Bettman’s Legacy
I have a horribly-kept secret. I am actually a fan of Gary Bettman. It’s not a popular stance. But hear me out.
Before Bettman, the NHL was a bit of a joke on a national scale. Let’s remember, Gary Bettman has been the commissioner of the NHL since 1993 His tenure has seen teams added in non-traditional hockey markets like Miami, Dallas, Raleigh, Nashville, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Anaheim (Atlanta gets a pass).
Does it make sense that fans from these markets boo Bettman relentlessly as though they are Canadian purists? Without Bettman, we’d all be wearing black and silver to hockey games in SoCal. That’s reason enough to be his fan.
Bettman has overseen changes to the league, including a salary cap and revenue sharing system, that allows teams like the Anaheim Ducks to compete every year. Consider this, all of the Bettman-added sunbelt teams listed above have been to the Stanley Cup Final at least once except the Coyotes. Phoenix only made it as far as the conference final.
Three of those teams have already won the Stanley Cup. I don’t know about you, but that warm night in 2007 is still one of the highlights of my life. We have Bettman to thank for that, at least partially.