Ottawa, Canada — The most popular professional sports league in North America, the National Football League (NFL), has the most “socialist” economic system of the four major leagues inNorth America, based on an assessment by The Conference Board of Canada – the latest in its series on the pro sports market.

“It is somewhat ironic that America, land of capitalism and free enterprise, is so fond of a league that has made sharing the wealth fundamental to its business model,” said Glen Hodgson , Senior Vice-President and Chief Economist.

In the National Football League, more than 80 per cent of league and club revenues are shared among the franchises. The NFL also has a “hard” salary cap that puts a ceiling on the amount of money franchises can pay players, one that applies equally to all teams. The one market-driven aspect is the NFL’s treatment of player talent- both in terms of the high salaries paid to top stars and the ease with which players can be discarded.

Moving from the economic “left” to “right”, the National Hockey League (NHL) is similar to the NFL in having a hard player salary cap. As part of the current collective bargaining agreement with its players – negotiated in 2005 and now expiring – the NHL has a salary floor and a complex revenue-sharing system. The NHL is willing to provide subsidies to its weaker clubs to protect the value of the stronger franchises, since bankruptcy of any team is not a good signal to prospective investors.

“The NHL model is a mixed economy which does try to equalize opportunity for all its franchises to be successful on the ice and profitable in the books,” said Hodgson. “The challenge for the NHL and its players in collective bargaining this year is to tweak this system without undue disruption to the business. Hopefully, both management and the players have learned from their experience in 2004-05 and they will not risk losing another season in these negotiations.”

Both the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball operate much like a modern capitalist economy. In general, the financial playing field in these leagues is not level, and the largest, richest markets and teams tend to be the most successful. Top players command massive salaries, which leads them overwhelmingly to suit up for the wealthiest teams.

No league in North America, however, compares to European football (or soccer) for unconstrained capitalism. The presence of unbelievably wealthy owners, little sharing of revenue among teams and leagues, and eye-popping player salaries is reminiscent of the “robber baron” era of capitalism in the 19thcentury. Clubs are very much on their own. The current liquidation of the Scottish club Rangers FC – one of the most storied teams in Europe – shows there is little financial security or assistance to those that slip.

Image Courtesy of  Richard Paul Kane / Shutterstock.com

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Minneapolis, U.S.A. – Lacrosse, which has been the nation’s fastest growing sport for years, will be added to the product mix at the 15th annual Let’s Play Hockey International Expo in Las Vegas, October 16-17, 2012. According to the National Sporting Goods Association, lacrosse participation in 2011 was at 2.7 million players nationally.

Currently, US Lacrosse, the national governing body for the sport, has over 420,000 registered members, an increase of over 10 percent from the previous year. Numbers continue to grow at the youth, high school, college and post-college ages. The sport also continues to migrate to new markets, especially the western parts of the United States.

Over $75 million (wholesale) was spent on lacrosse equipment in 2011 in the United States, an amount that has increased in each of the last five years. From a buying cycle and product mix, this is a natural addition to the current format of the Let’s Play Hockey International Expo which includes ice and inline hockey, figure skating and broom ball.

“The synergy between lacrosse and the current makeup of exhibitors and buyers is perfect,” said Doug Johnson, President of the Let’s Play Hockey International Expo. “The buying cycles and demographics are a great fit for the Expo. With the recent purchase of Cascade Sports by Bauer Hockey, along with Easton, Warrior and Reebok who are already in the lacrosse market, the hockey industry is very much connected to lacrosse. Plus, a large percentage of hockey players play lacrosse.

“Many current hockey dealers carry lacrosse and vice versa. Dealers are always looking for additional revenue streams and with lacrosse growing substantially each and every year, it is a perfect addition to the Expo.”

The hundreds of lacrosse dealers across the United States and Canada will be invited to Las Vegas at no admission charge. In addition, lacrosse manufacturers will be invited to exhibit. A demo event and tournament is being planned.

With the addition of lacrosse, the new show name will be the Let’s Play Hockey and Lacrosse International Expo. The 2012 Expo will take place October 16-17 at the Las Vegas Hotel & Casino.

