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Bettman: “I want my hockey”

Donald Fehr

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman speaks with reporters following talkswith the media following labor talks with the NHLPA in Toronto on Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012. Negotiations continue between the league and the players’ union over collective bargaining as both sides try to avoid a potential lockout. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Chris Young)

AP

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman answered some big questions in an interview with The Globe Mail’s Roy MacGregor, including sharing his own love for hockey:

“If I’m a fan, I want my hockey. And I am not really sure I care who is right and who is wrong, I just want it fixed,” Bettman said. “I understand that. I respect that. I am a fan. I want my hockey. And it’s something that drives us 24/7 to try and get it right.”

“Getting it right” was a big theme of Bettman’s responses, yet he also provided interesting takes on a number of subjects.


  • When asked if public opinion matters, Bettman said “ultimately it does.”
  • On being the object of public scorn: “It’s part of the job description that you will never hear me complain about.”
  • He responded to a question about the lockouts he’s presided over by saying “I suppose that anybody in my position, knowing what I know, would have done the same things.”
  • Bettman disagrees vehemently with Dan Boyle’s premise that the owners aren’t as united as they might seem.
  • Aside from his comments about being a fan, Bettman’s thoughts on teams throwing around big, long-term contracts this summer were among his most interesting:

“I know that lots of people look at what they did and scratch their head[s],” Bettman said. “I can understand how they could be complaining about it. Our clubs are fiercely competitive. They will do whatever a system allows. And they will push the limits to the very edge.”

Click here for the full Q & A. It’s well worth a read, even if you’re a full-blown Bettman-basher.

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