[7seven]

Originally Posted by krazynuck

really? 30 million is a lot to loose....probably my second favourite team in the NHL and sad to see them do bad financially

Tampa Bay Lightning To Post Huge Loss This Year Despite Stanley Cup Run
May. 2 2011 - 3:04 pm | 2,948 views | 0 recommendations | 1 comment

Image by Getty Images via @daylife
It has been a great season for first-year Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, who paid just $93 million for the NHL team. The Lightning finished the regular season with 103 points, 23 more than the 2009-10 season, while attendance increased by almost 2,000 per game, and Vinik’s team currently holds a 2-0 lead over the top-seeded Washington Capitals in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

But the Lightning will still post a pretax loss of around $30 million even if they reach the finals, according to a person familiar with the Lightning’s finances. In large part this is because the league’s new collective bargaining agreement, which began with the 2005-06 season. Playoff teams must pay the N.H.L. a low six-figure fee to help cover the league’s costs to produce the playoffs, including expenses for travel, marketing and officiating. The fees increase each round. Also, teams are required to contribute part of their playoff ticket revenue to the N.H.L.’s revenue-sharing program, which redistributes money to the financially weaker teams. Upshot: playoff games now mean about $500,000 net per game to the home team instead of over $1 million under prior CBA.

It doesn’t matter if the Lightning have 16 playoff games at the St. Pete Times Forum. If Vinik wants to turn a profit he will have to sell get more gate and sponsorship revenue during the regular season.

Tampa Bay Lightning To Post Huge Loss This Year Despite Stanley Cup Run - Mike Ozanian - SportsMoney - Forbes