WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.839 Welcome to another deep dive. And if you happen 00:00:02.839 --> 00:00:05.480 to find us today by searching for terms like 00:00:05.480 --> 00:00:08.980 2013 -14 NHL season or maybe NHL realignment 00:00:08.980 --> 00:00:11.619 or even hockey broadcast rights. Or the Los Angeles 00:00:11.619 --> 00:00:13.880 Kings Stanley Cup. Right, exactly. If you searched 00:00:13.880 --> 00:00:16.839 any of those, well, our SEO keywords in the episode 00:00:16.839 --> 00:00:18.780 description are doing their job perfectly. Yeah. 00:00:18.800 --> 00:00:21.559 Because today we are acting as your personal 00:00:21.559 --> 00:00:23.539 guides through one of the most transformative 00:00:23.539 --> 00:00:26.000 years in modern sports history. It really is 00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:28.160 a fascinating year to look at. Our single source 00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:30.760 for this journey is a comprehensive, heavily 00:00:30.760 --> 00:00:33.759 detailed Wikipedia article covering that entire 00:00:33.759 --> 00:00:37.719 2013 -14 National Hockey League season. And the 00:00:37.719 --> 00:00:39.159 mission for this deep dive is pretty simple. 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:41.579 We want to extract the most fascinating insights 00:00:41.579 --> 00:00:44.420 to understand exactly why this specific year 00:00:44.420 --> 00:00:47.200 completely rewrote the NHL rulebook, both on 00:00:47.200 --> 00:00:49.240 and off the ice. It is an absolute pleasure to 00:00:49.240 --> 00:00:52.359 be here to unpack this with you. What is truly 00:00:52.359 --> 00:00:54.780 compelling about this particular season is how 00:00:54.780 --> 00:00:57.219 it serves as a master class in adaptation. When 00:00:57.219 --> 00:00:59.859 you examine the events of this year, you are 00:00:59.859 --> 00:01:03.219 watching a historic institution try to survive 00:01:03.219 --> 00:01:06.719 and really thrive by balancing player safety, 00:01:07.019 --> 00:01:10.379 unprecedented logistical nightmares, and a rapidly 00:01:10.379 --> 00:01:13.219 changing billion -dollar media landscape. It 00:01:13.219 --> 00:01:15.299 was a monumental turning point. Just to set the 00:01:15.299 --> 00:01:17.700 stage for you listening, this was the 97th season 00:01:17.700 --> 00:01:19.959 of the NHL. And they didn't just, you know, tweak 00:01:19.959 --> 00:01:22.459 a few minor things. They fundamentally reshaped 00:01:22.459 --> 00:01:25.170 the league's geography. Let's unpack this. We 00:01:25.170 --> 00:01:26.790 really have to start with the geographic puzzle. 00:01:26.950 --> 00:01:29.170 Right. Because the catalyst for all this sweeping 00:01:29.170 --> 00:01:31.629 change actually began a couple of years prior 00:01:31.629 --> 00:01:34.950 when the Atlanta Thrashers moved north to become 00:01:34.950 --> 00:01:38.769 the Winnipeg Jets in 2011. That relocation threw 00:01:38.769 --> 00:01:41.569 a profound wrench into the least existing structure. 00:01:41.810 --> 00:01:44.670 For years, the NHL had 30 teams divided neatly 00:01:44.670 --> 00:01:47.469 into six divisions. But when you move a franchise 00:01:47.469 --> 00:01:50.109 from the American South all the way to the Canadian 00:01:50.109 --> 00:01:52.870 Midwest. The math just doesn't work. Exactly. 00:01:53.370 --> 00:01:55.650 That six division blueprint completely falls 00:01:55.650 --> 00:01:58.450 apart. The travel schedules became incredibly 00:01:58.450 --> 00:02:01.010 punishing and the time zone differences were 00:02:01.010 --> 00:02:04.049 creating severe broadcast issues for local networks, 00:02:04.189 --> 00:02:06.590 not to mention just exhausting the players. Yeah, 00:02:06.650 --> 00:02:09.110 flying back and forth across the continent constantly. 00:02:09.509 --> 00:02:13.069 So the league proposed a radical shift. Eliminate 00:02:13.069 --> 00:02:15.610 the six divisions entirely and consolidate into 00:02:15.610 --> 00:02:18.030 a four division format. Which gave us the layout 00:02:18.030 --> 00:02:20.969 we are familiar with today. the Pacific and Central 00:02:20.969 --> 00:02:24.069 in the Western Conference and the Atlantic and 00:02:24.069 --> 00:02:26.169 Metropolitan in the Eastern Conference. Right. 