FILE - In this March 22, 1979, file photo, Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider, left, talks with NHL president John Ziegler before an NHL Board of Governors meeting in Chicago. Former NHL President John Ziegler has died. He was 84. The NHL confirmed Ziegler's death in a statement by Commissioner Gary Bettman. Ziegler was living in Florida. The cause of death was not immediately known.(AP Photo/File)
FILE - In this March 22, 1979, file photo, Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider, left, talks with NHL president John Ziegler before an NHL Board of Governors meeting in Chicago. Former NHL President John Ziegler has died. He was 84. The NHL confirmed Ziegler's death in a statement by Commissioner Gary Bettman. Ziegler was living in Florida. The cause of death was not immediately known.(AP Photo/File)

John Ziegler Jr., the NHL president who oversaw the merger with the World Hockey Association and was eventually ousted following labor unrest and a players strike in 1992, has died. He was 84.

The NHL confirmed Ziegler’s death on its website, although the cause was not known. He was living in Florida.

Ziegler was the NHL’s fourth president, succeeding Clarence Campbell in 1977 and serving 15 years. He was the first American to run the league and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987.

Two years after he became president, the NHL merged with the WHA. It added four teams from the upstart league — the Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, Quebec Nordiques and Hartford Whalers.

While the Jets, Nordiques and Whalers eventually relocated, the Oilers quickly found success in the NHL, winning four Stanley Cups between 1984 and 1988 on a superstar-laden team led by Wayne Gretzky.

The Oilers posted a picture of Ziegler handing the Stanley Cup to a beaming Gretzky on the team’s Twitter feed.

Bettman said in a statement that Ziegler was “instrumental in the NHL’s transition to becoming a more international league” by increasing the number of European players and opening the door for Russians to compete in North America.”

The commissioner noted that while Ziegler was president, the league expanded from 18 to 24 teams, the share of European-born players in the NHL grew from 2 to 11 percent and games between NHL and European clubs became a nearly annual tradition.

Contentious labor talks between the NHL and the NHL Players Association over playoff bonuses, free agency and pension funds led to the players voting to strike in the final weeks of the 1991-92 season. The strike lasted 10 days.

League owners unhappy with the labor agreement ousted Ziegler two months later. He was replaced on an interim basis by Gil Stein. The NHL hired Bettman the following year and appointed him the league’s first commissioner.

Friday’s Games

Lightning 3, Golden Knights 2

Las Vegas — J.T. Miller scored his third goal of the season, Andrei Vasilevskiy stopped 29 of 31 shots and Tampa Bay beat Vegas.

Tyler Johnson and Brayden Point also scored for Tampa Bay, which extended its point streak to seven games, going 6-0-1 over that stretch.

Jets 2, Red Wings 1

Detroit — Defenseman Dustin Byfuglien got his 500th career point when he snapped a tie with 6:45 left, and Winnipeg beat Detroit.

Winnipeg won for the fourth time in five games. Kyle Connor scored in the second period, and Laurent Brossoit stopped 27 shots.

Hurricanes 4, Sharks 3 (so)

Raleigh, n.c. — Brock McGinn scored in regulation and had the lone shootout goal in Carolina’s victory over San Jose.

Carolina outshot San Jose 23-6 from start of the second period to the midpoint of the third and finished with a 41-23 edge. It was the first time the Sharks had been outshot this season.

McGinn, Teuvo Teravainen and Dougie Hamilton scored for Carolina in the second period, and Teravainen assisted on Hamilton’s goal. Antti Suomela, Timo Meier and Tomas Hertl scored for the Sharks.

Petr Mrazek made 20 saves for Carolina, and Aaron Dell stopped 38 saves for San Jose.