Gary Bettman took office as the NHL's first-ever commissioner on Feb. 1, 1993. It's been an eventful three decades since.
League owners tapped Bettman -- a New York-born, Ivy League-educated lawyer who previously served as the NBA's general counsel and senior vice president -- to succeed outgoing president Gil Stein at a critical juncture for potential NHL growth. They believed Bettman could help the then 24-team league expand further into U.S. markets (particularly in southern states), broker more lucrative media deals and even stabilize labor relations.
Bettman has done all that, and then some.
Under his watch, the NHL has become a 32-club operation in which most teams bring in more revenue than ever before.