Wirtz isn’t alone in having that billion-dollar vision in this first year under the new collective-bargaining agreement. According to sources at the team and league levels, NHL executives informed the league’s audit and finance committee at a meeting on June 10 that the league projects bringing in an additional $1 billion of cumulative revenue over the next three seasons.

In 2011-12, the NHL’s last full season prior to this year’s lockout-shortened campaign, revenue totaled $3.2 billion. This year, with teams having played 48 regular-season games each, revenue is expected to be $2.4 billion. That’s 72 percent of the revenue with 58 percent of the games played.

The league has reason to be confident in the potential for that billion-dollar jolt. The NHL is producing six outdoor games next season: the Winter Classic, the Heritage Classic in Canada, and four games branded as the Coors Light NHL Stadium Series. League officials are poised for sponsorship additions (see item below). And by the end of this summer, negotiations are expected to begin for Canadian media rights deals. The Canadian Broadcasting Corp.’s agreement for the iconic “Hockey Night in Canada” expires at the end of next season. With TSN and Sportsnet looking to bid, the price is expected to rise significantly from the current six-year pact that pays $100 million annually.

Botta continues while offering "must-read" material.