00:02:26.330 --> 00:02:28.590 But looking at the source, this was not an easy 00:02:28.590 --> 00:02:31.229 transition. The league approved this plan in 00:02:31.229 --> 00:02:34.150 late 2011, but the NHL Players Association. The 00:02:34.150 --> 00:02:37.310 NHLPA? Yeah, the NHLPA actually vetoed it. Which 00:02:37.310 --> 00:02:39.830 seems wild. Why wouldn't players' unions stand 00:02:39.830 --> 00:02:42.150 in the way of a plan designed to fix their own 00:02:42.150 --> 00:02:44.650 travel issues? Because of the mathematical realities 00:02:44.650 --> 00:02:48.050 it created for their careers. The proposed realignment 00:02:48.050 --> 00:02:50.689 created two divisions of eight teams in the East 00:02:50.689 --> 00:02:53.310 and two divisions of seven teams in the West. 00:02:53.449 --> 00:02:55.710 Oh, I see where this is going. The union recognized 00:02:55.710 --> 00:02:58.430 that if you are playing in an eight -team division, 00:02:58.770 --> 00:03:01.729 your statistical odds of qualifying for the playoffs... 00:03:01.729 --> 00:03:03.689 And getting those playoff bonuses. Precisely. 00:03:03.960 --> 00:03:06.599 Your odds are inherently lower than if you play 00:03:06.599 --> 00:03:09.780 in a seven -team division. They felt it was fundamentally 00:03:09.780 --> 00:03:12.560 unfair. Plus, they were still pretty concerned 00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:14.740 about how the new cross -continent travel schedules 00:03:14.740 --> 00:03:17.259 would actually shake out in practice. So it was 00:03:17.259 --> 00:03:20.240 really about protecting their livelihoods and 00:03:20.240 --> 00:03:22.719 their bodies. It took over a year of intense 00:03:22.719 --> 00:03:26.219 negotiations to find a compromise. They finally 00:03:26.219 --> 00:03:28.460 agreed to move the Columbus Blue Jackets and 00:03:28.460 --> 00:03:30.800 Detroit Red Wings to the Eastern Conference and 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:33.870 shifted the Winnipeg Jets to the West. Okay. 00:03:34.229 --> 00:03:36.550 But the real key to getting the players to agree 00:03:36.550 --> 00:03:39.729 for the 2013 -14 season was the introduction 00:03:39.729 --> 00:03:42.629 of the wildcard playoff format. So for someone 00:03:42.629 --> 00:03:44.830 who might not be a massive hockey fanatic, how 00:03:44.830 --> 00:03:47.710 exactly did that wildcard math solve the fairness 00:03:47.710 --> 00:03:50.750 issue? Well, instead of just taking the top teams 00:03:50.750 --> 00:03:52.770 from each division, the new system guaranteed 00:03:52.770 --> 00:03:55.590 playoff spots to the top three teams in each 00:03:55.590 --> 00:03:58.400 of the four divisions. Making 12 spots. Right. 00:03:58.439 --> 00:04:01.419 And the remaining four spots, two in each conference, 00:04:01.659 --> 00:04:04.599 were designated as wildcards. These went to the 00:04:04.599 --> 00:04:07.259 teams with the next highest point totals in their 00:04:07.259 --> 00:04:09.280 conference, regardless of which division they 00:04:09.280 --> 00:04:12.120 played in. Oh, that's smart. It leveled the playing 00:04:12.120 --> 00:04:14.580 field. It ensured that a great team wouldn't 00:04:14.580 --> 00:04:16.240 miss the playoffs just because they happened 00:04:16.240 --> 00:04:18.959 to be stuck in a particularly competitive eight 00:04:18.959 --> 00:04:21.670 -team division. It's just fascinating how much 00:04:21.670 --> 00:04:24.370 logistical wrangling goes on behind closed doors 00:04:24.370 --> 00:04:27.470 just to get the teams on the ice. But the sweeping 00:04:27.470 --> 00:04:29.790 changes weren't limited to the standings. The 00:04:29.790 --> 00:04:32.310 actual rulebook got a major overhaul this season, 00:04:32.389 --> 00:04:34.550 too. It certainly did. And reading through the 00:04:34.550 --> 00:04:36.589 source material, some of these rules seem surprisingly 00:04:36.589 --> 00:04:39.589 focused on aesthetics. Like a player could get 00:04:39.589 --> 00:04:41.769 a minor penalty just for having their jersey 00:04:41.769 --> 00:04:44.649 tucked into their pants. Why was the league suddenly 00:04:44.649 --> 00:04:47.329 policing how players wore their sweaters? It 00:04:47.329 --> 00:04:49.850 might seem like a trivial aesthetic issue. But 00:04:49.850 --> 00:04:53.110 it was actually rooted in standardizing the league's 00:04:53.110 --> 00:04:56.329 image and, more importantly, preventing players 00:04:56.329 --> 00:04:59.110 from subtly modifying their equipment to gain 00:04:59.110 --> 00:05:02.569 an edge. The league wanted strict uniformity. 