Bettman makes history, will mark 31 years as NHL Commissioner

From the moment I met Gary Bettman in a previous century, he struck me as a rather special sporting personality.

But never as special as he is now.

The NHL's indomitable Commissioner has placed a new feather in his cap.

On Saturday, the 71-year-old from Queens, New York, added the following citation to his expanded dossier: Longest-serving chief executive among the major North American professional sports leagues.

Installed as NHL Commissioner on Feb. 1, 1993, Bettman hit 11,318 days on the job, one more than Clarence Campbell, who was NHL president from 1946-1977.

To put his 31-year stretch in perspective, consider that Bettman’s tenure has overseen 59 percent of all players in NHL history, 57 percent of coaches and general managers, 56 percent of the games played and 52 percent of the goals scored.

The NHL has welcomed more than 615 million fans since he became Commissioner, more than 1.5 times the combined population of the United States and Canada. 

Of the 28 franchises set to play Saturday, 10 had yet to play a game on Feb. 1, 1993. Of the 14 venues hosting games that day, 13 had yet to be fully built (Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary was the only one). 

To appreciate this incredible feat, one must fathom his overflowing accomplishments.        

For starters, the Commissioner's body of work has lifted major league hockey to an Mt. Everest peak. Even veteran, tough-minded hockey executives acknowledge the unique achievement with no caveats whatsoever. Bettman is the best of the best and that's that.

Detroit Red Wings senior vice president Jim Devellano won the Stanley Cup with the New York Islanders and Winged Wheelers. Devellano already had been an NHL sage when Bettman first cut his puck teeth at the League's Manhattan acreage.

"When Gary was hired, the owners gave him two big chores," Devellano told me the other day. "One was to grow the footprint of the NHL across America, mainly south and west, so we could catch up to the NFL and NBA in terms of teams. And make us 'national' for television purposes.

"Without a doubt, he accomplished that. The other chore was to get 'cost certainty' regarding rising player salaries when teams were bleeding many, many millions. The union and players fought back. But, in the end, Bettman delivered a hard salary cap. As a result, the NHL has never been stronger and, ironically, the players continue to prosper as they should."

Bettman's 1993 debut hardly inspired cartwheels of joy among media critics. Before the newly minted maestro could polish his throne, the barbs flew from each side of the border. Some highly placed Canadians worried that the native New Yorker would favor teams south of the 49th parallel. But an assortment of adroit Bettman moves assured the success of the large- and small-market Canadian teams. The Calgary Flames were one of them, and the Vancouver Canucks another.

"The year I arrived for my second stint in Vancouver," TV hockey personality and veteran NHL general manager Brian Burke recalled in his autobiography, "the Canucks lost $36 million. We were dealing with a 61-cent Canadian dollar. 

"But it was Gary who put in the Canadian Assistance Plan. The American teams were sending us a check for $3 million a year. If we didn't have that plan, you wouldn't have all the Canadian teams now. Some of them would have folded."

One of them might have been the Flames. "Gary's leadership for the NHL has been exhibited in the growth that he has brought to the league under his tenure," Flames co-owner Murray Edwards asserted in a feature in The Hockey News.

Those who insisted that major league hockey couldn't thrive nontraditional markets were rebuffed, with teams such as the Tampa Bay Lightning, Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, Dallas Stars, Florida Panthers and Nashville Predators having developed substantial fan bases. 

"Thanks in large part to Gary's leadership," NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said, "we have reached a point as a league and as a business where our time can be spent primarily on being creative, ensuring the game on the ice be maximizing fan interest and growing revenues. That makes it a lot of fun coming to work every day."

A hands-on skipper, Bettman often will insert his wisdom where it's needed. Early in their growth, the Lightning suffered what seemed to be insoluble problems -- including ownership issues. Now, under owner Jeff Vinik, the Lightning sell out every game.

