I think it's very difficult to generalize as to why, in a particular league or a particular industry, somebody has or has not come out. We certainly don't want a player to come out for our sake. It should be what's right for him and something that he has to be comfortable with.
Our franchises have never been healthier. Our league, in terms of its economic footing, has never been healthier.
Young people, particularly in their teens and 20s, are not consuming sports the way my generation did. They are doing lots of things; they are multitasking. They are getting downloads; they are getting alerts on their computers or on their cellphones, and they are consuming sports in a more real-time but less full-time basis.
On the issue of behavioral health and the like, the program we have in place has always been available to former players as well.
A good fan base has developed around the Hurricanes, and I see the opportunity for continued growth for this franchise in the future.
In '94, we made the deal during collective bargaining that wasn't the right deal, just to save the season. Allowing the 'in the crease' rule, the foot-in-the-crease rule, we should have not done.
We encourage the growth of women's hockey.
While players say they like the five-day break, they're also saying they don't like the compression that goes along with it, and that's something that is of great concern to us as well.
There's no question that the Kings have been, are, and can be great hosts for any major events.
If you're thin-skinned, you don't belong doing what I do for a living.
Whatever you do needs to be sustainable over time, and taking the money in the short term and taking it in a bubble - like buying an Internet stock in 2000 - may not be sustainable.
We're certainly not in position to expand into the East. We've been very candid and up front that if, in fact, we go through an expansion process, the world will know about it.
I believe that the Greater Phoenix Area is a terrific sports market; it's a terrific hockey market.
I think there's always a line between what is parody in good fun in chanting and what is intended to belittle certain segments of society.
I think it's fair to say that all of the teams that have been in the playoffs have played very physically.
Obviously, we're focused on the Winter Classic.
We're concerned how gambling and betting affects the NHL game and changes the perception of and challenges the integrity of the NHL game.
None of our series are ever static in terms of the dates. We always have a range of flexibility to respond to whatever may or may not happen.
We are not giving up on the Coyotes in the Greater Phoenix Area... The team has got a number of options and is going to pursue them, so nobody should think that team is moving other than out of Glendale.
Fighting is one of those things that gets tons of attention, far more than it deserves.
If the IOC would move the Olympic hockey tournament to the summer, that would be great. We'd be thrilled to have our players participate because then it doesn't affect our season.
You don't want people rooting for anything other than the team that they love and the players that they think the world of to win. We don't want there to be another agenda.
There is less fighting in the game than we had years ago. I mean, we penalize it.
We did the World Cup to relaunch our international efforts, and that served as a foundation.
I think the media world is adjusting to the digital age.
NHL clubs don't like having to shut down at a critical part of the season and disrupt our season for anything, let alone a situation where we're not given an opportunity to promote our presence.
Eliminating fighting would mean eliminating the jobs of the 'fighters,' meaning these guys would not have NHL careers.
From as early as I can remember, I was focused on becoming a lawyer.
I think it's fairly clear that playing hockey isn't the same as playing football.
We don't want our players getting hurt.
You can have the biggest markets in the world, but if the game isn't exciting, compelling, and competitive, it's not going to generate a lot of interest.
I don't weigh into politics.
The Steelers run a great organization.
I don't feel that it's either necessary or appropriate for me to comment on what the NFL either says or does.
When you're in other time zones in other places, you don't get quite as much attention; you don't get quite as much visibility for the game, and you give up a lot to do it.
What you want to do, particularly when you're dealing with a professional sports league and franchises and people's passionate commitment to the game and for the team they root for is, it has to be sustainable.
I couldn't do what I do day-in and day-out if I didn't love the game.
I'm having trouble understanding why there hasn't been further progress on CalgaryNext.
My rooting interest these days is first and foremost competitive hockey, and secondly in officials not making a mistake.
I don't see the Hurricanes relocating, period. I think the Triangle is a terrific market.
Doing jersey advertising for the World Cup is not in the same universe as putting advertising on NHL sweaters.
Because of the way my words get scrutinized, I have to use a level of precision so people don't accuse me of misleading them.
Sports, as a media property, is increasingly valuable because it's something you have to have live. As a result, we're a better touch point for sponsors and advertisers because our commercials typically don't get zapped out.
I never rule anything in or out; life can surprise you.
My message to the kids and our fans is hockey's a great game. There's a lot of hockey being played at all levels. Get involved, do it. We will be back and we will be back better than ever and hopefully as soon as possible. Don't give up on the game. It's too good.
All have used the economic opportunity of a new arena project to transform their cities into the future.
I think there needs some attention to be paid to what sport is going to represent to young people: should it be viewed in the competitive, team-oriented sense that it is now, or does it become a vehicle for betting, which may, in effect, change the atmosphere in the stadiums and the arenas?
Relatively, a very small percentage of betting takes place on hockey and even baseball because of the nature of the game and the scoring.
There are lots of come-from-behind wins, games getting tied in the last period, teams going on to win. That, I think, tells the best story. Whether or not some teams have more grit, better chemistry, or more luck or more skill, it's still within the parameters. I think that makes for great storytelling and great interest for our fans.