00:05:02.670 --> 00:05:06.350 Along those same lines, they added an unsportsmanlike 00:05:06.350 --> 00:05:09.430 conduct penalty for any player who intentionally 00:05:09.430 --> 00:05:12.449 removed their helmet before engaging in a fight. 00:05:12.670 --> 00:05:14.790 Which feels like a clear stepping stone toward 00:05:14.790 --> 00:05:17.790 broader player safety. Absolutely. Especially 00:05:17.790 --> 00:05:19.810 considering this was also the season they finally 00:05:19.810 --> 00:05:22.910 mandated visors. That was a monumental step forward. 00:05:23.170 --> 00:05:25.769 The rules stated that all players with fewer 00:05:25.769 --> 00:05:29.310 than 25 games of NHL experience had to wear facial 00:05:29.310 --> 00:05:31.629 protection. So they grandfathered the veterans 00:05:31.629 --> 00:05:34.470 in. It was a clever implementation. It phased 00:05:34.470 --> 00:05:36.730 in mandatory safety gear for the next generation 00:05:36.730 --> 00:05:39.230 of players without forcing established older 00:05:39.230 --> 00:05:41.910 veterans to suddenly change the equipment they 00:05:41.910 --> 00:05:44.290 had relied on their entire careers. Speaking 00:05:44.290 --> 00:05:46.589 of player safety, that brings us to one of the 00:05:46.589 --> 00:05:49.069 most significant mechanical changes in the modern 00:05:49.069 --> 00:05:51.350 era of the sport. The introduction of hybrid 00:05:51.350 --> 00:05:53.930 icing. A huge change for the game. For you listening, 00:05:54.089 --> 00:05:56.569 traditional icing used to be a literal foot race. 00:05:56.810 --> 00:05:59.009 A player shoots the puck all the way down the 00:05:59.009 --> 00:06:01.310 ice and a defender and an attacker sprint to 00:06:01.310 --> 00:06:03.629 see who can touch it first. If the attacker wins, 00:06:03.870 --> 00:06:06.610 play continues. But those foot races were terrifying 00:06:06.610 --> 00:06:10.709 to watch. They were incredibly dangerous. You 00:06:10.709 --> 00:06:13.490 routinely had two massive, highly competitive 00:06:13.490 --> 00:06:17.290 athletes skating at absolute top speed, completely 00:06:17.290 --> 00:06:19.709 focused on the puck, crashing violently into 00:06:19.709 --> 00:06:21.829 the end boards. Yeah. Career -ending injuries 00:06:21.829 --> 00:06:25.230 were a constant threat. So the league implemented 00:06:25.230 --> 00:06:28.910 hybrid icing. Under this new rule, the race is 00:06:28.910 --> 00:06:30.949 no longer to the puck at the boards. There is 00:06:30.949 --> 00:06:34.120 a toe. The linesman evaluates the race as the 00:06:34.120 --> 00:06:36.420 players reach an imaginary line connecting the 00:06:36.420 --> 00:06:39.300 face -off dots. If the defender is clearly going 00:06:39.300 --> 00:06:41.639 to win that race, the official blows the whistle 00:06:41.639 --> 00:06:44.060 early and stops play. So it preserves the exciting 00:06:44.060 --> 00:06:46.319 element of the foot race, but it totally eliminates 00:06:46.319 --> 00:06:48.800 that catastrophic impact at the end. That makes 00:06:48.800 --> 00:06:50.970 perfect sense. Yeah. Now there was another physical 00:06:50.970 --> 00:06:53.509 change on the ice this season that I found entirely 00:06:53.509 --> 00:06:55.730 unexpected. They actually changed the physical 00:06:55.730 --> 00:06:58.310 dimensions of the net itself. It is a subtle 00:06:58.310 --> 00:07:01.250 but profound structural change. The opening of 00:07:01.250 --> 00:07:03.129 the goal where the puck actually enters remained 00:07:03.129 --> 00:07:05.790 the standard six feet wide by four feet tall. 00:07:05.949 --> 00:07:08.649 But the league altered the frame resting on the 00:07:08.649 --> 00:07:10.620 ice behind the goal line. They made the base 00:07:10.620 --> 00:07:13.220 four inches shallower, reducing the depth from 00:07:13.220 --> 00:07:16.699 44 inches to 40 inches. Okay. And they also narrowed 00:07:16.699 --> 00:07:19.000 the width of the base by eight inches and tightened 00:07:19.000 --> 00:07:21.639 the radius of the corners. Which means the net 00:07:21.639 --> 00:07:24.339 takes up less physical real estate on the ice. 00:07:24.500 --> 00:07:27.180 It's almost like