from Nicholas J. Cotsonika of NHL.com,

The Apple Campus, an iconic part of Silicon Valley, sits less than 10 miles from SAP Center, the home of the San Jose Sharks and the heart of 2019 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend.

It was here in the Town Hall room where iPod was introduced. And it was here where NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and two of the League's cutting-edge stars -- Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid, 22, and Toronto Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, 21 -- talked about innovation, technology and sports Thursday.

A day after Apple employees lined up for hours to see the Stanley Cup at Apple Park down the road, about 300 who signed up online packed the auditorium for the panel discussion, some wearing NHL jerseys, including McDavid's and Matthews'. The event was available to Apple employees around the world on a digital stream.

On stage before a black backdrop with a white Apple logo, McDavid and Matthews sat with Commissioner Bettman and Phil Schiller, Apple senior vice president of worldwide marketing. Each wore apple watch.

"We love the collaboration that we have with Apple," Commissioner Bettman said. "It has helped transform the game without changing the game itself."

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