Gary Bettman, the NHL commissioner, is advocating for a better timeslot for the Olympic hockey gold medal game, citing the early morning start time as a missed opportunity for viewers. The 8:10 a.m. ET kickoff for the USA-Canada final on NBC resulted in a strong viewership of 18.6 million, but Bettman believes it could have been significantly higher. He points out that the 2010 gold medal game in Vancouver, which started at 3:15 p.m. ET, drew 27.6 million viewers, highlighting the impact of timing on viewership. The issue stems from the Olympic organizers' decision to schedule the Closing Ceremony in Verona, Italy, which is a two-hour drive from the hockey arena. This resulted in an early morning start time for the gold medal game, causing viewers to either wake up early or miss the live broadcast. Bettman is also frustrated that the NHL cannot use Olympic footage for marketing without permission, which he believes is an odd restriction given the league's goal of growing hockey's profile. While the 2030 Winter Olympics in France will not solve the time zone problem, Bettman is exploring solutions and has had positive conversations with the new IOC president, Kirsty Coventry. However, the IOC's history of making concessions to broadcasters and sponsors raises questions about the likelihood of significant changes to accommodate the NHL's preferences.
