NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman hinted at the future of an outdoor game in Buffalo, stating it's a matter of when, not if. He also discussed playoff formats and potential changes in player safety regulations.
Key points
Gary Bettman hinted at an outdoor game in Buffalo.
Highmark Stadium is set to open this summer.
The Winter Classic started in Orchard Park in 2008.
Bettman discussed playoff format and player safety.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman did not make an announcement on his visit to Buffalo for Game 2 of the first round series between the Sabres and Boston Bruins on Tuesday, but did hint at the possibility of bringing an outdoor game to Western New York with the new Highmark Stadium set to open this summer.
The league’s centerpiece Winter Classic got its start in Orchard Park in 2008, and Bettman indicated that it was not a matter of if an outdoor game would come to Highmark Stadium, but when.
The commissioner also fielded questions on the playoff format, expansion, and the potential overhaul of the Department of Player Safety.
Question: The current playoff field has the Philadelphia Flyers with 10 fewer regulation wins than Washington, who missed the playoffs, and we have the LA Kings, who are second-last in the NHL in regulation victories. Has there been any appetite for exploring a change to the standings format in the future?
Bettman: No, a lot of people, particularly in your line of work, suggest that. What we have works well every season, or every few seasons, or once in a blue moon. You may get an aberration, but I think if you look at the games in terms of how the playoffs have started, I don't think there's anything wrong with the system.
You're getting great matchups. You're getting great rivalry matchups. The hockey has been overwhelmingly sensational, so I don't see it as a problem. Things vary from year to year. If there was a problem long-term, we would take a look at it, and we'd see if we needed to adjust. But I don't think we're at this point in search of a problem that needs to be fixed.
Q&A
When will the NHL Winter Classic be held in Buffalo?
While no specific date has been announced, Commissioner Gary Bettman indicated that it is a matter of when an outdoor game will occur in Buffalo.
What did Gary Bettman say about the playoff format?
Bettman addressed questions regarding the playoff format but did not provide specific details on any potential changes.
What is the significance of Highmark Stadium for the NHL?
Highmark Stadium is significant as it may host future outdoor NHL games, including the Winter Classic, enhancing the league's presence in Western New York.
What changes might occur in the NHL's Department of Player Safety?
Bettman mentioned the possibility of an overhaul of the Department of Player Safety, but specific changes were not detailed.
Related Articles
Sports
The more time Rosenior got, the worse Chelsea became
Liam Rosenior's time at Chelsea started strong but ended in decline.
Sky Sports··1 min read
Soccer
Chelsea part company with Rosenior
Chelsea has sacked Liam Rosenior after just 107 days in charge.
Sky Sports··1 min read
Sports
Women's boxing divisional rankings: New No. 1s at super middleweight and atomweight
Women's boxing sees new champions at super middleweight and atomweight divisions!
ESPN News··1 min read
Sports
Oregon secures commitment from Alabama transfer F Taylor Bol Bowen
Oregon Ducks secure commitment from Alabama transfer Taylor Bol Bowen.
Yahoo Sports··1 min read
NBA
El descomunal dato de LeBron James en los Playoffs: más victorias que el resto de equipos
LeBron James tiene más victorias en playoffs que cualquier equipo en 30 años.
Marca··1 min read
Sports·Feature
Michigan women's basketball hosting blue blood UConn next season
Michigan women's basketball will host UConn next season in a historic matchup.
See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.
Q: You've got the arena going up in Calgary, you've got a lot of renovation work in Washington going on, Ottawa's on paper, San Jose's getting ready to do some major work. Here we are at KeyBank Center, now that the football stadium is essentially almost finished, how incumbent is it for this organization and for the government entities in this area, in this state, to really start moving on doing something with this arena?
Bettman: This is a building that has really good bones. Does it need some updates? Sure. The focus has been the new Highmark Stadium, and that's understandable, but the question you're asking is a question that I know Terry Pegula, Pete Guelli, and the organization have been focused on, and they'll get to it.
