Gary Bettman

Gary Bettman is the commissioner of the National Hockey League, a post Bettman has held since 1 February 1993. Bettman came to hockey from the NBA, where Bettman had been senior vice president and general counsel, and has since overseen the league's move into the U.S. Sun Belt, three lockouts and the arrival of a hard salary cap. In June 2026 Bettman opened a six-month evaluation of a 33rd franchise in Houston or Austin.

Role now	Commissioner, National Hockey League
Born	2 June 1952, Queens, New York
Before the NHL	Senior vice president and general counsel, NBA, 1981 to 1992
NHL tenure	Named 12 December 1992; took office 1 February 1993 as the league's first commissioner
League under Bettman	24 clubs on arrival; 32 through 2026-27, including Vegas in 2017 and Seattle in 2021
Work stoppages	Three lockouts: 1994-95, 2004-05 (season cancelled) and 2012-13
Honours	Hockey Hall of Fame, builder category, 2018
Known for	Sun Belt expansion, the hard salary cap, and the boos that greet him at the Cup presentation

Fans roast Gary Bettman after Hall of Fame speech blunder

Fans can't help themselves!

Fans slam NHL over confusing broadcasting rules

The fans are not happy!

Paul Bissonnette roasted by Gary Bettman live on NHL on TNT

What a burn!

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman named ‘A—hole of the Year,’ it’s the most lopsided “win” in the history of the award

”Wins” the least flattering award

Fans can’t believe what ESPN did during Oilers’ Game 6, they’ve had enough

He wasn't happy with this decision

When Chris Chelios went berserk on national TV threatening to bash the biggest boss in hockey

Well, this got out of hand...

Hockey Hall of Fame announces class of 2018

The Hockey Hall of Fame announced its inductees for 2018 on Tuesday. New Jersey Devils legend Martin Brodeur, along with Martin St. Louis, Soviet-era scorer Alexander Yakushev and Jayna Hefford have been chosen in the ...