Up Close With PSR
Gary Bettman

Gary Bettman left the NBA and began his tenure as National Hockey League commissioner in February 1993. He presides over a league that has grown from 21 teams earlier in that decade to 30 today, a league that saw a lockout wipe out nearly half of the 1994-95 season, a league that continues to draw abysmal television ratings and a league whose player salaries have grown more quickly than any other major sport in North America.

It may be that Bettman's NHL legacy will be written largely on the basis of what happens after the expiration of the current collective bargaining agreement between the league and its players in September 2004. He and the league's owners appear adamant that the next CBA will have some form of what he calls "cost certainty" for teams. The NHL Players Association calls that a salary cap, and both sides appear braced for a long and bitter fight.

PSR's Bob Grove recently talked to Bettman about a variety of issues, including the game's economics and Mario Lemieux's ownership of the Penguins.

PSR: This coming February will mark 10 years for you in the position of commissioner. Of what league achievements are you most proud? Gary Bettman

BETTMAN: We as a league have been looking to get more exposure for the game, and we've done that both locally and nationally. We've been looking to increase the strength of our fan base, and with record attendance the last five years in a row I believe we're headed in the right direction. We are in our eighth year of labor peace with at least two more to go. I think those are things that are all vital to any sports league.

PSR: As far as current and future challenges, I guess it doesn't getting any bigger than achieving what you call "cost certainty."

BETTMAN: What we need to achieve is a system that enables all of our clubs to be economically stable and competitive where they're currently located. My own belief is we need cost certainty in order to achieve that.

PSR: There's already been so much written about what might happen when the current collective bargaining agreement expires in September of 2004. Fans certainly have a fear of the cost of fixing the game's economics, possibly missing a season, but maybe they should also be looking at the big picture and the long-term health of the game. Do you have a message for the fans in this regard?

BETTMAN: What our fans want to know is that this game and this league will be healthy long term, and that is something we're committed to. I would say 2004 represents an opportunity to make sure we have the right system. What is unfortunate is I think there's entirely too much premature speculation over what may or may not happen in two years. We're looking forward to a great season this season; we're looking forward to another great season in 2003-04; and I really wish people would stop getting fixated on a world that might not take place for two years.

PSR: How would you compare the economic health of the league today with that in 1994-95, which was the last time the season was shortened by labor strife?

BETTMAN: In some ways it's never been stronger, and in some ways it's never been as problematic.

PSR: Problematic in what way?

BETTMAN: As fans and revenues have grown, expenses have grown even faster. That is a troubling disparity.

PSR: Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky certainly have unique status among the owners today, having been on both sides of this issue in recent times. Given that their public statements and participation in issues receives attention from the fans and the public, is there a role for them to play in achieving labor peace?

BETTMAN: Ultimately I believe they can be helpful to both sides in the process, but I don't expect them to have to do the heavy lifting in this process. That's something I think we're going to have to do at the league office level. Any role is a long way off, because until the union is willing to sit down and talk, which is something they're not willing to do now, there's really not a whole lot of reason to focus on this.

PSR: It's been four years since Mario began putting together a plan for keeping the team in Pittsburgh. How's he doing as an owner?

BETTMAN: He's been an owner now for over three years and has done an outstanding job in stabilizing the Penguins and ensuring that they are and continue to be an important franchise in the NHL. We know the Penguins are important to the city of Pittsburgh. The Penguins are important to the league as well in Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh is a great city for us and Mario has done exactly what was necessary to fix the situation and move the club forward.

PSR: And he's done something that all smart businessmen do, which is surround himself with good people like Tom Rooney and Ken Sawyer.

BETTMAN: From Day One, he was absolutely focused on the correct way to run this franchise. I used to joke in his first year of ownership that he deserved to be Rookie of the Year, and that's not a view that's changed.

PSR: Constructing a new arena will always first and foremost be a local issue. But is there a role for the NHL to play in helping the Penguins construct a new home?

BETTMAN: The league role is generally one that is dictated by the needs of the club in its own market. It doesn't help for us to come swooping in on a white horse and try and save the day, because the club is in the market and the club knows best what it needs. As an observer of the scene, the Penguins play in the oldest arena in the league, and that, from a competitive standpoint in the NHL, is problematic long term. Just as importantly, sports fans in Pittsburgh have gotten used to the amenities of a new football stadium and a new baseball stadium, and if the Penguins are to remain competitive as a force in the entertainment and sports marketplace in Pittsburgh, they're going to need to be on an equal footing with the baseball and football teams.

PSR: The NHL historically receives far less television money than the other three major sports leagues. What kind of challenges does that present for you?

BETTMAN: That's one way of phrasing it. The NHL historically has had the strongest gate and the strongest fan support of any of the major league sports. While television hasn't represented as large a source of revenues (for the NHL) as the other three leagues, the fact is that in these very uncertain television times we've been less dependent on that. Our fan commitment and passion has always been strong, which is why we play to 90 percent of capacity in the regular season as a league and virtually 100 percent for the playoffs. So one of the league's great strengths is the local fan commitment, which is a testament to the passion for the game that our fans have.

PSR: You have announced an initiative this season to call very closely all incidences of obstruction, or times when players without the puck are impeded by opponents. Similar initiatives attempted in the past just seemed to fade away in a matter of months, and the media and some players remain skeptical that this will stick. However, your September meeting in Toronto between league officials, general managers and coaches seems to underscore the fact you are more serious than ever.

BETTMAN: I think the reaction to everything we've done so far, how the procedures have been put in place, how we've simplified the standard (of obstruction) and how we intend to accomplish our goal, has gotten virtually universal acclaim. There is some skepticism as to whether or not the standard can hold, and we understand that. But we think we can satisfy the skeptics. There are things that are different this time. First of all, over the last two years, we have demonstrated clearly that we can hold the slashing standard and we have. Now. . . and 'now' is a funny word, because we have correspondence in the files that go back to the 1920's complaining about the same issue, so this isn't something that's a new issue. . . having said that, we have a simpler standard than we did in 1995 and 1998, which will be easier for the officials to call and easier for us to hold the officials accountable for calling. There are two referees now, which means the extra set of eyes will enable our officials to do what needs done. And we're going to have a supervisor whose responsibility is going to be, day in and day out, to keep an eye on the standard and make sure it is being called by the officials. We think the standard is more fan friendly and player friendly, and we think it is going to be good for the game. We are committed, as was demonstrated by the historic meeting, if you will, with all the general managers, coaches and officials in the same room at the same time, all committing to the standard. The skeptics can be skeptical, but at some point they're going to have to acknowledge that we've held the standard.

PSR: Where would you like to see the league in five years? Outside of achieving labor peace, what goes does the league have?

BETTMAN: We want to make sure there are 30 healthy, competitive franchises all where they're currently located with a growing fan base and increased exposure through all the forms of media.