FanHouse Gary Bettman

One of the great Stanley Cup traditions is its presentation. Yes, commissioner Gary Bettman -- after getting booed lustily -- takes a moment to congratulate the owners and general manager who helped put the team together. But the first person to touch the Stanley Cup after it is brought out to the ice surface is not an executive or a coach. It's the captain of the winning team.

Once the captain has his moment, he picks the second player to hoist the Cup. Since we know who gets it first, the only fun we can have is figuring out who will get it second.

While the National Hockey League continues to fight for what they feel is right for the Phoenix Coyotes, it appears they have some friends in high places.

Commissioner Gary Bettman isn't going into this fight alone. Filings in U.S. Bankruptcy Court Monday included statements from the National Football League, National Basketball Association, and Major League Baseball.

There was a time when my favorite sport was, without hesitation, baseball. Recently, however, my interest in the game has been lost. Not because of a steroid scandal or the incompetence of Bud Selig, but mostly because the team I grew up cheering for, the Pittsburgh Pirates, has been a Major League Baseball team in name only and is currently working on its 17th consecutive losing season with no end in sight.

You might argue that makes me a fair-weather fan, but I disagree. My interest is so low that if, by some perfect storm -- like the rest of the National League halting operations and disbanding from the league -- the Pirates actually won something, I still probably wouldn't care as much as I should. I just don't care about baseball anymore, but I certainly don't begrudge those who still do. It's still a great game, even if my interest is at an all-time low.

"All we are saying is give peace a chance." – John Lennon.

"All we are saying is give hockey a chance." – Gary Bettman.

We tried, Gary. And thanks largely to you, it's just not working.

Your grand plan was for hockey to take over the U.S., which since the Civil War has included the South. Sorry, but most people down here would vote to secede from the Union again if hockey ever becomes our national pastime.

I've been hearing how fabulous the NHL playoffs have been, and how they could pave the way for hockey's resurgence. So I went to a shopping mall here in Orlando and asked the first 100 people I saw about the Ovechkin-Crosby showdown.

For hockey fans, there is nothing more exciting than a Game 7 in the Stanley Cup playoffs. Unless, of course, you happen to have a rooting interest in one of the teams taking part, in which case, it goes from being exciting to being the most aggravating, nerve-wracking, hand-eating two-and-a-half hours in sports ... and that's if it ends in regulation. Let's not even think about the insanity that is sudden death overtime.

On Wednesday, the Penguins and Capitals will be taking part in what will surely be one of the most anticipated Game 7s in recent history, as they close out what has been a series for the ages. Somebody is moving on, and somebody is going home.

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It has become quite clear that the NHL intends to keep the struggling Phoenix Coyotes where they are. Unless the bankruptcy court decides in favor of a bid from Blackberry founder Jim Balsillie, there is little chance the franchise will relocate.

This sentiment was made even stronger Friday, when league deputy commissioner Bill Daly spoke to The Canadian Press.

The Phoenix Coyotes are in limbo. With a hearing Thursday in front of a bankruptcy court judge looming, the NHL appears dead-set against allowing the agreed-to sale of the team to Jim Balsillie stand.

Commissioner Gary Bettman was in Arizona Tuesday, and the league will represent the team at the Thursday hearing. Word now is that the league is working with Chicago White Sox and Chicago Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf to put together a bid for the team.

The NHL hasn't had a franchise relocation since the Hartford Whalers became the Carolina Hurricanes in 1997. Longtime commissioner Gary Bettman appears determined to keep that record intact.

Upon news that the Phoenix Coyotes had filed for bankruptcy and that owner wannabe Jim Balsillie had made a bid for the franchise, Bettman and the league reacted quickly. Based on what has been said in the last 18 hours, you can bet they're going to do what they can to keep the Coyotes in Glendale.

After defeating the Rangers, 5-3, in Game 6 Sunday afternoon, the two teams will play a Game 7 in Washington on Tuesday night. When that game gets played, the New York Rangers want to make sure that there isn't a repeat of the incident that occurred on Friday night in Washington that resulted in a one-game suspension for John Tortorella.

Just minutes before the puck dropped Sunday on Game 6, Rangers GM Glen Sather issued a letter to Gary Bettman providing additional details about what happened on Friday night, supplemented with a number of accusations that the Capitals organization failed to provide enough security to protect Tortorella and the rest of the Rangers players from the fans sitting behind the visiting bench.

Full text of the letter follows after the jump.