The NHL plans to bring back the World Cup of Hockey
An internal league memo dated September 5th was obtained by the SportsBusiness Journal this week, and details the league's plans to grow revenue. Those plans can accurately be described as extremely aggressive.
From the SportsBusiness Journal's Report (by way of ProHockey Talk):
The memo cites four touchstones as key to developing increased revenue for the NHL:
■ Expansion of the league’s core businesses: media, licensing and sponsorship.
■ The NHL’s big-event strategy, which in 2014 includes the Winter Classic and Heritage Classic and four additional outdoor games in major markets branded as the Coors Light Stadium Series: two games at Yankee Stadium and one each at Dodger Stadium and Soldier Field.
■ An increased presence in Europe, with more regular-season NHL games overseas, the return of the World Cup of Hockey — which, in 1996 and 2004, featured eight top national teams in a tournament in August — and plans for a Champions Cup competition between top European and NHL clubs.
■ Securing new Canadian media rights deals, which would begin in 2014-15.
In total the league is aiming for an additional $1 billion in national revenue.
The return of the World Cup of Hockey should be particularly exciting for North American hockey fans, especially those of us who grew up watching the epic 1996 tournament.