But long-term, we have to be sure we have a system where competitiveness isn't determined solely by dollars. What we need in large measure will be determined over the next couple of years. The good news is that by the time we have to make those decisions, we will have had nine years under the current system. We'll know what we need. We will have had a good look at what might be the most restrictive system of free agency in all of sport, and if that isn't good enough, we might have to look at something else.
Pension funds invest in things all the time.
That's not the first or the last time pension funds invest in pro sports teams. When you have the deep pockets and resources of an additional equity participant, that's a good thing. But Bettman continued to lobby for a new Pittsburgh arena to replace Mellon Arena, the league's oldest. North Americans are too blinkered to grasp that the NHL reaped considerable international benefits from its involvement in the 1998 Olympics in Japan. But he also is realistic about what the NHL can get out of its shutdown and involvement in the 2002 Olympics.