from Stephen Whyno of the CP at CTVNews,

In his 21-plus years as the first official "commissioner" of the NHL, Bettman has overseen expansion, change and booming business. In the process he has also become a popular target for fans because he has shown a willingness to sacrifice games to affect the kind of change he and the owners want.

"The game was unhealthy, the competitiveness wasn't there," Bettman said of the 2004-05 lockout. "We did what we had to do to not have six, eight or 10 years of a mess. We go through these things not because we want to but because we have to get to a point where the game can be healthy."

Now that it's healthy, Bettman doesn't look like an executive on the way out. When Bud Selig steps down and Rob Manfred takes over Major League Baseball, Bettman will officially be the longest-tenured commissioner in North American professional sports -- though he insists because Selig previously had an interim tag that he already is.

"I will be the oldest when he steps down," said Bettman, who says he hasn't considered any kind of a succession plan. "I'm still trying to figure out how I got to be 62 years old."

more