Then to have Brett come along and follow in the footsteps, it's so gratifying. I get as much enjoyment out of watching Brett play as I did of entertaining people myself.

My job is to suggest and ratify and use any expertise that I might have gained over the 23 years in professional hockey to make our game a better game.

I feel, first of all, very privileged that these people think enough of me that they made me commissioner. And it's almost like, as Yogi Berra said, 'deja vu all over again.'

We have to get families back in the game, get back where Saturday night, everything stops. A case of beer comes out and a bottle of rye and anyone who comes to the house, they better want to watch hockey.

What makes it all worthwhile is we just play for the sheer enjoyment of entertaining people and... make our families and the team we played on and the people watching, proud of what we did.

All I've done all my life is just tried to better the game for our players and for those people watching.

If I told you that the big contract had nothing to do with my signing, Id be lying. It made the future secure for my family.