Gary Bettman

Gary Bettman (born on June 2, 1952) is a former NBA executive who took office as the first commissioner of the National Hockey League on February 1, 1993. He was brought in to try to give the NHL some of the same success the NBA has had in the United States. Bettman's policies have included the aggressive expansion of the league in the southern and western United States.

In 2004 negotiations commenced for a new collective bargaining agreement with the National Hockey League Players Association. As of August 2004, Bettman has consistently demanded what he calls cost certainty for clubs. To the NHLPA, however, "cost certainty" is little more than a euphemism for a salary cap the union says it will never accept. The current CBA expired on September 15, 2004 (one day after the World Cup of Hockey final in Toronto). A season-threatening lockout is now underway.


This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from Wikipedia article. Browse Wikipedia for more information.