Is the KHL an established league?

[hansomreiste]

Here is encouraging news - the most financially successful hockey league in the World is also run by oligarchs. I looked up to see who was the owner of the Dallas Stars, and guess what I found: "Tom Gagliardi, Canadian business executive and billionaire." Looks like the KHL is following the correct corporate model!

Clubs run by oligarch is quite normal, I am not expecting CSKA to be run by the bakery around the corner. However, being totally dependent on oligarch money and having money as the only option to lure the players, which is again pumped in by oligarchs, it kinda concerns people. It's like a student living on his/her parents' paychecks without creating and earning to his/her name. In the long run, this is unsustainable. We all know that.

Yes, oligarchs and rich guys will keep having clubs and pumping money but KHL should implement a system where the main source of income is sponsors or simply the people watching KHL. Merchandise sales, TV deals, sponsorship sums, game tickets etc... Luckily for us, KHL seems to be aware of this and taking concrete steps, as vorky reports.

Yet again we come back to the same point: KHL is too much dependent on economy, therefore the wallets of (mainly) Russian people sets the limit for KHL. Think of a crisis. NHL would definitely shrink but still shake it off. At the moment, KHL may not. Just look at what happened in Ukraine Premier League (football) and same as Russia. Where is Metalist Kharkiv? Where is Dnipro? Where is Metallurg... However you call it, I say Zaporijya? Or, why does Kuban have huge debts?

It's all because things in Russia revolve around oligarchs but not people. Let's say, if Liverpool were to go extinct, fans alone could save the club by donating. However, if SKA were to face the same fate, I am not sure if people of St. Petersburg would be able to save the club by paying those huuuuge amounts of money.

It should be obvious by now but again, I want to state this clearly: I am not an anti-Russian or anything like that. I am simply saying that KHL is boomed because of oligarchs and when/if they leave, it will collapse and leave us with Russia Super League again. Was it bad? No way. It was awesome as well. Though not as good as KHL.

 

[Acallabeth]

Here is encouraging news - the most financially successful hockey league in the World is also run by oligarchs. I looked up to see who was the owner of the Dallas Stars, and guess what I found: "Tom Gagliardi, Canadian business executive and billionaire." Looks like the KHL is following the correct corporate model!

That's right, and I cand add that, for example, the Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said a couple of years ago (during the lockout) that he (gasp!) never made a dollar on the Caps. That's right: the team with Ovechkin, a huge TV revenue, average ticket prices of now >$130 and a 18k+ arena was never profitable. So it appears it's hard to build a profitable NHL franchise, what do we expect from the KHL? People in Russia aren't going to pay that much for tickets or jerseys, and TV deal isn't going to be nearly as lucrative. I think the KHL officials aren't idiots and are working in this direction, but only a fool would expect less than decades of work.

Think of a crisis. NHL would definitely shrink but still shake it off. At the moment, KHL may not.

I'm absolutely certain that the NHL would experience major problems if the USD purchasing power fell half as much as the ruble's. There's a reason why they had 3 lockouts in 20 years: players' salaries are growing too quickly, they have to rise the ticket prices to a ridiculous level. Also, remember that teams in the NHL relocate left and right, with no examples of the fans saving their teams, let's not compare it to European football fandom that's an absolute religion

 

[kabidjan18]

Stadium music is so not uniform it's impossible to say one is better or worse. I've generally noticed that North American stadiums will play the newest pop hits, where European and KHL stadiums will play songs that are years old but perhaps more tried and true.

Lockouts are due to the strength of player's unions, I don't think after the way the Medvescak ordeal took place that you could claim the KHL player's union is very strong. In that situation the KHL league office did what was right, but where protecting player rights and salaries are concerned the union wasn't very effective.

 

[Yakushev72]

That's right, and I cand add that, for example, the Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said a couple of years ago (during the lockout) that he (gasp!) never made a dollar on the Caps. That's right: the team with Ovechkin, a huge TV revenue, average ticket prices of now >$130 and a 18k+ arena was never profitable. So it appears it's hard to build a profitable NHL franchise, what do we expect from the KHL? People in Russia aren't going to pay that much for tickets or jerseys, and TV deal isn't going to be nearly as lucrative. I think the KHL officials aren't idiots and are working in this direction, but only a fool would expect less than decades of work.


