from Andy Gotlieb of the Jewish Exponent,

Gilbert Stein, who served as president of the NHL, as well as executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Philadelphia Flyers, died on March 24. He was 94....

n 1977, he joined the NHL front office as vice president and general counsel. Fifteen years later, when the league’s president resigned, Stein was named his successor.

His tenure was short-lived, however, as the league also announced that it was eliminating the position of president and planned to name a permanent commissioner.

Although Stein was interested in the commissioner role, the NHL instead selected Gary Bettman, who remains in the position today....

Stein’s tenure was marked by the addition of two franchises — the Anaheim Mighty Ducks and the Florida Panthers. While the entry fees were important to the league, Andy Stein said, it also brought Michael Eisner, the CEO of the Walt Disney Co., and Wayne Huizenga of Blockbuster Video, Waste Management and AutoNation fame, into the NHL’s sphere of influence.

It brought a bit of controversy, too, as existing teams didn’t want to share their turf.
His 13 months in office also produced a new labor agreement with the players and a controversial induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame, as well as a later withdrawal.

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