Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:02):
Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
We know that political tensions as we keep talking about
US China, they are definitely high. They're also high between
the United States and Canada. Pretty tense on the ice
as well as tonight's Game two of the Stanley Cup
Finals between the Edmonton Oilers and the defending champion Florida Panthers.
(00:31):
And that, of course was Game one, the Oilers leading
the best of seven series thanks to a win in
Game one. Our next guest was watching. Of course, he'll
be watching it again tonight, we assume, as he has
watched all other finals and guided and growing the league
for the last thirty two plus years. He's the National
Hockey League's first ever commissioner, making him the longest serving
executive chief executive among major North American pro sports leagues.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
With us, we've got a Gary Badman, Commissioner of the NHL,
joining us from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Also joining us to
our in house hockey experts, Scarlettfew. She's a Bloomberg TV
anchor of The Close. She's back in our New York studio.
Mische Beman, Welcome to the program.
Speaker 3 (01:10):
It's good to see you.
Speaker 1 (01:12):
No Canadian team has one just thinking, are the Canadian
fans a bit more edgy considering the political tensions between.
Speaker 3 (01:18):
The US and Canada right now? Can we talk politics
a little bit? We can do that. Thank you for
having me. It's good to be with you. Our fans
are passionate for the teams that they root for, there's
no question about that. But there seems to be a
little bit of movement towards Edmonton being Canada's team because,
(01:38):
as you said, the Stanley Cup hasn't been awarded to
a Canadian team in the last thirty plus years, Montreal
being the last club to win it in nineteen ninety three.
In terms of the tensions, initially and it was around
the same time as our Four Nations tournament, which Canada
(01:58):
won back in February, there was some booing of anthems
in both countries. That's all simmered down. People are focused
on playing hockey, rooting for their team, and the competition
throughout the end of the regular season and into the
playoffs has been terrific. And the question that I get
(02:19):
most frequently asked is well, what does that do for
the Canadian clubs with respect to the tariffs and everything else,
because our players in Canada still get paid in US dollars.
And the answer is the Canadian dollars actually up a
little bit since all this started a few months ago.
(02:40):
I think three four months ago, the Canadian dollar was
at seventy cents.
Speaker 4 (02:43):
It's now it's seventy three.
Speaker 3 (02:45):
And so we'll watch what goes on. But I think
what the great thing about sports is it brings people
together and even if there's a little political tension around
the edges, ultimately fans get into and focus on for
their favorite team.
Speaker 2 (03:02):
So you just answered a question I was going to
ask you about, you know, the possible negative implications of
US Canada tariffs and on the Canadian dollar. It does
feel like things have settled down, but are you still
a little bit on pins and needles about concerns about
how this could escalate again. We know from the White
House Commissioner that things can change rapidly and we have.
Speaker 3 (03:21):
To be flexible and adaptable, and we always are, and
you know that's been something that I've dealt with over
three decades. The issue on the Canadian dollar, which is
where any sort of league issue would come, is really
a function of what happens with the Canadian economy, and
if the Canadian economy stays stable and the dollar relative
(03:45):
to the U Canadian dollar relative to the US dollar
doesn't change traumatically, things should be fine. I think what
we've seen worldwide is a little bit of softening in
the US dollar and the Canadian dollar has been holding
its own. If that changes, if it becomes a problem,
we'll address it.
Speaker 4 (04:02):
But so far, so good.
Speaker 3 (04:03):
And again the good news is people are focused on
the hockey, which has been sensational, as you mentioned, Game
two tonight, and so you know, we're looking forward to
a really terrific conclusion to what has been a great season.
Speaker 5 (04:18):
All right, well, let's talk about the hockey for a
moment here, because this will be the sixth straight year
that a Florida based team is participating in the Stanley
Cup Final. And of course, a lot of people will
talk about the state's tax benefits as a reason why
Florida teams are doing so well. I know that you
and Bill Daily have kind of dismissed that as a factor,
but I'm curious, mister Commissioner, what is it about Florida's
(04:41):
operating environment that enables its teams to consistently outperform.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Well, that's of recent vintage, since we had the salary
cap in the economic system we have in two thousand
and five six, nobody was talking about this for the
first fifteen in eighteen years. Players choose to go to
teams for lots of reasons, and maybe there's a little
(05:08):
element of local state taxes, but the fact is they
look to go to a market they want to live in,
where they want to raise their families, where.
