Gary Bettman got on the Hurricanes’ GM’s nerves

The NHL general managers' meeting began a few days ago, and we know things got heated yesterday.

There was a heated exchange between Gary Bettman and an NHL general manager… and we now know who it was.
Elliotte Friedman reports that Bettman got into it with Eric Tulsky, the general manager of the Hurricanes. And the worst part is that Eric Tulsky didn't do anything wrong…

Written 32:https://t.co/6d3EHQBRUA
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) March 19, 2026
Basically, here's what happened.
Tuslky challenged Bettman, telling him that the NHL needed to impose harsher penalties for hits to the head. Bettman disagreed with him, and it caused a bit of a row.
Oh, and Tuslky also pointed out that calls regarding disallowed goals after contact with the goalie are inconsistent. And the NHL commissioner didn't like that either:

Tulsky reportedly not backing down from raising concerns https://t.co/WCBG5hc54V pic.twitter.com/agoeG4OQTH
— Ryan Henkel (@RyanHenkel_) March 18, 2026

In a work environment like that, moments like these can happen.

NHL GMs and executives are passionate, after all… and that can create some tension when discussing certain topics.
But in all of this, Eric Tulsky has nothing to be ashamed of because his main priority is the players' health. He wants the rules to be the same for all teams, and he wants players to be better protected on the ice.

At this point, it just makes sense…
I wonder if this will affect the reputation of the Hurricanes' GM and the NHL's executive leadership, though. Tulsky has, after all, challenged the league commissioner, and one has to wonder if that will come with certain consequences…

In a nutshell
— Good idea.

Chris Johnston: Re Hockey Canada: When Sidney Crosby retires… I think Hockey Canada would approach him and see if he would want to… pick an Olympic team down the road the way Wayne Gretzky did – First Up (3/17)
— NHL Rumour Report (@NHLRumourReport) March 19, 2026
— He's sensational.

Alex Ovechkin total goals (regular + postseason) per season:
2005/06 — 52 goals
2006/07 — 46 goals
2007/08 — 69 goals
2008/09 — 67 goals
2009/10 — 55 goals
2010/11 — 37 goals
2011/12 — 43 goals
2012-13 — 33 goals
2013-14 — 51 goals
2014-15 — 58 goals
2015-16 — 55 goals
2016-17 —… pic.twitter.com/8UYmjJgqZE
— Big Head Hockey (@bigheadhcky) March 19, 2026

— The coach is hilarious.

Martin St-Louis on the overtime play where Dobes set himself up for a pass to Hutson…@TVASports pic.twitter.com/wTzMIUIqVG
— Anthony Martineau (@Antho_Martineau) March 19, 2026

— Good point.

The WBC needs to stop living in the past. https://t.co/XAIqnKO18k
— Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) March 19, 2026