Buffalo Boy's Blog
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The NHL has set its new 2008-2009 salary cap and its not pretty, at least not for any market outside of Toronto, NY, Detroit, Montreal or maybe Chicago.
The NHL reported that their salary cap is going up $6.4 million. The new minimum is $40.7 million while the top is now over $56 million a season. The maximum salary that a team can now sign a player for is $11.4 million.
Okay, last time I checked there was still no significant TV revenue coming in, no more tickets to be sold, no more marketing money coming in so what gives here? Where is the league making the money to pay their players and implement a higher cap?
The league is managing it themselves this time. After getting things under control, they have officially gone over the line again into dangerous waters where small market teams can't get to the high end of the salary cap without losing money.
Something has to give here, Gary Bettman if hes guilty of anything is failure to promote this sport and make it more than what it is on a revenue basis. His job as comissioner has got to be at least in part, digging it out of the 4th major sport (thats a distant 4th) and generating some TV revenue. Otherwise, the salary cap isn't really a salary cap anymore its a joke.
$56 million a year? I want to see where the league made more money that justifies them raising it another $6 million. More TV revenue is really the only way small markets survive.
Look at the NFL, a major reason why Green Bay remains viable, not because of the tickets they sell but because of the TV revenue the NFL takes in. The NHL will never be the NFL, but they can at least justify how they are doing what they are doing since the last CBA with salaries which are totally off the wall again.
The players were worried they wouldn't make the money again, well here they are and it doesn't take $100 million payrolls to do it, just even caps right across the board. Only difference is, half the teams won't make money at the bottom of this cap structure in 2008/2009 much less at the top of the structure. In a league that unlike the NFL derives most of the salary cap from ticket revenue as opposed to TV raising the cap this fast is dangerous.
This time if the league shuts down at the end of this CBA, they deserve all the negative press they get. They are digging their own hole.
It's simple. The Canadian dollar is now just about par with the US dollar. The six Canadian franchises carry this league.
Bettman should send Dubya flowers.
I knew the Canadian teams would be stronger and thats good, but if this league is surviving on 6 teams, its time to eliminate 6 teams at the next CBA. I would nix Florida, Columbus, Nashville, Bring Pheonix back to Winnepeg, bring Carolina back to Hartford or move them back to Quebec and bring back the Nordiques and Atlanta can go bye bye. Time to reel this thing in a little for the good of the rest of the league.
Tampa can stay they have been viable and have a good team that will draw from the northern tourists, Dallas is well established so they can stay put.
Don't forget, we need to add a team to Southern Ontario, the greatest NHL market on the planet.
Hamilton would work - heck, throw another in Cambridge.
And yes, Winnipeg deserves to have their team back.
How bout a revamped old school Adams Division with the Leafs, Buffalo, Montreal, Quebec, Boston and Ottawa Move Columbus up to Quebec