they slightly expanded the playable 00:07:27.180 --> 00:07:30.439 area behind the goal, what fans lovingly call 00:07:30.439 --> 00:07:33.509 Gretzky's office. Yes, exactly. By shrinking 00:07:33.509 --> 00:07:35.790 the back of the net, players suddenly had just 00:07:35.790 --> 00:07:38.589 a little more room to maneuver, making wraparound 00:07:38.589 --> 00:07:40.629 attempts and passes from behind the net slightly 00:07:40.629 --> 00:07:43.889 easier. A four -inch tweak fundamentally changed 00:07:43.889 --> 00:07:46.110 the geometry of the offensive zone. Changing 00:07:46.110 --> 00:07:48.029 the geometry of the net is one thing, but this 00:07:48.029 --> 00:07:50.850 season the NHL decided to change the venue entirely. 00:07:51.209 --> 00:07:53.589 They took hockey outside in a way we had never 00:07:53.589 --> 00:07:55.670 seen before. He certainly went all -in on the 00:07:55.670 --> 00:07:58.529 outdoor spectacle. Prior to this, the winter 00:07:58.529 --> 00:08:00.790 classic on New Year's Day had become a highly 00:08:00.790 --> 00:08:03.939 successful beloved tradition. But for the 2013 00:08:03.939 --> 00:08:06.860 -14 season, the NHL announced an unprecedented 00:08:06.860 --> 00:08:11.519 six outdoor games. Six. I mean, you had the traditional 00:08:11.519 --> 00:08:14.300 winter classic at the colossal Michigan stadium, 00:08:14.500 --> 00:08:18.339 the Big House. Over 105 ,000 fans watching the 00:08:18.339 --> 00:08:20.459 Toronto Maple Leafs play the Detroit Red Wings. 00:08:20.540 --> 00:08:22.740 A massive event. But then they rolled out an 00:08:22.740 --> 00:08:25.199 entirely new brand called the Stadium Series. 00:08:26.120 --> 00:08:28.360 Anaheim played Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium. 00:08:28.699 --> 00:08:31.360 Yes, they literally made an ice rink in Los Angeles. 00:08:31.620 --> 00:08:35.220 Pittsburgh played Chicago at Soldier Field. And 00:08:35.220 --> 00:08:37.580 then there were two games at Yankee Stadium in 00:08:37.580 --> 00:08:40.460 New York. If we connect this to the bigger picture, 00:08:40.639 --> 00:08:43.440 the logistics of pulling off six outdoor games 00:08:43.440 --> 00:08:46.419 across the continent in a single winter are astounding. 00:08:46.620 --> 00:08:48.580 But what really stands out in the source text 00:08:48.580 --> 00:08:51.299 regarding those Yankee Stadium games is a highly 00:08:51.299 --> 00:08:55.120 ironic, distinctly corporate quirk. Oh, the Rangers 00:08:55.120 --> 00:08:57.940 situation. Yes. The New York Rangers played two 00:08:57.940 --> 00:09:00.100 games in the Bronx, one against the Devils, one 00:09:00.100 --> 00:09:02.600 against the Islanders. Yet the Rangers were officially 00:09:02.600 --> 00:09:05.759 listed as the away team for both matchups. Wait, 00:09:05.799 --> 00:09:07.059 they were playing in their own city, but they 00:09:07.059 --> 00:09:08.500 weren't the home team. Why would they agree to 00:09:08.500 --> 00:09:11.100 that? It came down to a deeply entrenched contract 00:09:11.100 --> 00:09:14.500 clause with Madison Square Garden. According 00:09:14.500 --> 00:09:16.779 to the source, the Rangers have a contractual 00:09:16.779 --> 00:09:19.340 obligation that supposedly prevents them from 00:09:19.340 --> 00:09:21.899 playing as a home team and thereby receiving 00:09:21.899 --> 00:09:24.500 home game income at any other venue in the New 00:09:24.500 --> 00:09:26.799 York area. But doesn't the Madison Square Garden 00:09:26.799 --> 00:09:29.759 Company actually own the Rangers? Couldn't they 00:09:29.759 --> 00:09:32.320 just waive their own clause? The text notes that 00:09:32.320 --> 00:09:34.379 this claim is highly dubious for exactly that 00:09:34.379 --> 00:09:38.039 reason. MSG could theoretically waive it. But 00:09:38.039 --> 00:09:40.279 whether it was due to complex legal firewalls, 00:09:40.279 --> 00:09:42.799 tax implications, or just stubborn corporate 00:09:42.799 --> 00:09:45.320 precedent, the reality on paper was that the 00:09:45.320 --> 00:09:47.340 Rangers had to be visitors in their own city 00:09:47.340 --> 00:09:50.379 just to satisfy the lawyers. That is corporate 00:09:50.379 --> 00:09:52.399 bureaucracy at its finest. And there was another 00:09:52.399 --> 00:09:54.600 great irony with the Heritage Classic in Vancouver, 00:09:54.840 --> 00:09:57.179 