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The You Can Play project, with the backing of numerous National Hockey League players and other supporters, is launching an aggressive advocacy program to change the sometimes homophobic culture of locker rooms with a message that athletes should be judged on athletic skill and ability, not sexual orientation or other discriminatory factors.

A large number of high-profile NHL players, including several All-Stars, are filming public service announcements (PSAs) in support of You Can Play. The first PSA debuts during the first intermission of March 5th NBC Sports broadcast of the game between the New York Rangers and Boston Bruins, with others to follow shortly. All videos can be found at YouCanPlayproject.org, which also will serve as a resource for straight and gay athletes, coaches and fans.

“The goals for You Can Play are clear,” according to co-founder Patrick Burke. “We want to make locker rooms safe for all athletes, rather than places of fear, slurs and bullying. The casual homophobia in sports has to change, so all athletes know that what counts is whether you can play the game.”

Burke, a scout for the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers, has been a straight ally in sports since his younger brother Brendan came out as gay while manager of the Miami University ice hockey team.  Brendan’s story became national news because of his closeness to the NHL and took on deeper meaning when he was killed in a 2010 car accident. Burke’s father, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, has joined Patrick in filming a PSA in support of You Can Play.

“The hockey community united behind Brendan because he loved the game, and that’s what matters. The NHL players stepping forward to support You Can Play know that creating a homophobia-free environment will make their teams – and the sport – better,” Patrick Burke continued.

“It’s important for straight athletes at all levels to step up and let gay athletes know they will be accepted, and to let other straight athletes know that homophobic language and attitudes are never appropriate. This project is a combined effort of gay and straight athletes and fans, but the message is largely for straight audiences.”

Said Brian Burke, general manager of the Maple Leafs, “The Burke family is very proud to carry on Brendan’s legacy by working to ensure that LGBT athletes, coaches and fans around the world are treated with respect by the sports world. The You Can Play project will serve as a tremendous resource for the sports community by providing them with the tools needed to create safe arenas.

I continue to be incredibly grateful to the NHL community for rallying around our cause and standing up for equality, and I look forward to seeing other leagues do the same. It has become abundantly clear to me that NHL players, coaches and management agree completely with our ideals: talent matters, sexual orientation does not. If you can play, You Can Play.”

2011 Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner Andy Miele, who was a friend of Brendan Burke’s while at Miami University and now plays in the Phoenix Coyotes organization, has stepped forward to talk about the importance of You Can Play. “The reason why I wanted to be a part of You Can Play is pretty obvious.

I had a relationship with Brendan, and if he was still here he would want to promote this more than anyone else,” said Miele. “I felt privileged when Patrick came to me and asked me to be a part of it and I look forward to investing this into players all over the world to make the sports world safe for gay athletes.”

While more than 30 NHL players have already volunteered to support the program, You Can Play will extend beyond hockey, encompassing all sports, athletes and fans. The organization is in active discussions with officials and players in several other sports leagues.

“Casual homophobia doesn’t belong in any sports setting, whether in the locker room or in the stands. You Can Play will help to change the behavior and acceptance of fans,” according to co-founder Brian Kitts, who has spent more than ten years in the front offices of professional hockey, basketball, lacrosse and soccer teams. “Most fans care about exciting games, great performances and wins, not whether a player is gay or straight.  Fans need to send the message to other fans that sexual orientation just doesn’t matter.”

Glenn Witman, the third co-founder of You Can Play, is a former hockey player at Hobart College and founder of GForce Sports, an elite gay hockey team and advocacy program.  “Any player, gay or straight, knows how homophobic locker rooms can be,” Witman said.  “Coaches and teams don’t get the best performance when a member of the team is forced to keep any secret or when any player feels shut out.  You Can Play shows coaches, team captains and players how important it is to focus on skills and work ethic, not personal differences.”

You Can Play will launch with a series of videos from professional athletes but will quickly begin adding user-generated content. The organization welcomes video content from pro teams, university teams and athletes, club athletes and sports fans who value skill and healthy competition first. Over the next year, You Can Play will provide educational materials, workbooks, online coaching and other high school- and college-based programs aimed at letting coaches and players discuss sexual orientation.

