But one wonders if the sports world hasn’t seen all this one time too many. Having kept the wolves at bay for years with a business plan that mixed expansion, modest TV exposure and the fanatical devotion of Canadians, this season finds Bettman with nothing new to offer.

The revelation of an expansion team, the Golden Knights, topping the standings has been amusing. But it also reflects poorly on many of the other teams in his league. How good is the calibre of play if a rag-tag bunch thrown together last summer can dominate franchises that have been together for decades?

Bettman is promising even more expansion— Seattle looks a shoo-in if the owners can cash the half-billion dollar fee. Sure to water down play even more. That’s a damp squib in a league where a number of the prestige clubs— the Red Wings, Rangers, Canadiens and Blackhawks— are in free fall, and a half dozen others are finagling to get the No. 1 draft pick.

-Bruce Dowbiggin of North Public Broadcaster where you can read more on this including the Olympics...