Commissioner Gary Bettman makes another costly mistake that could hurt the NHL

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Julien Trekker
August 25, 2024 (2:02 PM)

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The commissioner Gary Bettman made another costly mistake that could hurt the NHL.

Hockey fans are used to it by now. Bettman, who's been at the helm of the NHL since 1993, made a few bad calls over the course of his career. In recent years, the massive fiasco of the BioSteel deal made headlines: the company went bankrupt, forcing the drink supplier to cease their association with the NHL after only two seasons.

Now, another deal made by Bettman could hurt the NHL soon.

The commissioner made a deal with Diamond Sports Group, the broadcasting company who own the rights to nine NHL teams, for the 2024-25 season.

DSG has been under bankruptcy protection since March 2023 and won't have aviable business plan after the next season.

This new deal confirmed that wether or not they go bankrupt, they will broadcast the games of the Anaheim Ducks, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Detroit Red Wings, Los Angeles Kings, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues and Tampa Bay Lightning for the whole season, regardless of what happens on September 3rd, when the fate of the company will be determined.

Evan Drellich talked about the situation in a recent paper for The Athletic, adding that the company made the same deal with the NBA:

Regardless of whether it successfully emerges from bankruptcy, Diamond Sports Group, which broadcasts the Bally-branded regional sports networks, is now promising it will operate through the 2024-25 NBA and NHL seasons.

Take a look at DSG's official press release, written by David Preschlak, the CEO:

We are appreciative of the ongoing collaboration and long-term partnerships with the NBA and NHL, David Preschlack, Diamond's CEO, said in a statement. These new agreements that cover NBA and NHL linear and (direct-to-consumer) rights are another major milestone and continue Diamond's momentum toward emergence, which will enable us to provide value for our NBA and NHL partners and continue to serve dedicated local NBA, NHL, and MLB fans [...]

For Bettman's sake let's hope this deal works out for the NHL. If not, that could be the mistake that pushes him out of the commissioner's chair.

Source The Athletic:
Diamond Sports drops Mavericks, but promises to broadcast 2024-25 NBA, NHL seasons