from Sportsnet,

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said he doesn't anticipate stepping down from the job he's held for three decades anytime soon.

"If I wake up in the morning and I'm not excited about what I've got to do and what lays ahead of me for that day, I shouldn't be doing this anymore," Bettman said during an appearance Tuesday on the Marchand and Ourand sports media podcast.

Bettman, who turns 70 on June 2, has been commissioner of the NHL since Feb. 1, 1993. When asked on the podcast what criteria would have to be met for him to want to step down, he said he needs two things to be successful: the continued support of the league's owners and good health to foster the "energy and the desire and the passion" for the game.

He cited his recent week as an indication he still has that energy and passion: He went from Carolina to Montreal for Guy Lafleur's funeral, to Calgary to Edmonton to South Florida to Tampa, finishing up on Tuesday in New York for meetings after getting back at 4 a.m.

"Even when I was in my 20s, that would be a pretty good trek," he said. "When I can't do that anymore because I don't feel physically or mentally up to it, (if) it doesn't excite me to be at games...

"(I)t's about the game, it's about how I feel about the game and my connection to it that will determine how long I do it. Obviously, I can't do it forever. But I'm enjoying the run."

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