 Gary Bettman (the NHL's first commissioner), replaced John Ziegler's successor, Gil Stein.Bettman quickly accomplished one of his stated goals by signing a five-year, $155 million deal with the Fox Broadcasting Company to broadcast NHL games nationally beginning in the 1994–95 season.The deal was significant, as a network television contract in the United States was long thought unattainable during the presidency of Ziegler.