‘When the Florida teams weren’t good, which was for about 17 years, OK, nobody said anything about it.’
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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman knocked down a “ridiculous” claim by commentator Paul Bissonnette that NHL teams based in Florida have a big advantage due to the lack of a state income tax.
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Bettman tore down the argument during an appearance on TNT’s panel on Monday night prior to Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers.
As the group of commentators lobbed questions towards Bettman, who has served as NHL commissioner since 1993, it came to Bissonnette’s turn at the plate.
The former NHLer, who is affectionately known as BizNasty, brought up his previously aired concerns about the perceived competitive advantage for the teams in Florida.
“I don’t want to take anything away from the teams from Florida and the state of Florida,” Bissonnette began. “Any plans maybe in the future to implement a balance as far as the no state tax?”
Bettman was all over it, instantly shooting down any notion of the sort.
“It’s a ridiculous issue,” the 73-year-old began. “When the Florida teams weren’t good, which was for about 17 years, OK, nobody said anything about it.
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NHL commissioner Gary Bettman calls Paul Bissonnette’s concern about the NHL & Florida’s lack of state tax “ridiculous.”
Bettman adds, “I was watching you during the prior rounds. Your attire was a little suspect in terms of your journalistic objectivity.” 🏒🎙️#NHL #StanleyCup https://t.co/eLmLyNCi2c pic.twitter.com/25Tuu8gKnm
“For those of you that played, were you sitting there with a tax table? No, you wanted to go to a good organization in a place you wanted to live where you wanted to raise your kids and send them to school. You wanted to play in a first-class arena with a first-class training facility with an owner, an organization, a GM and a coach that you were comfortable with. And you wanted to have good teammates so you would have a shot at winning.
“That’s what motivates. Could it be a little bit of a factor if everything else were equal? I suppose, but that’s not it. By the way, state taxes are high in Los Angeles, high in New York. What are we going to do, subsidize those teams?”
While Bettman’s argument is fair, it can’t be denied that Florida is on an unprecedented run of success. Between the Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Sunshine State has boasted the Eastern Conference champion in each of the past six seasons.
Bissonnette also jokingly asked if his team of choice — the Toronto Maple Leafs — could perhaps get a bit of a break with some big decisions looming in free agency this summer.
“Can we at least take tax away from the province of Ontario, for the Leafs sake?” he said. “We need something, Gary!”
Bettman then delivered the coup de grace, saying: “I was watching you during the prior rounds. Your attire was a little suspect in terms of your journalistic objectivity.”
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