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http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/article.jsp?content=20050527_164035_6528

ESPN dumps NHL


League revenues take another hit. How will this affect the CBA negotiations?

Sportsnet.ca -- ESPN has declined its option to retain National Hockey League broadcasting rights next season for $60-million US, Sportsnet has learned.

While some consider this a huge blow to the league and its exposure south of the border, there is a sense ESPN 2 may attempt to use this opportunity to negotiate a much cheaper rights fee.

Regardless, this decision will clearly have an impact on NHL revenues and may factor in to the current CBA negotiations as the pie continues to shrink.

Meanwhile, Bain Financial remains intent on buying the NHL. A memo was circulated around the league Friday announcing the group has tabled an offer of $4.3-billion for all 30 NHL teams. The offer would split the teams into three categories based on the estimated worth of each franchise.

 

[DJ_Tet]

Now there is a question. What happened to the rights fees this past year? Did ESPN have to pony up for the lockout?

 

[Phoenix]

I can't believe a financial interest would actually try to buy the entire NHL. That's not exactly the smartest investment where you're looking for a return.

 

[SickBoy]

I read somewhere the other day that there are some people pushing for a Canadian pro hockey league. While I question whether it would take off, I do wonder about the league's business model (that is, with TV deals dropping like flies and the league taking other hits) -- I would imagine outside of big markets, the majority of non-ticket league revenue must be coming from the CBC for Hockey Night in Canada.

 

[MIMIC]

:lol

Bout damn time.

 

[calder]

^ Banned. Or at least you would be if I could do it.

But, to balance it out some good hockey news especially for your lucky bums who live on the Left Coast.

Sutter to coach Canadian Juniors again

Brent Sutter

Canadian Press

5/27/2005 5:23:56 PM

CALGARY (CP) - Brent Sutter will return to coach Canada at the 2006 world junior hockey championship.

Sutter, coach-GM and president of the Red Deer Rebels, coached Canada to its first gold medal in eight years this year in Grand Forks, N.D.

The 2006 tournament will be held in Vancouver, Kamloops, and Kelowna, B.C.

Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds coach-GM Craig Hartsburg and Lewiston Maineiacs coach-GM Clement Jodoin will be the assistant coaches, Hockey Canada said Friday.

Sutter becomes the fourth head coach since the inception of Hockey Canada's Program of Excellence in 1977 to coach the junior team in consecutive years. The others are Stan Butler (2001-02), Dave King (1982-83) and Terry Simpson (1985-86).

Sutter, a native of Viking, Alta., played 18 NHL seasons with the New York Islanders and the Chicago Blackhawks and is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Islanders (1982-83). He led the Rebels to the WHL championship and a Memorial Cup title in 2001.

Hartsburg, a former NHL coach with Chicago and Anaheim, will make his international coaching debut while Jodoin was an assistant with the 2004 Canadian under-18 team.

Canada will hold a summer development camp in British Columbia in August.

I can't stress this enough - watching the WJC live is easily the most thrilling sporting event a hockey fan can go to excluding I guess a Stanley Cup Final... and that won't be a comparison you Vancouverites have to wrestle with again anytime soon huh?

:lol Sorry I literally could not resist. Auld might be solid though, don't worry.

 

[Cerebral Palsy]

Now if only this would happen to Baseball. No baseball crudding up Sportscenter. I can dream.

 

[Malakhov]

I thought ESPN gave the NHL a june 15th deadline hence why Bettman gave that deadline to the players association.

 

[spliced]

Good!

I want an endless stream of lost revenue to happen so it knocks some sense into the negotiations.

 

[Malakhov]

There's rumors going around that Pavel Datsyuk, Andrei Markov and a few other players have signed 1 year contracts without any escape clauses in Russia. If this is true, with the ESPN news, the NHL is starting to slowly die my friends

 

[calder]

There's rumors going around that Pavel Datsyuk, Andrei Markov and a few other players have signed 1 year contracts without any escape clauses in Russia. If this is true, with the ESPN news, the NHL is starting to slowly die my friends

:lol Come on now.

 

[Malakhov]

:lol Come on now.

It's certainly is dying in the states, at an alarming rate. Only the big markets are gonna survive there.

