Gary Bettman doesn’t believe NHL teams tank for better lottery odds even though they absolutely do

The art of the tank is a masterful thing in the NHL. As a mostly unspoken, but definitely real, phenomenon, tanking is a tried and true method for teams who are down on their luck looking to change their fortunes by getting lucky in the draft lottery.

And yet, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman — who has held his post since 1993 — doesn’t believe tanking exists in the NHL. Bettman met with media on Tuesday in Montreal to answer some questions as part of a press tour when the subject of tanking was brought up. With generational talent Connor Bedard the consensus No. 1 draft pick come summertime, it’s no wonder we’re seeing some truly poor efforts from teams this year.

Bettman, however, was insistent that “nobody tanks” in the NHL.

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman on tanking: Nobody tanks.

He said it with a straight face.

Full comment: pic.twitter.com/Ss6rm0G5Rh

— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) January 24, 2023

Look, it’s true that players being paid to play hockey aren’t throwing games out there to aid in the tank effort. But, hockey organizations have definitely done their best to tank their seasons by gutting rosters during the offseason — hello, Chicago Blackhawks — or by making plans to sell hard at the trade deadline.

Just ask the Buffalo Sabres of 2014-15, who did everything in their power to tank for Connor McDavid but the lottery balls said otherwise. NHL fans were pretty skeptical of Bettman’s insistence that no one tanks in hockey.