Gary Bettman, NHL Commissioner

A peanut butter M&M's production. In a world where Super Bowl winners get the world's admiration and a fancy ring, but the runners-up get nothing, one retired cop returns. That's one retired quarterback. Read the script.

Oh, sorry. One retired quarterback returns to claim what's his. Um, that's claim a ring with diamonds made from M&M's peanut butter, but you're on a roll.

The Ring of Comfort, coming soon to a Super Bowl new you. When the whole family comes together to watch the game, nobody wants to miss a second of the action to run to the grocery store. With Instacart, you can get all your weekly groceries in as fast as an hour.

Less time shopping means more game time. Let's go. Visit Instacart.com to get free delivery on your first three orders. Offer valid for a limited time.

$10 minimum per order. Additional terms apply. Alrighty, rocking and rolling. It is the Zach Gelb show on this Wednesday right here.

But where else? CBS Sports Radio. Let's go out to the guest line right now and welcome in the commissioner of the NHL. And that, of course, is Gary Bettman, who's kind enough to join us once again on the show. Commissioner, always great to see you.

Thanks so much for doing this. And how you been? I've been great, Zach. And it's always good to be with you. Thank you for having me.

Yeah. And I'm in a great mood. A successful stadium series. My Rangers have won eight in a row, taking care of the Stars last night.

That was a fun scene at Madison Square Garden. But let me start you off with the stadium series was extremely successful. Once again, how do you look back at those two games? You know, that was our 40th and 41st outdoor games. They've all been massive successes, all sold out and reaction.

Terrific players love it. But these two, we've never done two games within 24 hours. And to think that we put roughly 150,000 people in MetLife Stadium within 24 hours, we had a concert with the Jonas brothers. We had two terrific games, including what your Rangers did coming back on Sunday.

It was a great it was a great weekend and all the feedback we've gotten from our partners, our fans, and the players has been terrific. But we've seen obviously the winter classic be extremely successful for you guys. These other series though, as well going outside, you know, something I saw after the weekend of flyers and devils and Rangers and Islanders, especially with the proximity of all four of those teams is, man, maybe we could get this every year or maybe every few years.

Is that something that you would entertain? You know, every team, every marketplace, every fan base that gets one of these games and has a huge success as they all are there. So we should do this every year.

That doesn't work. You know, what makes it so unique and so special is that we don't do it every year. And I have no doubt at some point we'll come back. Actually, the next winter classic, we're going back to Wrigley, but this isn't something you could do every year. Yeah, you guys have some great locations coming up.

Like you said, you're going back to Wrigley. I saw you announce the horseshoe, right? Ohio State Buckeye Stadium. You're going to see Red Wings in Columbus March 1st of 2025. Take me through the planning of this.

Like we know some venues are just iconic and it's a dream to go play there, but when you're planning this, what do you kind of look for as the commissioner of the NHL? Gary Bettman is here with us. You mean you don't think we use a dartboard? Well, you've been the master of this commissioner. You've really mastered the outdoor game.

So the answer to your question is it's very opportunistic. You know, we need a good venue. NFL stadiums for the winter classic don't work anymore because of the length of the NFL season. And so we've got to pick a different type of venue for the stadium series.

We also try to periodically play a game in Canada and we look at a variety of factors where we've been, where the all-star game is going to be or has been, where the draft has been or going to be, and we try to move it around in a place where it makes sense on the calendar for us and for the place that we're going. And so it's not an exact science. There's a little bit of touch and feel artistry to it.

I'm not the artist. My events people are. But at the end of the day, we've now, again, having now done 41 of these games, there's kind of an ebb and flow to how we do these.

And we try to do it in a way where we think it'll be special and impactful and get people who haven't had an opportunity to be a part of one of these to actually enjoy one in person. Is there still a stadium that you guys haven't done yet that you say, OK, that's right at the top of the list that I would love to do? You know, there's none at the top of the list. And if I mentioned some, it'll set off a wave of speculation. But there are a couple of iconic stadiums. There are even a couple of locations that people have said you did such a great job during COVID at Lake Tahoe. Why don't you do another iconic, beautiful setting without fans, which I don't really love because our players in our game really draw energy off of the in-person experience that we have.

So there's no shortage of suggestions. And again, we try and look at this in a way, OK, let's go out a year or two. Let's see what makes sense. What can we have fun with it again? Going to the horseshoe, the Ohio Stadium is a good example. Columbus hasn't been in an outdoor game. And so this gives them an opportunity to be a participant in an outdoor game, the Blue Jackets, and at the same time, give us an opportunity to follow up one hundred and fifty thousand people over twenty four hours with one hundred thousand people all at once.

Talking to the commissioner of the NHL, Gary Bettman, I'll make one suggestion. What about Arrowhead with the Kansas City Chiefs stadium? That would be some scene with the barbecue tailgates right before the game and then going into that iconic stadium.

