WEBVTT - NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman Talks NHL Playoffs 0:00:02.520 --> 0:00:07.000 Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news. 0:00:07.880 --> 0:00:10.280 We know that political tensions as we keep talking about 0:00:10.360 --> 0:00:13.720 US China, they are definitely high. They're also high between 0:00:13.760 --> 0:00:16.720 the United States and Canada. Pretty tense on the ice 0:00:16.800 --> 0:00:19.200 as well as tonight's Game two of the Stanley Cup 0:00:19.239 --> 0:00:31.000 Finals between the Edmonton Oilers and the defending champion Florida Panthers. 0:00:31.200 --> 0:00:34.120 And that, of course was Game one, the Oilers leading 0:00:34.120 --> 0:00:36.320 the best of seven series thanks to a win in 0:00:36.360 --> 0:00:39.120 Game one. Our next guest was watching. Of course, he'll 0:00:39.120 --> 0:00:41.839 be watching it again tonight, we assume, as he has 0:00:41.880 --> 0:00:44.680 watched all other finals and guided and growing the league 0:00:44.840 --> 0:00:47.200 for the last thirty two plus years. He's the National 0:00:47.240 --> 0:00:50.760 Hockey League's first ever commissioner, making him the longest serving 0:00:51.159 --> 0:00:55.320 executive chief executive among major North American pro sports leagues. 0:00:55.560 --> 0:00:58.280 With us, we've got a Gary Badman, Commissioner of the NHL, 0:00:58.360 --> 0:01:01.520 joining us from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Also joining us to 0:01:01.640 --> 0:01:05.759 our in house hockey experts, Scarlettfew. She's a Bloomberg TV 0:01:06.000 --> 0:01:08.480 anchor of The Close. She's back in our New York studio. 0:01:08.880 --> 0:01:10.760 Mische Beman, Welcome to the program. 0:01:10.800 --> 0:01:12.240 It's good to see you. 0:01:12.280 --> 0:01:15.280 No Canadian team has one just thinking, are the Canadian 0:01:15.319 --> 0:01:18.760 fans a bit more edgy considering the political tensions between. 0:01:18.520 --> 0:01:20.760 The US and Canada right now? Can we talk politics 0:01:20.800 --> 0:01:24.080 a little bit? We can do that. Thank you for 0:01:24.120 --> 0:01:27.600 having me. It's good to be with you. Our fans 0:01:27.840 --> 0:01:30.319 are passionate for the teams that they root for, there's 0:01:30.319 --> 0:01:33.440 no question about that. But there seems to be a 0:01:33.520 --> 0:01:38.679 little bit of movement towards Edmonton being Canada's team because, 0:01:38.720 --> 0:01:41.720 as you said, the Stanley Cup hasn't been awarded to 0:01:41.760 --> 0:01:46.640 a Canadian team in the last thirty plus years, Montreal 0:01:46.760 --> 0:01:50.960 being the last club to win it in nineteen ninety three. 0:01:51.920 --> 0:01:55.480 In terms of the tensions, initially and it was around 0:01:55.560 --> 0:01:58.800 the same time as our Four Nations tournament, which Canada 0:01:58.840 --> 0:02:04.400 won back in February, there was some booing of anthems 0:02:04.400 --> 0:02:07.920 in both countries. That's all simmered down. People are focused 0:02:07.960 --> 0:02:13.359 on playing hockey, rooting for their team, and the competition 0:02:13.480 --> 0:02:16.040 throughout the end of the regular season and into the 0:02:16.040 --> 0:02:19.760 playoffs has been terrific. And the question that I get 0:02:19.960 --> 0:02:23.720 most frequently asked is well, what does that do for 0:02:23.840 --> 0:02:28.880 the Canadian clubs with respect to the tariffs and everything else, 0:02:28.919 --> 0:02:33.840 because our players in Canada still get paid in US dollars. 