Gary Bettman earns $8.3m/year

[Locke]

Bettman has done a very good job and this is about on par for normal compensation based on the revenue of the corporation that he runs.

[PegCityFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by Swayze11

I guess before people jump on him (may be too late), he is one of the lowest paid commissioners in pro sports.

David Stern - NBA - $10M
Roger Goodell - NFL - $10.9M
Bud Selig - MLB - $18.4M

My God is that avatar greasy.

[TurdFerguson]

Originally Posted by PegCityFlamesFan

My God is that avatar greasy.

Clearly, you've never met Swayze11.

[OzSome]

does he have a No Movement Clause?

I would love to be in Bettman's position. Hockey fans can hate me anytime they want as long I am making $8.3M a season.

Seriously, i think he is doing a good job. Of course people will always question his decisions because they don't agree with it but the league I think is profitable aside from New Jersey and Phoenix.

[Poe969]

Stajan + Cammy for Bettman?

[Jer Bu]

It is a reasonable amount for a head of a billion dollar corporation, however his inability get the job done on time probably means he should be fired.

I agree with $8M for the role. I disagree that he has been effective for all his stakeholders.

[the2bears]

Originally Posted by puckluck2

I think that's a bargain.

I think it's a fair salary, but I don't think it's a bargain. Do you think he's somehow underpaid? Or that comparables would cost more?

[TurnedTheCorner]

Good for Gary Bettman.

[CSharp]

Damn - I'm in the wrong business!

[Northendzone]

Gary can likely provide with 37 different charts that indicate that things for the league as a whole have improve 150% to more than 700% since he took over.

[MisterJoji]

He gets his share of hate, but in all honesty he has been a major ally to the Canadians teams. Yes we've had 2 teams move on his watch, but we have welcomed one of them back and he has created an even playing field between the small market teams and big spenders. The salary cap, and US to Canadian dollar subsidy (paired with the increased value of the Canadian dollar) have been a huge help to all the Canadian teams. The whole Phoenix situation was a cluster#### of epic proportions but it has the potential to make him look very good, if they can turn the franchise into a team the makes money, or even breaks even. Gary Bettman has done a lot more good for the NHL than bad. "I like Gary Bettman."

[BACKCHECK!!!]

I blame Bettman for introducing the shoot-out.

For that reason alone I hope he is attacked by a stray dog on the way to work, and loses one of his shoes, and has to walk into a board meeting with only one shoe.

I don't say that kind of thing lightly, but if anyone deserves that, it's him.

[cowtown75]

Yeah, 3 lockouts since '95 with one full season lost and two 48 games seasons. I say great job. Expanding american markets in favor of Canadian ones, most of which loose money doesn't seem like a great thing in my books. I think someone should of salary Capped him a long time ago. Sorry to all the Bettman lovers out there. Even though revenues have incresed under his watch, so has every other league since he took over but I also think he has also helped make this league an embarrasement. People in the states didn't even know there was a lockout recently- thats sad.

Guys like Gretzky and Lemieux at one time used to be the only guys making a million dollars a year- because they were worth it and were franchise players and generated revenue not only for the league but for their teams. Now you got guys who are barely worth making the league making that much, players being massively over-paid, GM's throwing around stupid contracts on average players cause the NHL is too saturated on so-so talent- even though he was the face of the owners worried about this in the last CBA. Complete contradiction, and holding on to dear life to the Phoenix circus instead of putting that franchise to anywhere in Canada with open arms to save face tells me that he still has American interests at heart to make $$.

Yes, Winnipeg came back- only cause the Canadian dollar was as high as it was then and was ready for a team and had the immediate support. There might of been a US-Canada dollar subsity under his watch but I think that would of needed to be done under anyone's watch as if you loose the Canadian teams in the NHL, he would of lost his job. Teams like the Flames needed their own " save the Flames " campaigns to make it happen. This was a problem he created himself that needed to be fixed as he saturated the league with money loosing teams. Even to this day, US and Canadian teams have their own internal salary cap so I dont think either side is any further ahead.

It's a saturated league full of so-so talent getting paid big bucks, half full arenas in many of the US organizations, and embarrasing lockouts with no future expansion to Canada. I personally am not a fan of Bettman. I would be in favor of a Canadian commissioner instead of an American lawyer who started out in the NBA running this game that Canadians hold very dearly.

[TurnedTheCorner]

[cowtown75]

^^ It's ok, I edited it for you and broke it up into smaller pieces so it's not so over-whelming for you lol.

[valo403]

Originally Posted by cowtown75

Yeah, 3 lockouts since '95 with one full season lost and two 48 games seasons. I say great job. Expanding american markets in favor of Canadian ones, most of which loose money doesn't seem like a great thing in my books. I think someone should of salary Capped him a long time ago. Sorry to all the Bettman lovers out there. Even though revenues have incresed under his watch, so has every other league since he took over but I also think he has also helped make this league an embarrasement. People in the states didn't even know there was a lockout recently- thats sad.

Guys like Gretzky and Lemieux at one time used to be the only guys making a million dollars a year- because they were worth it and were franchise players and generated revenue not only for the league but for their teams. Now you got guys who are barely worth making the league making that much, players being massively over-paid, GM's throwing around stupid contracts on average players cause the NHL is too saturated on so-so talent- even though he was the face of the owners worried about this in the last CBA. Complete contradiction, and holding on to dear life to the Phoenix circus instead of putting that franchise to anywhere in Canada with open arms to save face tells me that he still has American interests at heart to make $$.

