- Some NHL owners pushed for a formal search to find Gary Bettman’s successor
- Bettman is very loyal to deputy commissioner Bill Daly, per Elliotte Friedman
- Read below for full details and why Texas expansion isn’t a lock anymore
Bill Daly may not get handed the keys to the NHL without a fight.
Some owners pushed back on a straight handoff from Gary Bettman to his longtime deputy, Elliotte Friedman wrote in Tuesday’s opening-day 32 Thoughts column. Friedman said a vote on Bettman’s succession plan was a possibility at the Board of Governors meeting. Instead, some owners fought to have a search.
Those owners don’t have a problem with Daly, either. Friedman wrote that they’d be fine with him coming out on top that way. They just want the process, and Friedman said he doesn’t know where things stand now.
Check out the Sportsnet insider’s post on the column:
Daly joined the league office in 1996 and has been deputy commissioner since 2005. Friedman called him an excellent choice who “could do the job blindfolded.”
Bettman, 74, turns 75 next June and is starting his 34th season in charge. He was asked about his future after the Sept. 22 governors meeting in New York.
“I’m gonna be 75 years old,” Bettman said. “At some point, I gotta stop, OK? But I love what I do. I’m energized.”
Back in June, he admitted the league had been discussing a succession plan for at least two years.
The owners who’ll make the call also have new leadership. Governors unanimously elected Capitals owner Ted Leonsis as chairman on Sept. 22, replacing Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs after 19 years. Calgary’s Murray Edwards is the vice-chair:
Expansion got murkier too. Friedman figured a vote on a Texas team was coming at the next governors meeting, set for Florida in the second week of December. Now he’s not so sure, saying there was more pushback than he expected.
A few owners want to know why Houston wasn’t the default pick over Austin if this is about landing a better U.S. TV deal. Houston is the largest market in North America without a team. Dan Friedkin’s Pursuit Sports still hasn’t chosen between the two cities.
Friedman expects Bettman’s succession plan to be the other hot topic when the governors meet in December.
