NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman Pleased With League's Department Of Player Safety

The NHL has cracked down on player safety recently: A prime example is the firm punishment laid down on Raffi Torres for his hit on Marian Hossa in the playoffs. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said during a press conference on Wednesday he is pleased with the league's department of player safety.

"I would suggest in this era of social media where everybody has a platform and an opinion to express, the level of discourse has risen to new heights," Bettman said. "My guess is also that with what we've done this year, what Brendan has done with the videos, his attempt to change the culture in terms of what's acceptable or not to be safer for the players, this has been turned into more of an event than we would like, because of the videos, among other things."

The videos generally cause an uproar with fans, both good and bad, but Bettman sees this as just a display of their passion for the sport.

"I think that's OK in terms of the passion of our fans and who they root for and how they weigh in," he said. "I think it's been a good thing in terms of helping the players understand what is and isn't acceptable.

"This is a long-winded way of saying I think Brendan is doing a terrific job in what is perhaps the most difficult and thankless job we have

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