NHL Commissioner GARY BETTMAN leads the list of the top 25 NHL Power Brokers, with SPORTSNET.ca's John Shannon writing there is "little doubt Bettman is in charge of the game." He has "learned to deftly manage the owners, and has a very tight circle of loyal employees that do the day-to-day work of the NHL." Shannon: "The trust that most owners have in him is beyond description. In many ways, he is viewed as the 31st owner." The fact that most of former NHL COO JOHN COLLINS' "direct subordinates all now report in to the commissioner is a simple message, both internally and externally, that he wants to be responsible for the growth of the game as it enters the centennial year" (SPORTSNET.ca, 1/18).
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TOP 25 NHL POWER BROKERS
|
| RK |
NAME |
| 1) |
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman |
| 2) |
Bruins Owner Jeremy Jacobs |
| 3) |
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly |
| 4) |
NHLPA Special Assistant to the Exec Dir Mathieu Schneider |
| 5) |
NHLPA Exec Dir Donald Fehr |
| 6) |
NHL Senior Exec VP/Hockey Operations Colin Campbell |
| 7) |
Flames Owner Murray Edwards |
| 8) |
Capitals Owner Ted Leonsis |
| 9) |
Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock |
| 10) |
Blackhawks President & CEO John McDonough |
| 11) |
NHL Senior VP/Dir of Officiating Stephen Walkom |
| 12) |
Oilers C Connor McDavid |
| 13) |
IIHF President Rene Fasel |
| 14) |
Panthers RW Jaromir Jagr |
| 15) |
Former NHLer Kay Whitmore and Devils G Cory Schneider |
| 16) |
Penguins C Sidney Crosby |
| 17) |
Lightning Owner Jeff Vinik |
| 18) |
Oilers Entertainment Group Vice Chair & CEO Bob Nicholson |
| 19) |
Red Wings Exec VP & GM Ken Holland
|
| 20) |
NHL Events Exec VP Don Renzulli |
| 21) |
Hockey HOFer Bobby Orr |
| 22) |
CAA Hockey co-head Pat Brisson |
| 23) |
Newport Sports Management President Don Meehan |
| 24) |
NHL Senior VP/Scheduling Steve Hatze Petros |
| 25) |
Canucks President of Hockey Operations Trevor Linden and Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan |
