from Frank Brown at The Hockey News,
January 27 marks the 11,318th day that Gary Bettman has been the commissioner of the NHL, which is one more day than Clarence Campbell served as the boss. It also makes Bettman the longest-serving leader of any major league, including the NFL, MLB or the NBA. Bettman, the ironman of league bosses.
As part of its special section previewing the 1993-94 NHL season, the Hartford Courant published perhaps the most prophetic sentence that Gary Bettman ever spoke. On Oct. 5, 1993, the day before the first games of Bettman’s first full season as NHL commissioner, Viv Bernstein’s two-page story was headlined by an NHL shield that was surrounded by the words “NEW AND IMPROVED!”
“While dealing with the issues of the day,” Bernstein wrote, “Bettman also has plans to market the NHL in a way that will someday put it on a par with the other major sports, financially and perceptually. But he realizes it’s going to take some time.
“There’s a big challenge here,” Bettman said. “I’m not lacking for challenges. As long as it’s on the right track and the owners will have me, I’m in this for the long haul.”
Bettman’s haul is about to become the longest in pro-sports-leadership history. And that’s a lot of history, given that MLB, the NBA, the NFL and the NHL have been entertaining fans for a combined 433 years.
"Eugene paid $90 million for the franchise. This past year, I represented Eugenes estate in the sale of the team for $950 million. I cant think of anything that shows the great job that Gary has done any more than that.
And how many times did Eugene complain about "losing money" or "I need public money for this or that"? This is why I'll never listen to owners complaining about money. They make hand over fist when they eventually sell.
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