"I watched Bettman turn Tampa Bay into a hockey town," Larry Hirsch, a Florida-based veteran hockey play-by-play voice, told me. “Thanks to Bettman, the 'impossible' has happened. NHL players are developing in the South. Top scorer Auston Matthews learned to play in Arizona. Defenseman Jakob Chychrun got his start near Miami Beach."

None of this was accomplished with exhaling ease. For the first 15 years of Bettman's stewardship, he essentially had to put what had been a rudderless ship on a steady, corporate course. Plus, he had to deal with a team of diverse owners such as Howard Baldwin, who bought the Penguins before the 1991-92 season.  

Baldwin: "I was there from Day One of his taking over as Commissioner. When Gary arrived, there were teams in trouble, but I found that he was incredibly respectful of each member team no matter what the financial circumstances were at the time. Over the years his creative vision escalated values beyond anyone's imagination."

To reach such a respected level, Bettman had to battle hard for cost certainty. Those were among Bettman's most challenging times, but he never deviated from his goal and ultimately triumphed. Likewise, meetings with the League's general managers have not been without controversy, nor admiration for the Commissioner.

"I admire his passion and love of the game," longtime Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said. "I consider myself fortunate to have seen that passion and love up close during our meetings. Gary has the unique ability to continue to honor the past while -- at the same time -- he understands that the game is always evolving. He has shown tremendous vision when it comes to how to change along with it."

When Bettman took command, he was determined to ensure that every franchise developed a strong fiscal foundation. As a result, as one insider put it, Bettman "has had a hand [in] bringing in every one of 30 out of the 32 league owners. (The only exceptions being the Jacobs family in Boston and Chicago's Wirtz clan.) As a result, the League never has been on stronger fiscal footing."

Many current and former NHL employees say the League is a great place to work. 

National Women's Soccer League Commissioner Jessica Berman held a high NHL position for more than a decade. She explained three noteworthy points about Bettman.

1. Adjusting to 32 owners: "He's done a masterful job balancing the needs of a wide-ranging group with their own challenges and opportunities. With the support of an incredible team, Gary has convinced everyone that growing the enterprise value of the League will benefit everyone, including players and fans. The basis of that is trust, which is built on consistency, transparency, communication and integrity."

2. Bettman's prime attributes: "Gary often is described as 'the smartest person in the room' and for good reason. He knows the business better than most and he's able to stay focused on the right attitude in order to make the best possible decisions. He also gives incredible advice; and I am fortunate to be one of the many leaders who have benefited directly and indirectly from his incredible insight and guidance."

3. How much longer he’ll continue: "I wouldn't venture to guess. The short answer is, as long as he wants. He has proven his value and has earned the right to control his destiny."

Another former colleague called Bettman "a sponge for information who wants to know every fact; the more esoteric the better because it helps his decision-making."

"He's a great human being and a brilliant human being." Those are the words of early Bettman hire Burke in his autobiography, “Burke's Law, A Life in Hockey.” "As a boss, he's an amazing leader and he's tough as nails. If you're ever in a foxhole and you look over and Gary Bettman is in there with you, that's a good thing. He's fearless.

"And smart. We had a saying when I worked for the League -- there's smart, and then there's Bettman smart. He's on a whole other level. Visionaries look and see the next mountain and ask, 'How do we get there?' Gary looks ahead and sees six mountains. Working for him is like getting an MBA."

The 2004-05 season cancellation -- "work stoppage" in League parlance -- was a necessity to cure festering fiscal problems. As a result, the League emerged healthier than ever. For Bettman, it was a case of pain and progress being inseparable.

Or, as one hockey onlooker said, "You certainly don't cancel a season unless you have courage and a commitment to creating a better National Hockey League."

Courage is the key word. Against all odds, Bettman was willing to stake his reputation on the success of such debatable expansion venues as Las Vegas, Seattle and Nashville. In each case they have become "hot" hockey towns, selling out every game on their schedule.

