“At least two or three of the leagues in Europe over the last few months have said to us, 'We hope you go to the Olympics,' and I looked at them, and I said, 'Why?' and they go, 'Because if you don't send NHL players, we have to send our players, and that's way too disruptive to our season.'”

American sports executive

Gary Bruce Bettman is an American sports executive, born in 1952, best known as the commissioner of the National Hockey League. He has held that role since February 1, 1993, making him one of the longest-serving league leaders in North American professional sports. Before joining the NHL, Bettman was a senior vice president and general counsel for the National Basketball Association. He studied at Cornell University and New York University School of Law, and was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2018.