STOCKHOLM — In more jovial moments during a Friday evening press conference in Stockholm, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly joked they had all of the answers, but it was a matter of whether they wanted to answer the questions.
As part of the NHL Global Series, the Pittsburgh Penguins are playing a two-game set against the Nashville Predators at Avicii Arena. Friday, the building was nearly full for warmup, but not before Bettman held what was intended as a casual press conference.
Bettman was pressed by Swedish media for more games in different cities and for World Cup games. Finnish reporters pressed the NHL execs for games in Finland, which Bettman let slip–to Daly’s bemused chagrin–that next year’s series would indeed occur somewhere in Finland.
However, when presented with a question by Pittsburgh Hockey Now about the potential Penguins sale to the Hoffman Family of Companies, and any concerns by the league about current ownership, the Fenway Sports Group, essentially flipping the Penguins for a hefty windfall profit after just three-and-a-half years, Bettman deferred to the Penguins for updates. He believed any comment would be inappropriate.
However, for the commissioner who typically uses precise language, his word choice regarding FSG was also a little bit vague. He stopped short of any compliment.
“People buy and sell teams, assets, for a variety of reasons. I think Fenway Sports Group, their reputation in sports is well known, and if the franchise is ultimately sold, I’m sure they, and we, will make sure it goes into good hands.”
It’s a poorly kept secret that FSG and Bettman have had some disagreements. The exact issues or reasons for the cool relationship aren’t known, but FSG reportedly didn’t understand why Bettman has so much power.
The reports of FSG’s consternation with NHL management first emerged in August from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. While FSG tamped down interest in selling when reports of the Lemieux Group having interest in reacquiring surfaced, since news of the potential sale began to leak, gossip and chatter have filled the voids of news. However, there have been no public updates since, and no public statements from either side. PHN’s emails to the Hoffman Group’s communication team have not been returned.
Last month, FSG declined to file an extension to retain exclusive development rights to land around PPG Paints Arena, essentially returning the land to the Urban Redevelopment Authority and the Sports and Exhibition Authority. Yielding the real estate likely lowered the Penguins’ value.
According to Forbes Magazine, Hoffman Family of Companies has a valuation of near $2 billion.
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