New York Rangers’ 1994 Stanley Cup-winning GM Neil Smith -- now featured in the new "NHL Wraparound" podcast -- offered the following appraisal: 

"When you look at the business growth and franchise values of the 24 teams from 1993 until today -- and look at additional teams and overall growth of the NHL -- one can only marvel at the leadership Gary has provided during his remarkable 31 years as Commissioner.”

Ironically, Bettman's basic training under NBA commissioner David Stern helped jump start Bettman's ice career. Or, as an associate noted, "His vision is better and clearer than any optometrist's. He knows that constant innovation and reinvention in the right areas are essential for continued growth and appeal."

One contentious decision was the Commissioner's endorsement -- and continuous support -- of the shootout after regular-season overtime, derided by some foes as "a skills competition." But it provides an extra attraction, a 1-on-1 thriller for the fans.

And it was Bettman who encouraged the idea of having outdoor and overseas games, which have been such smash hits; franchises continue to line up to be a part of them.

His TV contract negotiations have delivered record revenues to the League while hockey coverage in North America and overseas is at an all-time high.  

One critic put it this way:

"His body of work is unassailable. Gary may not be perfect but -- like Wayne Gretzky or Bobby Orr -- there's no one you'd rather have out there with the game on the line."

A constant challenge has been the maintenance of a high officiating standard. To that end he created a two-referee system as well as assorted electronic devices to enhance the on-ice officials' ability "to get it right."

Ditto for the Department of Player Safety, where the seesaw between clean hits and the other kind is endlessly monitored. Likewise, Bettman's goal -- balancing competition, as in the password, "parity" -- has virtually been fully achieved unlike the six-team NHL days and immediately thereafter. 

Longtime journalists, such as The Hockey News publisher W. Graeme Roustan, recorded the change for the better:

"The imbalance of talent between (Original Six) teams made the NHL foundation unfair and, therefore, its growth unsustainable. Bettman created the framework of parity where any team in any given year has a relatively good chance of winning the Stanley Cup. This single factor has engaged fans in every market, which in turn solidified stronger foundations than at any time in NHL history."

What surprises some who are amazed at the 71-year-old's vim, vigor and vitality is that Bettman has not lost his fastball; nor his knuckler either. One explanation is that in 1996 he hired Daly as aide de camp and in 2005 he named Daly the NHL's first Deputy Commissioner.

"Gary is passionate about what he does," Daly told me. "It's not work for him. It's a lifestyle. His job is not a 9-to-5, five-days-a-week type existence. And it's obvious that Gary does it well."

Onlookers liken the Bettman-Daly combo to legendary Damon and Pythias. "Like Gary, Bill doesn't mind a fight but, if there's a choice, they'll avoid it. But if they're going to have a fight, it's, 'Okay, let's fight'. The thing is, Bill didn't start out as a hockey guy; but like Gary, he's a hockey guy now."

That said, one wonders how much longer Bettman plans to remain as Commissioner. The standard answer I get is simply, "As long as he wants." 

Jeremy Jacobs, chairman of the NHL Board of Governors, who is, in effect, Bettman’s boss, agrees. 

"Franchises are healthier, the game is more competitive and, because of Gary, the game is watched in more homes across America and Canada thanks to numerous media rights deals he's negotiated," the Boston Bruins owner said. 

Like others, I often wonder why he keeps going. 

"I continue to be excited about the prospects for continuing to grow the game,” the Commissioner told me. “And to use the platforms that the game provides to make a difference in the communities where hockey is played.”

And how does he stay in shape? "By never sitting still. ... I try to work out and remain active. And I do things subject to the demands of this job -- including extensive travel."

Finally, I ask him to cite his favorite accomplishment.

"It's not about accomplishments or regrets." Then a pause: "It's about always striving to seize opportunities and do more!"

The record shows -- and will continue to show -- that Gary Bettman does it rather well!