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NHL teams are innovating ways to boost revenue amid a new season still impacted by the pandemic and one of those ideas includes hosting multiple outdoor games, reports say.
The Boston Bruins, Pittsburgh Penguins, Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings are exploring the possibility of hosting outdoor games with the hopes of having fans in attendance -- something that’s likely to come before fans are allowed to attend indoor events, The Athletic reported on Thursday.
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Outdoor games are certainly a fan favorite but ice conditions aren't always ideal for players.
According to the report, the league floated the idea of hosting more outdoor games to all 31 teams back in November but teams in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Washington and Minnesota all declined.
The NHL already has a few games a year played outdoors including the Winter Classic and the Stadium Series. More outdoor games would provide a much-needed boost in revenue for teams hard hit by the pandemic.
Commissioner Gary Bettman recently warned players that the financial burden would fall on them, it’s just a matter of when.
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“If we have to pay out lots of cash, two-thirds of which is going to come back to us, that may cause some stress,” Bettman said Wednesday. “And by the same token, if the players owe us more money than anybody imagined, the salary cap could well be flat or close to flat for the next five or six years, and players into the future will be repaying what we’re owed.”
The NHL’s new Collective Bargaining Agreement between the players and the owners agreed upon back in July, currently calls for players to defer 10% of their salary for the upcoming season and it puts a cap on how much money will be kept in escrow over the length of the deal.
Sources told The Associated Press that the league has raised the possibility of having players increase salary deferrals to 20% or 26% and increasing the escrow caps, although Bettman called those claims “unfortunate” and “inaccurate.”
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The league is expected to play a shortened season, which could feature as few as 48 games, but the exact start date remains unclear.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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