(SP) – NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters today at a press conference before the NHL Awards in Las Vegas that the league will likely re-design the league’s hallowed Stanley Cup in order to give it a more “modern and youthful” look.
“The Stanley Cup is one of the greatest things about our sport,” Bettman said. “And I think that when you have an asset that valuable, you want to see if there are ways you can improve it to have even more of a pay off.”
The commissioner says he has created a Stanley Cup re-design task force to find ways the trophy can be changed and updated “to better resonate with the modern sports fan.”
“I’m sure there are some who will say that this is sacrilege, but any true hockey historian knows that the Cup has been modified in the past, with the additions of the base and rings,” said the commissioner. “Attaching touch screens that display all the names of past winners and show highlights, for example, making it more interactive, is very likely the next logical step in the trophy’s history. We have also discussed having it sponsored by Dr. Pepper. Corporate tie-ins can really help with promotion and growing our game. Adding splashes of color to the trophy is another great option.”
Bettman’s press conference then wrapped up with him getting booed by the assembled media.
