NHL's Gary Bettman Announces Major Event Cancelation and Blames The Fans For Their Interest

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Sam Walker
October 21, 2024 (10:24)

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Lack of fan interest forces NHL and commissioner Gary Bettman to revise a once highly-touted event

According to multiple sources, the NHL is looking at something totally different with the NHL awards event hosted each year, which reveals the Calder Trophy Winner (most recently Connor Bedard), the leagues MVP, leagues best goaltender and more.

It's reportedly due to the fact of 'lack of interest' from National Hockey League Fans, and now a different format is being taken into consideration by league commissioner Gary Bettman.

The awards are handed out each year and nationally televised event at the end of the NHL season, typically before the playoffs. However, with the lack of fan interest a major change is set to be implemented. Elliotte Friedman stated that is changing it up

"What the league is looking at in combination with the Players' Association, is what else can they do that's interesting, what else can they do that will make the awards special. A couple of things have been thrown out. One of the ideas is doing it the way the NBA does it. The NBA, during the first week of the playoffs, will honour the winners at their home arenas."

Elliotte Friedman stated that several different ways of going about the awards will be considered as there will most defintely not be an award show that is televised at the end of this upcoming 2024-25 season. Fans had high complaints at this years past awards show for the amount of commercial shoved in fans faces, as well as the lack of positive atmosphere.

«The word is this year that there will not be an award show per se,» Friedman reported. «What the league is looking at, in combination with the player's association, is what else can they do that's interest, what else can they do to make the awards special?»

«There'll be a press conference earlier in the day, and then at the beginning of the game, the trophy will be brought out, and the player can celebrate and get a big ovation from the fans. One of the other things they're talking about is can they create viral moments. Like maybe surprising the player somewhere with the trophy.»

While these new proposed moments seem interesting, it's tough that the NHL themselves and their production forced fans out of watching events like these and are now pointing fingers at their own for 'lack of viewership'.