There’s been a lot of talk about state taxes in the NHL lately. During Monday’s Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final, Gary Bettman got into a discussion with Paul Bissonnette on the topic—but it all ended with the NHL commissioner absolutely roasting the analyst with a hilarious burn.
In each of the last six NHL seasons, a team from Florida has made it to the Stanley Cup Final. From 2020 to 2022, it was the Tampa Bay Lightning. From 2023 through today, it’s been the Florida Panthers making a real push for the Cup. Some are now suggesting that state taxes might be a key factor behind that success.
Florida—like Texas—doesn’t have any state income tax, and some believe that gives those teams an edge when attracting players. Athletes simply take home more money when they play for a team based in Florida or Texas, compared to Canadian teams or those in high-tax states like California and New York.
Gary Bettman roasts Paul Bissonnette
During this year’s playoffs, NHL analyst Paul Bissonnette has argued that the league may need to address this and try to level the playing field. On Monday night, when Bettman joined the NHL on TNT panel, he was asked about it—and didn’t hold back.
“It’s a ridiculous issue,” Bettman said.
“When the Florida teams weren’t good—which was for about 17 years—nobody said anything about it. For those of you who played, were you sitting there with a tax table? No.”
Instead, Bettman pointed to other reasons why players might choose certain teams: how well an organization is run, the quality of the city, whether it’s a good place to raise a family, and the strength of the coaching staff and teammates. He did admit that, all things being equal, lower taxes might tip the scale.
“By the way,” Bettman added, “state taxes are high in Los Angeles, high in New York. What are we going to do—subsidize those teams?”
Bissonnette, a die-hard Toronto Maple Leafs fan, then jokingly asked if Bettman could take taxes away from Ontario—to help the Leafs finally win a long-awaited Cup. That’s when Bettman delivered his final jab.
“I was watching you during the earlier rounds,” he said. “Your attire was a little suspect in terms of your journalistic objectivity.”
Bettman was referring to Bissonnette wearing Maple Leafs gear during TNT’s second-round playoff coverage.
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