Bettman has seen league revenue increase from $400M-$4.5B since taking office in '93GETTY IMAGES
NHL Commissioner GARY BETTMAN will be inducted into the Hockey HOF tonight alongside MARTIN BRODEUR, JAYNA HEFFORD, WILLIE O’REE, MARTIN ST. LOUIS and ALEXANDER YAKUSHEV, and few people would “dispute the success the league has enjoyed, especially in recent years,” during his tenure, according to Scott Burnside of THE ATHLETIC. Revenue was around $400M when Bettman took office in ’93, but that was “up more than ten-fold to $4.5 billion last season with the expectation that revenue will top $5 billion next season.” Additionally, expansion fees were $50M when Bettman first joined the league, but Seattle “is expected to pay $650 million” to join as the 32nd franchise. Burnside noted Bettman could not make the NHL a business that generates that much revenue “without stepping on a few toes,” including overseeing three lockouts. However, many observers believe the league “doesn’t get to where it is now without having taken the stands they did” (THEATHLETIC.com, 11/5). YAHOO SPORTS' Kyle Cantlon wrote Bettman "has indeed earned himself a spot in the Hall." He is the "WAYNE GRETZKY of the boardroom" and has overseen the league's "massive growth in revenues and popularity" over the past 25 years (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 11/10). TSN's Frank Seravalli writes Bettman can be "difficult to define," as he is "many things to many people." Seravalli: "A visionary. Lord of three NHL work stoppages. The man behind skyrocketing franchise values. Hard-line negotiator. Demanding boss. Big-hearted benefactor. Canadian franchise thief. Intimidating brainiac. Avid skier and runner. Boo magnet. Private family man and doting grandfather. On Monday night he will become a Hockey Hall of Famer" (TSN.ca, 11/12).
RAISING THE LEAGUE'S PROFILE: In Toronto, Lance Hornby noted despite the three work stoppages, Bettman’s “end game was in line with what the board of governors envisioned” when he was hired. He “brought order” to the league, took the game “into the modern era and fired a wraparound that covered the continent and much of the globe with the NHL brand.” Islanders President of Hockey Operations & GM LOU LAMORIELLO: “Yes, he (angered some people) and I can’t say I agreed with everything he did. But the big thing is that he made the game worldly, he made it North American, he put it on the proper course. And he kept a lot of franchises alive. What he’s getting now, going into the Hall, is deserved in every way.” MLSE Chair LARRY TANENBAUM: “For more than 25 years, he has been a passionate steward of the game and helped lead the growth of hockey not only within the NHL, but around the world” (TORONTO SUN, 11/8).
WHY SUCH A HURRY? In Vancouver, Steve Simmons wrote if another lockout takes place in '20, Bettman’s enshrinement “will seem more ludicrous than it does right now.” The timing for Bettman to join the HOF “just doesn’t seem right.” There is a “strong case” to make that Bettman should be in the HOF, but there also is a case to be made that the Hall “should have delayed its voting on Bettman … until his career was over or close to ending.” There is “no denying” that Bettman has been a “brilliant leader for the NHL.” However, the problem is that observers “don’t know if a lockout is coming.” Simmons: “We don’t [know] how the Bettman story ends” (VANCOUVER SUN, 11/8).
UNEXPECTED TIMING: Bettman talked about his selection to the HOF in the debut episode of the league's "NHL Executive Suite" podcast series. He said when he told his wife about the honor, she said it "meant I had to retire, which she knows I’m not ready to do.” Bettman: “We were both surprised because I kind of assumed there was a possibility that maybe in the future, if I didn’t mess up too badly in the next few years, it might happen. I certainly wasn’t expecting it now” ("NHL Executive Suite," AUDIOBOOM.com, 11/7).
