from Matt Porter of the Boston Globe,

The day is fast approaching when a whole bunch of new names — Chris Chelios and Mark Messier (ESPN) and Wayne Gretzky (Turner) among them — will appear on our screens to break down games and discuss the league. Network executives will tell you that their hires, particularly Hall of Famers, will bring the heat.

Know what would be good TV?

Chelios and Gary Bettman having a discussion about what’s good for the game. Wonder how much they’d agree.

If they get to talking labor issues, it might get tense. In 1994, as Lockout 1 was under way and those beneath the executive level were losing paychecks, Chelios wondered aloud about Bettman’s safety … and didn’t seem too concerned about it.

“If I was Gary Bettman, I’d worry about my family, about my well-being,” Chelios said. “He’s going to affect a lot of people. Some crazed fan or even a player — who knows? — they might take it into their own hands and figure they get him out of the way, things might get settled. You hate to see something like that happen, but he took the job.”

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