Some reading for NHL opening day

The NHL opens its season tonight, meaning the race is on to play 82 games to eliminate 14 of 30 teams from the playoffs. Which will end in June.

But league commissioner Gary Bettman opines that he's doing a pretty great job, according to an interesting profile in ESPN magazine. There's even talk the NHL will get a sweet new TV deal that would show games on a channel actually received by most cable viewers.

Of course, one reason that a pair of decent seats at a regular season hockey game may set you back $150 or more is that hockey gets fairly little money from TV. The sport is extremely reliant on gate revenues, the reason that the season is so long and the playoffs are played during some of the loveliest weather of the year.

And remember how exciting the Olympic tournament was in February? Bettman still isn't commiting NHL players to the 2014 games in Sochi, Russia, saying Sochi isn't such a nice place to visit. Yep, that's the best steward the NHL can find for the game. Pathetic.

--S.H.