NHL Commissioner

The National Hockey League Commissioner is the highest-ranking executive officer in the National Hockey League (NHL). The position was created in 1993 with Gary Bettman as the first Commissioner. Among other duties, the Commissioner leads collective bargaining negotiations on behalf of the league and appoints officials for all NHL games.

Until 1993, the NHL's top executive was the league President, and for five months in 1993 the league had a commissioner and a president. The roles were amalgamated on July 1, 1993. The presidency originated in the National Hockey Association (NHA), which Frank Calder presided over jointly as NHA and NHL President in the period of the NHL's founding and the NHA's suspension.

Definition and duties

According to the NHL Constitution, Article VI, section 6.1:

The Commissioner also determines the date and places of Board of Governor meetings.

NHL Commissioners (1993-present)

Gary Bettman (1993-present)

On February 1, 1993, Gary Bettman's tenure as the first commissioner of the National Hockey League began, replacing Gil Stein, who served as the NHL's final president. The owners hired Bettman with the mandate of selling the game in the U.S. market, ending labour unrest, completing expansion plans, and modernizing the views of the "old-guard" within the ownership ranks.