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Ovechkin scores in 4th straight, Capitals shut out Bruins to end 6-game skid Passes Gretzky for most empty-net goals in NHL history at 57, Lindgren makes 18 saves https://www.nhl.com/news/washington-capitals-boston-bruins-game-recap-february-10

Penguins Thrilled To Be Part of 'Marc-Andre Fleury Night' https://www.nhl.com/penguins/news/penguins-thrilled-to-be-part-of-marc-andre-fleury-night?utm_source=social&utm_medium=x

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Smith Entertainment Group says Jazz co-owner Ryan Smith, pictured, has talked with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman since early 2022 about the prospects of bringing a team to Utah. Owners of NBA's Jazz request NHL initiate formal expansion process to bring team to Utah Club has held talks with league commissioner Gary Bettman since early 2022 https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/utah-jazz-owners-formal-request-nhl-expansion-bettman-1.7093408 The owners of the NBA's Utah Jazz said Wednesday they have the immediate ability to bring an NHL team to Salt Lake City and requested the initiation of an expansion process. The Smith Entertainment Group said in a news release it would use the Jazz's arena as an interim home for an NHL franchise. SEG CEO Ryan Smith said the company is "100 per cent focused on making this happen as soon as possible." Talks between Smith and the league have been going on since early 2022. The NHL said in a statement it appreciates the interest. "During conversations over the course of the past two years, we have been impressed by Ryan and Ashley Smith's commitment to their community and their passion and vision for Utah, not only as a hockey market but as a pre-eminent sports and entertainment destination," the league said in a statement. "Utah is a promising market, and we look forward to continuing our discussions." The announcement comes past the midway point of the hockey season and with remaining uncertainty about the future of the Arizona Coyotes, who are playing a second season in 5,000-seat Mullett Arena on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe. League and NHLPA leaders said last year they would like a resolution sooner than later about a long-term future for the Coyotes in the Phoenix area. The Coyotes declined comment on the Salt Lake City release. They have been adamant about remaining in Arizona despite a failed arena vote in Tempe last year. President and CEO Xavier Gutierrez said in June the team had identified six potential sites for a privately funded arena. The Coyotes announced in August that owner Alex Meruelo executed a letter of intent to buy a piece of land for a potential arena in Mesa, Arizona. After a series of questions about the Coyotes at the league's pre-Stanley Cup final news conference in June, deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed conversations with Smith and his interest in bringing the NHL to Salt Lake City. Bettman: Vegas, Seattle 'made NHL stronger' Daly also said the league has been consistent in saying that expansion wasn't at the top of its priority list. The NHL has 32 teams, same as the NFL and two more than the NBA and Major League Baseball. It added the Vegas Golden Knights in 2017 and the Seattle Kraken in 2021. "You look at market, you look at ownership, you look at arena and you look at does it make the league stronger," commissioner Gary Bettman said. "And I think it's fair to say that the last two expansions, Vegas and Seattle, have made the league stronger." Bettman called Arizona a terrific and growing market, adding that the team has been "a little bit of a victim of circumstance." The Coyotes have undergone a series of ownership changes and played in different arenas around the area, most recently in Glendale before moving to Tempe. "We're in a better position to resist moving than maybe we were 20 or 30 years ago," Bettman said June 3. "We want to make sure we explore all options at this stage of where we are before we would consider having to relocate a club, and I'm hopeful we won't have to." Five NHL exhibition games had been held at the Delta Center, the home of the Jazz, since 2018. SEG said the location for a potential new arena designed for hockey is yet to be determined. Utah governor Spencer Cox said the state's history with hockey, strong economy, passionate sports fans and young and active population make it ripe for the addition of another team, while Salt Lake City bids for the 2034 Winter Olympics. "With the Olympic bid underway, our long-standing reputation as one of the greatest winter sports capitals in the world, and with the proven leadership of Ryan and Ashley Smith and SEG in our community, I am extremely optimistic about the future of Utah," Cox said in a statement. Salt Lake City hosted the 2002 Olympics, the second with NHL players. The ECHL's Utah Grizzlies currently play in West Valley City in the suburbs. "There is so much momentum happening at the state level around global sports and sports infrastructure," Smith said. "While Delta Center is ready to serve as an interim solution for an NHL team, Utah will need a new arena designed for professional and Olympic hockey." League expansion must be approved by the NHL's board of governors.

