The NHL and NHLPA are at odds over a very small difference in overall revenue. Worse yet, neither side seems to be telling the truth about the potential growth that is inherent in all these revenues. We've heard that 7% has been the annualized growth in revenues over the past several years. Assuming a drop to 6% growth this year and 5% growth in each of the next three years with a possible rebound to similar levels down the road, the pile of money these people are arguing about is absurd. I take you to my simple chart below. Year 0 is today, $3.3 Billion split between the players at 57% and the owners at 43%. I've arbitrarily set growth in year 1 at 6%, year 2 at 5% etc, all the way to year 6, the hopeful length of this next CBA. Next I chose a players percentage that while less than the 57% they get now but more than the 50% (or so) the owners are asking for. Notice that when the growth of 6% is factored in, the players get the SAME share as they did last season. In year 2 the players share drops to 52% yet given a growth rate of 5% they get MORE than they got last year. Then in year's 3 and greater, the players share is 50%. And by the end of year 6, the players share is 420 Million more than they got last year. All these numbers come form a spreadsheet I am happy to send to anyone that sends me a request via Twitter @solutionsRDB

Canada Women's Soccer team robbed

I finally watched a soccer game. Canada vs USA, August 6th, 2012. Canada was up 1-0, 2-1 and 3-2. And just as it seemed fate had our back, a phantom penalty is called. The announcers had no idea what it was for and later, everyone seemed incredulous that it was for a delay of game. While a goalie holds the ball for a few seconds, players can whither on the ground in seemingly near death distress, and the latter is fine. That penalty wasn't the undoing for Canada, but the very next play - and the ensuing penalty sure was. The penalty kick hit a Canadian's arm. Maybe two arms. So fast that you needed super slow motion to see it. Illegal? Not according to the rules. You see if you intentionally put your arms out to block the ball, then yes, that's a penalty. But to stand there and get cranked by a ball, kicked mere a few feet from where you stand, that is allowed. But not yesterday and not by that referee.

My take on it is simple. There are two feature matches that will ensure the most people watching - the basketball and soccer finals. If the USA did not make these finals the media that paid billions would be rather upset. NBC would not have much to be happy about if Canada faced Japan in the women's soccer final. Whereas USA-Japan has the makings of epic ratings.

While I am not about to go buy MLS season tickets, I was impressed and entertained by the game. I guess at the end of the day, that's all anyone can ask for.


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Vancouver Canadians

Afternoon baseball at Nat Bailey. What a great way to spend an afternoon! Affordable, entertaining, great for the entire family, couples or by yourself!
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Alcatraz Jan30th Episode filmed in downtown Vancouver

I had no idea we had such an amazing interior of an older building here in downtown Vancouver. Used as the bank hold up in the Jan30th episode of Alcatraz, it's actually the Royal Bank building in the 600 block of West Pender. In the episode you'll notice Birks and a clock tower across the street from the bank. Very cool.

Phoenix Coyotes - Right concept, wrong location for the wrong crowds

The complex which the Phoenix Coyotes play in is amazing. Surrounded by at least a dozen restaurants, acres of easy parking, hotels, baseball’s spring training complexes and quality shopping, the Glendale Arena complex is as good as it gets. However it’s in the wrong part of town.

What makes this part of town wrong isn’t the neighbourhoods – they are all newer homes with acres of still undeveloped scrub brush in between. Nor is it the people – all are younger family areas. Nor is it the lack of other sports venues in which to connect with – the University of Phoenix Stadium where the Arizona Cardinals play is a few blocks away. What makes this part of town the wrong place is that it is nowhere near Scottsdale.

Hockey draws a certain type of fan. While football and basketball fans are of a different ilk, hockey fans tend to have a bit more money, a better and more stable job, a bit more technologically savvy and are more protective of how they spend their personal time. Scottsdale and the areas of north east metro Phoenix (where Scottsdale is located) is where this type of fan lives. The challenge is that Glendale is located on the opposite corner of metro Phoenix, in the southwest area and Glendale is not where these kind of fans live. The population is more sparse around Glendale than the more mature and more affluent north east section. This requires a Scottsdale resident that works downtown during the week to drive all the way to the southwest corner of the city, stay for dinner, watch the game, then drive back across town home. That would be like asking anyone that works in downtown Toronto to drive to Scarborough to see a game then head back through the city to get home in Mississauga. Similarly that would be like having a downtown Vancouver worker drive to Surrey for a game then drive back home to Richmond. Far too much time, money and stress to undertake.

Remember that before the development of the Glendale arena the initial area for the arena was going to be in the Scottsdale area. Also remember the Coyotes started off playing in the non-hockey, basketball biased arena that still exists in downtown Phoenix – where the Suns still play today. While a downtown arena in Phoenix would have fixed the problem, the thought of two arenas in the central core would have been political and financial suicide especially considering that the retractable roof baseball stadium is right across the street from the Suns’ arena.

The arena in Glendale isn’t bad. It offers a decent number of suites, quality sight lines and an open air feel that is not common in the NHL (the upper concourse is open to the rink below in the end zones). Oddly there are some corner seats that can’t see the other end of the ice which seems strange for an arena built with the purpose of showcasing hockey.

The atmosphere of what surrounds the arena itself is both highly energetic and a blueprint for what more NHL arenas should come up with. It’s like having Whyte Avenue in Edmonton right outside the north side of Rexall Place or the Red Mile and Electric Avenue in Calgary surrounding the Saddledome.

So what is the solution? If the Coyotes could schedule every home game on a Friday and Saturday night, or on a Sunday afternoon, the situation would solve itself. Fans that live in the opposite corners of the city may decide to turn the game into an event and not mind the drive via the interstate highways to get to Glendale. The team, arena and area entertainment venues would then be smart to work together to offer families incentives to come as a group. However fans don’t typically turn Tuesday and Wednesday mid-week games into these events when they have to work the next day. If a potential owner could get the NHL to make these scheduling changes, the Coyotes staying in Phoenix might actually work out.