NHL ALL-STAR WEEKEND

January 23, 1999

Gary Bettman

Maurice Richard

COMMISSIONER GARY BETTMAN: Good afternoon to everyone and I'd like to first start by welcoming all of you to Tampa for what is shaping up to be a spectacular All-Star Weekend. I'll like to begin by thanking Mark Williams, Billy McGhee, President and CEO of Tampa Bay Lightning, Jacques Demers, the General Manager and Coach of the Lightning, the entire Lightning organization, the City of Tampa and greater Tampa Bay for helping us put on what we think is going to be nothing short of a terrific All-Star Weekend. We received a very warm welcome from beginning to end, and we're very gratified by that response. I'm going to start with an update of the Board of Governors today. It was a general housekeeping meeting. We did not surprisingly a pretty extensive marketing update. Steve Solomon, the League's Chief Operating Officer, spent a lot of time telling the owners about what's going on from the marketing and promotional perspective, and that's not surprising because we have somewhere in the vicinity of 7,000 of our nearest and dearest friends, many marketing partners who are here to share the weekend with us. In addition, we gave board updates on franchise situations in Pittsburgh, the Island of New York, and the Ottawa Senators had a transfer. Rob Bryden actually took a greater control of the franchise, greater percentage than he had previously and with respect to Pittsburgh, there's nothing really new to report, and with respect to the Islanders, basically Ed Millstein is planning on taking over Howard's, his brother's share, pending NFL approval. Of their purchase of the Redskins, and we're working at the same time to try and work with the County of Nassau to get a new building for the Islanders. There was an update on our discussions concerning the Olympics; there's nothing new to report other than our discussions with the IOC, IIHF and NBC are ongoing and we're continuing to see whether or not we can get this to shape up in a position that it makes sense for us to close down to twelve days to go to the Olympics, and that's still a work in progress. Finally, the only affirmative action that was taken, and this was something we began discussing at the board meeting in December, is there's going to be a limitation on the number of names that a team can put on the Stanley Cup. Up until now there had only been requirements and limitations with respect to players, but now there's going to be an all-encompassing series of regulations in terms of who can and can't be on the Cup, what the total number is, and that number is 52 in total. With respect to the season, I'd just like to offer a couple of highlights, as I think all of us have seen and many of you have written, this has been a terrific season so far. We are seeing our stars shining as stars. John LeClair is on pace for his fourth straight 50-goal season; Dominik Hasek is again showing why he has been the MVP for the last two years in a row and he has eight shutouts already. Paul Kariya is back in full flight and going to be challenging the scoring title. He's got pretty good competition with Eric Lindros and Jaromir Jagr and their teams are playing very well as well. We are also blessed and I think that's the right word, that we get to see Wayne Gretzky. Wayne Gretzky and Ray Bourque in their 20th seasons, which is a remarkable feat and I hope they both have another 20. We've been treated to the resurgence of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the continued ascension of the Ottawa Senators and we have seen what I think would be characterized as superb first halves by the Dallas Stars, Phoenix Coyotes and Philadelphia Flyers. In short, we are having a very, very competitive season. And let's not overlook the impressive debut on the ice and off the ice of the Nashville Predators. Scoring is virtually even with last year. The decade decline, I think, has stopped and I think you're going to see goal scoring, as it's been doing, as the season progresses, continue to grow and the flow of the game, we think, has been improved dramatically. Attendance is up league-wide, and for the month of January we're planning to do about 93 percent capacity. The first in of two referees is working very well and has been well received by the players and the players have been finding new ways to take advantage of the extra two people behind the net. Supplementary discipline is being run very, very well by new Senior VP Colin Campbell. I am thrilled at his efforts to date, and, more importantly, I'm thrilled by the results. You know, going in to this season, we promised the hits to the head would be severely punished and I think the message has gotten out and we're delivering on that. I think it's also not a coincidence that up until this week, we went almost a month without any supplementary discipline. It wasn't because we stopped looking; it's because the players have adjusted and we think that's great. One indication of the adjustment, and I'm not to suggest that it's the sole reason, but it is interesting to note that injuries are down, game-related regular season injuries are down about 35 percent compared to last year and concussions are down about 25 percent. So we think that the efforts have been well-intentioned, well-executed and it's having the desired effect. On the ice, the game's in very good shape, and we think as we go through the second half of the season and into the Playoffs, we're going to even get better as time goes on. Now I'd like to shift focus and really get to the heart of one of the two reasons we're here this afternoon. I am honored to have with me up here Ronald Corey, the President of the Montreal Canadiens, and the great Maurice "Rocket" Richard. I'd like to start with a short video.

