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The NHL’s Reach

An Interview with Gary Bettman, Commissioner, National Hockey League

EDITORS’ NOTE Gary Bettman we have never had before to this contact will inevitably lead to some injuries, but has served the National Hockey extent. It has created part of the we’re doing what we can do to be prudent, League as Commissioner since growth and heightened the recog- responsible, and protective. February 1993, and has guided nition that we have most recently How critical has social media been the world’s top professional hockey received. for reaching fans? league through more than two de- Is the level at which the game NHL fans tend, as a group, to be more cades of growth and advance- is being played different than in affl uent, better educated, and more tech-savvy ment – on and off the ice. Bettman the past? than fans of any other sport. Also, because we is a graduate of Cornell University It has probably never been as have historically been underserved by tradi- and New York University School of fast, as skillful, or as competitive. Our tional media, the digital space has enabled us Law. competitive balance is not only the to connect with the most avid fans in all of best we have ever had, but it may be sports in ways that we could never do before, ORGANIZATION BRIEF Head- Gary Bettman the best in all of sports. When you and that has made for a better fan experience quartered in New York City and look at our regular-season races to for NHL fans. Toronto, the National Hockey League (nhl. see who makes the playoffs, virtually every How do you defi ne your role? com; NHL) is a major professional ice hockey team is in it almost to the end. The playoffs, There is an unpredictable element to any league of 30 franchised member clubs, of as evidenced this year, are phenomenally un- business that is putting on 1,300-plus events which seven are located in Canada and 23 in predictable and, as a result, entertaining. per year. We’re constantly in the public eye, the United States. Is this more about the level of talented we have more than 800 players, and we have players or realignment? tens of thousands of people that work ei- How strong has the business been? It’s the system we have, which has en- ther at the league level, the club level, or at The game, as it’s being played, has abled us to give every team an opportunity the arenas, so there is always an element of never been more exciting and more enter- to be competitive; the scheduling and re- unpredictability. taining – which is where everything starts. alignment we have done; and the rules of the I have always felt that with all the vari- As a result, all of the metrics attendant to game. Over the past few years, we have been ous constituents that are served by the game, the business of the game are not only mindful about making the game as open, fast, we have to chart a course toward what is in strong, but they’re up and, for the most part, and entertaining as possible while creating the best interests of the game. I have always at record levels. as safe an environment as possible for the done that and perhaps, at times, not in the This is a function of our fans and our players. most popular of ways. I believe that the sup- players, and finally having the right build- Is it important that you limit things port that I’ve had from ownership has enabled ing blocks in place so not only is the league like outdoor games to maintain the an- me to be comfortable in that, when I believe stable, but it’s poised to continue its growth. ticipation surrounding the sport? we’re doing the right thing, the owners will That’s something that we are working very The outdoor games, and big events we put stick by me. hard at and are confi dent we can achieve. on, have increased the numbers and are part of How critical is the community out- This sport has extremely loyal fans. our strategy to engage NHL fans in participating reach and do you work together in that How do you broaden that base? Is it in more NHL activities, and to encourage more regard? hard to transfer this game to other casual fans to take a look. We all do our own things. We also have constituencies? The outdoor games have been a phenom- league-wide initiatives, the player’s association There is no one typical hockey fan. We enon. They’re exciting and like the ultimate re- has initiatives, the individual clubs have initia- have lots of fans. We’re one of the four major ality television show in their unpredictability. tives in their own markets, and the individual sports in North America. Historically, one of Last year, we did six and they were all players have initiatives. What is great about the measures that gets compared is national sold out. We have had over 350,000 people at this sport and the people in it, is that there is television ratings, and for a whole host of rea- the games, and our fans and teams are saying a sense of community and commitment, there sons, separate and apart from our fan base, they can’t get enough of them. is a sense of giving back, and of being a role we were not given the same opportunity and As a practical matter, the logistics of model, and all of those efforts are worthwhile. exposure on national TV. putting on any of those games is sufficiently Additionally, we focus on things like diversity Our most recent deal with NBC Sports daunting that six took us to our limits, but and inclusiveness, Hockey Fights Cancer, and and the NBC Sports Network gives us the plat- we will continue to do them going forward. the environment; we were given an award by forms and exposures that have been transfor- Player safety is a great concern. Is the Green Sports Alliance for the work we have mational and have elevated the game. there only so much you can do in that done there. The coverage that we get, the promo- regard? Sport is a great vehicle for getting out im- tions and scheduling we get, and for the fi rst It is a physical game and we have been portant social messages. I have been proud of time in our history, all of the playoff games leaders on player safety, particularly as it relates the efforts that everybody associated with the being on national television is something to concussions, among all of the sports. Physical game at all levels have made.• 132 LEADERS POSTED WITH PERMISSION. COPYRIGHT © 2014 LEADERS MAGAZINE, INC. VOLUME 37, NUMBER 4