Gary Bettman shuts down his haters after crushing records
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has won his bet with the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
An announcement has just been released showing that hockey is more popular than ever in the United States, an announcement that will certainly please Bettman today.
Would hockey be even more popular if the commissioner finally accepted to bring back the Quebec Nordiques? In any case, his plan unfortunately seems to be working.
Gary Bettman wins his bet and learns that the 2024 NHL playoffs are the most-watched of all time on television
As reported by Samuel Doiron, le hockey de la LNH n'a jamais été aussi populaire qu'aujourd'hui.
The NHL has just released the following official statement:
- In the United States, the second round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs is the most-watched of all time on cable, with an average audience of 1.546 million viewers, a 12% increase from 2023.
- The 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs are the most-watched Stanley Cup Playoffs in history after the first two rounds, with an average audience of 1.158 million viewers, a 9% increase from 2023.» - NHL
Obviously, Bettman has won his bet with his various television contracts.
Let's still hope he realizes he could grow his sport and league by bringing a team back to Quebec and taking more interest in the Canadian market, but we must admit that the numbers prove him right for now.
It will be interesting to see the long-term impacts. See the statement in question:
Credit: HABSolumentFan
| POLL | ||
MAI 22 | 757 ANSWERS Gary Bettman shuts down his haters after crushing records Which city do you think will be the next to have an NHL team? | ||
| Quebec | 230 | 30.4 % |
| Houston | 370 | 48.9 % |
| Atlanta | 106 | 14 % |
| Arizona or other | 51 | 6.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
![Feb 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada goalie Jordan Binnington (50) in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game against Team United States at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/531078.webp "Feb 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada goalie Jordan Binnington (50) in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game against Team United States at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images")
![Feb 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada goalie Jordan Binnington (50) stops Team United States forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/531009.webp "Feb 15, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada goalie Jordan Binnington (50) stops Team United States forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) in the first period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images")
![Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates his goal against Team Finland in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/530954.webp "Feb 13, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Matthew Tkachuk (19) celebrates his goal against Team Finland in the third period during a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game at Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images")
![Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Brady Tkachuk (7) celebrates scoring against Team Canada during the first period during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/530884.webp "Feb 20, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team USA forward Brady Tkachuk (7) celebrates scoring against Team Canada during the first period during the 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey championship game at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images")
![Feb 17, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada goalie Jordan Binnington (50) during the second period in a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game against Team Finland at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images](https://i.marqueur.com/habsetlnh/medium/530730.webp "Feb 17, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Canada goalie Jordan Binnington (50) during the second period in a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game against Team Finland at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images")