Q: There's this growing beast of gambling. From a management infrastructure system, what's in place for protecting integrity in the game, monitoring games…
Bettman: We monitor every minute of every game, both in terms of what's taking place in terms of play, and what if anything, is happening with the lines. We have outside organizations, service providers that do with that for us, I will say that I have the utmost confidence in NHL personnel, whether it's players or supporting staff, but this is something we take very seriously.
Players and personnel are briefed in doing educational lectures on what is inappropriate conduct. This is of the utmost priority tracking, making sure that there are no concerns about the integrity of what's taking place in our game, and when you look at our game and the way it plays, it's not like some of the other games, not so easy for people to tamper with.
Q: What do you make of what the PWHL has done in its three seasons, and the fact that it's planning to expand up to an additional four teams this year?
Bettman: I think it's sensational. We're very supportive to the extent they needed our assistance in the initial season, we were there for them, and we continue to be supportive, and we look for ways to engage and help promote (them).
Q: Have you had a tour of the new Highmark Stadium? Do you plan to take a tour at some point? It would be incumbent on you at some point soon to see it if you're thinking about putting an outdoor game there.
Bettman: In terms of doing site surveys, there are people with greater stadium expertise than me that will make that evaluation. I believe it's not a question of if, it's a question of when we play an outdoor game in the new stadium. We're coming up on the 20th anniversary of first Winter Classic. I'm not making an announcement now, but we're focused on it. We don't hesitate to bring events here, we're bringing the draft, we do the combine here, we do officials training camp here. So yeah, we definitely will be bringing an outdoor game for the new stadium.
Q: It was half a billion (as an expansion fee) for Vegas, $650 million from Seattle, as it's creeping toward a billion dollars, your answer has always been to measure interest by how cities are showing interest in expansion as it gets to a billion, are cities showing interest?
Bettman: If we were to expand, it would be substantially more than a billion. What people tend to forget for the most part, when you expand, the expansion fee is really to reimburse the existing clubs for revenues that they're giving up, because there is an economic value.
If you're in 32 teams, and you expand to 33, you're now taking National League revenues, and instead of dividing them 32 ways, you're dividing them 33 ways. And that incremental division has an economic value over time, whether you do it over 10 or 20 years. So based on the growth of revenues and everything else, and what's going on in terms of franchise values, I would venture to say that a billion wouldn't even be close to what we were to see…….We're focused on if there's interest that makes sense and checks the boxes, then we'll figure out if we want to expand.
I'm not under any mandate or instructions from ownership to pursue expansion, if expansion makes sense. And again, at 10,000 feet, you look at ownership, you look at market, you look at arena, and you look at whether or not it makes the league stronger by doing that expansion, and there are number of cities that have been talking to us.
Q: The Olympics were big success, viewership-wise. What did you think of the Olympics as an event, if you saw a bump in what the NHL after the Olympics and if it affirmed your decision to let players go.
Bettman: We have an understanding with the Players Association. We're focused together on Olympics every four years in the intervening two years, every four years, a World Cup. Our players love representing their countries, and international competition, I think, is part of their DNA, since a third of our players come from outside of North America, and then you have the US - Canada rivalry. And so first and foremost, we know it's important to the players, and they want to do it.We have an understanding with the Players Association.
We're focused together on Olympics every four years in the intervening two years, every four years, a World Cup. Our players love representing their countries, and international competition, I think is part of their DNA, since a third of our players come from outside of North America, and then you have the US - Canada rivalry. And so first and foremost, we know it's important to the players, and they want to do it.
Q: There have been debates about the player safety review process and handing out supplemental discipline in regular season. Have you felt internally that there needed to be some conversation about it. And if not, is there a situation where you could foresee there being some sort of overall enactment?
Bettman: I don't believe it needs an overall. If you look at the total body of work, what George Parros and his group does is outstanding. They're monitoring every game in real time, and every now and then, you're going to have a particularly difficult or unique call to make, and people are going to agree or disagree. But if you look at their body of work and the track record, in terms of what we've done on safety, not just from a discipline standpoint, but from an education standpoint, rule changes, I think the game, particularly based on how fast and physical it is, is in very good shape.
