NHL and NHLPA executives are expected to announce on Friday the details of the rekindled World Cup of Hockey, a tournament that will feature eight teams, including two unconventional ones.
[b]Nick Mullens Super Bowl Jersey[/b] . Besides Canada, the U.S., Russia, Sweden, the Czech Republic and Finland, the league and union will announce a European All-Star team will participate. That team will be stocked with players who come from countries other than those participating as nations. Also, the tournament will feature a team with North American players under the age of 23. An executive with an NHL sponsor confirmed the details to TSN. The tournament will also feature a best-of-three final, which will help to drive up the broadcast and sponsor rights for the tournament both in North America and Europe. The National Hockey League and its players association have told team executives they hope to generate between $75 million and $100 million from the rekindled World Cup of Hockey. A person familiar with the matter told TSN that the tournament, which is scheduled to be held in September 2016, will raise about half its revenue from the sale of broadcast and internet streaming rights. The NHL and NHLPA have predicted those rights may garner close to $50 million. Its a gamble to spend so much on a tournament like the World Cup when theres no guarantee Team Canada will advance beyond the round robin portion. But if it does, there could be a big payoff in TV ratings. The final of the World Cup will be a best-of-three format, TSN has learned. Besides TV rights, the NHL and NHLPA will also sell sponsorship rights to the World Cup. They anticipate selling to eight premier corporate sponsors and negotiating deals of at least $1.5 million in each category, a source told TSN. The NHL and NHLPA will also garner revenue from ticket and merchandise sales. However, its expected that the NHL and the Players Association will have to pay Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment at least $5 million for hosting the three-week tournament. While executives with the Montreal Canadiens wanted to host some of the World Cup games at the Bell Centre, the NHL and its players union decided to host all of the games in Toronto. That way, if the tournament is a success, they could auction off the rights to host the games in 2019, perhaps, to the city that offers the best revenue guarantee - be it Montreal, New York, Stockholm, Moscow, or another city. To be sure, there are still many unanswered questions about how much profit the NHL and players union will generate from the World Cup. They need to pay for insurance for all of the players. Typically, the NHL and the Players Association buy premiums that offer better coverage than simply career-ending policies. Payouts are rare, but they do happen. The Islanders John Tavares, for instance, was covered by an insurance policy when he was injured during the Winter Olympics earlier this year in Sochi, Russia. The Islanders were compensated by an insurance company for the time he missed. Its unclear how much insurance will cost the NHL and NHLPA. Then Hockey Canada president Bob Nicholson said last August that it would cost at least $1 million simply to pay for insurance for the 47 Canadian players invited to Team Canada workouts in advance of the Winter Olympics. NHL player agent Allan Walsh said some NHL players have been skeptical over whether its a good idea to steer away from the national team concept. Some players believe this should be limited to players playing for their country, Walsh told TSN. What are you playing for if its Team Young Guns or European All Stars? What are you playing for? Thats a problem. Its an issue. Walsh said featuring a young guns team particularly could lead to lopsided scores. The downside is that team gets pounded, Walsh said. I dont think it would have an impact on the players psychology or career - just an impact on the legitimacy of the team in the tournament, when people sit back and say whether this kind of team was a good or bad idea. Still, Walsh and other agents said there could be a great payoff for the league from marketing a team built around young stars like Nathan McKinnon, Connor McDavid and Jonathan Drouin. Walsh said that while some fans have called for the NHL and NHLPA to include teams from Slovakia or Slovenia, that might not be practical, since the tournament is run by the league and its players association - both of which want to use the event to build the profile of their own players, not those playing in leagues overseas.
[b]Jalen Hurd Super Bowl Jersey[/b] . -- The Chicago Bears have agreed to terms with safety Brock Vereen and QB David Fales on four-year contracts.
[b]Solomon Thomas Super Bowl Jersey[/b] ... as usual. Even with the salary cap being set lower than many general managers expected and hoped for at $69 million and whats considered a shallow pool of top-end players available, this unrestricted-free-agent period figures to follow the familiar script of teams bidding up prices to keep up with each other.Calgary, AB (SportsNetwork.com) - Patrick Marleau scored the game-winning goal midway through the third period as the San Jose Sharks extended their winning streak to four games with a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames on Saturday. Logan Couture and Justin Braun each had a goal and an assist and Tommy Wingels supplied two helpers for San Jose, which received 33 saves from Antti Niemi. Were finding a way to win and thats great to see, said Marleau. Mark Giordano and Johnny Gaudreau each scored for the Flames, who had their four-game winning streak halted. Karri Ramo stopped 27-of-30 shots in defeat. The Sharks went ahead with 9:18 remaining as Coutures pass attempt from behind the net was deflected by the stick of a Flames defender and landed in the crease, where Marleau whacked it home for a 3-2 lead. Calgary went on the power play with 1:19 to go and pulled Ramo for a 6-on-4 advantage. The Flames got shots on net, but Niemi stood tall as San Jose held on for the win. Giordano stepped into David Jones pass from the left circle and blasted a shot from the point past a screened Niemi for tthe games opening marker with 2:28 to play in the first period.
[b]Fred Warner Super Bowl Jersey[/b]. Braun pounced on a loose puck at the right circle and tied the game with a backhander 33 seconds into the middle stanza. San Jose took a 2-1 lead after Couture gathered the puck and moved it from his forehand to backhand before snapping a shot past Ramo. They pressured us and got us with two quick goals, Calgary head coach Bob Hartley said. Once again we never stop. Thats one credit that our players deserve. Niemi extended his pad to deny Gaudreau of a tip-in, but the electrifying rookie took the loose puck in the crease and tapped it into the net for a tied game with 2:11 to play in the second. Game Notes Couture now has 19 points in 17 career games against the Flames ... Wingels and Marleau have both registered a point in four straight games ... San Jose is now 6-0-0 with forward Mike Brown in the lineup ... Sharks forward Tyler Kennedy left with an injury early in the first period ... The Flames entered the game with three straight wins against the Sharks. ' ' '
