With the IIHF World Championships behind us, and the World Cup of Hockey on the horizon, PHR takes a quick look at how the CBA governs international play.
- Any revenue from the World Cup of Hockey will not be considered Hockey Related Revenue (HRR). Rather, the revenue will be split equally between the NHL and the NHLPA. That means that any money the World Cup of Hockey brings in has no effect on next year’s salary cap. Given that the World Cup—the first such tournament since 2004—is in hockey-mad Toronto, high revenues are expected, and would have had a significant effect on the salary cap if applicable.
- Moreover, the World Cup may actually have an adverse effect on HRR as the tournament takes the game’s brightest stars away from pre-season games. Teams usually play preseason games in different locales, and demand may suffer slightly as fans aren’t able to see a team’s top player.
- Revenue from International NHL games, however, such as regular season and pre-season games overseas, qualifies as HRR for salary cap purposes.
- A player is only eligible for the IIHF World Championships (usually held in May) if:
- the player’s club either did not make the NHL playoffs or was eliminated in an early round (1st or 2nd); and
- the national team (agent or otherwise) did not contact the player before his team was eliminated from the playoffs.
- The IIHF or Player’s National Team must also insure the player’s remaining SPC value, and any additional earning capacity should a player get injured. If a player is injured in the World Championships, the player is treated as being injured in an NHL game for CBA purposes. That means the player is still eligible for all benefits available to players injured in NHL games.