Bettman excited to bring outdoor game to Regina
NHL commissioner sees Saskatchewan as place where ‘hockey matters’
REGINA Gary Bettman’s return to Saskatchewan has been a long time coming.
The NHL commissioner last visited in 2007 when he was the special guest speaker at an arena fundraiser in Estevan.
Bettman is slated to arrive in Regina on Friday. Before packing his bags, he sat down for an exclusive interview.
Q To what extent has the public perception of you changed in Western Canada, especially after bringing the Jets back to Winnipeg ?
A I don’t know how to answer that question because I don’t focus on how the media covers me, which is what would foster the public perception. I love what I do. I consider it an honour to be involved with this league. I’ve been doing it for almost three decades now and we as a league try to do what we think is best for the game.
Q You’re not from around here but deputy commissioner Bill Daly has Saskatchewan roots. What advice has he offered about your upcoming trip?
A Until his visit announcing the game and ticket sales, I’m not sure how many times he was there. But he always talks about how proud he is of his roots, not only in Canada but in Saskatchewan.
Q There’s a mild (cough, cough) obsession with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in these parts. Is green your colour?
A I’m familiar with the tradition of green and Riders pride. I’m also familiar that there may be some watermelons (involved). At the end of the day, I’m going to be curious to see whether or not people are going to be wearing green or are they going to be wearing the colours of the Jets and the Flames? I’ve been told that every hotel room in the city has been booked because of the number of people coming in from Winnipeg and Calgary.
Q How would you rate your knowledge of this city and province?
A I’m familiar with it. The population (of Regina) is approaching a quarter of a million people. I know that 500-plus people who’ve played in the NHL have come from Saskatchewan, names like Gordie Howe and Bryan Trottier and the list goes on. I think 30 active players played last season from Saskatchewan. So, Saskatchewan has had a very important and significant presence in the NHL, if by no other reason than some really terrific hockey players have come from the province.
Q How does that imprint play into the Heritage Classic?
A Let’s cut this into a variety of layers. Layer one is there are great sports fans in Regina. Start with the Roughriders and we know that hockey is strong at the grassroots level as evidenced by the number of players that hail from Saskatchewan. And finally, my own experience in Estevan — seeing how important hockey is and a rink is to the community and the turnout that night — again reinforces my own view. I’ve learned that this is a great place for hockey, which is the reason, if we were going to play our first neutral-site outdoor game in Canada, Regina would be a great place to do it. When you add to that Mosaic Stadium is, I believe, the newest stadium in Canada, this was a perfect confluence of events.
Q So you don’t view bringing the game to a smaller non-nhl market as a leap of faith?
A We try to do our homework and make good decisions because our outdoor games are very important events to us. So, by deciding that we would like to have an opportunity to play one in Regina, it was only after very careful consideration. It wasn’t done by throwing darts.
Q The Heritage Classic has been billed as a once-in-a-lifetime event in Regina. Would you consider bringing it back?
A Why don’t you ask me that on Saturday night after we play the game? My tongue was in my cheek saying that. I would never rule out coming back. Obviously we’re excited to be coming for the first time. When we were planning the game, there were lots and lots of factors because, as I said, we don’t do it on a leap of faith. We do it because we know it’s important to an area and it’s very strategic. I have no doubt this is going to be a huge success because we know the importance of hockey and we know the importance of sports in the province of Saskatchewan.
Q What would it take to bring an NHL team to the province?
A We’re not looking to expand beyond Seattle. It’s not something we’re focused on at all.