00:00The National Hockey League drops the puck on its 109th season Tuesday night in a period of growth the league has never seen before.
00:07Record attendance and record revenue, plus league-wide parody, has fans everywhere and Commissioner Gary Bettman smiling from ear to ear.
00:18The league has never been stronger from a financial standpoint.
00:22The 2024-25 season posted a league record $7 billion in revenue.
00:27For comparison, that's less than a third of the $23 billion the NFL raked in for 2024, but it allows teams across the league to improve facilities, marketing, and most importantly, pay players and coaches more.
00:42The NHL's salary cap is set at $95.5 million for the 2025-26 season.
00:49According to the league, that number is expected to rise to $104 million in 2026-27 and $113.5 million for 2027-28.
01:01Doing the math, that means player payrolls for each team are set to rise by more than 25% over the three-year period.
01:09Players are already cashing in.
01:12Minnesota Wild forward Kirill Kaprizov signed a record-setting eight-year, $136 million deal last week, valued at $17 million per season.
01:22Speaking of capitalizing on success, the upcoming season will be paused in February for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, which will feature NHL players for the first time since 2014.
01:34Commissioner Bettman believes the success of the Four Nations Tournament has raised expectations for international events.
01:41You talk about storylines. We're going to the Olympics. Players are going back, and again, that shows the players' commitment to the game because it was important to them to be able to go to the Olympics.
01:52We have a couple of outdoor games in Florida, of all things. We're coming off a great season. Our competitive balance is extraordinary.
02:00And so when you look at how we start on day one, we're looking forward to what should be an incredibly good season.
02:07By good, Bettman could be talking attendance. A record 23 million fans packed arenas around the NHL last year, and the league expects that number to be challenged again this season.
02:18And if you needed one more sign, things are going right for the guys on the ice.
02:22The league completed a four-year collective bargaining agreement with the NHL Players Association in June without much negotiating drama at all.
02:31Ask Major League Baseball and the WNBA how much five years of labor peace would mean for their leagues and players.
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