Gil Stein Gilbert Stein ( born 1928 ) is a former National Hockey League executive , serving as vice - president and legal counsel for nearly 15 years before becoming president in 1992 . He served in that role for a year until the owners chose Gary Bettman as a permanent successor . Stein was initially inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1993 but withdrew after allegations that he had improperly manipulated his own nomination . Biography . Early career . From Philadelphia , Stein attended Temple University and received a law degree from Boston University in 1952 . He worked for the City of Philadelphia in several roles , including deputy district attorney , executive director of the Philadelphia Housing Authority , and regional director of the Pennsylvania Labor Relations Board . Stein then joined the law firm of Blank Rome Comisky & McCauley in Philadelphia . He was general counsel for the Philadelphia Flyers hockey club , and in 1976 became the Flyers ' executive vice - president and chief operating officer . He was also the first president of the Flyers ' minor league affiliate , the Maine Mariners . Joins the NHL . A year later , Stein left the Flyers to join the NHL , where he served as vice - president and general counsel for 15 years . On June 22 , 1992 , Stein was announced as the new president of the league and formally took the position , succeeding John Ziegler . Ziegler had been forced out by owners dissatisfied with his agreement with the NHLPA , that ended a ten - day players ' strike initiated by Bob Goodenow . As president , Stein greatly expanded the visibility of the president ' s office during his term , often seen at games and being frequently interviewed on air and in print . Among his early actions after becoming president was a shake - up of league officers , ousting several vice - presidents , including Brian O ' Neill , who had been the league ' s disciplinarian under Ziegler . Stein personally took over responsibility for league discipline , making it mandatory that suspended players pay their fines . He also implemented a policy of suspending players from practices on non - game days , instead of having them miss games . He advocated the use of NHL players at the 1994 Winter Olympics , but ran into opposition on the issue from team owners . The league hired an executive search firm to help find a new commissioner at the same time that Stein ' s appointment was announced . Before the end of 1992 , NHL governors selected Gary Bettman to become the league ' s first commissioner , starting on February 1 , 1993 . Stein had been a finalist for the job , but bowed out to avoid an internecine battle , and threw his support to Bettman . When Stein ' s term ended on July 1 , 1993 , the duties of the president were given to the commissioner . Stein then served as advisor to the commissioner for over three months , retiring from the league in October . Hockey Hall of Fame controversy . In March 1993 , Stein was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame . When news of Stein ' s election was announced on April 2 , it caused an uproar in the Canadian media . Bruce McNall , chairman of the NHL board of governors , who wrote a long letter recommending Stein ' s nomination to the Hall , was accused of orchestrating the whole arrangement as part of a severance package for Stein , in gratitude for his cooperation in stepping aside in favor of Bettman . McNall denied that any such deal was made . Within days , NHL commissioner Bettman ordered an investigation into the election process . In August 1993 , the NHL counsel appointed by Bettman issued a report finding that Stein had not violated any laws or league by - laws in being elected to the Hall of Fame , but , in that counsel ' s opinion , Stein had " improperly manipulated the process of nomination and election to the Hall to assure his election . " The issues were these : In view of the counsel ' s opinion , Stein withdrew his nomination and was not inducted . Mr . O ' Neill was inducted the following year . Stein ' s defence . Stein told his side of the story in his 1997 book , " Power Plays : An Inside Look at the Big Business of the National Hockey League " ( Birch Lane Press ) , pointing out that : He did admit : Stein continued to serve as Bettman ' s special advisor for three months after conclusion of the HOF incident , retiring in October 1993 . Post NHL career . After retiring from the NHL , Stein served in Washington as special counsel to the U . S . Senate ' s Select Committee on Intelligence , and subsequently as Special Assistant to U . S . Senator Arlen Specter , who was then serving as vice chairman of the Commission looking into the effectiveness of U . S . government agencies in dealing with the threat of weapons of mass destruction , a commission appointed by President Clinton . Stein ' s book , " Power Plays " , was published in 1997 . Since 2000 , Stein has served as an adjunct professor at Villanova University Law School , teaching sports law . References . < div class = " references - small " >