoon. "There are places such as Kitchener-Waterloo, Quebec City. I'm sure Halifax would love to have a team (and) Saskatoon would love to have a team -- so we're not poaching anything from anyone."
Atchison also added that it only makes sense to look at other markets if support for the Coyotes is on a steady decline.
"If it seems they aren't going to be able to stay financially viable in their community and Saskatoon is a viable option, I would think people would want to look at that," added Atchison.
According to the mayor, Clark should be optimistic about the future in Phoenix as the Coyotes are on the verge of having a new owner that will work with the NHL towards a new lease at Glendale's Jobing.com arena.
"I think she should be elated that the Coyotes will stay in Phoenix at the Glendale arena there and that it sounds like they've got a wonderful owner moving in."
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When the Phoenix Coyotes were eliminated by the L.A. Kings on Tuesday night, it meant a return to reality for them. That reality? A future that has been and remains uncertain as to where they will play.
You'll recall -- OK, you can't forget -- that they have been embattled in a three-year long struggle to secure a new owner. The NHL has owned the team and the process has seen its ups and downs.
The last time we were sharing news of the sale process it seemed very encouraging for the Coyotes and them staying in the Phoenix area. Gary Bettman was publicly identifying former Sharks CEO Greg Jamison as the man they wanted to move forward in the process with. Reports of a deal were premature, but things seemed to be at least progressing.
But we've been there before. Heck, we've been beyond that before like when Matthew Hulsizer appeared to have a deal in place to be the new owner only to have it blocked by local taxpayer watchdog the Goldwater Institute, which threatened litigation if the deal that involved bonds stood.
Well with reports of the city of Glendale agreeing to pay up to $17 million in operating costs under the deal that is being worked on with Jamison, Goldwater is already letting its position be known again, releasing this statement on Wednesday.
"Although the Council approved an arena management fee in the budget Tuesday, nothing requires the Council to spend all or any part of it. The city could sign an arena management contract for less than that amount or for no amount at all if the city decides to manage the arena itself or put it out for competitive bidding. That said, we do believe this arena management fee is legally questionable if it is far greater than the value of the services to be provided. Additionally, Glendale taxpayers may choose to pursue future action to contest the fee by referendum. The Goldwater Institute cannot authoritatively comment on the legality of the deal until we and Glendale taxpayers can see the details. However, we are encouraged by reports that this deal will not include a massive up-front payment to help the buyer purchase the team, and we hope that the city will reach a deal that comports with the law and protects the interests of Glendale taxpayers."
— Darcy Olsen, President, Goldwater Institute
Hey, at least they waited until the Coyotes were eliminated. Maybe it was coincidence or maybe not, other way it at least looks better for Goldwater.
Now this statement isn't anything to get too concerned with yet. It's sort of a preemptive reminder that they are watching you all. If the deal is shaping up as it's been reported then there might be an issue but if the money the city is paying is much less than is reported Goldwater is saying not only that it will not get in the way but will wish good luck.
We're down to the nitty gritty here. Something has to get decided in the next month or so one way or the other. I still think it's hard to see the current arrangement going for another season.
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GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The end of the season hit the Phoenix Coyotes particularly hard.
After scratching and clawing their way deeper into the playoffs than they had ever been, the Coyotes were struck by the did-that-just-happen shock of an overtime goal that simultaneously ended Game 5 of the Western Conference finals and their season.
On the ice and in the locker room, they were bitter, angry, frustrated; at the officiating, the Los Angeles Kings, themselves.
Two days later, the disappointment was still there, only tempered by the sense of accomplishment.
A first division title in the NHL, three games from the Stanley Cup finals, a prospective owner in waiting -- it's hard to stay mad too long after what was easily the best season in franchise history.
"It did sting and it still does a little bit," Coyotes forward Mikkel Boedker said on Thursday as the team held its final meetings and the players cleaned out their lockers. "Looking back, it's obviously not the way you want to end, but looking back at the whole season, it's a story that should be told all the way around."
It was quite a tale.
Picked to finish near the bottom of the Western Conference, the Coyotes played with a prove-everybody-wrong intensity all season.
They overcame a string of injuries and a ruthless schedule the first half of the season with an 11-game winning streak in February that got them back into the playoff picture.
They won the final five games of the regular season to capture their first division title in 33 years as an NHL franchise.
They got past the first round of the playoffs for the first time in 25 years and kept going, knocking off two supposedly superior teams to reach the conference finals for the first time.
OK, so maybe it didn't end the way they wanted. Watching Dustin Penner score 17:42 into overtime just seconds after Phoenix defenceman Michal Rozsival limped off following a questionable hit was tough to take.
Still, finishing three wins from reaching the Stanley Cup finals with a team that has no superstars, it's hard for these desert underdogs not to feel good about what they accomplished.
"You're going 100 mph and it stops, so that's the frustrating part," Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said. "But as days go by, I think we're going to recognize that this was a pretty special group."
It could be the group that sets the franchise's foundation firmly in the desert.
The Coyotes have had a few surges in popularity, from when the team moved from Winnipeg to when Wayne Gretzky became owner and, later, their coach.
But in recent years, support in Phoenix has waned, in part because fans were reluctant to support a team they weren't sure was going to stick around.
The Coyotes jumpstarted the fan base with their late-season push and the Phoenix area became infused with hockey fever as the team reached deeper into the playoffs, filling Jobing.com Arena with a "Whiteout" for every home game.
And with that enthusiasm has come the possibility of some long-awaited stability: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman announced before Game 5 of Phoenix's second-round series with Nashville that the league had reached a preliminary agreement to sell the team to a group headed by former San Jose Sharks CEO Greg Jamison.
The deal has a few hurdles yet to cross and there have been disappointments in the past, but there's a feeling that this one will go through.
And should it work out, the Coyotes would finally break free of the shackles of being run by the league the past three years, giving them resources to keep their best players and bring in a batch of new ones.
"From I've been told, this is the most positive everyone's been about everything," Coyotes captain Shane Doan said. "The run we had obviously has helped and I really hope it gets done quickly."
Once the ownership issue is solved, Doan will be the team's top priority.
The only remaining player from the Winnipeg days, he's been the face of the franchise and the heart of the locker room. He ended an agonizingly long wait with his first hat trick in 16 seasons this year and showed he is still a force on the ice at 35, pinballing opponents throughout the playoffs.
"Certainly, Shane is priority No. 1 once we get our ownership situation take care of," Coyotes general manager Don Maloney said. "We want to keep Shane. He's not going anywhere, if I have anything to do with it."
Doan isn't the only player the Coyotes want to keep.
Ray Whitney, who led the team in scoring at 40, will become a free agent, along with Daymond Langkow, Adrian Aucoin and Rozsival. Goalie Mike Smith, who became an undeniable No. 1 goalie in his first season in the desert, also has one year left on his contract and could start negotiating with the team this summer.
Adding Jamison as an owner would give the Coyotes the resources to keep the players they want and finally go after big-name free agents without having to convince them the team is staying in Phoenix.
So with financial and organizational stability, a solid core of returning players and the confidence that comes from going deep in the playoffs, there's more optimism for the franchise than perhaps at any time since it moved to the desert in 1996.
"We put ourselves in this position, got to where we got because we deserved to be there," Smith said. "We raised the bar now to come back next year in better shape and to be a team that fights for the division title again and hopefully get another run to the Stanley Cup."
The foundation has been set. Now it's time to build on it.
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