“Lets F****** Goooo” – NHL fans left ELEVATED as Commissioner Gary Bettman prepares for RETIREMENT in ‘couple of years’ time

Gary Bettman has been the Commissioner of the National Hockey League (NHL) since February 1993, the time the position was first created.

“Lets F****** Goooo” – NHL fans left ELEVATED as Commissioner Gary Bettman prepares for RETIREMENT in ‘couple of years’ time

Gary Bettman (Image via Yardbarker)

It seems Gary Bettman‘s time as the NHL Commissioner is coming to an end. As per reports, the league has started the process of his eventual retirement which could come in a ‘couple of years’ time.

The 72-year-old is the longest serving commissioner across North American sports. He assumed the position of the league Commissioner in 1993 and has been in charge for over 32 years now.

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Bettman tenure as the top boss of the NHL has been controversial to say the least. In his reign, there have been three labor unrest which lead to lockout during the 1994-95, 2004-05 and the 2012-13 season. The lockout in the 2004-05 season saw the entire campaign being cancelled. This saw the NHL become the first league to cancel an entire season due to a strike.

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For several years, fans have been demanding Bettman to step down from his position. As per reports from The Athletic, the league has now started looking for the future without him.

Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold told The Athletic that the Board of Governors’ executive committee is currently looking for a replacement of Bettman.

Listen, we’re like a $5, $6 billion company — the entire league is. So we have a CEO who’s going to be moving on, and any transition would cause us to be concerned.

Craig Leipold said as per The Athletic

When asked by The Athletic regarding his plans, Bettman claimed that he does not have any retirement plan as of now. However, he did mention that he can’t be doing this forever.

I raised the specter that at some point this is something the league is going to have to deal with because when you’re dealing with a CEO who has been doing this as long as I have, it’s a more complicated process… At some point the league is going to have to deal with the reality that I can’t do this forever.

Gary Bettman said

During Bettman’s reign, the league has been expanded from 24 teams to 32. The revenue of the league has also sky rocketed, hitting around $7 million annually. He has thus played an important role in the growth of the league.

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Social media reacts to Gary Bettman’s retirement talks

Gary Bettman‘s tenure as the NHL Commissioner as seen some dark days. However, in his regime, the league has also seen success and become one of the top sporting leagues across the world.

Gary Bettman
Gary Bettman (Image via The Denver Post)

Bettman though has not been a fan favorite. On many occasions, fans have demanded his resignation from the position of Commissioner. The fans are now elevated by hearing about his retirement plans.

Several users on X celebrated the news of him leaving the league and ending his three decade stay. One hyped up fan wrote, “Lets f******* goooo” while reacting to this development.

Check out that and some more reactions regarding this below:

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Given the ‘couple of years’ timeline, Bettman could be 74 by the time he retires as the top executive of the league. Before him, the league had the position of President. In 1993 they would create the position of Commissioner and name Bettman as the first one. It will be interesting to see who the second commissioner of the league will be.