“Familiarity and understanding is the best way to promote acceptance,” Witman said.  “Athletes who work with us know that hurting your friends and teammates doesn’t get a win.”

The You Can Play website is augmented by a full suite of social media properties. Extensive outreach will be conducted on Facebook, Twitter (@YouCanPlayTeam) and YouTube (YouCanPlayProject) to grow the You Can Play community and further promote the organization’s goals and positive messages.

NBC Sports and HBO have joined the launch effort to support the creation and release of the PSA featuring NHL players. Initial funding for You Can Play was provided by the Gill Foundation, the Palette Fund and the Colin Higgins Foundation.

Web Site: http://www.YouCanPlayproject.org

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The Philadelphia Flyers scored three goals in the first period on Wednesday to beat the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 in their first matchup since their Eastern Conference quarterfinal last season.

Scott Hartnell, Sean Couturier and James van Riemsdyk scored early in the first period of play for the Flyers, making the Sabres have to exchange goalie Ryan Miller after 11 shots for backup goalie Jhonas Enroth. Flyers goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov came out of the game with 29 saves. The last time Miller was pulled due to a poor performance was after allowing four goals in one period at Florida on Dec. 17, 2010

“We were really peppering him early,” Hartnell said in an interview with Fox Sports after the game. ”Against a top goalie like that, to get him out of there, it was pretty good for us to get pucks on net.”

The rest of the game was played with the Flyers on the defensive; by the end of the game, Enroth only saw 15 shots. Sabres Andrej Sekera was able to score in the second period, ending Bryzgalov’s shutout opportunity. The Flyers also spent the whole period in the penalty box, collecting 23 penalty minutes mostly due to a 10 minute misconduct penalty on Zac Rinaldo.

Luke Adam scored eight minutes into the third period, bringing the Sabres one goal away from tying up the game and a needed overtime. However, the Flyers were able to hold off or interrupt any offensive attempts for the rest of the game.

“Everyone battled hard and we were rewarded with two points,” Bryzgalov said. ”It was a really tough game for us. We played very good in the first period, but then in the second period we turned over the puck and got some penalties.

The Philadelphia Flyers (7-4-1) travel back home to face the New Jersey Devils on Thursday, while the Buffalo Sabres (6-5-0) get to welcome the Calgary Flames on Friday.

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The Phoenix Coyotes, with the help of goalie Mike Smith, beat the Colorado Avalanche 4-1 on Wednesday, making it their third win in a row. Coyotes Taylor Pyatt was able to get the first goal eight minutes into the first period off a pass from Derek Morris. There were not many scoring chances throughout the rest of the period, and the only penalty was called on the Coyotes for delay of game.

The second period began with a couple power-play opportunities for the Avalanche, but Colorado was not able to capitalize on any of their chances. The Coyotes got their second goal of the game off the stick of Radim Vrbata with two minutes left in the period, and Ryan O’Reilly was able to score the first goal for Colorado 20 seconds later.

Lauri Korpikoski scored 24 seconds into the third period, which gave the Coyotes a two goal lead that they held for the rest of the period. The Avalanche pulled their goalie in the final two minutes of the period, but were not able to capitalize with the extra man. Vrbata was able to get around the Avalanche defense and score a second, empty-net goal in the final minutes of the game.

Smith saw made 39 saves throughout the game, allowing his team to stay aggressive and keep attacking throughout each period. Colorado goalie Semyon Varlamov made 24 saves, but was unable to keep every shot out of his net.

”Strong goaltending,” Coyotes coach Dave Tippett said in a post game interview with Fox Sports. ”We didn’t play as well as we would like, but our goaltender hung in there and battled hard for us and we found enough to win.”

The Phoenix Coyotes (6-3-2) travel back home to face the Nashville Predators on Thursday, while the Colorado Avalanche (7-5-0) head to Texas to face the Dallas Stars on Friday.

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In Joe Thornton’s 1,000^th game of his career, the San Jose Sharks were able to break their three-game losing streak and secure the  4-3 victory in a shootout against the New Jersey Devils Friday night.

