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Gary Bettman Responds to Retirement Rumors with a Mic-Drop Moment

Originally posted on Blade of Steel | By Julien Trekker | Last updated Mar 19, 2025 2:00 PM ET

The NHL commissioner Gary Bettman talked about many interesting topics, such as the rumors of his retirement, in a new interview.

The General Managers of the NHL had a lot to discuss at their meeting in Florida earlier this week. While player safety was among the most important topics, much more was addressed.

Gary Bettman, the longest-tenured commissioner in North American sports, held a press conference on Wednesday to answer questions from the media.

First, he confirmed that no rule changes were proposed during the meetings, and that the league will meet with the Players' Association to begin negotiating the next collective bargaining agreement in the first week of April.

Next, he shared his opinion on a few subjects, such as the three-on-three overtime format and the decentralized draft.

He stated that the wear on the ice and player fatigue are factors that convince him not to extend the overtime period. He also added that he is 'not a fan' of the decentralized draft, suggesting he wasn't the one to make the call to change the way they were doing the draft.

Per Frank Seravalli and Elliotte Friedman:

Later, Pierre LeBrun asked him if he had sent an update to general managers about his retirement, to which he blatantly replied:

'Absolutely not. You keep trying to get rid of me. No such luck. I'm going to see if I can outlast you.'

This comes only a few months after a report confirmed that Bettman would retire in 'a couple of years':

Fans, general managers, team owners, and even players are eager to see what Bettman's final chapter as the NHL commissioner will look like. With the next big topic being the upcoming CBA negotiations, it would be great to see Bettman try to make a lasting, positive, and progress-focused impact before retiring.

This article first appeared on Blade of Steel and was syndicated with permission.

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