Yes, Winnipeg came back- only cause the Canadian dollar was as high as it was then and was ready for a team and had the immediate support. There might of been a US-Canada dollar subsity under his watch but I think that would of needed to be done under anyone's watch as if you loose the Canadian teams in the NHL, he would of lost his job. Teams like the Flames needed their own " save the Flames " campaigns to make it happen. This was a problem he created himself that needed to be fixed as he saturated the league with money loosing teams. Even to this day, US and Canadian teams have their own internal salary cap so I dont think either side is any further ahead.

It's a saturated league full of so-so talent getting paid big bucks, half full arenas in many of the US organizations, and embarrasing lockouts with no future expansion to Canada. I personally am not a fan of Bettman. I would be in favor of a Canadian commissioner instead of an American lawyer who started out in the NBA running this game that Canadians hold very dearly.

In a series of ridiculous thoughts my favorite is that you've blamed Bettman for inflation.

[MisterJoji]

Yeah, 3 lockouts since '95 with one full season lost and two 48 games seasons. I say great job.

Gary took the comish job in the NHL in 1993. Total professional sports work stoppages:

NHL = 3 : 1994/95, 2004/05, 2012/13
NBA = 3 : 1995, 1998/99, 2011 (Technically 4 if you count 1996 which was only a couple hours)
MLB = 2 : 1990, 1994/95
NFL = 1 : 2011

So the NHL hasn't had anymore stoppages than the NBA and only 1 less than the MLB since his tenure.

Expanding american markets in favor of Canadian ones, most of which loose money doesn't seem like a great thing in my books.

Well America has/had way more opportunity to expand given the sheer population and number of metropolitan cities. It's still the same today, Canada has 2 great markets to expand: Quebec and Toronto 2/Hamilton/Markham. America has way more options: Seattle/Portland, KC, Houston, Hartford, Baltimore, etc. It's simply a numbers game.

People in the states didn't even know there was a lockout recently- thats sad

That is utter bull####. Maybe not in the sunbelt, but it made headlines in America.

Guys like Gretzky and Lemieux at one time used to be the only guys making a million dollars a year- because they were worth it and were franchise players and generated revenue not only for the league but for their teams. Now you got guys who are barely worth making the league making that much, players being massively over-paid, GM's throwing around stupid contracts on average players cause the NHL is too saturated on so-so talent

Like previously noted, can't blame Gary for inflation.

and holding on to dear life to the Phoenix circus instead of putting that franchise to anywhere in Canada with open arms to save face tells me that he still has American interests at heart to make $$

I can somewhat agree here, Phoenix should've probably moved years ago. However, if the new owners end up succeeded, it'll reflect very well on Bettman. Time will tell. Also, if he's trying to help American teams make money, that's good for the whole league, including the Canadian franchises.

There might of been a US-Canada dollar subsity under his watch but I think that would of needed to be done under anyone's watch as if you loose the Canadian teams in the NHL, he would of lost his job

What?!? We did lose two teams under his watch and he kept his job. But that was completely different landscape. Bettman's biggest contribution to the NHL was sadly the 2004-05 lockout. With a salary cap in place it has given the league cost certainty and has put every team on an even playing field (except for penny pinchers like NYI, but even they made the playoffs). Also you seem quite young, so maybe you don't remember when both Alberta teams were at risks of moving in the mid-1990's and Bettman didn't just give up on those teams.

Even to this day, US and Canadian teams have their own internal salary cap so I dont think either side is any further ahead

Yes every team has an internal cap, however having a cap still prevents teams like NYR, Toronto, Boston, etc. from buying all the best players. If you don't think the salary cap has greatly benefitted the league as a whole, you're nuts.

no future expansion to Canada

Again, utter bull####. Quebec is one of the leading candidates for future expansion.

I would be in favor of a Canadian commissioner instead of an American lawyer who started out in the NBA running this game that Canadians hold very dearly.

I don't think Bettman has an anti-Canadian attitude at all. He's trying to grow the game and the easiest/smartest way to do that, is to do it in the US, where they have a much larger population. Some of the sunbelt teams haven't worked, but some have. If he was truly anti-Canadian he could've given the Thrashers to KC.

[bizaro86]

Originally Posted by MisterJoji

Gary took the comish job in the NHL in 1993. Total professional sports work stoppages:

NHL = 3 : 1994/95, 2004/05, 2012/13
NBA = 3 : 1995, 1998/99, 2011 (Technically 4 if you count 1996 which was only a couple hours)
MLB = 2 : 1990, 1994/95
NFL = 1 : 2011

So the NHL hasn't had anymore stoppages than the NBA and only 1 less than the MLB since his tenure.

I don't get the Gary Bettman bashing, the Canadian teams moving was due to factor's beyond his control, and he helped save the Flames with the subsidy when they really needed it. That being said, 1990 is before 1993, so the NFL and MLB are at one each during his 20 year tenure.

[SuperMatt18]

And you can also say that Gary was more successful then the NBA/MLB in getting what his ownership group wanted (Hard Salary Cap, Contract Term Limit)

The NFL is a hard comparison since they had the best baseline for these things that was built in their strike in the 80s (Salary Cap, Non-Guaranteed Contracts) etc.

[strombad]

Originally Posted by cowtown75

It's a saturated league full of so-so talent getting paid big bucks, half full arenas in many of the US organizations, and embarrasing lockouts with no future expansion to Canada. I personally am not a fan of Bettman. I would be in favor of a Canadian commissioner instead of an American lawyer who started out in the NBA running this game that Canadians hold very dearly.

Oh, so it's like every major sports league then? It doesn't even sound like you like the NHL at all. That was the most embarrassingly ridiculous and almost xenophobic anti-Bettman rant I've read in a long time. I couldn't quite tell if you hated Bettman, America, or the NHL as a whole.

Man, eat a Snickers, you're not yourself when you're hungry.