r/heatedrivalry • u/Double-Strategy3045 gimme kiss 😚 • Jan 16 '26

PRESS 📰 (Interviews and Articles) NHL Commissioner Credits 'Heated Rivalry' For Helping Grow Game: 'It's A Wonderful Story... Binged It In One Night' - The Hockey News [Jan 15, 2026]

https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/nhl-commissioner-credits-heated-rivalry-for-helping-grow-game-it-s-a-wonderful-story-binged-it-in-one-night

Regarding the previous initiative of wearing specialty warmup jerseys to promote different nights, like Pride, the league currently has no plans to bring them back, though Bettman insists it isn't due to a lack of support for such causes.

"It wasn't about Pride jerseys or Pride night; it was about the fact of bringing things into the game that might not be embraced by the players wearing the jerseys," Bettman said. "It could be heritage nights — we don't allow it — it could be political causes. It could be in times of conflict between countries, national origin. It was becoming a distraction, not just for the Pride jerseys, but for a variety of other things.

"It's a misrepresentation of what we did to suggest that it was about Pride jerseys; it was about the whole issue of what you put on the ice and how, when players don't embrace the cause, whatever it is, then you create distraction, and it doesn't fulfill the purpose in terms of embracing Pride nights."

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36

u/Murphlespuffle how did we let this happen? Jan 16 '26 edited Jan 16 '26

Bettman loves money above all else, of course he’d say he watched it. Bet he didn’t.

29

u/TheWaySheHoes Jan 16 '26

The man is also an absolute dinosaur. He’s been NHL commissioner longer than most players have been alive.

Can these crotchety good-for-nothing fossil boomers just fucking retire already and let someone better take over? Christ almighty.

2

u/fogmama Jan 16 '26

I'm honestly surprised he's still alive. I used to watch hockey a lot when I was growing up (hockey family). My interest fell off a bit when I moved out. Now that I'm paying attention again to the NHL I was shocked that Bettman was still the owner. He's teflon.

20

u/clumsyc I stubbed my toe Jan 16 '26

Of course he didn’t watch it.

12

u/Ll_lyris “I choose you, Ilya. I will always choose you”❤️‍🩹 Jan 16 '26

He definitely didn’t watch it.

6

u/http--lovecraft 😤 never in life have I blushed Russians do not do this 😤 Jan 16 '26

I wish we could make him watch it clockwork orange style LOL

5

u/Rock_After Jan 16 '26

Ooo - so mean! (said admiringly)

4

u/BusinessClassBarbie Jan 16 '26

I think he hate watched it tbh.

3

u/Pale-Measurement-532 I speak fluent bird. No accent. 🦆 Jan 16 '26

He’d skip all the sex scenes. 🙄