The leadership Q&A: Gary Bettman

It's been decades, but Stan Fischler still remembers what one hockey insider said about Gary Bettman after he was appointed commissioner of the NHL.

"'He's too much lawyer,'" Fischler recalls the insider telling him. "The other thing was that he was not a hockey guy, and he wasn't a Canadian."

Fischler says he understood the insider's perspective. But the famed journalist, who has been covering hockey since 1954, gave Bettman a chance. And, despite the naysayers, Bettman stuck around. "Now he's been a commissioner longer than anybody," Fischler says.

At almost 32 years with the NHL, Bettman is the longest serving commissioner of any pro league in North American sports. "His line of credit is where it counts the most, and that is with his bosses, with the owners. If he wasn't doing a good job, he would have been out tomorrow."

Even if you don't admire all of Bettman's moves, his staying power is undeniable. "He's dealing now with 32 owners, and these guys are tough. He had to deal with tough cookies," Fischler says.

Fischler puts some of that down to Bettman's intellect. At the start of each season, Fischler would interview the commissioner. "I always had one question that both he - from his view - and me - from my view - recognized was a hardball question. I wouldn't say he outsmarted me. But, have you ever played tennis? Have you ever had a ball that you think is irretrievable? And somehow you get it and you make the point? That's the way I always felt it was with him," Fischler says.

He grew to respect Bettman, even as fans have turned booing the commissioner into an annual tradition each time the Stanley Cup is awarded. "He handled (the booing) and he what he did was he turned it into humor, which was very, very effective. A lesser person would have not handled it as well," Fischler says.

"He's a pretty good guy away from all the tumult. He happens to be a pretty damn nice guy who came from New York City, with New York City street smarts, and he's taken it as near to the top as you can."

Because of his staying power and impact on growing the game, we've chosen Bettman as the first leader in our new Hockey Leaders Survey - a list of questions posed to the men and women who have shaped the game to gain more insight into their personality and motivations.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

theScore: You've had a very long career. When were you most fulfilled?

Bettman: I'm a little concerned about the way you emphasize the word "very." You know, I love what I do. I work with great people. We have a great sport. For me, it's never one thing. This has been a journey, a continuum, and the very long tenure - to paraphrase you - it seems like the blink of an eye. When we have a great season, like we did last year - which some are saying was the best season we ever had, both on and off the ice - my first reaction is, "How are we going to do it better next year?"

theScore: But has there ever been a moment where you just sit back and say, "I love what I do?"

Bettman: Virtually every day. Particularly those days when I get the honor of presenting the Stanley Cup. Particularly on those days when one of our teams or the league is involved in something that makes a difference in people's lives. There are countless special moments that you have when you're associated with this game. And it's not just me; it's the people that work with me at the league office. It's the people who work at the clubs. It's the players and all the other on-ice personnel, and it's the fans. It's an entire community or system that's all focused and emotionally connected by what the game is all about.

theScore: Describe your mindset currently.

Bettman: I want to continue to see the game grow. I want to continue to find ways that connect our fans to the game even more, whether it's puck and player tracking, whether it's streaming, whether it's face to face and behind the scenes, getting a closer look at the game, whether it's having more of a connection with the international communities that follow the game and encourage the development of world-class hockey players that come to play in the NHL. These are all the things that we do on a daily basis, and we want to do them more and more and more.

theScore: What's something you recently learned from someone below you in your organization?

Bettman: Well, we've become very data driven in terms of understanding what's out there and what people's psyche is. One of the things that we've learned is that the people who have started to watch the Prime broadcasts are liking the the edgy, hip, entertaining feel of it. What we've learned is what the TNT group does - the studio show, which is less surgically hockey focused and more entertaining - is good. We've learned that people are loving the fact that we have a greater presence in the U.S. on "SportsCenter" on ESPN. We've learned, from data and anecdotally, that kids love our animated game broadcast.

It's never just one thing. I have a saying around here, which probably drives the people who work with me crazy: "Everything's related to everything else."

theScore: By the way, kids aren't the only ones who like the animated broadcasts. I do too.

Bettman: By the way, I do too. It's fun to watch. I also found some of this anecdotally, there were adults - parents - who were mesmerized by watching with their kids because of the technology. They have the ability to see the game in real time and they'll match up the live game and the animated game, and they're identical.

Technology is an important driver. My instructions and philosophy have always been: We're not going to change the game to suit technology. We're going to use technology to bring people closer to the game. It's a very fast game. If you don't understand it and you're coming to it for the first time, you can appreciate it in the inception a little better if you understand how fast the puck is going and how fast players are skating and how far they've skated. If you don't know the game and it's whizzing around you, this can give you an even better appreciation of what you're seeing.

theScore: What do you think is an underrated quality in players today?

Bettman: What our players are actually doing in real time. The speed - I'm not just talking skating but their reaction time, dealing with moving on the ice and the speed of the puck and how they control what they're doing. If you sit on the glass, while you don't get to appreciate the ballet, if you will, in front of you in all of its grandeur, you have to be in utter awe of what's taking place before you. Because the physicality and the speed and how players react - there's nothing like it.

theScore: Which talent would you most like to have?

Bettman: You're going to ask me to contradict the "it's never one thing" (philosophy). Listen, if you can't skate well, you can't play this game well. I'm a mediocre skater at best. So, having the ability to to really skate fast, well, in control, and with physical contact.

theScore: Do you ever lace 'em up and get on the ice?

Bettman: I played some rec hockey, but not more recently. You know, as you said, I've been doing this a very long time, so that must make me old.

Most of my endeavors in the last few years have been watching my grandson play. He's now a freshman in college. He played high school hockey, went through the youth development programs. His high school team, two out of the last three years, won the public school state championship in New Jersey. When he was younger, I would be on the ice with him a little bit. But my physical days are more focused on golf and things that are a little less frenetic. I do still ski. But that's something I started when I was 4 years old, and I was much better at than I was at skating.

theScore: What do you consider your greatest achievement?

Bettman: I don't do that. I leave that for other people. You know what? I'll take that back with one exception, and that's my family. I've been married for 49 years. My wife and I met in college. We've been together for 53 years, I have three great kids who are all married to terrific spouses, and I have eight grandchildren, and that is my and my wife's greatest achievement.

theScore: Who or what is the greatest love of your life?

Bettman: My wife, Shelli.

theScore: What is your most treasured memorabilia from your career?

Bettman: I'm not a hoarder. So I try to be lean and mean. The thing I probably treasure the most is my Hall of Fame ring, which I only wear once a year when I go to the Hall of Fame. That is something you can pass down.

theScore: What is your motto?

Bettman: It's not going to be a simple motto. When you're making decisions, you must do your homework. You must make decisions for the right reasons, not for political reasons, and you must treat people well.

Jolene Latimer is a feature writer at theScore.