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Former NHLer Colby Armstrong Takes Aim at Gary Bettman and the League, Calls for Major Changes

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Tom Banks | Last updated May 31, 2025 9:46 AM ET

Gary Bettman has been under fire all season long for some odd choices, and now former NHLer Colby Armstrong has called him out for the Stanley Cup Finals schedule.

The NHL's scheduling this season has come under immense scrutiny, with mistakes made by matching the league up against top competition and making intriguing calls for big, iconic games, and now they're receiving more backlash.

This time, it comes from former NHLer Colby Armstrong, who has called out the league for having a five day gap between the wrapping up of the Conference Finals and Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals, noting that the playoffs are already incredibly long as it is, and missing the chance to play a game this weekend is a huge mistake.

'I love hockey don't get me wrong. This weekend sucks that we don't even have hockey right now but just the season in general like dragging on. Let's just get this done."

While some will agree with Armstrong and will want the league to get a move on with things, it's in the best interest of the NHL to have these teams at full health, and that combined with potential scheduling conflicts that can't be addressed until the end of the Conference Finals has us sitting where we are.

That doesn't mean it's not a worthwhile complaint to bring up however, as fans have been used to constant NHL action for the past eight months, and to now have to wait five days to see the start of the biggest series of the year, it's definitely something that fans have a major gripe with.

Ultimately, this seems like a can't win situation for the NHL, as fans would likely be upset one way or another, but with days until Game 1, it's safe to say that a sense of anticipation will continue building.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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