NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is the longest-tenured chief executive across all North American professional sports leagues all time at 32 years, but his

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is preparing to retire in "a couple years," according to a team owner, and the league is in the process of finding a successor. Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold revealed the development during a podcast interview when asked about the current state of the NHL,

Bettman says he hasn't given the Board of Governors a timeline, but the executive committee is in a formal process of finding a successor.

At 72, Gary Bettman is in no rush to step into retirement. But the NHL has started taking steps to creating a suitable succession plan for when that day comes.

The NHL is starting to think about life without Gary Bettman. Though Bettman's retirement isn't imminent, Minnesota Wild owner Craig Leipold told The Athletic's Michael Russo and Chris Johnston that the Board of Governors' executive committee has formally begun the process of finding a replacement for the longtime NHL commissioner.

Ladies and gentlemen, the day that we’ve all waited for has finally come. Well, maybe not exactly yet, but the day is coming. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has reportedly informed the NHL’s Board of Governor’s his plans for retirement and will walk away from the sport “in a couple years.