Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

Will There Be A Tomorrow?

12/19/2012 at 9:30pm EST

from Tom Mayenknecht at O.Canada.com,

In honour of the Mayans and the angst-ridden westerners who conjured up warnings of so-called Judgment Day, here are my Top 12 reasons why this is the wrong time for the NHL to risk Armageddon:

1 Businesses don’t lock out employees during periods of steady growth: The NHL should be ashamed of itself for being in a lockout for even one day, let alone a 98-day stoppage that has angered fans, frustrated broadcasters and alienated more than a few corporate sponsors. Its growth rate of seven per cent per year transformed what was a $2.2 billion per year sector in 2004 to one hauling in upward of $3.3 billion in revenue last season. Do we even need 11 more reasons why this is the most wrong-headed of lockouts?

2 About two-thirds of the teams in the NHL are making money: An average of 17 franchises have been profitable in the years since the last lockout and 18 teams generated upward of $100 million in revenues last season. Another four are within striking distance of that revenue threshold and at least two of the money-losers in 2011-12 are traditional money-makers — the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche.

3 Canadian teams have never been on such solid ground: It’s bad business to alienate your bread-and-butter and that is what Canada is to the league. Five Canadian NHL clubs have sold out every game since 2005. A sixth — the Ottawa Senators — has used standing room to average more than 100 per cent capacity during that time, failing to sell out games in just two of those seven seasons.

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

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