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Everyone’s allowed to complain about their job from time to time, even those who are making millions of dollars playing a game. Spend enough time in NHL locker rooms, and you’ll hear gripes about facilities, about coaches, about teammates, about a city’s nightlife or lack thereof, about escrow, about the relentless grind of an NHL season.
To give the league’s rank-and-file a chance to air out their wants and wishes and complaints, The Athletic polled 111 players in recent months on a variety of topics, granting them anonymity so they could speak freely.
On Monday, we highlighted their thoughts on the 4-Nations Face-Off. Today, we look into more everyday topics.
Poor Winnipeg. All the Jets have done is put themselves atop the league standings while playing in arguably the best in-game atmosphere in the NHL. Things are good enough up north for Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele to sign eight-year deals when the hockey world assumed they’d walk.
And yet, the Jets “win” this category running away. Every time.
“There’s not much to do out there,” one player said. “It’s f—ing cold. I haven’t heard a guy go to Winnipeg and be like, ‘This is going to be my forever home.’”
“Nothing to do, bad food, freezing,” another said.
Here’s one Jets player’s defense of his city, noting that the drive from the airport to downtown isn’t exactly the scenic route: “I remember when I first did it, it was underwhelming. There are parts of the city that are great, but you don’t see that (as a visiting player). I always wish that they’d stay down at the Forks or somewhere like that. I don’t think that hotel meets the criteria for the league, but it would be better than staying downtown.”
A few players offered a blanket rejection of the seven Canadian teams, given the weather and the taxes and the scrutiny. But just across Niagara Falls is another frequently cited spot, as the Sabres hurtle toward their 14th straight season without a playoff appearance.
“The way it’s going there, Buffalo — it’s just been kind of mucky there forever,” one player said. “And for me right now in my career, I don’t really need that. It’s not gonna help me.”
“High taxes, the organization hasn’t been that strong recently,” another player said. “They haven’t made the playoffs in like 14 years. In saying that, I have some friends there and they love playing there.”
“All they do is lose,” another player said.
One player just really, really, really disliked Philadelphia, to the point where you have to wonder if Gritty picked on him as a child.
“Honestly, I wouldn’t even mind Winnipeg,” he said. “It’s not that nice, but I just hate Philly. I just hate Philly. I can’t stand it. I can’t stand the city, everything. It’s the rink. It’s just one city that I absolutely despise. I can’t stand it. I’d be sick if I got traded there. If I had a one-team no-trade list, they’d be on it in a second.”
Not everybody is so picky, though.
“I’d feel lucky to play anywhere,” one player said.
It’s not surprising that three of the most successful coaches in the league top the list. Everyone wants to win, after all.
“I like his persona,” one player said of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Jon Cooper.
One player who couldn’t choose between Cooper and the Colorado Avalanche’s Jared Bednar said: “Their teams play such nice hockey. They play fast. If I were to turn the TV on, I would probably look at those two teams because they play beautiful hockey.”
Those who’ve played for Rod Brind’Amour with the Carolina Hurricanes inevitably become evangelists for him, and word spreads quickly throughout the league.
“I’ve heard he rewards players that are committed and work hard,” one player said. “I think that would fit my traits and we could build a good relationship. He’s someone you want to play for, and he’s also had good success in Carolina. They’ve had good runs but have just come up short. Every year they’ve been there as one of the final teams.”
“Seems like a very straightforward coach,” another player said. “No matter what kind of team they have, or how it looks on paper, they’re always a fast, hard-to-play team.”
The Florida Panthers’ Paul Maurice’s big personality has won over plenty of players, too. Winning the Stanley Cup doesn’t hurt.
Believe it or not, Bettman has a lot of supporters around the league. And this poll was conducted before the league announced a skyrocketing salary cap that’s going to make players even richer.
“I think he’s done a great job with the league,” one player said. “It keeps growing.”
“We’ve had the least turmoil of most leagues,” said one player, who must not have been paying attention in 1994, 2004 or 2012. “I’m fine with him.”
“I feel like he’s done a pretty good job with our sport in terms of getting TV deals,” another said. “Obviously, it was crappy timing with COVID and escrow and whatnot, but I feel like the salary cap is going up, TV deals are going up. I think our sport is in a good spot, so he’s done a decent job.”
This may be unpopular, but I think he’s done a nice job of stabilizing our league,” another said.
“He’s put the league in a good spot,” another said. “He’s ready, but if he keeps growing the game… we’re not playing escrow anymore… why leave now?”
Some players think some fresh eyes and fresh ideas could help the league grow.
“The culture of the league needs to change,” one said. “The league needs to make hockey more accessible to lots of people. Stephen A. Smith doesn’t get fired up about hockey, and he should be.”
“I think it would be good to have a fresh face,” another said.
“It’s such a hard job,” another said. “You’re never going to be liked. He had a good run. Let somebody else step in now.”
A couple of players said they expect Bettman to step down after one last collective-bargaining agreement so he can leave the league in a good place.
Then there was this player: “I don’t even know what that f—ing guy does.”
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