NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, pioneering black player Willie O’Ree and Martin Brodeur, the league’s leader in wins among goaltenders, top the latest class for the Hockey Hall of Fame announced on Tuesday.
Bettman has been commissioner since 1993, during which time the NHL has expanded its footprint across North America and increased from 24 to 31 teams. During Bettman’s tenure, the league has gone from a $437 million business to one with almost $5 billion in revenue.
Along with Bettman and O’Ree in the builder category, forward Martin St. Louis, four-time gold-medal-winning Canadian women’s national team star Jayna Hefford and Russian Alexander Yakushev were part of the six-person class of 2018 that will be inducted Nov.