• "For better or worse, the world seems more litigious," he says. "That is something you have to manage. And being a lawyer certainly helps."
• "You need to be facile and adaptable with respect to the changes in media that are happening at breathtaking speed," he says. "You have to be on top of the industry."
• "And finally you have to be prepared to look at A.) new business opportunities, such as international and the shrinking of the world and B.) changing old business into new businesses, such as how you distribute your licensed products," he says. "Retail in a brick-and-mortar building used to be the only way for fans to go, and now you can get anything on the Internet in 24 hours."

That isn't the only thing fans have come to expect with immediacy.

"Twenty years ago if there was an incident in a game, you would see a tape a day or two later," Bettman says. "We now have to act and react in real time. (Commissioners) need to be accessible 24/7 and we are. That's part of the scrutiny and transparency that the digital space provides us. That means everyone at the senior level of our organization knows you are never really off. My old joke is that my idea of a vacation is I'm in a different place to make and take phone calls and emails."

Allen and Brady continue at extended and extensive length, and it's certainly interesting to read relatively open commentary from the commissioner who all but polices his owners to ensure that 30 groups with very disparate interests always present a united front.