GARY BETTMAN: THE IRONMAN OF THE NHL AND LEAGUE BOSSES January 27 marks the 11,318th day that Gary Bettman has been the commissioner of the NHL, which makes him the longest-serving leader of any major league, including the NFL, MLB or the NBA. FRANK BROWN JAN 27, 2024 https://thehockeynews.com/money-and-power/gary-bettman-the-ironman-of-the-nhl-and-league-bosses January 27 marks the 11,318th day that Gary Bettman has been the commissioner of the NHL, which is one more day than Clarence Campbell served as the boss. It also makes Bettman the longest-serving leader of any major league, including the NFL, MLB or the NBA. Bettman, the ironman of league bosses. As part of its special section previewing the 1993-94 NHL season, the Hartford Courant published perhaps the most prophetic sentence that Gary Bettman ever spoke. On Oct. 5, 1993, the day before the first games of Bettman’s first full season as NHL commissioner, Viv Bernstein’s two-page story was headlined by an NHL shield that was surrounded by the words “NEW AND IMPROVED!” “While dealing with the issues of the day,” Bernstein wrote, “Bettman also has plans to market the NHL in a way that will someday put it on a par with the other major sports, financially and perceptually. But he realizes it’s going to take some time. “There’s a big challenge here,” Bettman said. “I’m not lacking for challenges. As long as it’s on the right track and the owners will have me, I’m in this for the long haul.” Bettman’s haul is about to become the longest in pro-sports-leadership history. And that’s a lot of history, given that MLB, the NBA, the NFL and the NHL have been entertaining fans for a combined 433 years. Across the centuries of home runs and touchdowns, slapshots and slam dunks, only 10 individuals have served their respective sports as commissioner, while 19 others have been empowered as presidents. They have served as briefly as the 123 days that Gil Stein ran the NHL between president John Ziegler’s departure and Bettman’s formal arrival. They have served as long as NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle (29 years, nine months and 11 days from 1960 to 1989), NBA commissioner David Stern (exactly 30 years, from 1984 to 2014) and the NHL’s Clarence Campbell, whose term as president ended in 1977 after 30 years, 11 months and 25 days. On Jan. 27, the tenure torch passes when Bettman’s time in office passes that of Campbell. In a run that spans four decades, and more than 55 percent of all NHL games ever played, the quality of Bettman’s pioneering advancement has more than matched the quantity of his executive endurance. He has influenced positive transformation in virtually every area of the game and business. A league created in 1917 is younger and more vibrant than ever. There were 60 NHL employees when Bettman started; there are 800 today. The average player salary was $463,200 in 1992-93; it’s over $3.2 million today. The social-media audience when Bettman began was zero, because there was no social media when Bettman’s term began; today’s social-media audience, across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and X approaches 21 million. League-wide revenue, some $450 million when Bettman started, is on track to surpass $6 billion this season. The day after that story ran in the Hartford Courant in 1993, the Montreal Canadiens opened the defense of their 24th Stanley Cup championship with a 5-1 victory over the Whalers at the Hartford Civic Center. At the end of that season, the Whalers were sold to Peter Karmanos and Thomas Thewes for $47.5 million. This past October, when the 31st full season of Bettman’s tenure began, the Vegas Golden Knights raised their Stanley Cup banner to the ceiling of T-Mobile Arena. The Golden Knights then opened the defense of the desert franchise’s first crown with a 4-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken. In 2016, Golden Knights owner Bill Foley agreed to pay $500 million for his expansion franchise. In 2021, Seattle’s ownership group paid $650 million for entry into the league. Just a few weeks before the Golden Knights hosted the Kraken on opening night, the sale of the Ottawa Senators to Michael Andlauer was confirmed by the NHL’s board of governors. Coming less than two years after the $900-million sale of the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Senators sold for $950 million. The Ottawa deal