0:02:34.240 --> 0:02:37.080 And the answer is the Canadian dollars actually up a 0:02:37.080 --> 0:02:39.320 little bit since all this started a few months ago. 0:02:40.200 --> 0:02:42.680 I think three four months ago, the Canadian dollar was 0:02:42.720 --> 0:02:43.600 at seventy cents. 0:02:43.600 --> 0:02:45.120 It's now it's seventy three. 0:02:45.440 --> 0:02:47.920 And so we'll watch what goes on. But I think 0:02:48.200 --> 0:02:51.639 what the great thing about sports is it brings people 0:02:51.680 --> 0:02:55.080 together and even if there's a little political tension around 0:02:55.120 --> 0:03:00.360 the edges, ultimately fans get into and focus on for 0:03:00.400 --> 0:03:01.560 their favorite team. 0:03:02.200 --> 0:03:04.200 So you just answered a question I was going to 0:03:04.200 --> 0:03:06.680 ask you about, you know, the possible negative implications of 0:03:06.760 --> 0:03:08.839 US Canada tariffs and on the Canadian dollar. It does 0:03:08.919 --> 0:03:11.400 feel like things have settled down, but are you still 0:03:11.400 --> 0:03:13.800 a little bit on pins and needles about concerns about 0:03:13.840 --> 0:03:16.920 how this could escalate again. We know from the White 0:03:16.960 --> 0:03:22.040 House Commissioner that things can change rapidly and we have. 0:03:21.960 --> 0:03:25.720 To be flexible and adaptable, and we always are, and 0:03:26.240 --> 0:03:29.120 you know that's been something that I've dealt with over 0:03:29.320 --> 0:03:33.000 three decades. The issue on the Canadian dollar, which is 0:03:33.040 --> 0:03:37.320 where any sort of league issue would come, is really 0:03:37.400 --> 0:03:40.560 a function of what happens with the Canadian economy, and 0:03:40.640 --> 0:03:44.640 if the Canadian economy stays stable and the dollar relative 0:03:45.080 --> 0:03:47.840 to the U Canadian dollar relative to the US dollar 0:03:48.600 --> 0:03:51.560 doesn't change traumatically, things should be fine. I think what 0:03:51.600 --> 0:03:54.680 we've seen worldwide is a little bit of softening in 0:03:54.760 --> 0:03:57.840 the US dollar and the Canadian dollar has been holding 0:03:57.920 --> 0:04:00.960 its own. If that changes, if it becomes a problem, 0:04:01.080 --> 0:04:01.920 we'll address it. 0:04:02.640 --> 0:04:03.840 But so far, so good. 0:04:03.920 --> 0:04:06.440 And again the good news is people are focused on 0:04:06.480 --> 0:04:09.840 the hockey, which has been sensational, as you mentioned, Game 0:04:09.920 --> 0:04:14.880 two tonight, and so you know, we're looking forward to 0:04:15.000 --> 0:04:18.640 a really terrific conclusion to what has been a great season. 0:04:18.880 --> 0:04:20.760 All right, well, let's talk about the hockey for a 0:04:20.760 --> 0:04:23.920 moment here, because this will be the sixth straight year 0:04:23.960 --> 0:04:26.880 that a Florida based team is participating in the Stanley 0:04:26.880 --> 0:04:29.480 Cup Final. And of course, a lot of people will 0:04:29.520 --> 0:04:33.240 talk about the state's tax benefits as a reason why 0:04:33.279 --> 0:04:35.200 Florida teams are doing so well. I know that you 0:04:35.279 --> 0:04:38.240 and Bill Daily have kind of dismissed that as a factor, 0:04:38.560 --> 0:04:41.760 but I'm curious, mister Commissioner, what is it about Florida's 0:04:41.839 --> 0:04:46.840 operating environment that enables its teams to consistently outperform. 