NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman stressed the importance of youth hockey during a summit with the commissioners of the other three major sports — Rob Manfred of Major League Baseball, Roger Goodell of the National Football League and Adam Silver of the National Basketball Association.
Bettman said Tuesday that the amount of young players registering to play hockey has allowed the sport to grow in traditional and non-traditional markets. With the NHL more visible and its games more accessible across North America, children have become more enthusiastic about playing hockey at an early age.