National Hockey League

LOL I am very surprised that you can Unilocal the NHL, however, anything goes these days and they’re just as much a business as anything else.
The NHL’s Problem: Only Three Teams Are Making Real Money according to a Forbes article I read in the doctor’s office a few weeks ago.
I am not a hockey fan and nor do I watch a lot of the games religiously as some of the people in the city of Vancouver do, however, every since the lock outs, strikes, bad mid season games, poor behavior etc. It’s generally a poorly run organization from the back end with financial focus in the wrong places and bad strategic branding moves in the places that are neglected.

Clearly the best ice hockey league in the world; the KHL only wishes not only if they had these big sell outs, but real fans who paid real money to go to the games, but I digress.
No doubt, with one strike and two lockouts since the 1980s, it has been up and down but for the sake of economics, this is what the NHL needed. Who knows, maybe if there was a salary cap implemented before, that Quebec Nordiques could’ve been saved.
With all the ‘new rule changes’ from the traditionalists: no 2-​line offside, no touch icing, etc., the game’s a lot faster than ever before, and so is the quality of entertainment. Sadly, for many Americans, this is one sport that you either have to be playing as a kid or go to an actual game to truly appreciate how fast the game is. Unfortunately, this is truly a rich man’s game, I recall reading a recent article that to pay for a kid’s equipment, league fees, etc. from peewee to juniors will cost $ 100,000. Ouch.
Putting in a team in Vegas sounds risky, but hey, it’s not my money so go for it lol. No risk, no reward so who knows. So far the drive is more than halfway to get the season tickets.
Definitely putting a team in Seattle is a NO-​BRAINER, most of the guys on my hockey team would buy some form of an ice pack, if not, more, as the Rogers Arena totally licks. As well as to watch the OTHER teams to play more lol. Just hope that Seattle rich dude gets the $$$ to build the stadium for both his basketball team too.
Just another excuse to go cross border shopping/​eating ;)

It’s about time fellas…

The NHL is a poorly run organization under its current commissioner Gary Bettman. The multiple labor disputes and lock outs are a scar on a fringe sport that continues to lose traction under its administration driven by greed. What a shame, I enjoy hockey and I’m instead forced to wade through the contractual mire.
History
Consisting of 30 franchised member clubs, of which seven are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States, the league is headquartered in Manhattan. The NHL is widely considered to be the premier professional ice hockey league in the world, and one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada. The Stanley Cup, the oldest professional sports trophy in North America, is awarded annually to the league playoff champion at the end of each season.
Organized on November 26, 1917 in Montréal, Canada after the folding of the National Hockey Association, which had been founded in 1909. It started with four teams and is now composed of 30 active franchises. The nation to which the name of the league originally referred was Canada, although the league has now been bi-​national since 1924 when it expanded into the United States. The NHL currently has players from about 20 different countries. American and European trained players have increased due to the NHL’s expansion from six to thirty teams since 1967.
Get It Together NHL

My first NHL game was in 1959 at the old MSG on Eighth Avenue. I still have the Ranger yearbook.
In the old day, the Rangers lived in Manhattan and Queens, and could be spotted riding the subways after the games. The players then, as they are now, were very accessible to the fans.
First and foremost, we go to the games to watch one of the best sports played anywhere. It’s played on ice by the players, not the owners. The problem today is that the accountants are involved. You see I understand how player’s contracts can be depreciated and written off, thus creating a paper losses for the owners. The owners I believe are entitled to make a fair return on their investment.
The former NHL business model was structured so that it was at the back-​end where the owners made their money. Ask Mr. McCourt how much he enjoyed selling the Dodgers? A lot more then he did when he owned them I’m sure.
It is only when an owner sells their team, that they get to reap a huge windfall. And, thus benefiting from the favorable tax treatment of long-​term capital gains. This is something the players still don’t share in by the way.
So, end the strike Mr. Owner’s Commissioner! Or, are you willing to let the players share in that Capital Gain? Put that on the bargaining table and see how quickly the NHLPA agrees to your ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ split. Hey, if you do that, then you’ll really be sharing the revenues, eh? Meh. I’ve experienced better.
–R/​Georgie M, a fan