Gary Bettman
Gary Bettman
Gary Bruce Bettmanis the commissioner of the National Hockey League, a post he has held since February 1, 1993. Previously, Bettman was a senior vice-president and general counsel to the National Basketball Association. Bettman is a graduate of Cornell University and New York University School of Law...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionSports Executive
Date of Birth2 June 1952
CityQueens, NY
CountryUnited States of America
answer bring came deserve fans somebody team terms
The fans deserve better in terms of experience. If there was no team here and somebody came to us and said, 'We'd like to bring a team to Nassau Coliseum,' our answer would be, 'Are you kidding?
fact hunt matter playoffs qualified regular season strong teams term until upset
I like the term 'competitive balance,' but the fact is, when you look at this year's playoffs, no matter who wins, it is probably not an upset because any one of the 16 teams that qualified have a chance. The regular season was exciting. There were 24 teams in the hunt until just about the end. Then, when you look at these series, the playoffs are off to a strong start.
again economic problems stood teams until
When I stood before you in September, I said NHL teams would not play again until our economic problems had been solved,
feedback might pushing teams
Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Teams might be pushing more because they don't want to go to a shootout.
enables million needs players range returning spread team unlike view within
The view is any team within that range can be competitive, unlike the $20 million to $80 million spread we had before. It enables each team to have the flexibility it needs with young players and returning players.
framework markets sign smaller teams top
a framework that has enabled teams in smaller markets to sign top players.
blink goes ice increasing pass puck seeing teams
We're seeing teams make increasing use of the long pass so the puck goes up the ice now in the blink of an eye,
certainly current looking markets number support teams
Under our current system, there are a number of markets that don't have teams now that could certainly support a team. Having said that, we're not looking to relocate and we're not looking to expand.
baseball team hockey
Our economics are not baseball's economics. Our game is not baseball's game. Our owners are not baseball's owners, with one or two exceptions. Our union is not baseball's union. What we do has to be crafted and suited to address hockey, to address the NHL, to address our 30 teams and our 700-plus players.
constant damage found last ourselves result situation suggestion tremendous year
In many quarters, there was a constant suggestion over the last year that the situation we found ourselves in would result in tremendous damage and that's not the case,
business deliver dynamic entertainment experience function leagues partners sports technology vehicles
In an increasingly dynamic sports and entertainment marketplace, new technology and entertainment vehicles have impacted the way sports leagues function and how we deliver the NHL experience to our business partners and fans,
looking radar
not something we're looking at right now. It's not on the radar screen.
anticipate continue continuous cover coverage expect fans highlight meaningful
They will continue to cover us in a meaningful and significant way, which is what we expect and the fans of this sport deserve. We anticipate continuous highlight coverage of our games.
cap exactly
The cap is working exactly how it was intended.