NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman at his state of the game news conference Saturday at All-Star Weekend defended the way the league and two teams handled situations that arose regarding Pride night celebrations.
Nine days later, the New York Rangers opted not to wear Pride jerseys or use Pride stick tape as part of their night despite previously advertising they planned to do so.“You know what our goals, our values and our intentions are across the league, whether it’s at the league level or at the club level,” he said. “But we also have to respect some individual choice, and some people are more comfortable embracing themselves in causes than others.
Bettman also revealed 2024 All-Star Weekend will take place in Toronto, addressed concerns about U.S. TV ratings and the current playoff format and provided an update on the sale process of the Ottawa Senators.The NHL is trading fun in the sun in South Florida for the hype and buzz of All-Star festivities in the so-called center of the hockey universe in Toronto Feb. 2-3, 2024. It's the first time the Maple Leafs are set to host since 2000.
. Toronto hosted the 2016 World Cup and has all the infrastructure in place to make All-Star Weekend happen in a place popular among players. "Our ratings are fine," Bettman said. “Let’s not get too carried away with ratings because viewership overall is up nationally.”Some All-Stars, including longtime face of the league Sidney Crosby, have said they would prefer going back to the old playoff format that seeded teams 1 through 8 in the Eastern and Western Conferences.
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