Ben Wasserman’s Post

Check out my latest article for Caplin News!

🏒 The Florida Panthers are Stanley Cup champions! Beyond the thrilling finale last night, the National Hockey League (NHL) has had a season full of significant achievements: 📈 A 36% increase in U.S. ratings for the Stanley Cup Final, with an average of 3.6 million viewers for the first six games. 📊 An average of 1.3 million U.S. viewers per game during the first three rounds of the playoffs, marking a 14% increase from last year and the highest since 1996. 🏟️ Record-breaking regular season attendance, totaling 22.56 million. 💰 A new league record for annual revenue at $6.2 billion, driven by high attendance, media deals, and sponsorship growth. 👏 A positive reception for the new Utah Hockey Club. It’s been quite the season for the NHL that was capped off by a 7 game Finals. The league is in a great place as it considers additional expansion teams and new markets. Here’s to a thrilling offseason ahead! #linkedinsports #NHL #StanleyCup

My two favorite 🏒 teams are 1 and 2 in the National Hockey League (NHL) standings! 🥳🤯 Always a Jets fan first, but when we lost our team, the Manitoba Moose was the Vancouver Canucks AHL affiliate team. I also was in Vancouver for a period of time before Jets 2.0. Not sure how many people are aware of how good both teams are when all the Sports Shows can talk about is a couple of other Canadian teams below in the standings. 🤣 Impressive performance by the Jets through the first 40 games. The stats and KPIs are strong due the teamwork and discipline. Depth of the team is near the best in the league. - 30 straight games without allowing more than 3 goals. Post expansion era record is 35 games. - 13 games with points. - One regulation loss in last 18 games. - Won 7 straight. 7 different players scored the game winner. - 16 players have scored the game winning goal - leads the league. - 5 on 5 goals against is the best in the league. - Only team to be undefeated against the Eastern conference teams. - Lowest Goals Against Average and Highest Save Percentage by a goalie tandem. True North Sports + Entertainment

There’s a saying in hockey that your goalie is only as good as the team in front of him. The best goalies in the world have a 92% save percentage, but if that percentage drops just 1% to 91% they give up roughly 24 more goals in a year. 24 goals can be the difference in making the playoffs or hitting the golf course early in the NHL. It sounds like it’s all up to the goalie, but when you dig into it, save percentages are directly relational to how many shots a team blocks. The more shots a team blocks, the higher the goalie’s save percentage is. If you could do something as simple as blocking a shot to make someone on your team 1% better would you do it?

I can predict who will win the NBA Finals with just one stat. Here's how ⬇️ You see, in 2008 Laker’s coach Phil Jackson presented a theory: “You must win 40 games before you lose 20 to be seen as an elite team.” This may sound like an odd number but of the last 30 NBA Champions, only 3 teams haven't fallen into the "40-20" category: ∙ '04 Pistons (33-20) ∙ '06 Heat (30-20) ∙ '21 Bucks (32-20) But what about this year? In 2024 we have four teams that satisfy the "40-20" Rule: ∙ Celtics ∙ Nuggets ∙ Timberwolves ∙ Thunder But who has the best chance of winning the whole thing? Since the Celtics are the only team in the East that satisfies this rule, we’ll send them straight to the Finals. In the West, it's a toss-up between the Thunder and the Wolves. Each only had 17 losses when they got their 40th wins. (The Nuggets had 19 losses when they reached 40 wins). But give me the Timberwolves to win the West. But unfortunately for Minnesota, the stats say Boston wins it because they only had 12 losses by the time they won their 40th game. #linkedinsports #sportsmarketing #sportsbusiness #nba