0:04:47.440 --> 0:04:51.640 Well, that's of recent vintage, since we had the salary 0:04:51.640 --> 0:04:54.760 cap in the economic system we have in two thousand 0:04:54.800 --> 0:04:58.960 and five six, nobody was talking about this for the 0:04:59.000 --> 0:05:03.839 first fifteen in eighteen years. Players choose to go to 0:05:03.920 --> 0:05:08.880 teams for lots of reasons, and maybe there's a little 0:05:08.920 --> 0:05:13.920 element of local state taxes, but the fact is they 0:05:13.960 --> 0:05:16.000 look to go to a market they want to live in, 0:05:16.040 --> 0:05:18.799 where they want to raise their families, where. 0:05:18.600 --> 0:05:19.840 Their kids will go to school. 0:05:19.839 --> 0:05:22.480 They look at the organization, they look at ownership, they 0:05:22.480 --> 0:05:25.679 look at the coach, they look at the general manager. 0:05:26.200 --> 0:05:30.400 There is the cost of living. And by the way, 0:05:30.440 --> 0:05:33.000 if the players are getting paid in US dollars and 0:05:33.040 --> 0:05:37.560 they're living in Canada, that sort of offsets any differences 0:05:37.600 --> 0:05:41.320 in local taxes. And as I think, you know, players 0:05:41.360 --> 0:05:43.840 get taxed by the jurisdictions that they play in on 0:05:43.880 --> 0:05:47.040 the road. So I think that gets a little overblown. 0:05:47.120 --> 0:05:49.680 I think it's too much of an excuse for clubs 0:05:50.000 --> 0:05:52.000 that may not be performing as well. 0:05:51.800 --> 0:05:52.560 As they'd like to. 0:05:52.680 --> 0:05:54.840 And I think it's a little bit of an injustice 0:05:55.160 --> 0:05:58.000 to the great job that the ownership and organizations have 0:05:58.120 --> 0:06:01.480 done in South Florida in Tampa, and of. 0:06:01.440 --> 0:06:04.480 Course the Florida teams were expansion teams, and there's always 0:06:04.520 --> 0:06:06.279 going to be a lot of talk as our commissioner 0:06:06.320 --> 0:06:10.520 about expansion into other markets like Houston, like Phoenix again, 0:06:10.560 --> 0:06:14.320 and like Atlanta again. The NHL currently has thirty two teams, 0:06:14.320 --> 0:06:17.320 which is kind of considered the sweet spot because the 0:06:17.320 --> 0:06:21.080 structure creates this really consistent and clear format for competition 0:06:21.160 --> 0:06:24.520 and scheduling. You've got two conferences each with two divisions 0:06:24.560 --> 0:06:28.440 with eight teams each. What are team owners specific concerns 0:06:28.440 --> 0:06:32.360 about balance if you do pursue expansion in that format changes. 0:06:32.960 --> 0:06:36.919 Well, the answer to that question is we're not focused 0:06:36.960 --> 0:06:40.799 on a formal expansion process. Yes, we've been getting interest 0:06:40.880 --> 0:06:43.640 from a number of places, including the three you mentioned, 0:06:44.160 --> 0:06:47.479 but we've said we're not going to announce a date 0:06:47.560 --> 0:06:51.400 and if you want an expansion team, everybody apply the criteria. 0:06:51.520 --> 0:06:54.080 At ten thousand feet. We look at our first and 0:06:54.120 --> 0:06:58.240 foremost ownership market arena and what does it do to 0:06:58.320 --> 0:07:02.240 make the league stronger. And we've told the interested parties 0:07:02.320 --> 0:07:04.560 if you're ready to come in and make a presentation 0:07:04.880 --> 0:07:07.760 to check those boxes, come talk to us and we'll 0:07:07.760 --> 0:07:10.440 focus on what needs to be done in terms of 0:07:10.440 --> 0:07:13.480 what it would do to our structure, our format of 0:07:13.560 --> 0:07:16.520 the schedule. That's not something we're even focused on right 0:07:16.560 --> 0:07:20.760 now because at the present time, expansion is in front 0:07:20.760 --> 0:07:22.200 and center on our agenda. 