NHL commissioner Gary Bettman details impact of Trump tariffs on TV deal

Donald Trump’s tariffs on imports from Canada have had no impact on the NHL’s fresh $7.7 billion TV deal, league commissioner Gary Bettman has revealed.

The 78-year-old was never popular with Canadians prior to his second stint in the White House but has become even more loathed since being sworn in as U.S. President at the turn of the year. Having last month implemented tariffs of 25 per cent on Canadian goods and 10 per cent on energy and potash exports, as well as 25 per cent on Canadian steel and aluminum products, it’s fair to say that Trump has made himself public enemy number one north of the border.

This was particularly evident during the Four Nations Face-Off in February, when the United States national anthem was booed at every available opportunity by Canadian ice hockey fans whenever Team USA played in Montreal. In fact, those same boos were heard days before ahead of the NBA game between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Toronto Raptors.

Trump would go on to make matters worse when he threatened to turn Canada into the 51st state, prompting further discontent at matches between Canadian and U.S. sports teams, but thankfully for the NHL, the politician’s tariffs on Canada have had next to no impact on the game – for now.

Speaking on a recent episode of The Varsity podcast, NHL commissioner Bettman confirmed that new U.S. tariffs on imports from Canada did not hurt the $7.7 billion deal his league recently struck with Rogers Communications, and is hopeful that the recent tensions between the two nations were just “a moment in time”.

“This is a 12-year deal, and we’re looking at this from the long [term],” the commissioner said. However, the 72-year-old did acknowledge that NHL franchises based in Canada would suffer if the Canadian economy was hurt by a trade war. As of Monday afternoon, the Toronto Stock Exchange was down 2,500 points, while the Canadian dollar was down around 1.3 percent.

“From our standpoint, we believe our fans want to – and we should – stay out of the geopolitical debates and arena,” Bettman said. “But when asked, the impact on all of this is – from my standpoint – twofold. For one, Canada and the U.S. are longtime, great allies. Two great countries. And I hope this is just a moment in time that we get through quickly.

“Two, being realistic, if this has an impact on the Canadian economy and it affects the relationship with the Canadian dollar and the U.S. dollar, that may pose some difficulties for our Canadian franchises, because our players, whether they play in the United States or Canada, get paid in U.S. dollars. So that’s something that we’re going to have to focus on if it becomes a problem. But my sense is it [won’t].”

For now, the NHL remains in a strong position. Following 2024’s historic seven-game Stanley Cup final between the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers, as well as this year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, revenue has never been higher. Coupled with Bettman guaranteeing more than $1 billion in media rights revenue through 2028, the league’s long-term future is bright.