NHL Commissioner Slams Ex-Penguin Paul Bissonnette For ‘Ridiculous’ Take

Here’s one hot take that has been put on ice.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman appeared on TNT’s coverage during Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers.

Former Pittsburgh Penguins left wing and current TNT analyst Paul Bissonnette asked Bettman if Florida teams have inherent advantages when it comes to roster building because the state has no income tax.

Bettman tried to put that issue to rest.

“When the Florida teams weren’t good, which was for about 17 years, nobody said anything about it,” Bettman said, per Awful Announcing. “For those of you that played, were you sitting there with a tax table?

“No, you wanted to go to a good organization in a place you wanted to live where you wanted to raise your kids and send them to school. You wanted to play in a first-class arena with a first-class training facility with an owner, an organization, a GM and a coach that you were comfortable with. And you wanted to have good teammates so you would have a shot at winning. That’s what motivates. Could it be a little bit of a factor if everything else were equal? I suppose, but that’s not it. By the way, state taxes high in Los Angeles, high in New York. What are we going to do, subsidize those teams?” 

There has been plenty of hockey success in Florida, no doubt. The Panthers are the defending Stanley Cup champions and are making their third straight appearance in the finals. The Tampa Bay Lightning recently won the Stanley Cup twice with three consecutive finals appearances (2020-2022).

The Panthers currently lead the series against the Oilers after their 6-1 win Monday night. Game 4 is Thursday in Sunrise, Fla.

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