Gary Bettman
| Gary Bettman | |
|---|---|
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Bettman in 2016
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| Born |
Gary Bruce Bettman June 2, 1952 Queens, New York City, New York U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater |
Cornell University New York University School of Law |
| Occupation | Commissioner of the National Hockey League, lawyer |
| Title | National Hockey League Commissioner |
| Term | February 1, 1993 – incumbent |
| Predecessor | Gil Stein |
| Spouse(s) | Shelli |
Gary Bruce Bettman (born June 2, 1952) is the commissioner of the National Hockey League (NHL), a post he has held since February 1, 1993. Previously, Bettman was a senior vice-president and general counsel to the National Basketball Association (NBA). Bettman is a graduate of Cornell University and New York University School of Law.
Under Bettman, the NHL has seen rapid growth of league revenues, from $400 million when he was hired to over $3.0 billion in 2010–11. He also oversaw the expansion of the NHL's footprint across the United States, with six new teams added during his tenure, bringing the NHL to 30. In May 2014, Bettman was named "Sports Executive of the Year" by the SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily. And in 2016, Bettman was inducted as a member of the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
However, Bettman's tenure in the NHL has been controversial. He has often been criticized for attempting to "Americanize" the game, and expanding the league into non-traditional hockey markets such as the American South at the expense of the more traditional markets in Canada and the Northern United States. Bettman has also been a central figure of three labor stoppages, including the 2004–05 NHL lockout that saw the entire season canceled. These controversies have made him unpopular with many fans around the league.
Bettman was born to a Jewish family in Queens, New York. He studied Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, where he was a brother of the Alpha Epsilon Pi Fraternity, and graduated in 1974. After receiving a Juris Doctor degree from New York University School of Law in 1977, Bettman joined the New York City law firm of Proskauer Rose Goetz & Mendelsohn.
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