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I mean, it’s hard to know what to make of this file. At one point, Bettman — who’s referred to as Commissioner Bettman, no relation to Commissioner Gordon, throughout — is quoted as saying: “This was never intended to be a negotiation,” which is hilarious because Bettman lives to negotiate, and with the Olympics he gets to negotiate with the IIHF, the IOC, the BOG and the NHLPA all at the same time. This is Gary’s fantasy come true.

He also uses the word, “fatigue,” to describe the owners’ attitude about this ongoing debate.

If it’s any consolation, the owners aren’t alone there.

So, if you just called up this story as you browsed the internet, you’d have questions about its objectivity. You’d wonder if there was an agenda. You’d ask if it represented a pre-determined point of view. But then you’d see the story is posted on NHL.com, and, suddenly, you’d have an answer to all those questions.

Speaking of agendas, we’re going to come clean here. It’s been a crummy couple of weeks at our newspaper. Hell, it’s been a crummy couple of years. We’re fighting to maintain our share of the market and it’s a tough battle. This is hardly a revelation.

But it doesn’t make it any easier when we’re competing against in-house writers, rights-holders who pretend they’re impartial and anyone whose coverage and access is determined by a business arrangement.

This, of course, is the new media landscape, and nothing written here is going to change it. But, every now and then, there’s a need to call these “news” sources on their more obvious biases.