Stanley Cup Playoffs: NHL has pre-recorded boos for Gary Bettman
By Ant Barberio
The NHL is ready for the long-standing tradition of the Stanley Cup Playoffs – booing Gary Bettman.
Sports without fans is weird, but it’s better than no sports at all. Major League Baseball is trying to make us forget about the empty stadiums with virtual fans and cardboard cutout people. For the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the NHL decided to put decorative tarps over the empty seats. Better than seeing empty seats, but cardboard cutouts behind the glass would have been hysterical.
Sports leagues that have returned, including the NHL, have been using crowd noise to make it sounds like a real game. Some of the sounds are simulated, others are prerecorded videos sent in by fans. There is one concern for hockey fans, however.
One of the most enduring traditions of the Stanley Cup playoffs is booing Commissioner Gary Bettman as he’s about to present the cup. Sure there’s prerecorded simulated booing, but Bettman boo-s are a special kind of boos. Thankfully the NHL has us covered.
The NFL did something similar earlier this year during their virtual draft. Fans “zoom”-ed into the draft to boo the commissioner during the draft. The booing became a social media campaign as well, as fans were encouraged to tweet #BooTheComish. For every tweet Anheuser-Busch, the parent company of Bud Light, donated $1 towards Covid-19 relief. Goodell rolled with the punches, even filming a commercial to promote the social media trend and raise money.
Perhaps the NHL will do something similar. Although Coors Light is the “official beer” league-wide, Bud Light has a notable presence. Bud Light supported their hometown St. Louis Blues (the company is based out of St. Louis) during their Cinderella cup run last spring. They even commemorated the occasion with special “Gloria” bottles.
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As much as people hate Gary Bettman you have to respect him for embracing the boo-s. he knows it’s going to happen, so he sits back and laughs. This may be a Stanley Cup like no other, but at least it might not sound that different at all.