Speaker 4 (05:18):
Their kids will go to school.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
They look at the organization, they look at ownership, they
look at the coach, they look at the general manager.
There is the cost of living. And by the way,
if the players are getting paid in US dollars and
they're living in Canada, that sort of offsets any differences
in local taxes. And as I think, you know, players
(05:41):
get taxed by the jurisdictions that they play in on
the road. So I think that gets a little overblown.
I think it's too much of an excuse for clubs
that may not be performing as well.
Speaker 4 (05:51):
As they'd like to.
Speaker 3 (05:52):
And I think it's a little bit of an injustice
to the great job that the ownership and organizations have
done in South Florida in Tampa, and of.
Speaker 5 (06:01):
Course the Florida teams were expansion teams, and there's always
going to be a lot of talk as our commissioner
about expansion into other markets like Houston, like Phoenix again,
and like Atlanta again. The NHL currently has thirty two teams,
which is kind of considered the sweet spot because the
structure creates this really consistent and clear format for competition
and scheduling. You've got two conferences each with two divisions
(06:24):
with eight teams each. What are team owners specific concerns
about balance if you do pursue expansion in that format changes.
Speaker 3 (06:32):
Well, the answer to that question is we're not focused
on a formal expansion process. Yes, we've been getting interest
from a number of places, including the three you mentioned,
but we've said we're not going to announce a date
and if you want an expansion team, everybody apply the criteria.
At ten thousand feet. We look at our first and
(06:54):
foremost ownership market arena and what does it do to
make the league stronger. And we've told the interested parties
if you're ready to come in and make a presentation
to check those boxes, come talk to us and we'll
focus on what needs to be done in terms of
what it would do to our structure, our format of
the schedule. That's not something we're even focused on right
(07:16):
now because at the present time, expansion is in front
and center on our agenda.
Speaker 4 (07:23):
For sure.
Speaker 1 (07:24):
I want to ask about the media relationships and the
way that people here in the US are watching and
consuming hockey and the way that they're not. Why does
the NHL Network in your view, not have a streaming
option or a digital app that you can authenticate with
a third party cable sign on. Does it feel like
you're leaving money on the table by not offering streaming
(07:44):
availability like other leagues do at this point?
Speaker 3 (07:49):
Well, actually, we do have a streaming capability. Warner Brothers
Discovery streams the games that they have on Max, ESPN
streams US on ESPN Plus. As it relates to the
NHL network itself, we're kind of in a transition period
(08:10):
and we're looking at our options. But ninety nine percent
of our games are available either linear or streamed in
the United States, and frankly, to us, the most important
thing in the short term is always making sure that
our games are available to the most number of people,
and we think we do a good job of that
(08:32):
what we do with the NHL network, which relative to
everybody else, has far fewer games. That's something that will
evolve over time with the changing landscape.
Speaker 4 (08:43):
But we do have.
Speaker 3 (08:44):
A large, full breadth capacity for streaming, both in the
US and Canada.
Speaker 2 (08:52):
Hey, one of the things I do want to ask you,
I mean, there's just so much I feel like on
your plan. And you talked about this in your Mister Commissioner,
in your Status of the League address prior to Game
one of the finals, and you talked specifically about the
status of collective bargaining talks that are going on. I'm curious,
what are you hearing, where are you What are the
priorities for the league, and what do you expect to
(09:12):
be the sticking points? And can you get something done
before the current agreement expires in September.
Speaker 3 (09:19):
Actually, the current agreement expires a year from September twenty
six forget me. Yes, yes, so we have plenty of time.
We started having conversations with the union probably end of
February early March. I think we're having good, constructive discussions.
