Bettman 'stunned' by Habs' decision to draft Logan Mailloux

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman didn't mince words when talking about the Montreal Canadiens' controversial selection of Logan Mailloux during last week's draft.

"I was stunned. Surprised wouldn't begin to explain my reaction," Bettman said on "The Power Play with Steve Kouleas" on Thursday. "I'm a dad of two daughters, I have four granddaughters. What was done was horrific."

Mailloux was charged and fined in Sweden last fall for invasion of privacy and defamation after taking a photo of a woman without consent during a sexual encounter and distributing it.

He put out a statement last Tuesday asking teams not to draft him, writing that he hadn't "demonstrated strong enough maturity or character to earn that privilege."

Three days later, the Habs selected him 31st overall.

"Everybody's focusing on the player - he said he didn't want to be drafted, the Canadiens drafted him anyway," Bettman said. "There's no mechanism not to be drafted, it's not within the player's control in any circumstance to decide when he wants to be drafted."

Bettman acknowledged Canadiens owner Geoff Molson's statement on the selection, adding that the situation is going to "require evaluation going forward."

"I don't think anybody should lose sight of the impact of what happened on the victim and the victim's family," Bettman said. "While (Molson) said the Canadiens and Logan are going to try and make good, we're gonna have to see what that means moving forward in all contexts."

Bettman added: "They’re going to continue to see how this evolves, how he progresses ... and at the appropriate time, we may be called on if and when they want him to play and he wants to play."