The league ended up collecting about $96 million in its revenue-sharing fund, according to NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly, from high-revenue teams, national TV contracts and playoff revenue. That money is distributed to the 15 lowest-revenue teams, excluding any teams in major markets like the Chicago Blackhawks.
I laughed out loud at it due to the example of the Blackhawks. From what I've heard from Minty, they are far from the major market they used to be.
I was also pleased to find this wonderful story:
Welcome back, Ronnie!RALEIGH - The only thing retired about Ron Francis now is the No. 10 jersey hanging in the RBC Center rafters.
The future Hall of Famer and longtime leader on the ice for the Carolina Hurricanes will rejoin the organization as the Director of Player Development, general manager Jim Rutherford announced on Friday.
Francis will scout and work with young players in the Hurricanes' system.
He is the franchise's all-time leader in goals (382), assists (793) and nearly every other offensive category.
Rutherford approached Francis several times to gauge his interest in a front-office position shortly after Francis' retirement, which became official after the lockout that wiped out the 2004-05 season.
Francis, living in Raleigh with his wife and three children, put Rutherford off until this spring, when he indicated he was ready to come back.
"Jim and I had several conversations where he asked me, 'Are you happy in retirement, or are you looking to fill some of your hours?' " said Francis, 43. "I think this position excites me, mostly because it's an opportunity to get back into the game in an area where I'll have a lot of enjoyment.
"What I didn't want is a job where I just shook hands and grinned a lot."
Francis will report to the Hurricanes' director of pro scouting, Marshall Johnston, and his job will include traveling to the franchise's AHL affiliate in Albany, N.Y., to assess players.
Francis will also travel to meet with Carolina prospects in college and junior hockey and may get out on the ice with them to offer training tips.
Francis said he expects there to be a learning curve on the job, which will include learning how to assess the players' talents, salary cap and other financial considerations.
"This job gives me a great opportunity to learn the trade, to learn what it takes to evaluate talent at that level," Francis said.
Rutherford said that there is obvious adjustment any time a player moves from the ice into the coaching or management side of the organization.
"This is an important role. It's something that I've talked about for a long time in our organization. If we could find the right person, helping develop our future is very important," Rutherford said. "Certainly with Ron's playing ability and his leadership ability, this is a job that he should be very good at."
Francis played in 1,731 regular-season games -- third-most all-time in the NHL -- and ranks second all-time with 1,249 assists and fourth all-time with 1,798 career points. His name is etched twice into the Stanley Cup as a member of the 1991 and 1992 Pittsburgh Penguins championship teams.
