NHL commissioner Gary Bettman held his annual press conference for the 2019 NHL All-Star Weekend at SAP Center in San Jose, home of the Sharks, on Friday afternoon. Below you can find a recap of all of the news that was announced during his presser: 

Puck and Player Tracking

Bettman started off by announcing that the glowing puck will not come back. He wants to make the NHL at the forefront of new technology. The NHL’s plan is to implement Puck and Player Tracking in games in 2019-2020 season and at All-Star Weekend this season to provide more accurate stats.

Technology will be in on display during telecasts of NHL Super Skills tonight and NHL All-Star Game Saturday. Plan is for it to be deployed in all 31 NHL arenas during next season. https://t.co/t2PPQqQHTR

— Tom Gulitti (@TomGulittiNHL) January 25, 2019

Global Series

The NHL will have preseason games in Germany and Switzerland and regular season games in Prague, Czech Republic and Stockholm, Sweden next season.

Winter Classic

The 2020 NHL Winter Classic will be between the Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators at the Cotton Bowl Stadium on New Year’s Day.

Stadium Series

The Colorado Avalanche will host the Los Angeles Kings in the 2020 NHL Stadium Series at the U.S. Air Force Academy’s Falcon Stadium on February 15, 2020.

Islanders’ Stadium at Belmont Park

Everything seems to be on track with the New York Islanders’ new arena at Belmont Park and they’ll have a groundbreaking in May or June. They haven’t decided where games will be played in the playoffs this spring or next season. The league will probably have the final say, Bettman stated.

CBA Negotiations

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said that the NHL has had a few meetings with the players’ association about the CBA, which is set to expire in 2020, and exploring to find a solution early.

China Games

Daly said that the NHL is still organizing preseason games in China next September.

Bettman’s Future as Commissioner

Bettman has given no thought for retirement.

On Women Running NHL Teams

“I put the composition of diversity against any of the other leagues… The growth of the women’s game will help… Maybe at some point women’s league situation will get worked out.”

By Harrison Brown