He was trying to help the town and everyone treated him like *beep* the whole time.
That one old lady called him a prick, what a bitch. I hope he beat the *beep* out of her later.
i told you not to stop the boat. Now lets go. Apocaylpse Now
No he wasn't.
He admitted during the proposal it was about money quite early in the film. He was too selfish to realize that if the game were to be a blowout it could destroy the very spirit of the town, that was a little past the middle of the film. In a drunken stupor he rants at the sheriff exposing his jealousy and contempt of those that can play hockey along with the town residents reverence of it. He was a petty, greedy little weasel that returned simply to show off about what he could arrange now that he was famous. He still hadn't achieved his individual goals of winning a Pulitzer as a giant *beep* you to Hockey and the town.
On the rare moments he showed signs of humanity it was as if he was remembering who he was rather than who he is.
Even the article he wrote he makes underhanded comments about the physical skills of the man he is most jealous of.
At least in the end they made the character fully grasp and embrace what the Saturday game was actually about rather than what he thought it was about, however it was his hubris and promises bankrupted the town to get to the point of preparation for the event. A bloody nose was a small price to pay for pushing a town towards the brink for no reason other than himself.