from Allan Muir of Sports Illustrated,

The introduction of a military veteran has become a feel-good staple during stoppages of play during games around the National Hockey League. It’s a chance for fans to recognize a local hero and thank him or her for their service.

It’s also a nice community-minded gesture made by the clubs. At least that’s true in some cases. In others, it’s a chance for teams to use patriotism to add to their bottom line.

Contracts between the Pentagon and teams from five pro sports leagues that were designed to promote military service cost taxpayers more than $10 million over the past four years, according to a report issued Wednesday by Arizona Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake.

The joint oversight report, entitled “Tackling Paid Patriotism,” focused mainly on deals between the U.S. Department of Defense and the NFL. It did, however, name six NHL teams that it says accepted “paid patriotism” funds from various arms of the DOD in the fiscal years 2012 to ’14:

continue for those team, Boston, Carolina, Dallas, Detroit, Florida and Minnesota...