The NHL is clearly in a significant growth mode, with regular season attendance for 2023–24 reaching a record level of 22.56 million, revenue also reaching unprecedented level of about $6.2 billion, and the league’s playoffs averaging 1.3 million viewers per game through the conference finals, up by 14% from a year ago and the best such figure since 1996 in the U.S. Meanwhile, Game 1 of Stanley Cup Final posted a 12% boost in viewership to an average of 3.1 million viewers.

But commissioner Gary Bettman (above) is still not ready to push forward on expansion.