right? Yes, between the Ottawa Senators and the 00:09:57.179 --> 00:09:59.740 Vancouver Canucks at BC Place. It was highly 00:09:59.740 --> 00:10:03.039 promoted as an outdoor spectacle. But due to 00:10:03.039 --> 00:10:05.500 heavy rain and inclement weather, organizers 00:10:05.500 --> 00:10:08.340 had no choice but to close the stadium's retractable 00:10:08.340 --> 00:10:10.879 roof. So their heavily marketed outdoor game 00:10:10.879 --> 00:10:14.000 was technically played indoors. Classic. So you 00:10:14.000 --> 00:10:16.240 have all these massive events. Plus, right in 00:10:16.240 --> 00:10:18.299 the middle of February, the league completely 00:10:18.299 --> 00:10:22.080 paused the season for nearly three weeks to send 00:10:22.080 --> 00:10:25.000 players to the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. 00:10:25.179 --> 00:10:28.000 Which made an already grueling 82 -game schedule 00:10:28.000 --> 00:10:30.860 feel even more like a relentless marathon. And 00:10:30.860 --> 00:10:33.139 unfortunately, that marathon took a very real, 00:10:33.279 --> 00:10:36.480 very scary toll. In March of that season, during 00:10:36.480 --> 00:10:38.559 a game between the Dallas Stars and the Columbus 00:10:38.559 --> 00:10:41.860 Blue Jackets, Dallas forward Rich Peverly suddenly 00:10:41.860 --> 00:10:44.580 collapsed on the players bench. He was a chilling 00:10:44.580 --> 00:10:47.220 moment for everyone watching. Peverly had a known 00:10:47.220 --> 00:10:49.600 history of heart issues. And midway through the 00:10:49.600 --> 00:10:52.200 first period, he suffered a cardiac event. Terrifying. 00:10:52.379 --> 00:10:54.580 The medical staff's immediate response saved 00:10:54.580 --> 00:10:56.980 his life. And the NHL handled the situation with 00:10:56.980 --> 00:10:59.889 the only appropriate protocol. The game was immediately 00:10:59.889 --> 00:11:02.750 abandoned. You simply cannot ask athletes to 00:11:02.750 --> 00:11:04.350 continue playing a game after watching their 00:11:04.350 --> 00:11:06.409 teammate fight for his life on the bench. It 00:11:06.409 --> 00:11:09.149 was absolutely the right call. Peverly thankfully 00:11:09.149 --> 00:11:12.669 recovered. But from a strict Lee operations standpoint, 00:11:13.049 --> 00:11:15.889 that game still mattered for the standings. How 00:11:15.889 --> 00:11:17.990 do you go about rescheduling a game that was 00:11:17.990 --> 00:11:20.649 abandoned midway through the first period? They 00:11:20.649 --> 00:11:22.710 rescheduled the makeup game for a month later. 00:11:23.039 --> 00:11:25.820 on April 9th. But here is where it becomes a 00:11:25.820 --> 00:11:27.899 fascinating anomaly in the sports record books. 00:11:28.019 --> 00:11:30.379 Okay. Because Columbus had already scored a goal 00:11:30.379 --> 00:11:33.500 prior to the medical emergency, a goal credited 00:11:33.500 --> 00:11:36.039 to Nathan Horton, the league decided that the 00:11:36.039 --> 00:11:38.720 makeup game would begin with a full 60 minutes 00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:41.659 on the clock. But Columbus would start with a 00:11:41.659 --> 00:11:44.539 1 -0 lead. So Nathan Horton gets credit for a 00:11:44.539 --> 00:11:46.799 goal in a game that effectively begins with his 00:11:46.799 --> 00:11:49.299 team already winning, even though all the other 00:11:49.299 --> 00:11:51.440 statistics from the abandoned game were wiped 00:11:51.440 --> 00:11:53.759 from the record. Exactly. The source explicitly 00:11:53.759 --> 00:11:55.860 notes that all other stats from the original 00:11:55.860 --> 00:11:59.139 date were expunged, but that single goal remained 00:11:59.139 --> 00:12:02.460 on the board. Columbus ultimately won the rescheduled 00:12:02.460 --> 00:12:06.080 match 3 -1. It's a striking example of how complex 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:09.379 a highly regulated sport becomes when real -world 00:12:09.379 --> 00:12:12.110 emergencies interrupt the process. Speaking of 00:12:12.110 --> 00:12:14.549 complex logistical nightmares, there was one 00:12:14.549 --> 00:12:16.470 statistic in the source regarding the Buffalo 00:12:16.470 --> 00:12:18.590 Sabres that I need you to explain, because honestly, 00:12:18.730 --> 00:12:21.070 it looks like a typo. They're a goaltending situation. 