0:07:23.560 --> 0:07:23.960 For sure. 0:07:24.000 --> 0:07:26.680 I want to ask about the media relationships and the 0:07:26.720 --> 0:07:29.320 way that people here in the US are watching and 0:07:29.360 --> 0:07:32.560 consuming hockey and the way that they're not. Why does 0:07:32.600 --> 0:07:35.320 the NHL Network in your view, not have a streaming 0:07:35.360 --> 0:07:39.000 option or a digital app that you can authenticate with 0:07:39.280 --> 0:07:41.520 a third party cable sign on. Does it feel like 0:07:41.520 --> 0:07:44.360 you're leaving money on the table by not offering streaming 0:07:44.440 --> 0:07:48.640 availability like other leagues do at this point? 0:07:49.440 --> 0:07:55.280 Well, actually, we do have a streaming capability. Warner Brothers 0:07:55.960 --> 0:08:01.120 Discovery streams the games that they have on Max, ESPN 0:08:01.520 --> 0:08:05.160 streams US on ESPN Plus. As it relates to the 0:08:05.320 --> 0:08:09.520 NHL network itself, we're kind of in a transition period 0:08:10.000 --> 0:08:14.720 and we're looking at our options. But ninety nine percent 0:08:14.760 --> 0:08:19.720 of our games are available either linear or streamed in 0:08:19.760 --> 0:08:23.920 the United States, and frankly, to us, the most important 0:08:24.000 --> 0:08:26.760 thing in the short term is always making sure that 0:08:26.840 --> 0:08:29.600 our games are available to the most number of people, 0:08:29.920 --> 0:08:31.640 and we think we do a good job of that 0:08:32.120 --> 0:08:35.079 what we do with the NHL network, which relative to 0:08:35.120 --> 0:08:40.280 everybody else, has far fewer games. That's something that will 0:08:40.320 --> 0:08:43.080 evolve over time with the changing landscape. 0:08:43.160 --> 0:08:44.200 But we do have. 0:08:44.559 --> 0:08:49.800 A large, full breadth capacity for streaming, both in the 0:08:49.960 --> 0:08:51.920 US and Canada. 0:08:52.040 --> 0:08:53.600 Hey, one of the things I do want to ask you, 0:08:53.679 --> 0:08:55.440 I mean, there's just so much I feel like on 0:08:55.480 --> 0:08:58.520 your plan. And you talked about this in your Mister Commissioner, 0:08:58.600 --> 0:09:01.280 in your Status of the League address prior to Game 0:09:01.360 --> 0:09:04.000 one of the finals, and you talked specifically about the 0:09:04.000 --> 0:09:08.320 status of collective bargaining talks that are going on. I'm curious, 0:09:08.559 --> 0:09:10.320 what are you hearing, where are you What are the 0:09:10.320 --> 0:09:12.760 priorities for the league, and what do you expect to 0:09:12.760 --> 0:09:15.360 be the sticking points? And can you get something done 0:09:15.760 --> 0:09:18.800 before the current agreement expires in September. 0:09:19.800 --> 0:09:24.520 Actually, the current agreement expires a year from September twenty 0:09:24.600 --> 0:09:28.560 six forget me. Yes, yes, so we have plenty of time. 0:09:29.440 --> 0:09:34.720 We started having conversations with the union probably end of 0:09:34.760 --> 0:09:39.439 February early March. I think we're having good, constructive discussions. 0:09:40.240 --> 0:09:43.040 I think for the most part, we're on the same 0:09:43.080 --> 0:09:46.760 page that it's important to work together. We get together 0:09:46.840 --> 0:09:50.720 on a regular basis. We even got together yesterday here 0:09:50.720 --> 0:09:55.600 in Edmonton, and I'm very optimistic that we're going to 0:09:55.600 --> 0:09:59.000 get this done in relatively short order. I don't mean 0:09:59.040 --> 0:10:02.360 today or tomorrow, but at the end of the day, 0:10:02.679 --> 0:10:07.079 the relationship between the NHL and the NHL Players Association, 0:10:07.240 --> 0:10:12.680 which