 

[darscot]

It's certainly is dying in the states, at an alarming rate. Only the big markets are gonna survive there.

Man I hope so. If they would have never expanded into all those money pit small market US teams the league would still be good.

There are reasons groups are trying to buy the NHL for 4.3 billion. The financial picture is now where near as bad as they are currently trying to portray. Kill Off the bottom six teams and the whole league would be back in the black.

 

[CB3]

Now if only this would happen to Baseball. No baseball crudding up Sportscenter. I can dream.

:lol :lol :lol This was exactly what i was thinking coming into this thread.

 

[Socreges]

I can't stress this enough - watching the WJC live is easily the most thrilling sporting event a hockey fan can go to excluding I guess a Stanley Cup Final... and that won't be a comparison you Vancouverites have to wrestle with again anytime soon huh?

:lol Sorry I literally could not resist. Auld might be solid though, don't worry.

Y'know, I'm quite sure Cloutier would have won the series in 2004 if he hadn't gotten injured. He was playing great, then Hedberg and Auld fucked things up.

That said, I'm not so comfortable with him as a #1 goaltender, but he had a great season and playoffs that year.

 

[darscot]

The series had little to do with Clouts. Shit I can't remember the goalies name in Calgary. Anyway he was hot as hell in that series. Just like Kirk in 94 the whole team rode him to the final. Bert was a huge factor we needed him to counter Iginla. You think Iginla would have been punching Ohlund in the head with Bert on the ice? I think not. You can never blame a goalie in a seven game series.

 

[Kung Fu Jedi]

Dying? Yes! Slowly? No!

 

[Agent Icebeezy]

Detroit Red Wings will always be a profitable franchise, can't say the same for the others

 

[Malakhov]

Detroit Red Wings will always be a profitable franchise, can't say the same for the others

I said 'cept the big markets ie: Detroit, Boston, Colorado etc..

 

[FightyF]

The series had little to do with Clouts. Shit I can't remember the goalies name in Calgary. Anyway he was hot as hell in that series. Just like Kirk in 94 the whole team rode him to the final.

That series didn't have anything to do with Kipper either. He was solid, but more importantly his defense was more solid. All it takes to beat Calgary's inexperienced D are skilled players, like Naslund, who can easily walk around these guys. Plus, speedy players like Rucinsky would have broke in with his speed. The loss of that series is completely due to Crawford IMO. He was totally outcoached.

 

[Malakhov]

Rucinsky :lol

 

[hobart]

I miss hockey so much.

 

[sprsk]

this is all poker's fault.

 

[darscot]

I agree with 100% about Crawford. I go to a lot of games and cannot count the number of times I see the flow of the game turn against us and he does nothing. I'm screaming "Call timeout, change goalies, do something!" and all he ever does is rag on whomever his current token whiping boy is.

 

[acidviper]

Just give up already, nobody cares about hockey. Especially where ice does not occur naturally.

 

[Malakhov]

Just give up already, nobody cares about hockey. Especially where ice does not occur naturally.

How about you give up caring about people who like hockey instead?

 

[Guileless]

I read recently that ESPN had across-the-board ratings increases for the programming they replaced hockey with so they're definitely not going to pay much for it now.

Surely this poker bullshit will die out eventually right?

 

[Fatghost]

As a proud Canadian, I say less hockey, more curling!

 

[Rocket9]

From what I've heard they didnt pick up their option because they know that they can get a new contract for less money. Still bad news though.

In the end I dont care because this sort of things was inevitable to fix the broken NHL Totally worth it once we have a cap and linkage. Im glad they had the guts to cancel the season, something the MLB will never have and, because of it, that stupid will get stupider every year(if possible)

 

[yggdrasil]

Not too hard to believe poker brings in more money than poker, but it's still hard to accept. Surely that bubble's going to burst...this year? Next year? Elections in '08?

 

[Fatalah]

4-GET you losers, baseball is here and thank God. I hate the goddamn football stories cluttering up SportsCenter.

"Randy Moss stubbed his toe in the shower today, what do you think about this Stuart?"

"WELL HOT DAMN! HE BE SLAMMIN ON ALL CYLENDERS IN THE LOCKERROOM HOTTUB!"

