Gary Bettman's Time Coming Officially Coming to an End as NHL Commissioner
Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold has revealed that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is expected to retire in the near future, and the search for his successor is already underway.
Back in November, the NHL announced a handful of internal promotions for senior staff members, fueling speculation that Bettman is planning to retire from his post as Commissioner of the NHL sooner rather than later.
On Thursday, Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold made an appearance on 'The Sick Podcast/The Eye Test'. There, he revealed how much the game has grown under Bettman's 32-year reign, while also dropping a bombshell, revealing that Bettman is expected to retire soon.
Leipold followed up his appearance on the podcast by discussing his comments further with The Athletic.
"That's a couple years down the road and we're doing the planning now, and we have to make sure we get it right when he leaves," said Leipold before noting that the executive committee has already begun the process of finding a replacement for the 72-year-old.
The longest-tenured commissioner in North American sports also sat down with The Athletic and shed some more light on his potential retirement, but seemingly refuted the claim he would be retired in 'a couple years'.
"I raised the specter that, at some point, this is something the league is going to have to deal with because when you're dealing with a CEO who has been doing this as long as I have, it's a more complicated process," Bettman said. "But the only discussion that was had was with three-plus decades at this job, at some point, the league is going to have to deal with the reality that I can't do this forever. I just wanted to put it on their radar. When you don't have the energy and the passion you have to think about it. The good news is I have the energy, and I have the passion. I love what I do, and actually, I enjoy doing what I'm doing probably more than I ever would enjoy retirement. I'm not wired to be retired."
Bettman took over as as NHL Commissioner on February 1, 1993 and although the NHL has grown substantially under his watch, he is also responsible for four work stoppages, including the lockout that saw the loss of the entire 2004-2005 season.
A favourite of NHL owners, Bettman has long been an enemy of the fans thanks to his work stoppages. Bettman is met with a chorus of boos annually at the NHL draft and during Stanley Cup presentations. It's become a bit of a tradition.
Over time, Bettman has embraced the boos and often encourages them nowadays with a smile.
It has widely been suspected that Bettman will retire after the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is ratified - something the New York native believes will be easier to negotiate than the previous CBAs. The current CBA expires at the end of next season, as does Sportsnet's Canadian broadcast rights deal.
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