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

Bettman says shootouts are staying, gives salary cap estimate

Gary Bettman

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman answers questions about hockey issues at a news conference at the 2014 Winter Olympics, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2014, in Sochi, Russia. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

AP

Gary Bettman met with hockey press on Tuesday to address a wide variety of subjects, even if most of it seemed to be “business as usual” updates. Let’s rattle off some of the biggest talking points compiled from Bettman quotes via reporters such as ESPN’s Katie Strang and the Bergen Record’s Andrew Gross:

Update: If you want the full questions and answers rather than paraphrases, click here.

Shootouts

Hate shootouts? Bad news, although you probably shouldn’t be surprised if you’ve been following the NHL ... since the beginning of the shootout’s use. Bettman said they’re here to stay and explains that fans like them (especially more than ties).

/Gives hardcore fans a moment to seethe.

Salary cap

Bettman gives a “wild guess” that the salary cap ceiling will fall somewhere between $69 to $70 million. There were some, including Los Angeles Kings GM Dean Lombardi, who had some concerns about the ceiling being affected by the Canadian dollar.

Islanders sale

The NHL’s commissioner didn’t provide a ton of information about Charles Wang courting suitors for the New York Islanders, although he noted that they’re still Brooklyn-bound regardless.

Washington Capitals vs. ? in the 2015 Winter Classic

No answer yet:

Again, overall it sounds like the messages came down to business as usual. At least the salary cap update/guess indicates that business could be pretty strong during the offseason.

Follow James O’Brien @cyclelikesedins