(09:40):
I think for the most part, we're on the same
page that it's important to work together. We get together
on a regular basis. We even got together yesterday here
in Edmonton, and I'm very optimistic that we're going to
get this done in relatively short order. I don't mean
today or tomorrow, but at the end of the day,
(10:02):
the relationship between the NHL and the NHL Players Association,
which is now under executive director Marty Walsh, was I
think many of you know him as former mayor of
Boston and former Secretary of Labor. We're in a good
place and I think we're going to get it done,
(10:23):
and I think the best the beneficiary from all of
that will not just be the clubs and the players,
but our fans. I'm not anticipating any fundamental problems or
issues that are going to cause us to have fundamental problems.
Speaker 5 (10:37):
Are you on the same page when it comes to
international competition? You guys had a very successful for Nations tournament,
and we know the NHL players are going back to
the Olympics next year, so I'm sure there is a
desire on both sides to keep the energy of international
competition going once the Olympics comes and.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
Goes, there's no question about that. So going back in
ancient history because the pre day it's me, the League
and the Players Association have been joint partners in the
execution of international competition, particularly best on best, which is
the Olympics, the World Cup and things like Four Nations
(11:14):
that we did to an outstanding result in terms of
fan interest and the competition itself. Prior leaders of the
Players Association, Warrant is immediately focused as Marty is in
terms of understanding the importance of moving this effort forward.
(11:34):
We know that our players, third of which come from
outside of North America, love representing their countries. It's important
to them, which is why the competition at Four Nations
was so good, so competitive, and so compelling, and so
he is focused on not just doing that in terms
of building interest, but it also speaks volumes of how
(11:58):
well we're working together. And so we're looking forward to
having in the Olympics two years later, to the World
Cup two years after that, the Olympics and so on
a regular basis because we know it's great for the game,
it's great for fan interest, and again we know how
important it is for our players to represent the countries
(12:18):
they come from. And I don't think there's anything that
really compares in the international landscape to best on Best
in Hockey. Hey, one thing I.
Speaker 2 (12:26):
Do wonder, Commissioner, is where does women's hockey fit into this?
And we've seen, you know, certainly interested in women's sports
skyrocket on so many different levels, and we've certainly seen
some early success, initial success with the Women's Hockey League,
the PWHL. I'm curious about the involvement by the NHL
specifically when it comes to women's sports and what kind
(12:47):
of investment and solid investment are you guys looking to
maybe do in that area.
Speaker 3 (12:51):
Well, certainly at the grassroots level, we're fully supportive in
our programs, are very, very inclusive and welcoming. The PWHL,
which is the Women's Professional Hockey League, is off to
a terrific start. They launched very quickly two seasons ago.
We help them get off the ground using our infrastructure
and resources.
Speaker 4 (13:12):
And we work well with them.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
We try to include them in our major events, and
they just recently announced a two team expansion, so they're
off to a great start. And again we're thrilled and
fully supportive. It's great for the game of hockey.
Speaker 5 (13:29):
Commiser, Let's just return to playoffs for this year. When
you look at viewership numbers, they're actually down about twenty
percent from last year's playoffs. To what extent does that
concern you and do you believe it has any kind
of I don't know, future implications, does it suggest anything
about the future of the league?
Speaker 3 (13:45):
Actually on a North American basis, which is how we
look at these things, because we're a little bit different
than baseball, basketball, and football, because seven of our thirty
two teams are in Canada and they don't show up
in US ratings.
Speaker 4 (13:58):
But when you look at North America.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
As a whole, we're about flat. And you have to
take into account that this may be the first time
in the history of the NHL where none of the
four original six US teams were in the playoffs.
Speaker 4 (14:16):
And that's Chicago, Detroit, New.
Speaker 3 (14:19):
York, and Boston, all of which rate extraordinarily well. And
Boston and New York the Rangers had great runs last season,
even though they didn't make it to the Stanley Cup final.
So it's a little bit of apples and oranges. But
when you look at it on a North American basis,
it's fine. When you look at, for example, Game seven
(14:41):
in last year's Stanley Cup final, which was this is
a redo this year Edmonton and Florida. I think we
drew sixteen or seventeen million fans North American wide, and
I think we had about nine million in the United States,
and the final game of four Nations was at about
(15:02):
the same level, and so our ratings are strong. We
tend to be a little bit variable. But don't just
look at the US. We won't.
Speaker 2 (15:11):
We won't. Thank you so much, busy time for you.
Good luck with Game two.