raised a number of eyebrows, and Sal Galatioto, who brokered it, was among those impressed by the impact of the transaction. “I feel that Gary Bettman has been underappreciated during his tenure as commissioner,” said Galatioto, the president of Galatioto Sports Partners and a veteran of sports-franchise sales. “He has done an incredible job in repairing a broken economic system by negotiating a salary cap with the Players’ Association, growing the NHL’s visibility all over North America and beyond, and significantly increasing media revenues. “In addition, Gary has built a first-class team of professionals at the NHL’s office and has helped spur outstanding growth in the value of NHL franchises. The media often overlooks the rapid growth in these values. In 2003, I represented Eugene Melnyk in the purchase of the Senators. Eugene paid $90 million for the franchise. This past year, I represented Eugene’s estate in the sale of the team for $950 million. I can’t think of anything that shows the great job that Gary has done any more than that.” Except none of these successes stands alone. One of Bettman’s favorite expressions is, “Everything is related to everything else,” and the two latest franchise sales are perfect examples. Potential owners now engage more with the NHL because its economics are stable, its revenues continue to grow, revenue sharing supports the franchises that earn it, the on-ice entertainment is exceptional, and the demand for franchises far exceeds the supply. Broadcasters have been willing to spend more for NHL rights because while the length of games is more predictable (it was two hours and 27 minutes for regulation play last season, down a full eight minutes from 1992-93), the games’ outcomes are less predictable than ever. Multi-goal comeback wins are almost routine, which keeps viewers – and, let’s face it, gamblers – engaged longer. That also means more eyeballs on late-game commercials, which advertisers appreciate. Top sponsors have been more eager to attach their brands to the NHL because the speed and skill on display has never been higher. Meanwhile, advancements in technology such as digital dasher boards and player- and puck-tracking – and, of course, streaming – open an array of opportunities that appeal to viewers. Regardless of their size, a generation of top players has emerged because they have come through the ranks under rules that prioritize ability. The framework for all this success was put in place through the implementation of those rules and the advent of the current economic system. That system, secured at great cost, was formalized on July 22, 2005. To spare you from having to look it up, that was five days after Connor Bedard was born. Carolina’s Brent Burns and Minnesota’s Marc-Andre Fleury are the only current players who competed in NHL games prior to that date. So, Bernstein was a bit of a prophet as well. Because today, the NHL, in many respects, is “on a par with the other sports, financially and perceptually.” In other ways, it is ahead. On New Year’s Day, the Golden Knights and the Kraken, the two teams who joined the NHL for a combined $1.15 billion, faced off at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park in the Winter Classic – an event which first made its impact on the sports world in 2008, nearly 15 years after Bettman’s first day on the job. The Heritage Classic preceded it, of course, in frigid Edmonton on Nov. 22, 2003. Outdoor play was unthinkable when Bettman took the helm. So was Olympic competition for NHL players. The notion of an NHL franchise in Columbus or Nashville, much less one in Vegas or Seattle, was sheer fantasy. When Bettman first walked through his office door, it was enough of a chore simply to keep in business some of the franchises he inherited. Barely a month into Bettman’s first five-year contract, on March 9, 1993, owner Norm Green reached an agreement to move the Minnesota North Stars to Dallas. The relocation to Dallas was only one of a daunting list of franchise issues in those early days. Time and again, in a city such as Pittsburgh or Buffalo or Calgary or Edmonton – and later in Glendale, Ariz. – Bettman would stand at a chamber of commerce breakfast or a fan-club meeting or a public hearing and face fans who feared their team might leave, too. He promised them everything possible would be done to keep their team in place, then