I'm thrilled to have this news to report: On April 6 I had another meeting with representatives from the NHL, including a brief face-to-face with commissioner Gary Bettman! I only spent about 10 minutes speaking with the commissioner, but during that time we discussed how the NHL and its teams have handled recent accusations of sexual abuse and domestic violence by players, and how those entities can do better. Although Bettman was very resistant to the idea of a zero tolerance policy for those accused of sa/dv, he demonstrated an understanding of the harm that institutions do by accepting or ignoring sexism in its ranks. We also talked about the role of casual sexism and misogyny in perpetuating the environment in which these crimes continue to fester. I walked away with a good feeling after our conversation. I started out my campaign to send a message to a league that allows its players to get away with violence against women with little to no punishment, and I'm still committed to working with the league to implement institutional consequences for perpetrators of violence. But when Bettman acknowledged the casual sexism that is rampant within the sport and indicated that he would take steps to address it, I understood that our campaign is also working to fight the culture that allows violence against women. It will take both cultural and institutional change to stop violence against women, and I'm proud of this first big step. You can read more about both of my meetings with the NHL here: https://themelissaverse.wordpress.com/2016/04/11/a-meeting-with-the-commissioner/. Our work is not finished, and until Bettman and the league take concrete steps to get better on these issues, all we have is talk. But I anticipate having more news to report soon, and I certainly look forward to sharing that as soon as it materializes. In the meantime I want to thank all of you for making these strides possible! I'd also like to send a special thanks to Christy Kondo, who donated her time and talent to create the "Not My NHL" banner at the top of the petition. My name is attached to the petition and all that goes with it, but Christy was a big part of getting this off the ground.