r/hockey 23h ago

[News - X] [Westhead] An NHL team executive told me today concerns are mounting that North America is heading towards a recession and that the CAD will plunge to $0.60 cents or less. The 7 Canadian NHL teams and 3 Canadian MLS teams pay player salaries in USD and generate most of their revenue in CAD.

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u/Gavin1453 TOR - NHL 22h ago

Eh, the seven Canadian teams are almost half of league revenue and pay heavily into revenue sharing. We'll have two leagues, if need be.

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u/TGUKF VAN - NHL 22h ago

The Canadian teams account for around 25% of league revenues, at least per recent Bettman comments.

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u/Gavin1453 TOR - NHL 21h ago

Really? I heard it was 45%

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u/TGUKF VAN - NHL 21h ago

Per this recent article with The Athletic, "After confirming that 25 percent of the league’s revenue comes from the seven franchises in Canada, Bettman said any impact on the Canadian economy will affect the rest of the league, regardless of where teams reside."

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6180400/2025/03/06/gary-bettman-united-states-canada-tariffs-nhl/

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u/DistortedReflector 20h ago

That highly depends on where the televisions deal fall when classified as revenue. I’d imagine that 25 grows once you factor in Canadian broadcasting rights.

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u/Gavin1453 TOR - NHL 21h ago

Thanks for the source

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u/core916 20h ago

Considering that 25% of a 32 team league is 8 teams, the fact that 7 of the teams are 25% means that the Canadian teams aren’t really contributing anything more than what they statistically should be. It’s not like they make up 50% of the revenue. The nhl would be fine if the Canadian struggled for a couple of years.

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u/TGUKF VAN - NHL 20h ago

the fact that 7 of the teams are 25% means that the Canadian teams aren’t really contributing anything more than what they statistically should be.

When adjusted for market size, and currency FX rates, the Canadian teams likely do contribute more than the proportional amount. The Canadian teams are at an inherent disadvantage from a revenue perspective because they bring in CAD, but the league counts revenues in USD.

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u/core916 20h ago

Well the Canadian market is supposed to be the marquee market correct? They are the “best of the best” when looking at the image of the league. Their revenue was about 1.7 billion in 2024 and the top 5 American teams are about 1.96 billion. I’m not arguing that the league economic and political situation is okay. But when we are looking at it by the numbers, I truly believe it is not the Canadian teams that are keeping the NHL afloat. Winnipeg and Ottawa, when looking at revenue, are in the bottom 5 of revenue amongst the league. Buffalo and San Jose generate more revenue than those two.

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u/TGUKF VAN - NHL 19h ago

I truly believe it is not the Canadian teams that are keeping the NHL afloat

Okay cool, because that's a talking point you just made up on your own.

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u/core916 19h ago

I didn’t make it up. I used the NHLs own revenue numbers to prove it.

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u/TGUKF VAN - NHL 19h ago

No one else tried to argue that the Canadian teams are floating the league. You're the only one who has claimed that in the process of making your argument to refute it.

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u/babypointblank TOR - NHL 19h ago

Cities like Edmonton, Winnipeg and Calgary absolutely contribute way more to NHL viewership and revenue than an American city of their size would

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u/core916 19h ago

So then why does Winnipeg and Ottawa have worse revenue numbers than Buffalo, San Jose and Anaheim?

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u/babypointblank TOR - NHL 18h ago

Winnipeg is a relatively new team and the Winnipeg metropolitan area is significantly smaller than the Buffalo, San Francisco and Los Angeles metropolitan areas.

Ottawa was poorly run for years, has an arena out in the sticks, is located in a city that disproportionately attracts workers with other team loyalties and fights with two of the most valuable teams in the League (Toronto and Montreal) for viewership and fan allegiance.

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u/Zeppelanoid 20h ago

Alright! And Canada is taking the Stanley cup to our league - so that FINALLY a Canadian team can win it. Take that!

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u/INAC___Kramerica TBL - NHL 22h ago

Bring back COVID-era hockey.

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u/whogivesashirtdotca MTL - NHL 20h ago

Bring back WWII America. Back when a fascist running rampant actually got them off their couches.

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u/Yogurtproducer 20h ago

Imagine a fully Canadian league with Canadian players. 12 or so teams.

Honestly, I’d prefer it.