There’s a picture of the New York Rangers from 1995, the year the reigning Stanley Cup champions made the traditional visit to the White House.

“You’ve got the Cup, and you’ve got Bill Clinton, and you’ve got Mark Messier, and then off to the side, there’s this guy with dark hair, and you barely notice him,” says former Rangers goalie Glenn Healy. “It was Gary Bettman.

“I know where he’d be today with the Cup. He really has built a pretty big empire for our sport.”

Bettman has been commissioner of the National Hockey League for 25 years. In that time:

- A league with 24 teams has grown to 31;
- A league generating about $400 million of revenue annually pockets close to $5 billion;
- A league without a television deal in the United States that guaranteed every playoff game was available now has one;
- The average salary of a player has risen from $370,000 US to $3.2 million.

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