Gary Bettman’s salary during the NHL’s canceled 2004-05 season was $3.7 million. In 2010-11, according to the NHL’s recent tax filings shared Monday by Sports Business Journal, Bettman’s more than doubled to $8 million. In that same time, the NHL’s total annual revenue grew to $2.9 billion, with that number reaching $3.2 billion for the most recent season.
Bettman is one of five NHL officials to make seven figures, and though his salary is quite healthy, it’s low compared to commissioners around sports. Both MLB commissioner Bud Selig and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell make $20 million a season, and while NBA commissioner David Stern’s salary has never been made public, it likely exceeds Bettman’s as well.
All that said, the NHL posted a loss in 2010-11, with revenue coming in at $89.1 million and expenses rising to $103.9 million. Bettman announced last week that the league will lockout members of the NHLPA for a third time in his tenure as commissioner should the two sides fail to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement by Sept. 15.
