MAJOR: Controversy Erupts as Gary Bettman Caught Cheating Canadian Team Out Of Millions

In this series, featuring the Detroit Red Wings, Minnesota Wild, Ottawa Senators, and Toronto Maple Leafs, the allocation of home and away games has raised eyebrows. The NHL compensates teams for home games based on their regular home game revenue.

While the Ottawa Senators, with an average home game revenue of about $1.5 million, were assigned two 'home games' in Sweden, the Maple Leafs, generating nearly $4 million per home game, found themselves with two 'away games.' This decision translated to a significant revenue loss of almost $8 million for the Maple Leafs.

According to Friedman, the league seems to be essentially taking from teams, insisting on payment for a home game gate. He points out the imbalance where Ottawa had two home games, and Toronto had two away games, suggesting the NHL chose the easier financial route with Ottawa.

While the NHL sees this as a cost-saving measure, there are worries about its impact on teams with higher revenue potential. While saving money is good for the league, there's a risk of alienating wealthier teams like the Maple Leafs. The potential refusal of such teams to participate in future NHL events could be more harmful than the savings gained.

The decision by the NHL and Commissioner Gary Bettman has sparked a debate on whether it was the right move, considering the broader implications for league-team relations.

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