The most polarizing man in hockey is going to be the commissioner of the NHL for a little while longer. Gary Bettman, will remain at the helm of the NHL into 2022 after signing a seven-year contract extension, according to TSN The Reporters’ Michael Farber. He is 63 and will have just turned 70 at the expiration of this deal.
Bettman leaves quite a legacy behind but is the legacy all that impressive? Sean Mcindoe had an interesting point about the deal.
Only Bettman could have led the NHL to record revenues in an era where literally every sport has record revenues. https://t.co/vWJxj6ivtC
— Down Goes Brown (@DownGoesBrown) January 31, 2016
Every single league has seen a big spike in growth, and Bettman has done a lot for the owners. But for the players? Not so much. A couple of lockouts have soured fans and made some turn away from the sport forever. The league has expanded rather successfully save for the Atlanta Thrashers. The next lockout which coincidentally takes place right near the end of his tenure with the league should be an interesting one. A lockout isn’t guaranteed by any means but with Bettman’s track record it wouldn’t be surprising.
The number of years that he is on the job may be a significant number to him as he would pass many contemporaries in other sports. I am sure that Bettman is going to enjoy doing this for a little while longer as he gets paid nearly ten million dollars a year, a number only beaten out by a few NHLers.
Not too bad of a gig, eh, Gary.
