Gary Bettman

“NHL clubs have not wanted to go to the Olympics, and we have been saying that for months if not years.”

“I believe that the Greater Phoenix Area is a terrific sports market; it's a terrific hockey market.”

“To be the organization that we want to be, we have to have a place to play.”

“What we have tried to instill across the league through ownership and management is that we stand for inclusiveness and to judge somebody on the merits.”

“From as early as I can remember, I was focused on becoming a lawyer.”

“I don't really think about having a retrospective on my high-school years. It's not something that, from a positive or a negative standpoint, is a driving force in my life.”

“Our economics are not baseball's economics. Our game is not baseball's game. Our owners are not baseball's owners, with one or two exceptions. Our union is not baseball's union. What we do has to be crafted and suited to address hockey, to address the NHL, to address our 30 teams and our 700-plus players.”

“I think there needs some attention to be paid to what sport is going to represent to young people: should it be viewed in the competitive, team-oriented sense that it is now, or does it become a vehicle for betting, which may, in effect, change the atmosphere in the stadiums and the arenas?”

“We're not anti-Olympics, we're anti-disruption to the season.”

“What our fans want, what our fans believe, what our fans are interested in is why we are what we are. But, nevertheless, ultimately we have to do the things that we believe are essential for the long-term health of the game, of the league, and of all of our franchises.”