00:12:21.490 --> 00:12:25.169 Ah, yes. Not a typo. That year, the Buffalo Sabres 00:12:25.169 --> 00:12:28.450 used an astonishing nine different goaltenders 00:12:28.450 --> 00:12:32.720 in a single season. Nine. How does a professional 00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:35.659 franchise even cycle through that many goalies? 00:12:35.720 --> 00:12:38.019 You usually have a starter, a backup, and maybe 00:12:38.019 --> 00:12:40.019 one emergency call -up. It became an absolute 00:12:40.019 --> 00:12:43.240 carousel of injuries and trades. To give you 00:12:43.240 --> 00:12:45.299 an idea of the spectrum, they started the year 00:12:45.299 --> 00:12:47.500 with an Olympic caliber star in Ryan Miller. 00:12:47.700 --> 00:12:49.539 Right. By the end of the year, they were dressing 00:12:49.539 --> 00:12:52.220 emergency call -ups from the minor leagues, like 00:12:52.220 --> 00:12:54.419 a player named Connor Knapp, just to have someone 00:12:54.419 --> 00:12:56.899 sit on the bench. When you lack stability at 00:12:56.899 --> 00:12:59.299 the most crucial position on the ice, the entire 00:12:59.299 --> 00:13:02.240 system crumbles. It is no surprise Buffalo finished 00:13:02.240 --> 00:13:04.220 at the very bottom of the league standings that 00:13:04.220 --> 00:13:07.299 year with only 52 points. Yeah, that sounds miserable. 00:13:07.539 --> 00:13:10.299 While Buffalo was scrambling just to find someone 00:13:10.299 --> 00:13:12.799 to wear the pads, this season also showcased 00:13:12.799 --> 00:13:15.919 some incredible historical milestones. We really 00:13:15.919 --> 00:13:18.860 saw a passing of the torch. We did. You had the 00:13:18.860 --> 00:13:21.360 legendary Jeremy Jagger not only scoring his 00:13:21.360 --> 00:13:23.860 700th career goal, but actually breaking a record 00:13:23.860 --> 00:13:27.190 held by Gordie Howe since 1967. Jagger scored 00:13:27.190 --> 00:13:30.850 his 122nd career game -winning goal, setting 00:13:30.850 --> 00:13:34.450 a new all -time NHL record. An incredible testament 00:13:34.450 --> 00:13:37.250 to Jagger's longevity. And on the other end of 00:13:37.250 --> 00:13:38.929 the spectrum, he had an 18 -year -old rookie 00:13:38.929 --> 00:13:41.529 named Nathan McKinnon bursting onto the scene 00:13:41.529 --> 00:13:44.629 for the Colorado Avalanche. McKinnon went on 00:13:44.629 --> 00:13:47.690 an absolute tear, recording a point in 13 consecutive 00:13:47.690 --> 00:13:51.250 games. In doing so, he broke the record for the 00:13:51.250 --> 00:13:54.169 longest point streak by an 18 -year -old in NHL 00:13:54.169 --> 00:13:57.059 history. a record previously held by Wayne Gretzky 00:13:57.059 --> 00:13:59.539 himself. It is the perfect illustration of traditional 00:13:59.539 --> 00:14:02.919 sports. Icons like Timo Solan and Saku Koivu 00:14:02.919 --> 00:14:04.960 were playing their final games, while future 00:14:04.960 --> 00:14:07.480 superstars like McKinnon and Nikita Kucherov 00:14:07.480 --> 00:14:09.480 were just taking their first strides. The cycle 00:14:09.480 --> 00:14:11.799 continues. But while the tort was being passed 00:14:11.799 --> 00:14:13.779 on the ice, the executives in the boardroom were 00:14:13.779 --> 00:14:15.740 orchestrating a paradigm shift of their own. 00:14:15.960 --> 00:14:18.039 We have to talk about the Canadian television 00:14:18.039 --> 00:14:21.809 broadcast rights. This is arguably the most consequential 00:14:21.809 --> 00:14:24.889 long -term business development of the 2013 -14 00:14:24.889 --> 00:14:28.509 season. The league's broadcast agreements with 00:14:28.509 --> 00:14:31.230 the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the CBC, 00:14:31.389 --> 00:14:35.570 and Bell Media's TSN were expiring. NHL Commissioner 00:14:35.570 --> 00:14:38.830 Gary Bettman recognized that in an era of streaming 00:14:38.830 --> 00:14:41.529 and time -shifted viewing, live sports were the 00:14:41.529 --> 00:14:44.370 last remaining DVR -proof television programming. 00:14:44.860 --> 00:14:47.720 He knew the value of these rights was skyrocketing. 00:14:47.720 --> 00:14:50.039 He was reportedly aiming for a package worth 00:14:50.039 --> 00:14:54.200 over 3 .2 billion Canadian dollars. But the CBC, 00:14:54.460 --> 00:14:56.860 which had aired the iconic Hockey Night in Canada 00:14:56.860 --> 00:14:59.539 for over 60 years, was in a really tough spot. 00:14:59.639 --> 00:15:02.039 They were facing severe federal budget cuts. 00:15:02.200 --> 00:15:04.120 They were. And according to the source, Bettman 00:15:04.120 --> 00:15:06.000 actually recognized their financial limitations. 