NHL is reportedly preparing for Commissioner Gary Bettman to retire in ‘a few years’

On By Littum

Ottawa, Canada - November 19: NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman speaks during a media availability prior to a match between Ottawa Senators and Edmonton Oilers in Canadian Tire Center on November 19, 2024 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)

The NHL has begun to prepare for Gary Bettman to retire as a commissioner. He has been in that role since 1993. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is preparing to retire about “a few years”, according to a team owner, and the league is in the process of finding a successor.

Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold revealed the development during a podcast interview when asked about the current state of NHL, although Bettman has not given any formal notice of his plans.

“The fact that Gary is retiring, you know it’s a worrying factor,” Leipoid said “The Sick Podcast“With Pierre McGuire and Jimmy Murphy.” There are many of us who know how well Gary has been as a commissioner in this league and what he has done for all the teams and players. It’s going to be a sad day when he’s not part of it.

“But you know it’s a couple of years along the way and we’re doing planning now. We have to make sure we get it right when he goes. Right now that’s the only thing on the horizon.”

Bettman, 72, has been the NHL’s Commissioner since February 1993. His tenure has been the longest in the history of the league and has surpassed Clarence Campbell, who was a commissioner for 31 years from 1946-1977.

Previously, Bettman spent 12 years in the NBA Front Office, where he eventually worked his way up to the league’s general lawyer and senior vice president. During his term of office, the NBA implemented the salary ceiling system that is still in place now.

He has not decided the exact timeline of his retirement, but raised the possibility of NHL’s Executive Committee (where Leipold is a member) during a meeting of the league’s board of directors in Florida, It reported The Athletic.

“I raised the ghost that at some point this is something the league will have to deal with, because when you are dealing with a CEO that has done this as long as I have done it is a More complicated process, “Bettman said. , via The Athletic. “But the only discussion that was had was with three-Plus decades at this job at one point the league has to deal with the reality that I can’t do this forever.”

During his 32 years as the NHL Commissioner, the league has expanded from 24 teams to 32 and moved the league to regions with warm weather in the southern and western United States, including Dallas, Nashville and Las Vegas.

“The good news is that I have the energy and I have the passion. I love what I do, and in fact I enjoy doing what I do, probably more than I would ever enjoy retiring.”