worked relentlessly to live up to his word. This is what commissioners do. “Fans want to focus on the game and the players,” said Bettman recently. “I’m not sure they care, or should care, about what we have to do behind the scenes to make it happen. That’s our job as executives in a sports league and as teams. We need to make it happen, and we owe it to the game and the fans to do that. You have to be able to multi-task, and you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do to make it happen. And there are no excuses.” The “no excuses” tagline applies even when uncharted waters are approached. None of the other 28 league presidents and commissioners confronted challenges as monumental as the lost NHL season in 2004-05 and the unprecedented menace of the global pandemic that began in January 2020. “Nobody had ever cancelled a season before, and in some respects, that prepared me for the pandemic, because we got some experience on how to operate when you’re not operating,” Bettman said. “(In 2004-05), we did what we had to do to right-size the league and make the game healthy. The salary cap (and) revenue sharing is what gives us the competitive balance that we have, gives us the opportunity to emphasize speed and skill. “The pandemic may have been harder, only because of the uncertainty. I kind of knew how the yearlong work stoppage was going to turn out, it was just a question of time. With the pandemic, there was so much uncertainty from a medical and health standpoint, and then creating the ‘bubbles’ and making sure that we kept people healthy and safe, and playing in empty buildings. “I believed that our fans had invested emotionally, and financially, in the season that we had to put on pause, and that we had an obligation to the game, to our fans, to try and bring closure to that season.” In 2004-05, Bettman faced an NHL Players’ Association that was in defiance of the league. But in the face of COVID, the players’ co-operation and collaboration likely could not have been greater. “The players were great,” Bettman said. ”We had to figure out a format, since we didn’t complete the regular season, and figure out playoff eligibility. We created two bubbles, one in Toronto and one in Edmonton, the two major cities in North America that then had the lowest COVID rates, which is why we went there. I think we did 33,000 tests, with daily testing of everybody who was in the bubble, and we didn’t have one positive. And the fact that the players were willing to do this, to go away from home, some of them for eight to 10 weeks, be tested every day, live in the bubbles away from their families, wouldn’t have happened if the players and the Players’ Association hadn’t really just co-operated and gone all-in with us. And we’re grateful that they did that. “That season, we were off about 20 percent on our revenues by having not completed the regular season in the normal course and having played the playoffs in the bubble. That was the 2019-20 season. I guess we were projecting $5 billion in revenues, and a billion of that didn’t get achieved for the reasons that I just mentioned. The following season, when we played a 56-game schedule, we opened late, we were playing in empty buildings in a lot of places, we had to realign because we couldn’t cross the border between Canada and the U.S. That season, our revenues were off more than 50 percent. But once COVID was over, we’ve come back. Last year, we approximated $6 billion, and this year, we’ll be incrementally growing above that.” That’s an impressive figure, one that arguably would challenge the aggregate business amassed by Frank Calder, Red Dutton, Clarence Campbell, John Ziegler and Gil Stein combined. Continually “new,” perpetually “improved,” the bigness of the NHL’s business didn’t really start until Gary Bettman’s long haul began. Frank Brown served as a communications executive with the NHL from 1998 to 2018. Bettman ranked No. 1 on THN's first 'Power' list 25 years ago, the same position he holds today. The Hockey News The Hockey News Money & Power 2024

UPDATED FOR 2024 Gordie Clark is the latest former WHA player to be inducted into the American Hockey League Hall of Fame. Induction in 2024. This brings the total number of former Cincinnati Stingers players (WHA) in the AHL Hall of Fame to 2, which ties them with the New England Whalers for the most players in the AHL Hall of Fame.

