Bettman talks World Cup, future of outdoor games

BOCA RATON, Fla. -- A potential World Cup of Hockey and the status of the next wave of outdoor games were key topics of discussion when the NHL wrapped up its annual December Board of Governors meeting here.

On the final day of the two-day meetings, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said the reincarnation of the World Cup of Hockey remains a work in progress, but significant headway has been made toward being able to announce details of the tournament, which is rumored to be scheduled to be held before the start of the 2016-17 season.

"We're focusing, together with the [National Hockey League] Players' Association, on a point in time where we will have an announcement where we can get past the rumor stage and actually get specific with you as to what it will look like," Bettman said Tuesday. "We are not at that point yet, but the Governors were given an update as to where we are."

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Commissioner Bettman did not provide details on what the tournament would look like or when it would start, but he said it is the League's hope to have the final details nailed down in the next few months.

The tournament was last played in 2004 with Canada defeating Finland in the championship game at Air Canada Centre. The tournament has traditionally been contested by hockey's top national teams in a best-on-best format featuring a majority of NHL payers.

Several reports have suggested the next tournament would be played entirely in Toronto and that it may involve two wild-card teams, potentially one of players selected from the European countries not invited to the tournament and another of younger players who do not make the cut for Canada or the United States.

"Why doesn't everybody wait for us to make an announcement as to what it is we're planning?" Commissioner Bettman asked when pressed on the rumored details. "If you're baking a pie, and you see one of the elements is something you don't like, but you happen to like the pie, you've got to look at the whole mix. So when we get to the point where we make an announcement people will either say, 'This is outstanding, we love it,' or they'll say, 'We don't like this, we don't like that.' We'll see."

Toronto Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan said at the conclusion of the meeting Tuesday that he loves the idea of reviving the World Cup of Hockey and potentially playing it in Toronto.

"I loved the Canada Cup and the World Cup," said Shanahan, who played forward for Canada in the inaugural World Cup of Hockey in 1996 and played in the 1991 Canada Cup, a tournament that preceded the World Cup of Hockey. "I think it is great for hockey and I think it is great for the NHL players playing in these events. It's a great way to kick off a season as well.

"There are lots of venues that could host something like this. We would feel very fortunate to be first. Our fans, and fans from around the world, come to Toronto to see things like the Hockey Hall of Fame and just the love affair for hockey. I think it would be great for the city."

Outdoor games were also a major topic of conversation when Commissioner Bettman addressed the media in his closing comments.

Bettman said he expects the League to host more outdoor games next year than the two on this season's calendar. The 2015 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic on Jan. 1 at Nationals Park in Washington D.C., and the 2015 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series on Feb. 21 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., come one season after the NHL hosted six outdoor games: a Winter Classic, a Tim Hortons NHL Heritage Classic, and four Stadium Series games.

"We won't do six, we'll probably do more than two," Commissioner Bettman said, adding interest among the teams in hosting an outdoor game is overwhelming. "If I had to guess, and it's only a guess, it's probably three or four. It's probably what we're talking about. It's a nice, manageable number.

"Last year was kind of unique. In addition to the Winter Classic, we were positioning ourselves to go out to the Olympics, we were positioning ourselves coming back. We had only five venues for the six games because we wanted to accommodate all three teams in the New York/New Jersey area. So it was a little different. But if you look back at what we did, there was a rhyme and a reason to it. But you know what, it was pretty overwhelming to our events people, and frankly the Olympic break helped us manage putting on so many games. One size doesn't fit all."

Commissioner Bettman said the venues for the outdoor games during the 2015-16 season could be announced as soon as the next few months.

"For a whole host of reasons, you don't want to announce a city before you finalize, because all of a sudden hotel rooms evaporate at reasonable prices, and there are things you have to do," Bettman said. "So we would like to get further in front of the schedule than perhaps we've been; the clubs would like more lead time. So we're trying to do that."

Commissioner Bettman did not have an update on the NHL's potential participation in the 2018 Winter Olympics, insisting the League is focusing on the World Cup of Hockey first.