Retirement: NHL Sets Plan in Motion to Part Ways with Commissioner Gary Bettman
The National Hockey League has reportedly begun planning for the retirement of Commissioner Gary Bettman.
Next Saturday, February 1st, will mark the 32nd anniversary of Gary Bettman becoming the first Commissioner in National Hockey League history as he took over Gil Stein who was the fifth and final President.
Bettman, the longest-serving top executive in North American professional sports, has overseen a ton of change in the National Hockey League, which we'll get to later, but it looks like his time as Commissioner.
National Hockey League preparing for Gary Bettman's retirement
In an interview earlier this week, Minnesota Wild Owner Craig Leipold mentioned that National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman is going to be retiring, which came as a bit of a shock to many.
Chris Johnston and Michael Russo of The Athletic reached out to Craig Leipold to elaborate on his comments and he mentioned that the executive committee of the Board of Governors has begun the process of planning for Gary Bettman's retirement, which is expected in the next couple of years.
He went on to add, "Now we're going to transition to somebody else, and that should make us all a little concerned that we have to be certain we get the right person. It's a concern that I have that, 'How are we going to get anybody as good as Gary?' The answer is we're not. So who's going to be the second best person, and is that going to be good enough?"
During Gary Bettman's time as Commissioner, the National Hockey League has expanded from 24 to 32 teams, with franchises added in Florida, Anaheim, Columbus, Nashville, Minnesota, Vegas, Seattle, Utah, Atlanta (relocated to Winnipeg in 2011), along with the relocations of Hartford to Carolina, Quebec to Colorado and Winnipeg to Arizona.
The league's revenue has reached all-time highs under Gary Bettman and the NHL's salary cap expected to jump, potentially as high as $97 million USD next season.
While Gary Bettman gets a ton of backlash from fans, he's done a lot for the game of hockey and will be remembered for his contributions to the sport once he officially retires in the coming years.
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