Gary Bettman Quotes

Penalties are part of the game.

At the end of the day, we're professional prizefighters - stop acting like street thugs. We're not going to fight in the streets.

I grew up thinking a bit of pushing and shoving was completely normal. Then I suddenly learned that if you kick another player, you get in trouble. Nobody had ever reprimanded me for that before.

Sports is a bloodless rehearsal of confrontation, and everyone shakes hands or high fives or fist bumps at the end to show that everything is okay.

The human element should be the two players on the court, not the officials. The best officials are the ones you never notice. The nature of the game made officials too noticeable a part.

I saw a hockey game where they threw the puck aside and just started fighting. I saw that, and I'm like, 'So I'm the thug?'

I never fought in my life outside of a ring.

I went into umpiring at age 16. I got into officiating because of the fact that I could not stand the referees that worked our basketball games.

I went to a fight the other night, and a hockey game broke out.

You don't hurt 'em if you don't hit 'em.

My own little rule was two for one. If one of my teammates got knocked down, then I knocked down two on the other team.

Contrary to what the fans may think, you don't just show up, wear a striped shirt and a whistle on Friday night.

The last time I threw a punch was in primary school, and that was probably a slap.

There's an excitement to officiating a well-played game. A lot of discretion, a lot of judgment comes into play.

I always hated to throw a guy out of a game but sometimes it was necessary to keep order.

No one is above the game or the rules that govern it. Respect for the game and the people who participate in it will not be compromised.

Back when I was maybe 19, guys would go, 'I can kick your butt!' So I had a few showdowns. To my advantage, I learned martial arts, and what you really learn is not to fight.

There were riots in just about every game we played with Syracuse.

We're sympathetic, but once you step on the field, football's football.

Soccer isn't very social. Plus, if you don't like someone on the other team, you can do something about it.

Gentlemen! You can't fight in here, this is the War Room!

I don’t want people chitting and chatting. Once the game starts, we watch football.

I was an umpire at little league softball games. I only lasted a few games because I wasn't one hundred percent clear on all the rules.

No one has ever bitten me, and I've never bitten anyone on the court.

You need to separate the fans and the players.