Gary Bettman

From as early as I can remember, I was focused on becoming a lawyer.

The Olympics are very proprietary about letting others promote and market what's going on, so we shut down for 17 days, and they don't let us do a whole lot in return for giving our players to them. We don't get compensated, and we've never looked for compensation.

I would hope there would be a greater appreciation by casual sports fans of the incredible skill and passion of our players.

I couldn't do what I do day-in and day-out if I didn't love the game.

You don't want people rooting for anything other than the team that they love and the players that they think the world of to win. We don't want there to be another agenda.

The relationship between concussions and the asserted clinical symptoms of C.T.E. remains unknown.

I never rule anything in or out; life can surprise you.

If you're thin-skinned, you don't belong doing what I do for a living.

What we have tried to instill across the league through ownership and management is that we stand for inclusiveness and to judge somebody on the merits.

I think it's our job to create a culture and an environment where a gay player knows he is safe and welcome. If and when that happens, believe me - that person will have the full support of the commissioner's office.

We're not anti-Olympics, we're anti-disruption to the season.

I know when you're in the business of cover sports, you look for 60-minute games and a result. It's never that simple.