You know, that's an interesting suggestion. People have also suggested going to Lambeau. We tend to focus on where we have our teams because that's where I think we can have the greatest impact. And so, you know, I've heard it and I'm sure we'd be successful wherever we go, but we really try and bring it to the places where most of our fans are.

And that's where our teams are based. I got a chance when I was in Las Vegas for the Super Bowl to go to the Golden Knights Stadium. Man, what a show they put on even before the game starts.

We had the Knights going up against the Oilers and the Oilers streak got stopped, which was an incredible hockey game. But just before the game, that stadium is just awesome in Las Vegas. Two things. Now that I see the Kansas City hat sitting behind you, I'm not surprised that you suggested Arrowhead. I'm not a cheese fan, by the way, Commissioner, just to be clear.

What's that hat doing there? We're at the Super Bowl. They've won.

Sometimes, you know, this running things, you got to do things, even though if you may not love the team, you have to just support them. You just told me you're a Rangers fan. We'll put a hockey hat back there. I believe that the Vegas Golden Knights have redefined what game presentation is. And I think it's raised the bar for everybody in every sport.

And I'm not surprised that that was your experience because everybody who goes there to a game for the first time is completely blown away by what they see. But maybe even if not more important is the fans in Vegas, the people who live there, the bulk of the people who go to every game love being in that environment and watching their Golden Knights play at home. Now, every sport is now trying to get to Las Vegas. When it first started, everyone was like, oh, how are they going to find a way to make sure that gambling wasn't going to be an issue? I know that we're never fully past that because it's always something that people talk about, but it doesn't seem like it's been as big of a deal and as complicated as what people thought, right? Well, first of all, there's sports betting in lots and lots and lots of places all over North America. Now, actually, I thought what you were going to say is when we first went there, people were being cynical and skeptics, skeptical because they were saying Las Vegas can't support a major league sports team.

And in fact, people were very skeptical. I will say even a little critical of the decision we made. And now everybody, having seen our experience with the Golden Knights, says, oh, this is the greatest sports place in the world.

We got to be there, which is gratifying, I suppose, on some level. Wrap it up with the commissioner of the NHL and Gary Bettman is always great with us when he joins us on the Zach Gelb show on CBS Sports Radio. The NBA didn't have a very successful All-Star weekend. Where are you at with all your All-Star game festivities?

Just wondering. Well, I'm not going to comment on the NBA pro or con, but we had a terrific All-Star weekend in Toronto. We extended it an extra night, so we had three sold-out buildings. The first night, we had the fantasy draft, the tribute to the 67 Leafs, and most importantly, a modified game with women All-Stars from the PWHL, the new women's professional league. It was spectacular. The second night, we had the skills competition, and it was redesigned with the input from the players, and it got huge, huge positive reviews in terms of the players, the stars who participated, the effort that they put into it, and the format that we used that wasn't gimmicky in the slightest.

It was really traditional skills being exhibited. And as you know, a number of years ago, we changed our All-Star format to have a mini-tournament, three-on-three, which emphasizes the speed and skill of our game, and the players participate because the winning team gets a million dollars. And when you get to the third game, the final of that little tournament, the players go all out to try and win. And what we've seen so far in year one, even after the injury with Connor Bedard, and obviously, you still got Ovechkin and Crosby playing in the NHL. We never thought Wayne Gretzky's record of most goals ever would be beat.

Alexander Ovechkin is closing in on that, is going to need next year to break it. But those are some of the big storylines right now, obviously, in the NHL, and just a wonderful product. And if you guys know me listening to this show for so many years, I am a just massive fan of the NHL, and nothing beats playoff hockey as well. So hopefully, we can reconnect momentarily with the commissioner of the NHL in Gary Bettman, and I think we have been able to reconnect with him.

So commissioner, appreciate you jumping back on board with us. I just want to ask you about a few players that we let you run. Connor Bedard, I know he's coming back from the injury, but he has had such a great respect by his peers so far, what he's been able to do. How about the impact that Connor Bedard's been able to bring to your game? First of all, when we got cut off, I was extolling the virtues of Toronto and the Maple Leafs, being great hosts for our All-Star festivities and the fans.

It couldn't have been a better weekend, and so we're grateful for that. To answer your question, there's a lot of interest. We've got a league that seems to be skewing younger and younger with great stars, whether it's Connor Bedard, Connor McDavid, Austin Matthews, and the list goes on and on. I think it's a good time in terms of the talent. I believe that something like half of our highest-scoring players are under the age of 25, and so when a new player, young player, skilled player like Connor Bedard comes into the league, it's great for fans everywhere, and I know there's a lot of interest in seeing him. One of my producers is a big Devils fan, and he's in love, obviously, with Jack Hughes. To hear what the great one Wayne Gretzky had to say before the start of the season about Jack, it doesn't get much better than that.

