His vision was to have rival teams in a constant battle against one another along with tight playoff races right to the end of the season.
This year it appears that's happening in the Eastern Conference as many teams are trying to lock up the last two wild card spots.
This has caught the attention of the Spitting Chiclets podcast where BizNasty and Ryan Whitney discuss what they're witnessing and how pathetic it's becoming.
With many teams in the mix it does make for a great story as to a photo finish that will happen between all these teams.
But as the guys state, all these teams are either in losing streaks or not wanting to take the wild card spot by the horns.
This sense of urgency needs to be bigger.
As the games wind down and the margins of error get smaller, many expect this race to continue all the way till game 82.
Even in the Western Conference there is a tight race for first in the central division which also will see a close finish.
But whether you love or loath Gary Bettman, the sense of his vision is right in front of us.
POLL | ||
MARS 20 | 88 ANSWERS Spitting Chiclets dump on Eastern Conference playoff race Do you like the current playoff format of the NHL? | ||
Yes - It's great | 16 | 18.2 % |
No - I hate it | 16 | 18.2 % |
Bring back the 1-8 format | 56 | 63.6 % |
List of polls |