NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman yesterday spoke before Penguins-Capitals at Verizon Center, "addressing topics ranging from the prospects of an NHL All-Star Game coming [to DC], the progress of the District concerning its hockey fandom and the league’s recent roll-out of new 'enhanced' statistics on its website," according to Alex Prewitt of the WASHINGTON POST. Bettman said of an ASG in DC, "The fact that we’ve got a lineup where we owe some cities games gets a little more complicated, because we don’t play in an Olympic year if we go to the Olympics. Having said all that, we had a great, phenomenal experience with the Winter Classic. ... I’m sure there will be future league events in Washington’s future." He said of the evolution of DC as a hockey market, "I would call that the Leonsis era. I think Ted’s ownership of this franchise has been nothing short of phenomenal in terms of how the community has been engaged, in terms of how fans have connected with and interacted with this franchise. The stability of ownership and management has been very important. ... This has turned out to be, which we always believed it could be, a terrific hockey market." He said of the feedback received after the NHL unveiled its enhanced stats, "There are some traditionalists who are taking more of a wait-and-see attitude, but if you’re not into analytics, then don’t use them." He said of expansion, particularly in Las Vegas, "We’re listening, which is all we’re doing right now." Bettman added of the projected salary cap for '15-16, "I believe we’ll be looking at a 5 percent kicker and all the attention that’s been focused on the Canadian dollar, I’ve said repeatedly, doesn’t mean the cap is just going to precipitously fall" (WASHINGTON POST, 2/26). Meanwhile, Bettman said that a potential Penguins-Flyers outdoor game at Penn State's Beaver Stadium "has been discussed." He said, "I'm intrigued by the possibility. But it's not anywhere close to fruition" (PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 2/26).
