Gary Bettman plans to retire
(Photo by Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire)

HIGHLIGHTS

  • Gary Bettman plans to retire as NHL Commissioner in “a couple years”
  • Bettman has been NHL Commissioner since 1993, overseeing major growth and controversy
  • Read below for more details on Bettman’s legacy and the NHL’s future

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has informed the league’s executive committee that he plans to retire in “a couple years,” The Athletic reported on Wednesday.

Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold shared with The Athletic that the Board of Governors’ executive committee has already started preparing for Bettman’s eventual exit and the search for his replacement.

“Listen, we’re like a $5, $6 billion company — the entire league is,” Leipold said. “So we have a CEO who’s going to be moving on, and any transition would cause us to be concerned”.

Bettman, now 72, told The Athletic that he hasn’t locked in an exact retirement date just yet. However, he wanted to give the committee plenty of time to navigate what will undoubtedly be a tricky transition given his long tenure.

“I brought it up because, at some point, this is something the league has to plan for,” Bettman said. “When you’re dealing with a CEO who’s been doing this as long as I have, it’s a more complicated process.”

Gary Bettman speaking at a press conference
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman speaks to the media. (Photo by Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire)

Bettman has been the NHL’s head honcho since way back in 1993. He’s the longest-serving commissioner in North American pro sports. The league has grown a ton under his watch, expanding from 24 to 32 teams and nearly hitting $7 billion in annual revenue.

It hasn’t always been smooth sailing with Bettman at the helm, though. He’s overseen three work stoppages, including the loss of the entire 2004-05 season due to a lockout. But overall, he’s played a huge role in turning the NHL into a modernized, big-time sports business.

Gary Bettman You Suck sign
A sign at PJ Quigleys bar in Ottawa shows the frustration NHL fans had with Commissioner Gary Bettman over the NHL lockout. (Photo by Paul McKinnon/ Shutterstock)

Hockey fans seem split on the Bettman retirement news. Some Redditors were ready to pop champagne, with one fan writing, “Holy s**t, it might be happening. The wicked witch is dead!”

Others are nervous the next commish could be even worse. “We may hate Gary, but there’s no NHL without Gary,” another fan wrote. “The successor will be hated even more.”

There is no clear favorite to succeed Bettman at this point. Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly is one potential candidate, but the NHL will conduct a thorough search process in the coming years.

Billy Daly is candidate to be the next NHL commissioner
(Photo by Roy K. Miller/Icon Sportswire)

Despite the retirement rumors, Bettman maintains he still has the drive to continue in his current role.

“Actually I enjoy doing what I’m doing probably more than I ever would enjoy retirement,” Bettman told The Athletic. “I’m not wired to be retired.”

But father time catches up to us all, and it sounds like big changes are on the horizon for the NHL.