If you’re an NHL player, the chances are that based upon the salary cap, you’ll be playing the last 12-13 games of the season for free, part of givebacks into the system. According to Kevin Paul Dupont of the Boston Globe:

[B]ased on the numbers bandied about by NHL general managers last week in Naples, Fla., as well as calculations offered by the Players Association, the players must prepare to surrender 13-15 percent of their overall salaries. For a guy like Zdeno Chara, on the books for $7.5 million a year, that's a haircut upward of $1.125 million. As trips to the barber shop go, that's much pricier than a "boy's regular."

[…]

Another way to look at this is that 15 percent of an 84-game schedule amounts to 12-13 games. Essentially, the players are working the final month of the regular season pro bono. For the few clubs with no hope of securing a playoff spot, they really have to find some magic to summon inspiration now that they're playing in pro bono land.

In an email sent from NHLPA Executive Director Paul Kelly, "Based on available numbers and financial projections we believe that players will earn approximately 87 percent of their negotiated [salary] for this season."

On the state of the NHL, the league is believed to reach revenues at or slightly above last season. However, season-ticket renewals started coming in before the season started. It will not be fully known how the effects of the recession will impact the NHL next season.

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Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer.

Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.

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written by Rucchin, March 18, 2009

You know a lot about the CBA but you don't know it's an 82-game season! Interesting though, as this will be the first year this happens. From what I understand, their paychecks are less each week, then after the season they get reimbursed from what was set aside, and this year they won't get that check.

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written by sam, March 19, 2009

yes i agree

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