(Video is shown)

COMMISSIONER GARY BETTMAN: Sports fans, I am constantly in awe of the enthusiastic reaction our League trophies receive. I think everyone would agree that the NHL has the greatest collection of trophies in all of sports, and it begins, of course, with the Stanley Cup. The Hart trophy, the Norris, the Dezina, in a room, any of our trophies in a room and crowds gather studying names, admiring the craftsmanship and marveling at the history that each one represents. Today we're going to add one more trophy to that silver galaxy, the Maurice Richard Trophy for the leading goal scorer in the National Hockey League. This trophy honors one of the greatest players to ever play this game. The "Rocket" set new goal-scoring standards, the first 50-goal scorer in the NHL history and the first player to register 500 career goals. I'd like to point out that several people who have been special to the "Rocket" throughout his life are here with us today, Emile Richard is here. He's not here yet, he's supposed to be. He preceded the "Rocket" as captain and as the oldest living former Montreal Canadien captain. The "Rocket's" younger brother Henri is here with us today as well, the "Pocket Rocket," winner of eleven Stanley Cups. (Applause) Reginald is supposed to be here. He is? Reggie? Mario Tremblay. We're delighted you're here. We know that the "Rocket" is just as well. On a weekend when the world's greatest hockey stars assemble in Tampa, it is certainly fitting that the way we pay tribute and honor to a man whose passion and love for the sport of hockey, the Montreal Canadiens, and the National Hockey League define his career. When Ron Corey first approached me more than a year ago with the idea of honoring the top goal scorer with the "Rocket" Richard Trophy, there was no doubt that it was the right thing to do and I would like to thank and salute Mr. Corey for his initiative. Rocket, the hockey world thanks you for all that you have done to build this game. And we are proud that your name will be forever associated with the NHL stars of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Ronald Corey, I'd like you to say a few words.

RONALD COREY: Thank you, Gary. First of all, I think tonight we all see a great event. For me, I cannot believe it. As a young hockey fan in my early days, Rocket Richard was in his prime. And try to imagine for one second, I'm fortunate enough to sit right here tonight, next to him, and make this presentation. We also have a campaign in the daily paper with over 200,000 signatures of hockey fans across Canada who wants that thing to happen. Because they all remember the great Rocket. I'm old enough and I'm so happy to be 60 years old because I saw him play; I saw him play in the last seven or eight years with with Henri and Dickie Moore, what a great, great line. I saw a game on the road, in Boston, the small Garden, and I'm telling you my friend, when you have a line with both Richard and Vicki moor, you play in Boston with a smile. They were there every night, day in, day out, and gave always the full maximum. You know, when I was a young kid, I called Rocket Richard at his home, and I remember his home number, and I told that a few years ago and, and he said how come you know that. I said I got the number from your cousin who was a janitor in my elementary school because I had another brother who was a year older than me and he was suffering of cancer. And I called him to ask him to score a goal for him. And every time I call him, five times, and every time he answer the phone and he was very nice to me. And one night he said I'll score tonight, Corey, for you, and I was young, I was about 13 years old, and he scored three goals. For me, I cannot believe the sensation I have tonight. And I'm so happy, Maurice, that we have this trophy for you. It's a great tribute, a great goal scorer, and I said the replay the back end shot with a beautiful stick blade, remember the straight blade, that doesn't shoot in the top corner. Rocket, I can talk to you about the game when you scored four goals in the Playoffs against Boston and when you came back after Richard Camden was cut by Montreal, you came back in February against Boston, you scored two goals in the first period, assist by Dean Moffet, and you left the game because it was too painful. You came back in the Playoffs and you scored eleven goals in two series: That's the way I like the "Rocket". And, once again, with all of you, we have a great moment tonight. Let's salute it, and, Maurice, congratulations.

(Applause)

MAURICE RICHARD: I would like to say hello to all of the people here in Tampa for the way they receive me here today. When I got to the airport, there was a bunch of kids, big kids, too, and an older woman, and they were all there and they had cards in their hand. They had souvenirs for me to sign. I enjoyed that very much. And now thank you very much for the nice words you said about me. I don't really think that I can remember all these things right now. (Laughter) I remember when I was playing in between '65 and '60. I had a friend of mine who was writing for a paper in Montreal, and a young girl was working on the radio. And they were the ones that started the autographs for me to have a trophy. And after that, they went to all the -- all the autographs that they took, they went to see Ronald Corey for him to go and see the owner, tell the owner that the National Hockey League deserves a trophy for the players who scored the most goals during the season. I think it's going to be a big trophy. I hope the people that were in Canada or in the states will like it. I like it myself. (Laughter) After that, after '60, I went for 40 years, nobody had the courage to go and ask Mr. Campbell, who was president at the time, and today it has been over 40 years and I thought -- I've been thinking about it since the beginning, and I'm really happy today that there's a trophy that's going to be used in the National Hockey League for every goal scorer and I'll have the name on my trophy. Again, thank you very much. And I hope that the people will be able to watch the trophy. I think we're going to show the trophy to them. I'm not too sure. We'll see what we can do. Thanks very much again. (Applause)

RONALD COREY: Before we show the trophy, Arthur, I think it would be very appropriate to introduce the two people that did the trophy for us. Would you stand up? Another table up, and we have the next part of our program. Okay, we're going to get it back together again and move on.