is now under executive director Marty Walsh, was I 0:10:12.720 --> 0:10:15.800 think many of you know him as former mayor of 0:10:15.840 --> 0:10:19.840 Boston and former Secretary of Labor. We're in a good 0:10:19.880 --> 0:10:22.680 place and I think we're going to get it done, 0:10:23.200 --> 0:10:26.520 and I think the best the beneficiary from all of 0:10:26.520 --> 0:10:29.000 that will not just be the clubs and the players, 0:10:29.200 --> 0:10:34.160 but our fans. I'm not anticipating any fundamental problems or 0:10:34.320 --> 0:10:37.400 issues that are going to cause us to have fundamental problems. 0:10:37.840 --> 0:10:39.720 Are you on the same page when it comes to 0:10:39.840 --> 0:10:45.000 international competition? You guys had a very successful for Nations tournament, 0:10:45.120 --> 0:10:47.360 and we know the NHL players are going back to 0:10:47.360 --> 0:10:50.160 the Olympics next year, so I'm sure there is a 0:10:50.200 --> 0:10:52.400 desire on both sides to keep the energy of international 0:10:52.400 --> 0:10:54.760 competition going once the Olympics comes and. 0:10:54.640 --> 0:10:58.440 Goes, there's no question about that. So going back in 0:10:58.480 --> 0:11:01.839 ancient history because the pre day it's me, the League 0:11:01.840 --> 0:11:05.880 and the Players Association have been joint partners in the 0:11:05.960 --> 0:11:11.080 execution of international competition, particularly best on best, which is 0:11:11.120 --> 0:11:14.360 the Olympics, the World Cup and things like Four Nations 0:11:14.679 --> 0:11:18.720 that we did to an outstanding result in terms of 0:11:18.960 --> 0:11:25.480 fan interest and the competition itself. Prior leaders of the 0:11:25.520 --> 0:11:30.400 Players Association, Warrant is immediately focused as Marty is in 0:11:30.520 --> 0:11:34.640 terms of understanding the importance of moving this effort forward. 0:11:34.960 --> 0:11:37.840 We know that our players, third of which come from 0:11:37.880 --> 0:11:42.160 outside of North America, love representing their countries. It's important 0:11:42.200 --> 0:11:45.760 to them, which is why the competition at Four Nations 0:11:46.000 --> 0:11:50.800 was so good, so competitive, and so compelling, and so 0:11:51.440 --> 0:11:54.720 he is focused on not just doing that in terms 0:11:54.720 --> 0:11:58.000 of building interest, but it also speaks volumes of how 0:11:58.040 --> 0:12:01.800 well we're working together. And so we're looking forward to 0:12:02.000 --> 0:12:04.760 having in the Olympics two years later, to the World 0:12:04.760 --> 0:12:08.040 Cup two years after that, the Olympics and so on 0:12:08.200 --> 0:12:11.880 a regular basis because we know it's great for the game, 0:12:12.160 --> 0:12:14.960 it's great for fan interest, and again we know how 0:12:14.960 --> 0:12:18.199 important it is for our players to represent the countries 0:12:18.360 --> 0:12:20.640 they come from. And I don't think there's anything that 0:12:20.800 --> 0:12:24.680 really compares in the international landscape to best on Best 0:12:24.679 --> 0:12:26.800 in Hockey. Hey, one thing I. 0:12:26.760 --> 0:12:30.200 Do wonder, Commissioner, is where does women's hockey fit into this? 0:12:30.240 --> 0:12:32.760 And we've seen, you know, certainly interested in women's sports 0:12:32.760 --> 0:12:35.440 skyrocket on so many different levels, and we've certainly seen 0:12:35.480 --> 0:12:39.560 some early success, initial success with the Women's Hockey League, 0:12:39.559 --> 0:12:43.320 the PWHL. I'm curious about the involvement by the NHL 0:12:43.440 --> 