I'm absolutely certain that the NHL would experience major problems if the USD purchasing power fell half as much as the ruble's. There's a reason why they had 3 lockouts in 20 years: players' salaries are growing too quickly, they have to rise the ticket prices to a ridiculous level. Also, remember that teams in the NHL relocate left and right, with no examples of the fans saving their teams, let's not compare it to European football fandom that's an absolute religion

I agree 100%. In fact, the NHL looks back on the time when most of their revenue was derived from ticket sales and food/beer sales as the bad old days. Those were the days when a salary of $500,000 a year or more was for superstars. From what I have read, revenue and salaries only started to increase with the introduction of cable TV. The league signed big contracts with the cable TV companies that gave them the resources to pay big salaries.

In the United States, where most franchises are located, interest in the NHL feeds off of international hockey. So when the NHL decided to shut down for the Olympics, the TV networks invested heavily in televising the NHL to be in position to hype the Olympics, which Americans are much more likely to watch. The fact that Ovechkin, the most exciting and popular player in the NHL, plays in Washington feeds into that trend.

Ticket prices are now so high that the average person just can't afford them. The price of tickets, plus parking fees, plus $10 beers and $6 hot dogs, means it costs $250-300 for 2 people to attend. Dallasnews.com wrote about the fact that more than half the seats in the Dallas arena are bought up by big corporations, who turn around and give the tickets to clients or executives, who frequently don't actually show up. So you may have a sell-out with half of the seats empty.

 

[kabidjan18]

I agree 100%. In fact, the NHL looks back on the time when most of their revenue was derived from ticket sales and food/beer sales as the bad old days. Those were the days when a salary of $500,000 a year or more was for superstars. From what I have read, revenue and salaries only started to increase with the introduction of cable TV. The league signed big contracts with the cable TV companies that gave them the resources to pay big salaries.

In the United States, where most franchises are located, interest in the NHL feeds off of international hockey. So when the NHL decided to shut down for the Olympics, the TV networks invested heavily in televising the NHL to be in position to hype the Olympics, which Americans are much more likely to watch. The fact that Ovechkin, the most exciting and popular player in the NHL, plays in Washington feeds into that trend.

Ticket prices are now so high that the average person just can't afford them. The price of tickets, plus parking fees, plus $10 beers and $6 hot dogs, means it costs $250-300 for 2 people to attend. Dallasnews.com wrote about the fact that more than half the seats in the Dallas arena are bought up by big corporations, who turn around and give the tickets to clients or executives, who frequently don't actually show up. So you may have a sell-out with half of the seats empty.

Well no way! really? If the economy failed corporations would suffer to!? I actually thought the ruble thing at first was just American media but it seems the ruble did actually fall a bit.

This sounds like a typical American press column, there are aspects that are somewhat true but it's mostly blown out of proportion in order to create pity for the general public. Tickets are expensive, but the price of a power 5 university football game is comparable to the price of an NHL ticket, and food is just as overpriced. Also, corporations buying tickets is more complicated because I know in other sports those tickets are resold because those corporations are ticket selling corporations than add features to upgrade your GameDay experience if you buy from them. Only a certain portion are actually favor tickets. You're right about TV deals, of which the NHL usually doesn't get the best. This is another thread topic but Alex Ovechkin is the most exciting NHL player in Russia. I think a US poll would more likely get a Tyler Seguin or Sidney Crosby, this is the type of thing that people debate endlessly to no avail but I wouldn't make a blanket statement like that.

 

[kabidjan18]

About stadium music, where to find the stadium instrumental version of Archie Eversole's We Ready for Ya'll? That's the one theme in European stadiums I hate American stadiums for not having.

 

[penepi]

http://foreignpolicy.com/2016/04/01...l&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=buffer

 

[tobu]

Great discussion guys. I think we all agree that KHL is an established league already. It definitely showcases the 2nd best hockey on planet at the moment. Yes, there are many aspects that need constant criticism, but without criticism there would be hardly any improvement, so keep the bad words coming and voice them out. I'm sure KHL management is self-reflective and wants to continually improve the product of KHL and eventually one day make it sustainable as is the NHL.

