NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman Signals Potential for More Overseas Games

Anamika Shrivastava

Bettman hints at expanding the NHL’s international reach with additional overseas matchups in the coming years

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman hinted that the NHL might consider increasing its number of overseas games in the future, as the league seeks to expand its international presence.

During his remarks at the PrimeTime Sports Management Conference in downtown Toronto on Monday, Bettman mentioned that the league might expand its NHL Global Series initiative, which featured the Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils, and Buffalo Sabres competing in a set of games in Prague, Czechia, and Tampere, Finland, earlier this year.

“Obviously, international growth is something we’re focused on, We just played, two weeks ago, two games in Finland. Beginning of the season, we played two games in Prague. I think you’re going to see us have more and more of an international presence.” : Bettman said during a conversation with former NHL executive, and current PWHL Players Association executive director Brian Burke.

The league’s Global Series began in 2018, bringing major clubs to Switzerland, Germany, Sweden, Finland, and Czechia during the last five years. Before that, the league experienced a series of games in Europe from 2007 to 2011, with the Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks starting the first regular-season NHL games in Europe in 2007.

Oct 14, 2024; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; NHL commissioner Gary Bettman gives a press conference before the game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images

NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly discussed the league’s perspective on the European regular-season games in a talk with SN 590’s The FAN Hockey Show last month.

Central to the expansion of the NHL’s global presence is its re-engagement with international hockey. With the league’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament three months away, Bettman discussed on Monday the reasons behind the league’s return to international best-on-best competition.

Additionally, the most urgent matter to address with Walsh and the NHLPA is the negotiation of a new collective bargaining agreement. The commissioner indicated that both parties are still on schedule to initiate talks in early 2025.

Essential to these discussions will undoubtedly be the inquiry into how the players can gain from the substantial expansion the league has experienced recently. Sportico’s latest annual valuations of the NHL’s 32 teams show an average of $1.79 billion, with the Toronto Maple Leafs leading at $3.66 billion — a 38 percent rise from 2023.

It remains uncertain how the pie will be distributed in the future. However, according to Bettman, it will only keep expanding overall.

Image Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images