FOCUS #78 - ENGLISH - Gary Bettman: some people love him, some people don't
Gary Bettman was just inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He has been at the helm of the NHL for 25 years and has a long and impressive list of accomplishments. However, he is never unanimously acclaimed. Fans in arenas like to boo and jeer when he speaks. You can blame him for keeping teams in markets like Phoenix, Florida or Carolina too long, for not welcoming Quebec back in the League yet and for his occasional frigid personality. But he has made the game healthier and stronger than ever, has modernized the League and more importantly, has contributed to very strong franchise valuations, which is really what matters the most to NHL owners.