SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — The NHL is encouraged by the status of collective bargaining talks, Commissioner Gary Bettman said Friday, adding that he's optimistic a deal will be done long before the September 2026 expiration of the current deal between the league and its players.
Talks began in earnest earlier this year and given the current state of the game — revenues soaring, the sport booming and some additional momentum that came out of the 4 Nations Face-Off event in February — there was no reason to think the sides would encounter major snags.
“Sooner rather than later?” Bettman said, responding to a question about when he'd like to see a deal done. "I mean, we have plenty of time. We have the rest of this season and all of next season. But I don’t envision it taking a year to get done.
“To the contrary, I think it’ll get done sooner rather later,” Bettman continued. "I don’t have a timetable to give you. But I do think things are progressing nicely.”
The current CBA does not expire until Sept. 15, 2026. There has been optimism that a new deal between the NHL and the NHL Players Association could be reached in the coming months, and Bettman's comments Friday before watching the Florida-Toronto Eastern Conference semifinal game did nothing to suggest otherwise.
The fact that there's a pleasant tone around talks of the negotiations is a major deviation from what has tripped the NHL up at times in the past, with some CBA talks ending with work stoppages — including one that cost the league an entire season.
The league and union have already agreed on and revealed salary cap figures for each of the next three seasons, with the ceiling going up by record amounts every year.
“We’re talking and we’re getting together on a pretty regular basis," Bettman said. "I think the conversations are constructive. I think ultimately they’ll be productive. And I think in terms of the relationship that the NHL has with the NHLPA, my relationship with (NHLPA head) Marty Walsh is in a very good place. And so, I remain very positive and optimistic that we’re going to come together and get this done.”
With three Canadian teams among the eight still alive in the Stanley Cup playoffs, Bettman said the league is pleased with it is seeing numbers-wise and interest-wise.
He pointed to these playoffs as the latest sign of competitive balance in the league.
“Our buildings are all full and it’s great to see the fan reaction," Bettman said. "The ebb and flow of which teams get in and how many Canadian teams or how many U.S. Teams, it is what it is. ... You look at the first round and I don’t think there’s anything comparable to it in sports, certainly in terms of the playoffs We’re in a good place.”
AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman speaks before Game 3 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup second-round playoff series between the Florida Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs, Friday, May 9, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Richard “Dick” Codey, a former acting governor of New Jersey and the longest serving legislator in the state's history, died Sunday. He was 79.
Codey’s wife, Mary Jo Codey, confirmed her husband’s death to The Associated Press.
“Gov. Richard J. Codey passed away peacefully this morning at home, surrounded by family, after a brief illness,” Codey's family wrote in a Facebook post on Codey's official page.
"Our family has lost a beloved husband, father and grandfather -- and New Jersey lost a remarkable public servant who touched the lives of all who knew him," the family said.
Known for his feisty, regular-guy persona, Codey was a staunch advocate of mental health awareness and care issues. The Democrat also championed legislation to ban smoking from indoor areas and sought more money for stem cell research.
Codey, the son of a northern New Jersey funeral home owner, entered the state Assembly in 1974 and served there until he was elected to the state Senate in 1982. He served as Senate president from 2002 to 2010.
Codey first served as acting governor for a brief time in 2002, after Christine Todd Whitman’s resignation to join President George W. Bush’s administration. He held the post again for 14 months after Gov. Jim McGreevey resigned in 2004.
At that time, New Jersey law mandated that the Senate president assume the governor’s role if a vacancy occurred, and that person would serve until the next election.
Codey routinely drew strong praise from residents in polls, and he gave serious consideration to seeking the Democratic nomination for governor in 2005. But he ultimately chose not to run when party leaders opted to back wealthy Wall Street executive Jon Corzine, who went on to win the office.
Codey would again become acting governor after Corzine was incapacitated in April 2007 due to serious injuries he suffered in a car accident. He held the post for nearly a month before Corzine resumed his duties.
After leaving the governor’s office, Codey returned to the Senate and also published a memoir that detailed his decades of public service, along with stories about his personal and family life.
“He lived his life with humility, compassion and a deep sense of responsibility to others,” his family wrote. “He made friends as easily with Presidents as he did with strangers in all-night diners.”
Codey and his wife often spoke candidly about her past struggles with postpartum depression, and that led to controversy in early 2005, when a talk radio host jokingly criticized Mary Jo and her mental health on the air.
Codey, who was at the radio station for something else, confronted the host and said he told him that he wished he could “take him outside.” But the host claimed Codey actually threatened to “take him out,” which Codey denied.
His wife told The Associated Press that Codey was willing to support her speaking out about postpartum depression, even if it cost him elected office.
“He was a really, really good guy,” Mary Jo Codey said. “He said, ‘If you want to do it, I don’t care if I get elected again.’”
Jack Brook contributed reporting from New Orleans.
FILE - New Jersey State Sen. and former Democratic Gov. Richard Codey is seen before New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy delivers his State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at the statehouse, in Trenton, N.J., Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)
