19Yzerman19
Registered User
- Jul 17, 2004
- 1,838
- 11
Commissioners aren't voted on by popular acclaim or via democratic processes. Like the last commissioner, and the one before that, and the one before that, and the one before that, the next commissioner will be someone the owners believe will stand for the owners' interest, preventing activities that unduly tarnish the league's reputation (and thus shareholder value), and fighting to ensure a strong share of the pie for owners in dealings with labor.
When the commissioner does this effectively, the 30 ownership groups reward the commissioner, and when this is not the case, the owners find themselves a new commissioner.
The commissioner isn't going to be a former player, or a person with a similar high profile with fans. It's not a popularity contest. It's a purely business decision. Hockey background? Wholly secondary.
while mostly true, the NHL has only had 1 Commissioner in their entire existence.