Well, it's not just Jack, it's Luke and it's Quinn. I mean, think about that family, and it's incredible, this success that the three Hughes brothers are having, and it's very exciting, and I know Devils fans who had a good night on Saturday night at MetLife are thrilled at the prospect of this team for the future. Alexander Ovechkin, he's going to need next year, but he's close to the end of the season. He's going to need next year, but he's closing in on breaking a record that no one thought was ever going to be broken with the most goals ever in Wayne Gretzky.

Since that is not that far away, just how do you process it? Obviously, knowing the great history of this game. He is an amazing player. Not only his skill and his passion for the game, but his durability has been incredible. He scored again last night, I believe, and while he got off to a little slow start this season, he seems to be back on track, and it's going to be fun to see him make a run at the record.

As you said, nobody ever thought would be broken. We are on in the Phoenix area right now as we're talking to the Commissioner of the NHL and Gary Bettman. What do you say to Coyotes fans when they ask, where the heck are we going to be playing hockey for the foreseeable future? Alex Morello is committed to the Coyotes. He's committed to the greater Phoenix area, and he's working very hard on securing a parcel of land that will enable him to build the arena and his overall development.

It was surprising and, frankly, unfortunate that the referendum in Tempe went down, I think, by 2,000 votes. That was a great opportunity for the Coyotes, and it was a great opportunity for the city of Tempe to have not only a new state-of-the-art development project and arena, but to remediate what has been a waste for decades. But we move on, and Alex is trying his best to get this all resolved as quickly as possible. Is there at all any timeline?

I know you said as quick as possible. Is there a date that you'd like to have this all finalized by? There's a process going on with the state of Arizona, and that'll put it onto a sequence timing that hopefully will ultimately result in the acquisition of a great piece of property. On the way out with the commissioner of the NHL, Gary Bettman, who's here with us on CBS Sports Radio. How much longer, by the way, do you plan on being the commissioner?

I saw Rob Manfred said the other day when his contract's up, this is going to be his last one. How about for you? You're looking to get rid of me?

What kind of question is that? I actually think your popularity has just only grown throughout the years, commissioner. I think you've become more popular. As they say, you can't fall off the floor. But at the end of the day, I love what I'm doing. And as long as I have the energy, the passion, and the clubs, the owners are happy with what I do for them, and I'm going to keep doing it.

Everybody makes these types of decisions for very personal reasons. For me, I'm thrilled to continue doing what I'm doing. Last thing I'll ask you, and then we'll let you run, is you've been great with us, commissioner of the NHL, Gary Bettman. The Olympics, I love that we're getting the NHL players back in the Olympics.

Just give me a minute or two on that decision, how you guys came about to it. You know, people tend to forget that NHL players never went to the Olympics until I became commissioner. And then we went, and going to the Olympics in terms of our season is a bit of a mixed bag. I don't have to go into all the reasons.

People have heard me say it. The primary focus for us in terms of going back to the Olympics is it was important to our players. We have the most international player pool of any of the players in the world, and we're pool of any of the major sports, the four majors in North America. And our players, our sport has a history of players representing their countries.

That was very important to them. So we've now decided with the Players Association, next season, our in-season tournament will be a four nations tournament, four nation face-off among Sweden, Finland, Canada, and the US. The next year, 26 will go to the Olympics, 28 will do a World Cup, a full World Cup, 30 will go back to the Olympics, and then 32 will do another World Cup. So we're laying out a long-term schedule of best on best international competition, and I think it's going to be great, and our players are thrilled to be doing it. Well, it's great to hear. Commissioner, once again, congratulations on a successful stadium series. Thanks so much, and we'll continue watching and enjoying the NHL season.

Great, and thank you for having me. A Peanut Butter M&M's production. In a world where Super Bowl winners get the world's admiration and a fancy ring, but the runners-up get nothing, one retired cop returns. That's one retired quarterback. Read the script.

Oh, sorry. One retired quarterback returns to claim what's his. Um, that's claim a ring with diamonds made from M&M's peanut butter, but you're on a roll. The Ring of Comfort, coming soon to a Super Bowl new you.

Okay, picture this. It's Friday afternoon when a thought hits you. I can spend another weekend doing the same old whatever, or I can hop into my all-new Hyundai Santa Fe and hit the road. With available H-Track all-wheel drive and three-row seating, my whole family can head deep into the wild. Conquer the weekend in the all-new Hyundai Santa Fe. Visit HyundaiUSA.com or call 562-314-4603 for more details. Hyundai. There's joy in every journey. 2024 Santa Fe available early 2024. It's that time of year. Cash the ticket.

Jim Costa with Mike Valenny. We shift the focus from football to college hoops. Playing that system that's not a system, but sure plays like a system leading up to the tournament. We're looking for that value with the daily dimes. We look for the gross lines. Getting us ready for the tournament where we're going to break down all the matchups and have an eye on some future plays too. This time of year, baby. Search Cash the Ticket on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts.