I kind of don’t care about the NHL trying to clamp down on long-term contracts. I think it’s a stupid loophole that teams are exploiting, but I also think it’s one that needs to be closed during contract negotiations, not after. But I can totally get that the NHL wants to make sure everyone works [...]

While Donald Fehr, the legendary head of Major League Baseball’s players union, hasn’t taken the NHLPA job quite yet, it seems like he’ll eventually accept the gig. It also seems like someone is working with the NHLPA to give them leverage moving into the next Collective Bargaining Negotiation. Otherwise, would Ilya Kovalchuk’s camp really be [...]

With all of the Ilya Kovalchuk drama going on, it’s time to take a deep breath and ask a simple question: What is the business of the NHL? What is the NHL there to do? What does it make? I would argue the NHL makes hockey. The goal of the league is to allow players [...]

As a public service to both Ilya Kovalchuk and hockey fans, I’m going to list some things Kovalchuk could have done to prevent his extended stay in NHL Free Agent Purgatory. Free Samples At the end of the 2007-08 season, Marian Hossa left Pittsburgh to sign a one-year deal with Detroit. Hossa could have gotten [...]

I love how the LeBron James sweepstakes bled into the NHL. First of all, I can’t help but think Ilya Kovalchuk’s contract demands are at least partially, and perhaps subconsciously, driven by the James’ free-agency. You can’t help but think Kovalchuk’s camp sees parallels, what with their announcing dates when a decision will be made [...]

I’m not going to even pretend to really understand the finances of the NBA or the NHL. In fact, to be perfectly honest, I’m not even going to pretend to understand my personal finances. Mostly I just barter for what I need. Having said that, I believe Ted Leonsis when he says the NHL is [...]

Why NHL teams locking down players into long-term contracts really could be an even bigger problem: Raised as Scientologists, Christie King Collbran and her husband, Chris, were recruited as teenagers to work for the elite corps of staff members who keep the Church of Scientology running, known as the Sea Organization, or Sea Org. They [...]

Sam Donnellon had an interesting column, writing that the NHL should have a revenue-sharing model rather than a salary cap. Donnellon makes the case that hockey is similar to baseball, in that individual teams negotiate their own TV contracts. Baseball teams share revenue and have a luxury tax for those who exceed certain levels of [...]

Adrian Dater points out Monday’s Avs-Flames game drew just 11,448 fans. The comments on Dater’s post are interesting. Some say attendance is low because the Avs play the same teams over and over. Other people said it’s a marketing issue. One poster said Avs fans are still put off by last season’s debacles. I’m going [...]

Forbes released their annual NHL franchise valuations and things actually look pretty good for the league. Or at least for some of the franchises. The average operating profit was $6.1 million, aggregate income increased, as did average franchise value. Unfortunately, this wasn’t an across the board thing for the all of the franchises. While successful [...]