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The NHL inadvertently drew the ire of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last week over an advertisement for its Pathway to Hockey Summit, which will be held in South Florida ahead of the NHL All-Star Game in February. This week, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made clear the league is not interested in a public back-and-forth with the governor, who accused the league of being “discriminatory” in its initial advertisement of the event.
“The answer is we’re planning to be in Sunrise and celebrate our sport at the All-Star Game,” Bettman told The Athletic on Thursday when asked for his response to the DeSantis camp’s statement. “I don’t want to get way into all of this, but the fact is what the summit is, and was, has been mischaracterized. It’s not a job fair. It was an informational session so that people could learn more about us.”
Bettman said he didn’t want to “increase the debate on it.”
“We’re just looking forward to the All-Star Game,” he added.
On Feb. 2, the NHL is hosting a Pathway to Hockey Summit, which is intended to be an informational career event that encourages “those that have historically not been exposed to hockey” to come and learn more about the sport and the job opportunities within the league. The day is scheduled to include guest speakers, panelists and networking opportunities.