Gary Bettman has been in office since 1993, and the 69-year-old can boast (not really) of having endured several work stoppages (lockouts). Nevertheless, when it comes to money, he seems to excel since the owners are satisfied with this facet.
On the other hand, he comes from prehistory, so the human side does not always seem to be a priority for Bettman. We only have to think about the concussion issue, for example... And right now, with the Kyle Beach scandal, everyone is looking at him the wrong way.
By the way, did you hear Bettman come out in a powerful way in front of the media to put his foot down? NO! Yet, we are talking about a sexual assault on a man who was 20 years old at the time.
That said, as my colleague Christian Matte pointed out, David Pagnotta firmly believes that it will take a new captain to take a more "human" direction. Because right now, it's all about the league, hockey and money.
With the situations of Jonathan Drouin, Carey Price and most recently Riley Sheahan suffering from anxiety, I feel like many organizations are coming to a realization.
All in all, that's exactly what Pagnotta is saying, that a change in direction is coming to the NHL. If this is the case, I would be one of the most satisfied!