Me personally, a few years ago (pre KHL) I would not care about watching Russian club teams, the only case would be the Continental cup if they matched against a Slovak team. Now, in addition to watching most Slovan home and away games, I do find myself occasionally tuning in to watch a non Slovan KHL game, because I start to associate with the teams, they are becoming brands in my humble eyes, and I find entertainment in watching them. This was not the case for me in Slovan's first 2 seasons, I just did not care about non Slovan games back then.

I welcome the addition of a Chinese team, not for reasons of Chinese being any good in hockey, but from business perspective, it's a huge market and can really help KHL and hockey in general if this wonderful sport gains serious traction in Asia.

 

[GaboriklessWild]

the war in Donbass & Syria is over.

LOL, what?

I just checked your location: 'Istanbul & Lviv'. That explains everything.

I'm absolutely certain that the NHL would experience major problems if the USD purchasing power fell half as much as the ruble's. There's a reason why they had 3 lockouts in 20 years: players' salaries are growing too quickly, they have to rise the ticket prices to a ridiculous level. Also, remember that teams in the NHL relocate left and right, with no examples of the fans saving their teams, let's not compare it to European football fandom that's an absolute religion

The NHL has a currency problem, too. Not USD, but CAD. Canada has the same problem as Russia. Oil prices - http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-11/the-loonie-is-driving-nhl-players-crazy

 

[hansomreiste]

LOL, what?
I just checked your location: 'Istanbul & Lviv'. That explains everything.

What are you talking about? My full sentence was,

Sadly, as a huge KHL fan, I do not believe this league as we know it will last long unless the financial crisis and the war in Donbass & Syria is over.

KHL is financed by rich oligarchs who are heavily dependent on Russian economy, which is weakened due to wars in both Ukraine and Syria. What's so difficult to grasp about it? Just look at both Ukrainian and Russian football teams, many of which are almost torn apart due to crises. KHL is not immune to this either. This being said, with the influx of Chinese money, things look better for KHL compared to other organizations.

 

[GaboriklessWild]

Russian economy, which is weakened due to wars in both Ukraine and Syria. What's so difficult to grasp about it?

LOL. Russian economy weakened because there are civil wars in Syria and Ukraine?? This is ridiculous. So explain this, dude. How exactly?


and no, rich corrupt oligarchs are not depending on Russian economy. Their money is in the capital of corruption: London and other offshore countries.

Which russian football teams are you talking about? The biggest Russian clubs Zenit, Dynamo, CSKA, Spartak, Lokomotiv are sponsored by multi-billion $$$ companies like Gasprom, Lukoil, Rosseti, VTB, Russian Railways... and they're still investing a lot $$$ in football.

Fact is the russian football teams season's was very successful in the European competitions. What's yout next observation: Chelsea, Arsenal, Monaco and other russian or partly russian owned foreign football teams are also suffering??!

I don't want to be offensive, but what you're writing is a big nonsense. Your location perfectly explain this

 

[hansomreiste]

LOL. Russian economy weakened because there are civil wars in Syria and Ukraine?? This is ridiculous. So explain this, dude. How exactly?


and no, rich corrupt oligarchs are not depending on Russian economy. Their money is in the capital of corruption: London and other offshore countries.

Which russian football teams are you talking about? The biggest Russian clubs Zenit, Dynamo, CSKA, Spartak, Lokomotiv are sponsored by multi-billion $$$ companies like Gasprom, Lukoil, Rosseti, VTB, Russian Railways... and they're still investing a lot $$$ in football.

Fact is the russian football teams season's was very successful in the European competitions. What's yout next observation: Chelsea, Arsenal, Monaco and other russian or partly russian owned foreign football teams are also suffering??!

I don't want to be offensive, but what you're writing is a big nonsense. Your location perfectly explain this

You are being quite offensive by judging my words in a totally biased way simply because of where I live and where I am from, though. I speak of Russian politics or economics here only when they are related to KHL, so I am not going to be drawn into a meaningless, heart-breaking "fight" here and simply write why I believe Russian economy and therefore KHL suffers.

Russia intervened in Ukraine and got sanctioned. Military operations both in Ukraine and Syria also contributed to weakening of the economy. So, rouble suffered. When Euromaidan started, RUB to USD exchange rate was 32.9975. Today, it's something around 68. As many international transactions are based on USD, Russian companies and therefore sports organizations lost some power. Clear enough?

