Gary Bettman touts season as NHL's 'most successful'

With the two biggest sports markets in North America on the marquee for this year's Stanley Cup Final, Gary Bettman's pre-series press conference was always going to be smug.

But the NHL commissioner, speaking to members of the media just hours before puck drop on Game 1, set the bar high as he touted the state of his league. 

A captivating Cup Final would go a long way to support it, but it's hard to argue with Bettman's declaration. A series of successful outdoor spectacles, surging big market franchises highlighting a thrilling postseason, and the Sochi Olympics have nearly erased the memory of last season's lockout-shortened schedule. 

But for Bettman, that $5.2 billion Canadian TV deal probably has something to do with it.