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EP 02: Bill Daly on NHL Olympics Return, Expansion, and Player Safety | Inside The Game with Pierre McGuire
02/16/2026
EP 02: Bill Daly on NHL Olympics Return, Expansion, and Player Safety | Inside The Game with Pierre McGuire
Welcome to Episode 2 of Inside the Game with Pierre McGuire. Pierre sits down with Bill Daly, the Deputy Commissioner of the National Hockey League, for a rare look inside the league office and the decisions that shape hockey long before the puck ever drops. From Olympic participation and international growth to collective bargaining, player safety, and expansion interest, Bill shares how the NHL balances tradition, innovation, and the business realities of a global sport. Bill Daly is the Deputy Commissioner of the NHL, where he oversees key league operations including labour relations, international strategy, major events, and governance. A Dartmouth alumnus and NYU School of Law graduate, Daly joined the NHL in the late 1990s and has been a central figure in collective bargaining negotiations, Olympic participation efforts, and the league’s long term growth across North America and internationally. In this episode, Bill Daly and Pierre McGuire break down the evolution of women’s hockey since 1998 and the NHL’s support of the professional women’s game, the relationship first approach to collective bargaining, and why returning to Olympic hockey matters both competitively and financially. They discuss the new neck guard rule and player safety priorities, the surge in franchise valuations, the rise of non traditional markets producing elite talent, what the league looks for in expansion cities, and why the NHL opened a European office in Zurich. Bill also shares insight on the return of the World Cup of Hockey in 2028, efforts to address hockey’s cost barriers through learn to play initiatives, the complexities surrounding Russian participation internationally, and how Crosby and Ovechkin transformed the league while the next wave of stars prepares to take the torch. New episodes of Inside the Game with Pierre McGuire drop every Monday. Subscribe for elite culture insights, high level strategy, and unmatched access to the people who build greatness. Produced by 1TEAM Media.
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