Wayne Gretzky's Trade to LA! Craig Simpson Breaks down one of the biggest trades in NHL History In this segment from Joe Tilley's Great Canadian Sports Show, NHL player Craig Simpson reflects on the significant moment when Wayne Gretzky was traded from the Edmonton Oilers. Simpson describes the surreal experience of being with Gretzky in Los Angeles when the trade occurred in August 1988. He emphasizes Gretzky's impact as a teammate and person and discusses the challenges of dealing with rumors and the abrupt change in the team dynamic. Simpson recounts the day of the trade, mentioning a phone call from Bruce McNall, the Kings' owner, confirming the deal. The conversation touches on the shock and life-changing nature of the trade for both the NHL and Gretzky. The discussion also addresses the subsequent season, where the Oilers faced the Kings in the Stanley Cup Final. Simpson admits that the team wasn't adequately prepared to face Gretzky and the Kings, resulting in a loss. He acknowledges that they didn't approach Gretzky the same way they would other great players and reflects on the missed opportunity to close the series when they were up three to one in the first round against the Kings. The clip concludes with Simpson expressing the uniqueness and impact of the Gretzky trade on the NHL and the changing landscape of hockey. #GreatCanadianSportsShow #CraigSimpson #WayneGretzky #EdmontonOilers #LosAngelesKings #NHLTrade #Gretzky #HockeyHistory #TeammateTales #LifeChanging #StanleyCup #MissedOpportunities #TheGreatGretzkyTrade #Hockey #McNallConfirmsTheDeal #FromOilersToKings #Changing #Edmonton #Facing #UnpreparedForGreatness #Kings #Throne #LearningFromTheTrade #Missing #Landscape

Check out my latest article for The Hockey Writers! In this piece, I analyze the impact Luke Hughes had during his rookie season, as well as how he could become a top defenseman for New Jersey!🏒📓

Great story by Jolene Latimer in theScore about Don Gallinger, a former Boston Bruins player who was suspended for gambling by the National Hockey League (NHL) in 1948 and never played again. Besides serving as a warning to current and future players, the story can also be a lesson for the NHL and its teams. This line from Latimer's story stands out in particular: "In the fall of 1947, (teammate Billy) Taylor approached Gallinger with an offer: Taylor had a contact who'd guarantee 2-1 odds on any bet placed through him; in exchange, the two players needed to supply their contact with insider info on Bruins injuries and other intelligence not available to the public." As the NHL and teams partner with more sports betting companies and encourage fans to gamble on hockey games, the league and its teams must do a better job providing information about player injuries and absences. Hiding behind the vague and nonsensical "upper-body injury" or "lower-body injury" leaves teams, their players and staffs vulnerable to being targeted by criminals seeking inside information. Being more forthcoming with information and providing more transparency about injuries will better serve all NHL stakeholders. #sports #sportsbusiness #sportsbiz #sportsgambling #hockey

Lessons from the Oilers' Stanley Cup Loss No Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup in the last 30 years. And we are disappointed but we need to understand one thing first. The NHL stands out as a league with substantial competitive parity. Unlike the NFL, NBA, or top European soccer leagues, the NHL provides a platform where many teams can realistically aim for the Stanley Cup. In other words, there are no dynastic runs like the Patriots, Real Madrid, or Lakers sweeping all the championships and fans. At least not in the last three decades. No NHL team has won the Stanley Cup more than twice back-to-back in the last 30 years. And it's a healthy thing. In fact, it's so healthy that it's almost a requirement to lose in the finals to win the cup. Don't believe me? Check out the last 30 years' winners and losers: Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, and Boston Bruins... All these teams made it to the finals and lost, significantly increasing their chances of winning the cup within 5 years. And the probability of winning the cup if you made it to the finals increases as high as 60% within 2 years among all the teams in the league. If you lost twice in the finals, it's almost certain that the team would win the Stanley Cup within 5 years. The Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit Red Wings, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Vegas Golden Knights are great examples of this. In the NHL, losing in the finals isn't just a setback—it's often the stepping stone to ultimate victory. So, it takes a loser to win the Stanley Cup. P.S.: I am no hockey expert by any stretch of the imagination if you think my analysis is wrong, please correct me below. -------------------- Image: https://buff.ly/4cGOwKn by Bruce Bennet/Getty Images