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USA Today
3 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman rips TNT analyst Paul Bissonnette over question about taxes
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman rips TNT analyst Paul Bissonnette over question about taxes Show Caption Hide Caption 'It's been a fun ride': Paul Bissonnette on being a studio analyst for NHL on TNT Paul Bissonnette shares what it's like behind the scenes at NHL on TNT. Sports Seriously Much has been made recently about the lack of state taxes in certain NHL cities and whether that gives those teams an advantage in attracting players. Florida, which has no state taxes, has had a team in the Stanley Cup Final the past six years: the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2020-22 and the Florida Panthers from 2023-25. Mikko Rantanen agreed to a trade to the Dallas Stars and signed an eight-year extension. Texas also has no state taxes. TNT analyst Paul Bissonnette asked Gary Bettman whether the league would take action to balance things out and the commissioner called it a "ridiculous issue." "When the Florida teams weren't good, which was for about 17 years, nobody said anything about it," he said. "For those of you who played, were you sitting there with a tax table? No." NHL commissioner Gary Bettman calls Paul Bissonnette's concern about the NHL & Florida's lack of state tax "ridiculous." Bettman adds, "I was watching you during the prior rounds. Your attire was a little suspect in terms of your journalistic objectivity." 🏒🎙️#NHL #StanleyCup — Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) June 9, 2025 Bettman then cited things that would attract a player, such as a good city, first-class arena and training facility, and a front office, coaches and teammates that could give someone a chance at a championship. "By the way," Bettman added, "'state taxes high in Los Angeles, high in New York. What are we going to do? Subsidize those teams?" Bissonnette asked if the NHL could take taxes away from Ontario to help the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bettman quipped: "I was watching you during the prior rounds. Your attire was a little suspect in terms of your journalistic objectivity." Bissonnette wore Maple Leafs gear occasionally on set during the second round. The biggest stories, every morning. Stay up-to-date on all the key sports developments by subscribing to USA TODAY Sports' newsletter.
USA Today
07-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
'Tusks Up': Utah Hockey Club officially unveils Mammoth name, logo
'Tusks Up': Utah Hockey Club officially unveils Mammoth name, logo Show Caption Hide Caption 'It's been a fun ride': Paul Bissonnette on being a studio analyst for NHL on TNT Paul Bissonnette shares what it's like behind the scenes at NHL on TNT. Sports Seriously What was a commonly known secret finally became official Wednesday when the Utah Hockey Club unveiled its new nickname, the Mammoth, and its logo. Last week, the Utah Mammoth name was shown on the team's official YouTube page and, before it was deleted, internet sleuths had already taken screenshots of the handle, prompting a quick deletion of the entire channel. A U.S. Patent and Trademark under the name "Utah Mammoth" had been pending since last April as well, and the team has started selling merchandise at the Delta Center. The team explained in a statement the nature of the nickname of the Mammoth, which roamed the state more than 10,000 years ago. "Evidence suggests mammoths charged in herds at speeds exceeding 25 miles per hour, comparable to the speeds reached by the fastest skaters in the NHL," the team said. "When it came to naming the team, we did something unprecedented – going through four rounds of community voting, including getting feedback not only on potential names but also on potential logos," Utah owners Ryan and Ashley Smith said in a statement. "The community chose the Utah Mammoth brand, and it stands as a symbol of who we are, where we came from, and the unstoppable force we're building together." Fans had a say throughout the process, though there were some complications. The original list of 20 names was whittled down to six in the first vote, which drew 520,000 participants. Then Utah Blizzard, Utah HC (Hockey Club), Utah Mammoth, Utah Outlaws, Utah Venom and Utah Yeti were put up for another vote. Yeti was ruled out in January because the team couldn't reach a coexistence agreement with YETI coolers. The final vote was in person at the Delta Center during a four-game homestand. Utah Hockey Club, Mammoth and Wasatch were the choices, though Wasatch was dropped for Outlaws after the first night of voting. The team logo features the team's color scheme, Rock Black, Salt White and Mountain Blue, and the head of a Mammoth with a curved tusk, with the Wasatch Mountain Range at the top of the logo. A Utah-shaped silhouette and "M" grace the left side of the logo. The tusks are curved up to form a "U." "Tusks Up" will be the team's rallying cry. The team will have the new Mammoth logo on its home jerseys and the word Utah on road jerseys. The Utah Hockey Club just completed its first season based in Salt Lake City after relocating from Phoenix as the Arizona Coyotes. The team finished with a 38-31-13 record this year, good for sixth in the Central Division of the Western Conference.
