Gary Bettman
Gary Bettman
Gary Bruce Bettmanis the commissioner of the National Hockey League, a post he has held since February 1, 1993. Previously, Bettman was a senior vice-president and general counsel to the National Basketball Association. Bettman is a graduate of Cornell University and New York University School of Law...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionSports Executive
Date of Birth2 June 1952
CityQueens, NY
CountryUnited States of America
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I respect our players. They're prepared to forgo $1 billion in salaries this year alone and maybe hundreds of millions -- if not a billion -- next year. You've got to respect that. I don't always understand it, but I respect it.
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Our players play all year for their NHL teams. We, as an accommodation to the Olympics, take a break. We're going to go, but to the extent players are injured it becomes a very personal decision as to what the right thing to do is. And I don't think people should second-guess them.
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In many quarters, there was a constant suggestion over the last year that the situation we found ourselves in would result in tremendous damage and that's not the case,
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If you want to judge this (TV deal) on one year experience, I don?t think you?re being fair. Over time, we think we are going to see continued improvement on the cable coverage.
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The cynics were predicting that by taking a year off, which obviously is something nobody wanted to do, we would have destroyed our following and our fans would never come back,
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For me, I prefer to stay in the moment. I'm not looking for a fight. I'm looking for a solution to the economic issues confronting our game. Idle threats will not address these issues. We have a year remaining on the current collective bargaining agreement and, used properly, that is more than ample time in which to negotiate a new agreement. The National Hockey League has been prepared and remains prepared to begin formal collective bargaining negotiations on a moment's notice.
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I think we will ultimately be judged on our response and the message that it sends. This is not a part of our game, it has no place in our game, and it will not be tolerated in our game.
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We're delighted to have XM as our newest satellite radio partner. At this exciting time in the league's history, a new partnership with XM allows us to offer hockey fans unprecedented NHL coverage on the nation's largest satellite radio service.
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We're delighted to have XM as our newest satellite radio partner, ... At this exciting time in the league's history, a new partnership with XM allows us to offer hockey fans unprecedented NHL coverage on the nation's largest satellite radio service.
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We have a lineup because we owe Atlanta and Phoenix All-Star Games. We have a long to-do list. ... It's hard to predict because we owe two and have a couple in the hopper that were being worked on.
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We will return this game to our fans with a promise - we will do everything in our power to be the best we can be and to earn your continued devotion. This was a terrible time for everyone associated with the game. We will do everything we can to make it up to you.
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Over the years, thousands of great NHL moments were presented to our fans through the lenses of ESPN cameras. ESPN was a supportive partner, and both the National Hockey League and ESPN enjoyed a mutually beneficial relationship. We wish ESPN continued success.
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Our primary focus is to get a deal with the union as soon as possible.
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Our clubs, our players and our fans want to take action, and they will do so together through their collections, through their donations and through the contributions generated by this special auction.