Pulleease! I know this country LOVES football and all, but it doesn't have the same elegance and beauty as two good baseball teams going at it.

Notice the popularity of baseball in the *blue* states compared to the red. Yes, its true, baseball fans are smarter too! :lol

 

[Drensch]

So they didn't renew a contact to something that won't happen, big whoop.

 

[Mike Works]

I hate the goddamn football stories cluttering up SportsCenter.

"Randy Moss stubbed his toe in the shower today, what do you think about this Stuart?"

Yeah that's terrible, baseball is much better.

"Randy Johnson stubbed his toe on the mound today, and it was the most exciting thing that happened in all of baseball this week."

 

[Malakhov]

Baseball is a joke and it ain't even funny.

 

[Fifty]

People shouldn't come into this thread and say shit about hockey. It's just making you, and fans of the sport you prefer look like fools. If you want to talk about how awesome baseball is, use a baseball thread. If you like football, well there are threads about football. Threads where the talk turns into "my sport > your sport" are incredibly idiotic.

 

[theo]

nhl will be on a sports network in the states when it comes back. it'll probably still be espn2. the nhl and espn will probably have a deal similar to the nbc deal where they do revenue sharing. this is a smart business decision by espn since they know they have the upper hand now.

 

[fallout]

People shouldn't come into this thread and say shit about hockey. It's just making you, and fans of the sport you prefer look like fools. If you want to talk about how awesome baseball is, use a baseball thread. If you like football, well there are threads about football. Threads where the talk turns into "my sport > your sport" are incredibly idiotic.

I agree.

Hockey > *.

 

[Rocket9]

I agree.

Hockey > *.

err...did you read his last sentence?

 

[Fatalah]

Sorry, not enough people stick up for baseball.

Hockey though, I do miss.

 

[God's Hand]

Hockey is the only sport I can stand watching. That said, I hope the NHL drops dead. The players are selfish pricks.

 

[fallout]

err...did you read his last sentence?

Heh, I thought it was pretty clear that was a joke.

 

[Rocket9]

I have trouble recognizing sarcasm on the Internet. I cant hear the tone of the voice and there's many idiots who are saying stupid things seriously

 

[fallout]

I have trouble recognizing sarcasm on the Internet. I cant hear the tone of the voice and there's many idiots who are saying stupid things seriously

Point taken. Although, I don't know if I'd call it sarcasm. I'd be more inclined to file it under fallout's retarded sense of humour.

 

[pestul]

I love hockey (Canadian Duh..), but I honestly hope the NHL folds and a new league is born. It would be a little sad if the Stanley Cup couldn't be purchased.. but I could get over it.

 

[dskillzhtown]

I can't believe a financial interest would actually try to buy the entire NHL. That's not exactly the smartest investment where you're looking for a return.

A group tried that a couple of months ago. The NHL owners declined.

 

[DJ_Tet]

So no one knows if ESPN had to honor the last year of their TV contract?

 

[Malakhov]

It was an option and they didn't pick it up. They know they'll be able to negociate this for much cheaper once hockey resumes because of the lockout.

 

[DJ_Tet]

No I understand that.

I'm talking about this past year, you know, when there was no hockey? There was still a contract, I'm curious if ESPN had to pay anything to avoid defaulting on the contract.

 

[KilledByBill]

Frankly I'm glad this happened. ESPN may have legitimate complaints about declining NHL ratings but they hardly made any kind of effort to promote the sport. Would it have been so hard to simply play American rivalry games? I'm talking Detroit/Colorado, Philly/NJ, St. Loius/Dallas, and Boston/New York(I know the Rangers are awful but unfortunately they still have many fans). Their choices for games would often include a popular team like Detroit but up against some small-time team like Pheonix or Columbus.

Besides when it gets to the point that some nerdy sportscenter anchor with glasses is making back-handed comments during NHL highlights then you know it's time to move on.

 

[ShadowRed]

No I understand that.

I'm talking about this past year, you know, when there was no hockey? There was still a contract, I'm curious if ESPN had to pay anything to avoid defaulting on the contract.

Not sure but the more I think about it ESPN didn't have to pay them. The NHL is the one that would have been in default of the contract as they didn't provide ESPN with any games to broadcast.