EDMONTON, AB - NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman held a media availability in the Oilers Hall of Fame Room at Rogers Place ahead of Monday's meeting between the Edmonton Oilers and Boston Bruins.
The Commissioner made his annual visit to Edmonton early this week to attend a highly-skilled matchup between the League's top offence and defences, along with meeting with Oilers executive and management staff and surveying the ongoing development of Ice District.
"I took another tour of ICE District, which seems to get bigger and better each time I come here and it looks like things are all good," Bettman said.
Observing the growth of ICE District was an important detail of Bettman's visit as the League looks to bring future events like All-Star Weekend and the NHL Draft to Edmonton in the coming years. To the Commissioner, it's a matter of 'when' and not 'if' the NHL will bring more events to the city to take advantage of the hockey-mad culture that's been developed in Oil Country.
"We have actually been in constant discussions," Bettman said of the communication between the NHL and OEG Inc. "I think from the Oilers perspective, from OEG Inc's perspective, they want ICE District finished. At that point, they want us to bring the events and we're happy to do that.
"We're coming. It's just a question of timing."
BLOG: ICE District building towards hosting future events, says Bettman
"We're coming. It's just a question of timing," NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said toward bringing NHL events to Edmonton in the coming years
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