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Bettman makes history, will mark 31 years as NHL Commissioner Becomes longest-serving chief executive among major North American pro sports leagues https://www.nhl.com/news/gary-bettman-makes-history-by-marking-31-years-as-nhl-commissioner ByStan Fischler Special to NHL.com 10:27 AM From the moment I met Gary Bettman in a previous century, he struck me as a rather special sporting personality. But never as special as he is now. The NHL's indomitable Commissioner has placed a new feather in his cap. On Saturday, the 71-year-old from Queens, New York, added the following citation to his expanded dossier: Longest-serving chief executive among the major North American professional sports leagues. Installed as NHL Commissioner on Feb. 1, 1993, Bettman hit 11,318 days on the job, one more than Clarence Campbell, who was NHL president from 1946-1977. To put his 31-year stretch in perspective, consider that Bettman’s tenure has overseen 59 percent of all players in NHL history, 57 percent of coaches and general managers, 56 percent of the games played and 52 percent of the goals scored. The NHL has welcomed more than 615 million fans since he became Commissioner, more than 1.5 times the combined population of the United States and Canada. Of the 28 franchises set to play Saturday, 10 had yet to play a game on Feb. 1, 1993. Of the 14 venues hosting games that day, 13 had yet to be fully built (Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary was the only one). To appreciate this incredible feat, one must fathom his overflowing accomplishments. For starters, the Commissioner's body of work has lifted major league hockey to an Mt. Everest peak. Even veteran, tough-minded hockey executives acknowledge the unique achievement with no caveats whatsoever. Bettman is the best of the best and that's that. Detroit Red Wings senior vice president Jim Devellano won the Stanley Cup with the New York Islanders and Winged Wheelers. Devellano already had been an NHL sage when Bettman first cut his puck teeth at the League's Manhattan acreage. "When Gary was hired, the owners gave him two big chores," Devellano told me the other day. "One was to grow the footprint of the NHL across America, mainly south and west, so we could catch up to the NFL and NBA in terms of teams. And make us 'national' for television purposes. "Without a doubt, he accomplished that. The other chore was to get 'cost certainty' regarding rising player salaries when teams were bleeding many, many millions. The union and players fought back. But, in the end, Bettman delivered a hard salary cap. As a result, the NHL has never been stronger and, ironically, the players continue to prosper as they should." Bettman's 1993 debut hardly inspired cartwheels of joy among media critics. Before the newly minted maestro could polish his throne, the barbs flew from each side of the border. Some highly placed Canadians worried that the native New Yorker would favor teams south of the 49th parallel. But an assortment of adroit Bettman moves assured the success of the large- and small-market Canadian teams. The Calgary Flames were one of them, and the Vancouver Canucks another. "The year I arrived for my second stint in Vancouver," TV hockey personality and veteran NHL general manager Brian Burke recalled in his autobiography, "the Canucks lost $36 million. We were dealing with a 61-cent Canadian dollar. "But it was Gary who put in the Canadian Assistance Plan. The American teams were sending us a check for $3 million a year. If we didn't have that plan, you wouldn't have all the Canadian teams now. Some of them would have folded." One of them might have been the Flames. "Gary's leadership for the NHL has been exhibited in the growth that he has brought to the league under his tenure," Flames co-owner Murray Edwards asserted in a feature in The Hockey News. Those who insisted that major league hockey couldn't thrive nontraditional markets were rebuffed, with teams such as the Tampa Bay Lightning, Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators having developed substantial fan bases. "Thanks in large part to Gary's leadership," NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said, "we have reached a point as a league and as a business where our time can be spent primarily on being creative, ensuring the game on the ice be maximizing fan interest and growing revenues. That makes it a lot of fun coming to work every day." A hands-on skipper, Bettman often will insert his wisdom where it's needed. Early in their growth, the Lightning suffered what seemed to be insoluble problems -- including ownership issues. Now, under owner Jeff Vinik, the Lightning sell out every game. "I watched Bettman turn Tampa Bay into a hockey town," Larry Hirsch, a Florida-based veteran hockey play-by-play voice, told me. “Thanks to Bettman, the 'impossible' has happened. NHL players are developing