0:12:47.200 specifically when it comes to women's sports and what kind 0:12:47.200 --> 0:12:50.000 of investment and solid investment are you guys looking to 0:12:50.040 --> 0:12:51.199 maybe do in that area. 0:12:51.840 --> 0:12:54.920 Well, certainly at the grassroots level, we're fully supportive in 0:12:54.960 --> 0:12:59.360 our programs, are very, very inclusive and welcoming. The PWHL, 0:12:59.440 --> 0:13:03.120 which is the Women's Professional Hockey League, is off to 0:13:03.200 --> 0:13:07.000 a terrific start. They launched very quickly two seasons ago. 0:13:07.160 --> 0:13:10.439 We help them get off the ground using our infrastructure 0:13:10.440 --> 0:13:11.960 and resources. 0:13:12.040 --> 0:13:14.160 And we work well with them. 0:13:14.880 --> 0:13:17.800 We try to include them in our major events, and 0:13:18.040 --> 0:13:21.920 they just recently announced a two team expansion, so they're 0:13:21.960 --> 0:13:25.240 off to a great start. And again we're thrilled and 0:13:25.280 --> 0:13:27.840 fully supportive. It's great for the game of hockey. 0:13:29.120 --> 0:13:32.559 Commiser, Let's just return to playoffs for this year. When 0:13:32.600 --> 0:13:35.000 you look at viewership numbers, they're actually down about twenty 0:13:35.000 --> 0:13:38.000 percent from last year's playoffs. To what extent does that 0:13:38.080 --> 0:13:40.000 concern you and do you believe it has any kind 0:13:40.000 --> 0:13:42.800 of I don't know, future implications, does it suggest anything 0:13:42.840 --> 0:13:44.040 about the future of the league? 0:13:45.040 --> 0:13:48.080 Actually on a North American basis, which is how we 0:13:48.120 --> 0:13:50.840 look at these things, because we're a little bit different 0:13:50.920 --> 0:13:54.320 than baseball, basketball, and football, because seven of our thirty 0:13:54.320 --> 0:13:57.079 two teams are in Canada and they don't show up 0:13:57.160 --> 0:13:58.360 in US ratings. 0:13:58.880 --> 0:14:00.720 But when you look at North America. 0:14:00.400 --> 0:14:03.560 As a whole, we're about flat. And you have to 0:14:03.600 --> 0:14:07.000 take into account that this may be the first time 0:14:07.080 --> 0:14:11.400 in the history of the NHL where none of the 0:14:11.440 --> 0:14:16.000 four original six US teams were in the playoffs. 0:14:16.720 --> 0:14:19.360 And that's Chicago, Detroit, New. 0:14:19.280 --> 0:14:24.080 York, and Boston, all of which rate extraordinarily well. And 0:14:24.720 --> 0:14:29.200 Boston and New York the Rangers had great runs last season, 0:14:29.360 --> 0:14:31.560 even though they didn't make it to the Stanley Cup final. 0:14:31.880 --> 0:14:35.240 So it's a little bit of apples and oranges. But 0:14:35.360 --> 0:14:38.480 when you look at it on a North American basis, 0:14:38.520 --> 0:14:41.360 it's fine. When you look at, for example, Game seven 0:14:41.840 --> 0:14:45.760 in last year's Stanley Cup final, which was this is 0:14:45.760 --> 0:14:49.720 a redo this year Edmonton and Florida. I think we 0:14:49.800 --> 0:14:54.480 drew sixteen or seventeen million fans North American wide, and 0:14:54.480 --> 0:14:58.200 I think we had about nine million in the United States, 0:14:58.400 --> 0:15:02.440 and the final game of four Nations was at about 0:15:02.480 --> 0:15:06.120 the same level, and so our ratings are strong. We 0:15:06.200 --> 0:15:09.760 tend to be a little bit variable. But don't just 0:15:09.800 --> 0:15:11.880 look at the US. We won't. 0:15:11.880 --> 0:15:14.200 We won't. Thank you so much, busy time for you. 0:15:14.320 --> 0:15:15.600 Good luck with Game two.