Bettman Vague on Tough NHL Questions

The NHL had a news conference at Busch Stadium on Tuesday to formally announce the 2017 Winter Classic featuring the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues, but the Jan. 2 game at the baseball stadium wasn't the only topic of discussion.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman also addressed a variety of other subjects, although he wasn't keen on talking about his denial of a link between concussions and the brain disease CTE. Those comments have become highly controversial.

"We're here to discuss something else," Bettman responded when asked by the Tribune to clarify his stance that there is not a connection between concussions and the brain disease that has proven deadly to several former players — an issue that again came to the forefront last month when from U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D.-Conn.) challenged him on the issue.

"I think if you read the letter that I sent to Sen. Blumenthal, it said we're not going to have a public debate about this."

Hockey Betting Games

Bettman also talked about other topics that could impact hockey betting games with the season almost two months away. Futures bets will be available at SportsBetting.ag. If you want to get in on the action now with hockey betting games, odds are available on the World Cup of Hockey, which starts Sept. 17 in Toronto.

The following are topics Bettman discussed during the recent press conference.

Will upcoming World Cup affect players' preparations for the 2016-17 season?

"We have a fair amount of knowledge about how this works from previous World Cups and from Olympic participation. Our athletes … treat their profession as a 12-month-a-year requirement. … They will be in great shape and they'll continue their mastery throughout the season."

NHL players participating in the 2018 Olympic Winter Games

"We probably won't get to it in terms of serious discussions one way or another with players' association and the IIHF and the IOC until winter. It's not on the front-burner right now."

Hurdles of coming to an agreement to play in the Olympics

"There have been a lot of reports about positions that either the IOC or the IIHF have or will take and that's something we'll have to analyze at the time we have to make the appropriate decision."

NHL plans to procure the drug test results from the Sochi Olympics

"As far as we know, and I think there was a report, it didn't seem to implicate NHL players."

NHL is having too many outdoor games?

"If the only thing you've ever done is watch them on TV I suppose. But … they're all different, they're all special. They capture the imagination and anybody who has been to one of these would tell you they would come to as many as we could schedule."