Joe Thornton, Ryan Clowe, and Joe Pavelski scored during regulation for the Sharks to bring the game into overtime; and Michal Handzus and Ryane Clowe scored in the shootout. Anti Niemi made 19 saves in net for the Sharks.

Patrik Elias and Zach Parise put the Devils ahead by two goals early in the game, and David Clarkson scored in the third period to give New Jersey the lead halfway through the period. Johan Hedburg made an amazing 41 saves in net for the Devils.

New Jersey Devils center Josef Jacobson broke his right clavicle falling awkwardly into the boards in the first period of the game; Elias tied the franchise lead for most power-play goals with 92, tying with John MacLean.

San Jose (2-3-0) and New Jersey (3-1-1) are both playing again on Saturday, with the Sharks traveling to play the Boston Bruins and the Devils traveling to play the Pittsburg Penguins.

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On September 7, a plane crashed carrying the entire squad of the ice hockey team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl on the opening day of the KHL season in Russia. It was one of the worst tragedies to happen to Russian sports in history. Out of the 45 people on the plane, only two survived the initial crash that came to a rest on the bank of the Volga River.

Local citizens were the first to arrive at the scene of the crash. They were able to only pull the two survivors out to safety from the flames and debris before the plane was completely burned.

The survivors from the crash included the air mechanic of the plane and hockey player, Aleksandr Galimov. Both men were treated for severe burns and fractures. Galimov, right wing for the Lokomotiv and the Russian National team, was rushed to the hospital in critical condition due to major damage to his respiratory system.

According to an article published Monday on by SOTT.NET, despite the best efforts of doctors in its burn unit at Vishnevsky Hospital, 26-year-old, Galimov, died of the severe burns that covered nearly 90 per cent of his body. After news of the crash got out, fans gathered in rallies, putting their remaining hope in the survival of the last Russian hockey player.

The fans chanted together saying, “Galimov, live for the whole team!” and other slogans dedicated to Galimov.  ”All of Yaroslavl, all of the country, all of the world followed the doctors’ words, believing, hoping, praying that he would defeat death and remain with us,” Yaroslavl Gov. Sergei Vakhrukov said, according to SOTT.NET.

The plane was taking off from the local airport when the pilot attempted to take-off at a low speed, making the plane being more difficult to control. This caused the pilot to then hit a beacon near the runway which led to the crash on the bank of the Volga. Witnesses suggest that a technical malfunction caused the plane to be unable to reach the necessary speed to take-off safely, leading to the crash.

Out of the entire 37-man squad, many of the players had played in the NHL and for their national teams. Some of these players include Slovakian superstar Pavol Demitra, Stanley Cup winning Josef Vasicek, and goalkeeper Stefan Liv.

The first game of the KHL season between Salavat Yulaev and Atlant was stopped in the middle of the second period to inform the crowd that the crash had killed the entire Lokomotiv team. The sellout crowd held a moment of silence for the departed team, and both teams headed to the nearest church afterwards to pay respects to their late friends.

After announcing the news to the sold out crowd, KHL President Aleksandr Medvedev assured everyone that the league “will do our best to keep the high-level hockey in Yaroslavl”. On Thursday, thousands of people gathered in the Slovac ice hockey arena to remember Pavol Demitra — the former national team captain, according to the associated press.

Ceremonies are being held for each hockey player, as family, friends, and fans continue to mourn this great loss.

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The Boston Bruins defeated the Vancouver Canucks in shutout fashion Wednesday, winning game seven on the road by a final score of 4-0 to win the 2011 Stanley Cup.

The Bruins fans finally could rejoice, ending their 39 year championship drought and stopping the Canucks once again from grabbing their first ever Stanley Cup victory in the process.

The home teams dominated the series, winning every game on their own ice until game seven. In one of the most physical finals series ever, and the most penalized series in 25 years, Boston’s bruising style proved to be too much for Vancouver to handle.

No team in NHL history had ever won three game sevens in one playoff run, but that’s exactly what Boston did with their victory behind the legendary goaltending of Tim Thomas.

