NHL commissioner Gary Bettman turned up in a Phoenix court room today, along with his deputy, Bill Daly, to participate in the Phoenix Coyotes' seminal bankruptcy hearings. Since Bettman cannot be in two places at the same time, what happens if the Detroit Red Wings win the Stanley Cup tonight in Pittsburgh? Who gives out the trophy, a task traditionally handled by the commissioner? According to sources, there are plans in place to whisk Bettman from Phoenix to Pittsburgh so that he can be on hand, if the Stanley Cup is awarded tonight.
Last year, the Red Wings defeated the Penguins in six games, something they are attempting to do again this time around. However, last year's sixth game of the final took place on June 4, or five days earlier than this year. Thankfully, the Stanley Cup final was pushed up a full week from the original starting schedule, which in theory, could have made this one of the longest seasons on record, excluding Olympic years (when the season stops for 15 days in February) or lockout years.