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You can't blame Gary Bettman for looking tired when he handed the Stanley Cup to Sidney Crosby on Friday.
He must be exhausted.
The NHL had a championship series to remember, but in Phoenix and Toronto, two cities seemingly foreign to playoff hockey, a battery of league lawyers under Bettman's direction were working hard to put out fires. The Phoenix-Hamilton situation has been well-documented. Not nearly as well known was the fight going on this week in the Supreme Court of Ontario involving the league and its Players' Association over benefits paid to players who die before collecting their pensions.
In all, the suit involves former players such as Doug Wickenheiser, Carl Brewer and now would involve the late Peter Zezel, whose estate, according to the NHLPA, should be afforded the same pension upon death as it would be at whatever age they chose to begin their pension.
In all, millions of dollars are at stake in the fight between the two groups, which were forced to court when they couldn't come to an agreement last September.
A ruling in the pension case is expected by December. A ruling on the bankruptcy situation involving the Coyotes is expected any time now. And even a feel-good Stanley Cup final can't undo all the messy business that commissioner Bettman finds himself dealing with in these troubling times.
This and that
Few in hockey history can claim the early accomplishments of Evgeni Malkin, who has won a scoring title, a Stanley Cup, been a finalist, won a playoff scoring title and a Conn Smythe Trophy, all in three short years. It took Bobby Orr four years to win the Cup, Wayne Gretzky five years and Mario Lemieux seven. Yes, Jaromir Jagr won Cups in his first two seasons but he was no higher than fifth in scoring on either of those Pittsburgh teams. Eric Staal won a Cup in his second year, leading the Hurricanes, and that is extraordinary by NHL standards ... Also rare: The Staal brothers with Cups so young, Eric at 21 in Carolina, Jordan at 20 in Pittsburgh ... Stanley Cup goat: Brad Stuart. Bad giveaway on first Penguins goal. Bad pinch on second goal ... How rare was last Sunday's TV schedule: Wake up to Roger Federer, lunch with Roy Halladay, dine with Tiger Woods and have a late night snack with Kobe Bryant ... According to stats, the Blue Jays are the worst road draw in the American League. They also are the worst AL team against the National League at 0-and-5. And Halladay is hurt. Aside from that, it's all good.
Hear and there
One reason to wonder about Red Wings coach Mike Babcock as the choice for Canadian Olympic hockey coach: The Olympics are one-game playoffs. And the one thing Babcock didn't do well in Game 6 or 7 against the Penguins was adjust. His team needed to get pucks in deep and to the net, especially in the second half of Game 7, and stubbornly his players kept trying to carry it through crowds, turned it over and generated little offence ... The NHL must be watching the Montreal Canadiens sale quite closely, especially in light of the Phoenix-Hamilton situation. If the Canadiens, the Bell Centre and George Gillett's promotion company are worth in the $450-million US range, then a franchise in Hamilton can't be worth much more than $250 million, can it? And shouldn't the Canadiens, one of the most storied franchises in all of sports, be worth significantly more than a No. 2 franchise in Southern Ontario ... The NHLPA won't like this but one of its own, Bobby Holik, wasn't wrong in saying, upon his retirement, that the NHL would be better off with 26 strong franchises rather than 30 teams and too many weak entities ... This may seem simple, but if Dwight Howard makes some free throws, Orlando wins the NBA championship. But when Superman's going to the line 10 times a game and making only six of them, that ain't Magic.
Scene and heard
Classy guy that A.J. Burnett, who was ushered out of a Boston bookstore this week after being told to be a little more discreet when swearing loudly into his cell phone. Burnett didn't quiet down and was given the hook by security ... Can't make this stuff up: Justine Henin's newest career -- comedy actress ... Can't make this up, either: Buffalo Sabres owner Tom Golisano is dating Monica Seles, who is about 30 years his junior ... Love the Reggie Evans for Jason Kapono deal by Bryan Colangelo. That's getting something for nothing. Kapono is fine if you want a skills competition shooter. Evans is just about the meanest big body the Raptors have had since Charles Oakley ... Unless my math has failed me, there have been 123 coaching changes in the NHL since Lindy Ruff was hired by the Sabres on July 21, 1997. The Stanley Cup champion Penguins have had seven different head coaches in that time ... My boy, Rob Longley, had a big stake in the Penguins win, holding a 75-1 ticket he bought at Binions in Las Vegas on March 3. OK, not that big. He waged only $8 but that will be cashed in at $600.
And another thing
Can't think of a single reason why Joe Nieuwendyk would want Marc Crawford as his coach in Dallas, and that includes the fact that Crawford let Nieuwendyk participate in the famed 1998 Olympic shootout while passing on Wayne Gretzky. ... The only way the Anaheim Ducks steal defenceman Jack Johnson and an early first-round pick from L.A. for diminishing asset Chris Pronger is if Kings general manager Dean Lombardi happens to lose his mind ... Today's essay question: If Cito Gaston isn't managing the Blue Jays, where's Adam Lind today? ... This tidbit courtesy of Buster Olney's superb baseball blog on ESPN: Should Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine not pitch this season, thus leading to retirement, they will be eligible for the Hall in the same year as Greg Maddux -- and what a pitching class that would be ... Super shooter Stephen Curry won't work out for the Raptors. He is expecting to be picked in the NBA draft before the Raps choose ninth ... Born this day: wrestler Bruiser Brody (Frank Donald Goodish). And happy birthday to Steffi Graf (40), Tom Matte (70) and Andrew Cogliano (22) ... And hey, whatever became of Roberto Romano?
STEVE.SIMMONS@SUNMEDIA.CA