The National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman said on Wednesday that the League could be affected by current tensions between the United States and Canada.
Bettman said 25% of the League revenues come from his Canadian clubs. Although he said Canadian teams were working well, Bettman added that there could be ramifications for the League according to the state of Canadian prices.
“All the players, whatever the country they play, are paid in US dollars,” Bettman at Becky from CNBC on “Squawk Box” told Bettman. “So, if the impact of prices is to see the Canadian dollar drop compared to the US dollar, it will make things more difficult and more painful.”
Bettman said he had not yet had any conversation with the Trump administration, but he thinks that the heart of tension between the two countries is a “political problem”, the Canadians and the Americans obtaining “”taken in the middle. “”
“I hope that it is a moment in time and that the two countries find a way to travel this,” said Bettman, adding that uncertainty and prices can also cause difficulties with NHL sponsors.
The League currently has seven Canadian teams, including the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Vancouver Canucks.
Despite uncertainty, Bettman said that the League expected to exceed the income of $ 7 billion in mixed currencies for the 2024-25 in progress. NHL has also experienced record notes and high attendance, he noted, with teams playing 96.7% of the capacity season to date.
According to CNBC 2024 Official assessments of the NHL team, the average value of the NHL franchise was $ 1.92 billion.
“Our notes are strong and we have major media partners in Canada and the United States,” said Bettman. “And we are in a good place because the game has never been better.”