Gary Bettman: Pat Foley 'Off The Mark' In Criticizing Late Start Times
(CBS) A day after Blackhawks play-by-play man Pat Foley criticized the NHL on live television for its late start times in the Chicago-St. Louis first-round series, league commissioner Gary Bettman fired back, saying Foley was "off the mark" and that his view didn't reflect that of the Blackhawks organization.
"He was off the mark," Bettman said, according to the Chicago Tribune. "Clubs are fine with the start times, and you can ask the Blackhawks."
Bettman added that Foley "didn't have his facts straights," the Tribune reported.
Three of the first five games between the Blackhawks and Blues have featured a puck drop at 8:42 p.m. or within minutes of that. Game 5 between the Blackhawks and Blues started Thursday night and didn't end until Patrick Kane's winner in double-overtime in the wee hours of Friday morning.
Long before it even reached that point, Foley had criticized the start time during the broadcast.
"I can say with certainty, players cannot stand these late starts, coaches cannot stand them, and most importantly, the fans can't stand them," Foley said. "So if we approach midnight eastern, again, on a work night, on a school night, a simple question: An 8:42 puck drop serves who?"