Thomas, who was a shoe in to win the Conn Smythe trophy no matter what the outcome of game seven may have been, shattered the record for saves in one postseason en route to leading the Bruins to victory. He became only the second American-born player to win the trophy behind Brian Leetch, who ironically also beat the Canucks in 1994 as a member of the New York Rangers.

Tim Thomas was indeed fantastic, but the Bruins played an overall masterful team game in order to dismantle Vancouver.

The referees did an incredible job in game seven by not being overly strict. They let the players decide the outcome no matter how physical the game got. Their officiating allowed the game to be incredibly entertaining to watch. Not many stoppages, not many penalties, just pure hustle and pure hockey.

Just as the game was getting up to speed in the first period Patrice Bergeron slipped one over Roberto Luongo’s shoulder to put the Bruins on the board, quieting the Vancouver bench.

The Canucks were almost able to knot the game at one halfway through the second period, but Zdeno Chara stepped his 6-foot-9, 255 lb. body in front of an open net to block the shot. Giving up your body was a necessary action with the cup on the line. These guys were giving it everything they could to win.

The Bruins struck again soon after when sensational rookie Brad Marchand scored his 10^th goal of the playoffs on a wraparound shot after a flurry of rebounds kicked off of the pads of Luongo.

A penalty on Chara at the end of the second period gave Vancouver a power play and their best opportunity yet. Unfortunately they couldn’t catch a break once again. Patrice Bergeron caught a bouncing puck near the blue line and hustled to the net to net his second goal of the game, this time shorthanded.

The Canucks battled and showed heart right up until the final whistle, but the deficit was too large.  Tim Thomas proved to be impossible to score on. Just before the clock hit zeros Brad Marchand added an empty net goal, his second, and it was official, the Bruins had won it all.

This game defined what every child dreams of. The moments that every young hockey player fantasizes about in their driveway. Every player surely left everything they had on the ice in Vancouver, but only one could win. Only the Bruins could lift Lord Stanley’s Cup over their heads and celebrate the way they always imagined doing throughout their careers. A dream come true.

Sergei Bachlakov / Shutterstock.com

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August 1^st will be a decisive day for Long Islanders. A vote will be held regarding the possible rebuilding of the Nassau Coliseum, home of hockey’s New York Islanders, and the general redevelopment of the area.

On May 31^st the Nassau County (New York) Legislature held a meeting to decide whether or not to let county residents vote at all on the proposed $400 million dollar project, a meeting that culminated with a positive decision for residents, putting the choice in their hands.

Rallys had recently been held in support of the referendum. Understandably, residents, union workers and business men and women around the area want the choice to be theirs rather than solely up to the Islanders owner Charles Wang and other county legislators.

However, Wang was the person who first brought this plan to fruition. The proposal offers not only a brand new state of the art arena for the Islanders, but also will include the construction of a minor league baseball field nearby in the same complex. Rumors have also floated around that should this vote pass, a casino will be built in the area as well.

The initial thought is that $400 million dollars is a ton of money to be spending during such a harsh economic climate, especially on a hockey team that hasn’t produced much success, either financially or athletically, in over a decade.

Though this is true, residents should think further into the future, after these arenas are built, and look for the positives in the project.

Thousands upon thousands of jobs will be created both in the construction of these buildings, and the everyday operations of them after they are finished. In such a time when finding jobs is difficult in any place, people should not quickly turn a blind eye to such an investment without serious thought.

The project could prove to be a real boost to the overall economy of the entire county. A new stadium would bring much revenue to business in the surrounding areas. At the very least it would send more traffic through the area, and for the most part, people equal money.

Should this vote fail, the belief is that the Islanders will be forced to move out of Uniondale. Possible rumored locations include Queens, Brooklyn, and possibly out of state destinations such as Kansas City. If the Islanders are gone, the Coliseum will undoubtedly go vacant, and cause not only a loss of jobs and revenue, but create an unused eyesore for the community, a reminder of what once was the pride of Long Island.

August 1^st, 2011 may indeed be a day that goes down in infamy, with the future of Long Island waning in the balance, no matter the outcome of the vote. Residents are urged to take a side on the project in the coming months and go to the polls so they can have their hand in shaping not only the home of one of their beloved sports teams, but their home as well.

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