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Gary Bettman Receives 2023 SBJ Lifetime Achievement Award

Photo of Igor Burdetskiy Igor Burdetskiy Follow on X January 31, 2023
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In the January 30-February 5 issue of Sports Business Journal, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was named the 2023 recipient of the Sports Business Journal Lifetime Achievement Award.

Bettman will be honored on May 24th at the Sports Business Awards in New York.

“Since his first NHL media rights headlined the inaugural issue of Sports Business Daily back in 1994, Gary Bettman has been a fixture in our pages and an immensely influential figure in our industry,” Sports Business Journal publisher and executive editor Abraham Madkour said in an SBJ article announcing the award. “His willingness to think big, take risks and stick to his principles have solidified the NHL as an important property in the global sports landscape and positioned the League to continue to thrive well in the future.”

Bettman will celebrate his 30th anniversary on the job on Wednesday, surpassing the late David Stern, who served as NBA commissioner from February 1, 1984 to February 1, 2014, as the longest-tenured commissioner of North America’s four major men’s professional sports leagues. Before becoming the NHL’s first commissioner on December 11, 1992, he was the NBA’s senior vice president and general counsel under Stern. He took office on February 1, 1993.

Bettman’s accomplishments, according to Sports Business Journal, include the expansion of the NHL from 24 to 32 teams and an increase in League revenue from around $400 million per season to a record $5.2 billion last season. It also credited Bettman’s “penchant for creativity” in expanding and relocating teams, citing the Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Carolina Hurricanes, and Vegas Golden Knights as examples.

The NHL became the first major professional sports league with a team in Las Vegas following the addition of the expansion Golden Knights in 2017-18. The Seattle Kraken joined the NHL in 2021-22 as its 32nd team.

The NHL Winter Classic, an annual outdoor game established in 2008, has also grown into a major regular season tentpole event, as has the League’s willingness to sign media rights agreements with nontraditional broadcast partners, beginning with Fox Sports in 1994 and later Comcast’s OLN. This resulted in a long-term relationship with NBC Sports, as well as partnerships with ESPN and Turner Sports beginning last season.

“The 70-year-old has had an incredible journey in growing the game around the world and the NHL has flourished under his direction and guidance,” Madkour wrote of Bettman on the Sports Business Journal’s Forum page. “He has been a leader with substance and clearly helped define the sports business of the modern era. He is well deserving of SBJ’s Lifetime Achievement Award.”

Sports Business Journal noted that the NHL has had three work stoppages under Bettman, but also credited him with delivering “significant victories for the League at the negotiating table.” Those included obtaining long-term cost certainty for owners in 2005 “with the establishment of a salary cap, improvements to the on-ice product and greater parity between the large- and small-market teams.”

Igor Burdetskiy

Igor Burdetskiy

Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & CEO at Hooked on Hockey Magazine
I grew up playing Ball and Roller Hockey day and night somewhat religiously throughout elementary and middle school. The two don't compare though when I lace up the skates and hit the ice. I live and breathe hockey beyond the perspective of "it's just a game" and I will gladly talk hockey for hours with anyone. Hockey is more than just a lifestyle, it's a culture of passionate people who make memories every time the puck is dropped. Hockey has not only helped me get through some of the hardest times in life but has created some of the best memories to date. Want to talk hockey with me? Shoot me an email: iburdetskiy@hookedonhockey.com and let's talk some hockey!
Igor Burdetskiy
Photo of Igor Burdetskiy Igor Burdetskiy Follow on X January 31, 2023
4 2 minutes read
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  4. […] The 2022-23 NHL season is now more than halfway done. On Tuesday, it was revealed that national hockey ratings in the United States are down by 22%. According to Morning Consult’s Mark J. Burns, the NHL’s average viewership has dropped from 478,000 to 373,000 this season, which is undoubtedly something Gary Bettman does not want to see on his 30th anniversary as league commissioner. […]

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