00:15:06.240 --> 00:15:09.019 He offered the CBC a simplified package that 00:15:09.019 --> 00:15:10.799 would have allowed them to keep a national doubleheader 00:15:10.799 --> 00:15:13.200 on Saturday nights, though they would lose digital 00:15:13.200 --> 00:15:16.120 rights and some. That seems like a fair compromise. 00:15:18.440 --> 00:15:26.639 Which is a huge gamble for a network facing budget 00:15:26.639 --> 00:15:41.309 cuts. Wow. On November 26, 2013, the NHL announced 00:15:41.309 --> 00:15:44.909 a monumental 12 -year agreement granting exclusive 00:15:44.909 --> 00:15:48.190 national broadcast rights to Rodgers. The final 00:15:48.190 --> 00:15:52.830 price, $5 .2 billion Canadian dollars. A $5 .2 00:15:52.830 --> 00:15:55.789 billion monopoly. And the aftermath for the CBC, 00:15:55.950 --> 00:15:58.129 as described in the source, is just brutal. They 00:15:58.129 --> 00:16:00.669 completely lost their rights fees. Moving forward, 00:16:00.769 --> 00:16:02.809 Rogers allowed Hockey Night in Canada to remain 00:16:02.809 --> 00:16:05.590 on the CBC channel for four years, but Rogers 00:16:05.590 --> 00:16:07.769 controlled the entire production. Essentially, 00:16:07.870 --> 00:16:10.429 Rogers gave the CBC six hours of free airtime 00:16:10.429 --> 00:16:12.549 each Saturday night to broadcast the games. Why 00:16:12.549 --> 00:16:14.549 would the CBC agree to just be a free distribution 00:16:14.549 --> 00:16:16.730 channel for another company's product? Because 00:16:16.730 --> 00:16:18.909 it allowed the CBC to use the commercial breaks 00:16:18.909 --> 00:16:20.889 during those highly watched games to promote 00:16:20.889 --> 00:16:23.649 their own sitcoms and news programs. They had 00:16:23.649 --> 00:16:26.370 lost so much leverage that their only remaining 00:16:26.370 --> 00:16:29.110 play was to act as a free billboard for Rogers. 00:16:29.389 --> 00:16:32.289 just to keep their own network afloat. Bell Media 00:16:32.289 --> 00:16:35.110 and the CBC were completely shut out of national 00:16:35.110 --> 00:16:38.509 NHL control. It was a ruthless, profound shift 00:16:38.509 --> 00:16:40.970 in the financial power dynamics of sports media. 00:16:41.210 --> 00:16:43.269 It really puts into perspective how cutthroat 00:16:43.269 --> 00:16:46.409 the business side is. But after all the boardroom 00:16:46.409 --> 00:16:49.090 drama, the geographic realignment, and the outdoor 00:16:49.090 --> 00:16:52.309 spectacles, a champion still had to be crowned 00:16:52.309 --> 00:16:54.750 on the ice. Let's look at the final accolades 00:16:54.750 --> 00:16:56.879 of the year. Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh 00:16:56.879 --> 00:16:59.620 Penguins was the undeniable standout. He was. 00:16:59.840 --> 00:17:02.220 Crosby captured the Art Ross Trophy, which is 00:17:02.220 --> 00:17:04.579 awarded to the league's top point scorer, registering 00:17:04.579 --> 00:17:07.599 104 points. He also won the Hart Memorial Trophy 00:17:07.599 --> 00:17:10.079 as the regular season MVP and the Ted Lindsay 00:17:10.079 --> 00:17:12.380 Award, meaning he was voted the most outstanding 00:17:12.380 --> 00:17:15.200 player by his own peers in the NHLPA. And in 00:17:15.200 --> 00:17:17.720 the crease, Tuka Rask of the Boston Bruins won 00:17:17.720 --> 00:17:19.819 the Vizina Trophy, which is essentially the award 00:17:19.819 --> 00:17:22.000 for the best goaltender in the world. His team, 00:17:22.039 --> 00:17:24.579 the Bruins, won the President's Trophy for accumulating 00:17:24.579 --> 00:17:27.559 the most points during the grueling 82 game regular 00:17:27.559 --> 00:17:30.420 season. A fantastic season for Boston. But as 00:17:30.420 --> 00:17:32.559 any hockey fan will tell you, the regular season 00:17:32.559 --> 00:17:34.599 is just a warm -up act. The Stanley Cup playoffs 00:17:34.599 --> 00:17:38.039 are an entirely different beast. Precisely. And 00:17:38.039 --> 00:17:40.460 the playoffs this season culminated in a battle 00:17:40.460 --> 00:17:42.859 between the Eastern Conference champion New York 00:17:42.859 --> 