Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Bettman is grateful and excited about early ratings

Gary Bettman

In this Nov. 22, 2011 photo, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stands before the ribbon-cutting for the refurbished Laura Sims Skate House, in Philadelphia. Bettman is pleased with the league with one-quarter of the season complete. Sidney Crosby is back, suspensions are down. But collective bargaining negotiations loom and the NHL will try to avoid the same fate of the NBA. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

AP

By just about any standard, the ratings and turnout for the NHL’s return have been impressive. Gary Bettman expressed relief and delight regarding early post-lockout successes to the Sports Business Daily on Wednesday.

“We could be hopeful all we wanted, but we didn’t take anything for granted,” Bettman said. “We are grateful and we are excited.”

The NHL’s long-standing commissioner credited fan outreach programs and discounts (the Ottawa Senators gave out free beer, for instance) as a big reason for the bounce back.

“We really thought that it was most important initially that the fans reconnect with their teams,” Bettman said. “We took out ads in every market nationally in Canada and the U.S. But we thought it was more important initially that all of our efforts be focused on backstopping the clubs as they reached out.”

It’s probably wise that he didn’t trot out his “greatest fans in the world” line again, though.