Forbes magazine has once again ushered out it's annual valuations of NHL teams. http://www.forbes.com/2009/11/11/nhl-team-values-business-sports-hockey-values-09-nhl_land.htmlNow the NHL has questioned the validity of Forbes'work saying that none of the NHL clubs nor the Head Office provided tangible numbers for them to audit. Curiously, the NHL never offers to "help" set the story straight either. And we never hear that the NBA, MLB or the NFL are complaining about Forbes' numbers. So the relatively bad news story from Forbes continues to go unchallenged by the NHL.History shows especially after the saga in Phoenix, One would be OFFside to reject Forbes' numbers due only to NHL denials.Bar none, these are the best numbers that NHL fans see year in, year out with collaborating stories about this club or that one over the past few years that appear to be very close to what Forbes amasses.By their calculations 16 of 30 teams last year made an operating profit. Some of these teams are perennially on this list. Most ebb and flow due to player payroll costs and/or the value of the Canadian Dollar, which drives overall team revenues up or down once they are converted to American Greenbacks. Check it out here: http://www.forbes.com/lists/2009/31/hockey-values-09_NHL-Team-Valuations_Income.htmlForbes actually helps make the case for Winnipeg's re-entry by presenting these numbers year after year. . . more »

So if you haven't heard by now Gary Bettman, the NHL Commissioner, is on record, “While we play to 93 to 94 percent capacity, we’d like to play to 100 percent capacity,” Bettman said. “A 15,000-16,000 seat arena might work better in some markets than a 19,000 seat arena.”. Sounds like the MTS Centre in Winnipeg just got the offical stamp of approval from the Parade Grand Marshall.See here for the complete story: http://blogs.reuters.com/summits/2009/12/01/nhl-commish-bigger-not-always-better/It seems to me that any franchise relocation or expansion would require the NHL to lessen the surprise or shock value that would create around NHL circles, media, etc, etc.Some may disagree with that assessment but think back to almost every recent expansion: the NHL tends to send out "trial balloons" for months if not years before the grand announcement is made. And when it is made, there is almost no surprise when it does occur. more »