from John Dujay of Canada.com,

It was 20 years ago today that the NHL found an obscure NBA executive and anointed him as the first ever commissioner.

Now before you start spitting mad at the thought of this question, consider it carefully: Does Gary Bettman belong in the Hall of Fame?

All of that cursing is not going to get you anywhere, especially if there are young children around. Just consider the state of the league in 1992 and the state of the league today (disregarding the current lockout, about which reams of words have been written).

Total revenues were around $400 million and now they are more than $3 billion annually. There were 24 teams then and now there are 30. As well, the league just signed a $2 billion TV deal with NBC.

So in terms of pure revenue and growth, it’s a no brainer: Bettman’s tenure has been wildly successful. If he were a CEO with those numbers, he would be lauded as a visionary genius and be on the cover of Forbes magazine.

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