in the South. Top scorer Auston Matthews learned to play in Arizona. Defenseman Jakob Chychrun got his start near Miami Beach." None of this was accomplished with exhaling ease. For the first 15 years of Bettman's stewardship, he essentially had to put what had been a rudderless ship on a steady, corporate course. Plus, he had to deal with a team of diverse owners such as Howard Baldwin, who bought the Penguins before the 1991-92 season. Baldwin: "I was there from Day One of his taking over as Commissioner. When Gary arrived, there were teams in trouble, but I found that he was incredibly respectful of each member team no matter what the financial circumstances were at the time. Over the years his creative vision escalated values beyond anyone's imagination." To reach such a respected level, Bettman had to battle hard for cost certainty. Those were among Bettman's most challenging times, but he never deviated from his goal and ultimately triumphed. Likewise, meetings with the League's general managers have not been without controversy, nor admiration for the Commissioner. "I admire his passion and love of the game," longtime Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said. "I consider myself fortunate to have seen that passion and love up close during our meetings. Gary has the unique ability to continue to honor the past while -- at the same time -- he understands that the game is always evolving. He has shown tremendous vision when it comes to how to change along with it." When Bettman took command, he was determined to ensure that every franchise developed a strong fiscal foundation. As a result, as one insider put it, Bettman "has had a hand [in] bringing in every one of 30 out of the 32 league owners. (The only exceptions being the Jacobs family in Boston and Chicago's Wirtz clan.) As a result, the League never has been on stronger fiscal footing." Many current and former NHL employees say the League is a great place to work. National Women's Soccer League Commissioner Jessica Berman held a high NHL position for more than a decade. She explained three noteworthy points about Bettman. 1. Adjusting to 32 owners: "He's done a masterful job balancing the needs of a wide-ranging group with their own challenges and opportunities. With the support of an incredible team, Gary has convinced everyone that growing the enterprise value of the League will benefit everyone, including players and fans. The basis of that is trust, which is built on consistency, transparency, communication and integrity." 2. Bettman's prime attributes: "Gary often is described as 'the smartest person in the room' and for good reason. He knows the business better than most and he's able to stay focused on the right attitude in order to make the best possible decisions. He also gives incredible advice; and I am fortunate to be one of the many leaders who have benefited directly and indirectly from his incredible insight and guidance." 3. How much longer he’ll continue: "I wouldn't venture to guess. The short answer is, as long as he wants. He has proven his value and has earned the right to control his destiny." Another former colleague called Bettman "a sponge for information who wants to know every fact; the more esoteric the better because it helps his decision-making." "He's a great human being and a brilliant human being." Those are the words of early Bettman hire Burke in his autobiography, “Burke's Law, A Life in Hockey.” "As a boss, he's an amazing leader and he's tough as nails. If you're ever in a foxhole and you look over and Gary Bettman is in there with you, that's a good thing. He's fearless. "And smart. We had a saying when I worked for the League -- there's smart, and then there's Bettman smart. He's on a whole other level. Visionaries look and see the next mountain and ask, 'How do we get there?' Gary looks ahead and sees six mountains. Working for him is like getting an MBA." The 2004-05 season cancellation -- "work stoppage" in League parlance -- was a necessity to cure festering fiscal problems. As a result, the League emerged healthier than ever. For Bettman, it was a case of pain and progress being inseparable. Or, as one hockey onlooker said, "You certainly don't cancel a season unless you have courage and a commitment to creating a better National Hockey League." Courage is the key word. Against all odds, Bettman was willing to stake his reputation on the success of such debatable expansion venues as Las Vegas, Seattle and Nashville. In each case they have become "hot" hockey towns, selling out every game on their schedule. New York Rangers’ 1994 Stanley Cup-winning GM Neil Smith -- now featured in the new "NHL Wraparound" podcast -- offered the following appraisal: "When you look at the business growth and franchise values of the 24 teams from 1993 until today -- and look at additional teams and overall growth of the NHL -- one can only marvel at the leadership Gary has provided