[sureLoss]

http://www.tsn.ca/westhead-nhl-playe...event-1.144286

The National Hockey League and the Players' Association hope to generate between $75 million and $100 million from the rekindled World Cup of Hockey, according to their preliminary estimates.

A person familiar with the matter told TSN that the eight-team tournament, which is scheduled to be held in September 2016, will raise about half its revenue from the sale of broadcast and internet streaming rights. The NHL and NHLPA have predicted those rights may garner close to $50 million.

NHL senior vice president John Collins said it's too early to say how much cash the league and NHLPA will generate.

"We are not at the finish line yet on the WC," Collins wrote in an email. "More meetings still needed with PA and federations. Premature to comment on any specifics."

NHLPA spokesman Jon Weatherdon declined to comment.
The NHL and NHLPA will hold an auction for the 17-game tournament's TV rights. In Canada, that means TSN, Sportsnet and CBC are all expected to bid for the property.

It's a gamble to spend so much on a tournament like the World Cup when there's no guarantee Team Canada will advance beyond the round robin portion. But if it does, there could be a big payoff in TV ratings. The final of the World Cup will be a best-of-three format, TSN has learned.

Besides TV rights, the NHL and NHLPA will also sell sponsorship rights to the World Cup. They anticipate selling to eight premier corporate sponsors and negotiating deals of at least $1.5 million in each category, a source told TSN.