Gary Bettman’s 30-year reign has made the NHL richer. But has it hurt hockey?

“W e’re going to dispel the myth that this is a regional sport,” Gary Bettman said during a press conference to announce him as the NHL’s first, and so far only, commissioner. “The prospects for growth are phenomenal.” As of this month, Bettman has spent 30 years trying to convince everyone both statements are true, to varying degrees of success.

By now, anyone familiar with hockey knows about Bettman’s track record since he took office in February 1993. His quest for growth has alienated fanbases. His pursuit of more TV eyeballs has often been uneven and embarrassing – remember the glowing puck? And he led the league into three major labour disruptions, including one that unforgivably led to the cancellation of a whole season.

On the other hand, there are many more fanbases now than there were in 1992, including a whole crop of new fans in cities like Winnipeg or Minneapolis that have replaced the old ones that hated Bettman. Most of the new teams he helped usher into the league have been successful, some even winning multiple championships. Even those that aren’t successes on the ice (read: Arizona) are nevertheless successful in at least a comedic sense off it. And, overall, franchise valuations are way up. As for TV audiences, the story remains mixed. Overall, the NHL has technically become more available to more TV audiences, but is still frustrating fans in multiple ways. And, if Diamond Sports Group, which owns Bally Sports (the collection of regional networks multiple NHL teams rely on), goes belly-up, revenue streams could be in big trouble.

Still, by the standard Bettman set on his first day, the NHL is … kind of doing OK? But one day, Bettman will step down. The league he’ll leave behind will almost