during his remarkable 31 years as Commissioner.” Ironically, Bettman's basic training under NBA commissioner David Stern helped jump start Bettman's ice career. Or, as an associate noted, "His vision is better and clearer than any optometrist's. He knows that constant innovation and reinvention in the right areas are essential for continued growth and appeal." One contentious decision was the Commissioner's endorsement -- and continuous support -- of the shootout after regular-season overtime, derided by some foes as "a skills competition." But it provides an extra attraction, a 1-on-1 thriller for the fans. And it was Bettman who encouraged the idea of having outdoor and overseas games, which have been such smash hits; franchises continue to line up to be a part of them. His TV contract negotiations have delivered record revenues to the League while hockey coverage in North America and overseas is at an all-time high. One critic put it this way: "His body of work is unassailable. Gary may not be perfect but -- like Wayne Gretzky or Bobby Orr -- there's no one you'd rather have out there with the game on the line." A constant challenge has been the maintenance of a high officiating standard. To that end he created a two-referee system as well as assorted electronic devices to enhance the on-ice officials' ability "to get it right." Ditto for the Department of Player Safety, where the seesaw between clean hits and the other kind is endlessly monitored. Likewise, Bettman's goal -- balancing competition, as in the password, "parity" -- has virtually been fully achieved unlike the six-team NHL days and immediately thereafter. Longtime journalists, such as The Hockey News publisher W. Graeme Roustan, recorded the change for the better: "The imbalance of talent between (Original Six) teams made the NHL foundation unfair and, therefore, its growth unsustainable. Bettman created the framework of parity where any team in any given year has a relatively good chance of winning the Stanley Cup. This single factor has engaged fans in every market, which in turn solidified stronger foundations than at any time in NHL history." What surprises some who are amazed at the 71-year-old's vim, vigor and vitality is that Bettman has not lost his fastball; nor his knuckler either. One explanation is that in 1996 he hired Daly as aide de camp and in 2005 he named Daly the NHL's first Deputy Commissioner. "Gary is passionate about what he does," Daly told me. "It's not work for him. It's a lifestyle. His job is not a 9-to-5, five-days-a-week type existence. And it's obvious that Gary does it well." Onlookers liken the Bettman-Daly combo to legendary Damon and Pythias. "Like Gary, Bill doesn't mind a fight but, if there's a choice, they'll avoid it. But if they're going to have a fight, it's, 'Okay, let's fight'. The thing is, Bill didn't start out as a hockey guy; but like Gary, he's a hockey guy now." That said, one wonders how much longer Bettman plans to remain as Commissioner. The standard answer I get is simply, "As long as he wants." Jeremy Jacobs, chairman of the NHL Board of Governors, who is, in effect, Bettman’s boss, agrees. "Franchises are healthier, the game is more competitive and, because of Gary, the game is watched in more homes across America and Canada thanks to numerous media rights deals he's negotiated," the Boston Bruins owner said. Like others, I often wonder why he keeps going. "I continue to be excited about the prospects for continuing to grow the game,” the Commissioner told me. “And to use the platforms that the game provides to make a difference in the communities where hockey is played.” And how does he stay in shape? "By never sitting still. ... I try to work out and remain active. And I do things subject to the demands of this job -- including extensive travel." Finally, I ask him to cite his favorite accomplishment. "It's not about accomplishments or regrets." Then a pause: "It's about always striving to seize opportunities and do more!" The record shows -- and will continue to show -- that Gary Bettman does it rather well!

PRESIDENTS OF THE NATIONAL HOCKEY ASSOCIATION 01. M. Doheney (1909-1910: 1 year) 02. Emmett Quinn (1910-1916: 6 years) Canadian 03. Frank Robinson (1916-1917: 1 year) 04. Frank Calder (1917) British (Inducted in 1947) PRESIDENTS OF THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE 01. Frank Calder (1917-1943: 26 years) British (Inducted in 1947) 02. Red Dutton (1943-1946: 3 years) Canadian (Inducted in 1958) 03. Clarence Campbell (1946-1977: 31 years) Canadian (Inducted in 1966) 04. John Ziegler (1977-1992: 15 years) American (Inducted in 1987) 05. Gil Stein (1992-1993: 1 year) American COMMISSIONERS OF THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE 01. Gary Bettman (1993-Present: 31 years) American (Inducted in 2018) 31 YEARS FOR GARY BETTMAN! - NOW TIED WITH CLARENCE CAMPBELL

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