NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on Friday made it clear that Seattle "needs an arena plan and financing in place before the league even considers expanding there," according to Geoff Baker of the SEATTLE TIMES. He said that the league will listen to hedge fund manager and prospective investor Chris Hansen or other potential ownership groups "as soon as one shows it can make an arena work someplace." Bettman: "It won’t warrant ... serious consideration until there’s a realistic expectation that there’s going to be an arena there." He added, "In Las Vegas, there’s steel coming out of the ground. The building is getting built. Whether or not they ever get a team is a different story. But there’s no question that there’s going to be a building there" (SEATTLE TIMES, 4/25). Asked whether $500M would be a reasonable expansion fee for an NHL team, Bettman said, "I happen to believe that number -- not that I'm confirming or denying it -- would be not a lot of money. I think NHL franchises should be worth at least that" (AP, 4/24).
PLENTY OF ENCOURAGEMENT: Bettman on Friday said that the NHL "has encouraged" the launch later this year of the NWHL, a six-team women’s pro hockey league. He said, “They’re still in the developmental stage, and there are issues as to whether or not, in its current format, either that league or the Canadian women’s hockey league is viable. But we encourage the growth of women’s hockey.” SI.com's Sarah Kwak noted Bettman believes there needs "to be more growth -- in fandom and in developing talent" -- for a female pro league to succeed. He indicated that he previously asked former WNBA Commissioner and current Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman "to do a study on the viability of a women’s pro league." Bettman: “Her conclusion was that the infrastructure at the time wasn’t yet strong enough" (SI.com, 4/24).
RIDING A ROLLER COASTER: The CP's Lisa Wallace reported Bettman "anticipates next year's salary cap to be around" US$71.5M dependent on "the strength on the Canadian dollar." Bettman: "The Canadian dollar has been fluctuating, during my term over 20 years, and my guess is it will continue to fluctuate" (CP, 4/26).
