Gary Bettman talks Olympics and NHL expansion
Gary Bettman addressed the PrimeTime Sports Management Conference in Toronto on Monday, and discussed issues from NHL expansion, to the league's participation in the Olympics, to the evolution of fighting in professional hockey.
On the subject of international tournaments, Bettman alluded to a "new international schedule" that the league has been reportedly working on for the past couple of months. Here's a summary of Bettman's comments from Yahoo! reporter Nick Cotsonika:
Bettman hopes to announce a new international schedule -- possible Olympic participation, World Cups, etc.
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) November 11, 2013
Bettman said he gives board many reasons why Olympic participation is bad for NHL and then concludes "but we have to go."
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) November 11, 2013
Bettman hopes to announce a new international schedule -- possible Olympic participation, World Cups, etc.
— Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) November 11, 2013
"We'll take a look at World Championship participation and we are very much committed, at least at 10,000 feet, to bringing back a World Cup and doing it on a regular basis," Commissioner Bettman said back in June. "We'll start focusing on a long-term, Olympic, World Cup, World Championships, international competition calendar."
Bettman also discussed the league's plans for expansion, which, the Commissioner insists are not at a "formal" stage at the moment. "We get expressions of interest all the time, and those are informal conversations we have," Bettman told Cotsonika. "But in terms of a formal bid process, I’m not focused on doing anything like that right now."