00:17:45.819 Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings from the West. 00:17:46.039 --> 00:17:48.680 The Kings' path to that final was nothing short 00:17:48.680 --> 00:17:50.500 of epic. They didn't just breeze through the 00:17:50.500 --> 00:17:53.910 playoffs. Not at all. The source details an incredibly 00:17:53.910 --> 00:17:56.829 arduous journey for Los Angeles. They actually 00:17:56.829 --> 00:17:59.990 fell behind 3 -L in their very first playoff 00:17:59.990 --> 00:18:02.710 series against the San Jose Sharks and had to 00:18:02.710 --> 00:18:05.109 mount a historic comeback. Just to survive the 00:18:05.109 --> 00:18:07.549 first round. Exactly. They ultimately survived 00:18:07.549 --> 00:18:09.809 three separate game sevens, all of them on the 00:18:09.809 --> 00:18:13.130 road, just to reach the Stanley Cup final. It 00:18:13.130 --> 00:18:15.490 was a remarkable display of resilience. And once 00:18:15.490 --> 00:18:17.210 they got to the final, they defeated the Rangers 00:18:17.210 --> 00:18:19.210 four games to one to capture the Stanley Cup. 00:18:19.579 --> 00:18:21.619 That was the Kings' second championship in just 00:18:21.619 --> 00:18:24.160 three seasons, cementing them as a mini -dynasty 00:18:24.160 --> 00:18:26.859 of that era. And Justin Williams won the Conn 00:18:26.859 --> 00:18:29.619 Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP, living up to 00:18:29.619 --> 00:18:32.519 his reputation as Mr. Game 7 for his clutch performances 00:18:32.519 --> 00:18:35.579 when facing elimination. It was a spectacular 00:18:35.579 --> 00:18:39.660 conclusion to an exhaustingly chaotic year. So 00:18:39.660 --> 00:18:41.420 what does this all mean? We've covered a lot 00:18:41.420 --> 00:18:43.819 of ground today. From the Players Union vetoing 00:18:43.819 --> 00:18:46.519 geographic realignments to the bizarre logistics 00:18:46.519 --> 00:18:49.970 of an indoor -outdoor game. We've looked at the 00:18:49.970 --> 00:18:52.869 terrifying reality of medical emergencies on 00:18:52.869 --> 00:18:55.809 the bench, a team desperate enough to use nine 00:18:55.809 --> 00:18:59.900 different goalies, and a 5 .2... billion -dollar 00:18:59.900 --> 00:19:02.599 corporate takeover of a national broadcast. A 00:19:02.599 --> 00:19:04.880 lot of moving parts. For you listening, whether 00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:07.799 you are a sports fanatic or a corporate strategist, 00:19:07.839 --> 00:19:11.559 this 2013 -14 NHL season is the ultimate masterclass 00:19:11.559 --> 00:19:14.660 in adaptation. The NHL completely re -engineered 00:19:14.660 --> 00:19:16.900 its product. They physically altered the goalposts 00:19:16.900 --> 00:19:19.119 to open up the ice. They redrew the map of their 00:19:19.119 --> 00:19:21.599 divisions. They figured out how to monetize massive 00:19:21.599 --> 00:19:23.759 outdoor spectacles. And they leveraged their 00:19:23.759 --> 00:19:26.279 cultural power to secure a media deal that guaranteed 00:19:26.279 --> 00:19:30.750 the league's financial future. It is a powerful 00:19:30.750 --> 00:19:33.190 case study in organizational evolution. This 00:19:33.190 --> 00:19:35.609 season proved that a traditional, century -old 00:19:35.609 --> 00:19:38.329 institution could radically alter its core format 00:19:38.329 --> 00:19:40.849 and still achieve wild success. But this raises 00:19:40.849 --> 00:19:43.769 an important question for you to mull over. In 00:19:43.769 --> 00:19:46.829 an age where audiences constantly crave novel 00:19:46.829 --> 00:19:49.809 spectacles and executives demand bigger broadcast 00:19:49.809 --> 00:19:52.750 deals, how much further can a historic sports 00:19:52.750 --> 00:19:55.109 league stretch its traditional boundaries before 00:19:55.109 --> 00:19:57.930 it loses the very identity that made fans fall 00:19:57.930 --> 00:19:59.849 in love with it in the first place? That is a 00:19:59.849 --> 00:20:01.890 fantastic question to leave off on. Thank you 00:20:01.890 --> 00:20:04.269 so much for joining us on this deep dive into 00:20:04.269 --> 00:20:07.410 the 2013 -14 NHL season. Keep questioning the 00:20:07.410 --> 00:20:09.049 information around you, keep looking for those 00:20:09.049 --> 00:20:11.349 aha moments, and we will catch you on the next 00:20:11.349 --> 00:20:11.529 one.