Chelsea, Arsenal and Monaco are other stories. Their owners have strong ties with Russia yet manage their money in other currencies. Moreover, while Arsenal receives around 100 million POUNDS simply for playing in English Premier League, this is not the case for Russian teams.

The biggest Russian clubs and Dynamo Moscow in same sentence... Before the start of this season, Dynamo could spend only 1M Euros for transfers. If I am not mistaken, the only Russian top team who spent more than they earned in transfer market was Spartak. All others, including Zenit and CSKA, simply did not have funds as they did in past. Sure; they are sponsored by big companies and it's not like they have no money. But simply put, their influence is diminished. Because rouble lost value. So, the things done with rouble also lost value. Understood?

Kuban and Rostov, even though Rostov are fighting for the championship, are on verge of bankruptcy. There were rumours of RZD cutting the budget for Lokomotiv, though I am not sure if that's real. Almost no team can pay their players' wages on time. The budget for World Cup 2018 has been also cut a little due to devaluation of rouble.

Just take of your blinkers and stop taking every comment as anti-Russian propaganda. These are facts. I am not talking about what's right or wrong with Russia. Neither with Turkey or Ukraine. These are facts related to economy which affects Russian ice hockey as well. Yet, against all these arguments, all you can say is "Nonsense!" because I am from Istanbul. How cool is that?

By the way, I never said Russia hockey will collapse and Russian ice hockey players will be on streets to beg for food. Why do you exaggerate my comment? I am simply saying that the current state of Russian economy will take its toll on KHL as well, that's it.

Finally, I guess I would not be supporting a Russian ice hockey team or paying KHL money to watch their games if I was an anti-Russian propaganda machine, right? Not everyone in Turkey or Ukraine hates Russia blindly, yet this does not mean everything with Russia is perfect.

 

[vorky]

talking about money I have one example. KHL VP Dobrokhvalov, responded for marketing, talked to russian media that KHL pays for making TV signal for abroad in USD. So if KHL wants their games to be broadcasted in abroad, then KHL has to pay in USD. That means that less money (in RUB) left for league and is shared with clubs.

E: I dont say hansomreiste is right or wrong... I just wanted to give some valueble info.

 

[kabidjan18]

Lol this isn't a case of hansomreiste is Turkish so he hates Russians. The KHL is run on rich people money, this is obvious. A league this young with such fluctuating interest generally does. What's false however is the western perception, without getting too much into geopolitics, that every Russian economic struggle has a direct correlation to Russia conducting operations on foreign soil. Obviously sanctions hurt and operations cost money but the idea that struggles originated from an "aggressive" Russia is just western media projecting it's desires onto the east. Expanding into china will definitely help the KHL as far as money is concerned, it opens into a new market however I could see it taking some time before there's a consistent fanbase there too.

 

[GaboriklessWild]

...

1) The Russia’s currency follow crude oil. It's pretty clear.

This has nothing to do with sanctions.

2) Syria contributed to weakening of the economy? How exactly?

Russia has crushed the Turkey-backed Al-Qaeda near Aleppo, and ISIS near Palmyra. The military operation in Syria has cost Russia approximately $500 million. I'm sure Russia's Syria campaign will become a textbook example of how to achieve maximum effects with relatively modest military efforts.

3) "As many international transactions are based on USD, Russian companies and therefore sports organizations lost some power."

You clearly do not understand what you write. The devaluation of Russia’s currency reduced operating costs because companies earn dollars and pay most of their expenses in rubles.

4) A new limit on the number of foreign players allowed in the Russian League is to be introduced this season. Russian government want to give more chances to home-grown players before the WC. So no big name player signing this year. Zenit already have Hulk and Witsel, €100 million was paid for them.

5) "Almost no team can pay their players' wages on time."

What's your source?

 

[hansomreiste]

1) The Russia’s currency follow crude oil. It's pretty clear. This has nothing to do with sanctions.

So? Numbers speak for themselves. With or without sanctions, rouble suffered heavily and this affects everything, including hockey. Russia's currency follow crude oil which is nearing its lowest ever. Path A or B, in the end, we come to same conclusion: rouble lost value and it affects companies, people's pocket, therefore hockey.

3) "As many international transactions are based on USD, Russian companies and therefore sports organizations lost some power." You clearly do not understand what you write. The devaluation of Russia’s currency reduced operating costs because companies earn dollars and pay most of their expenses in rubles.

Well I have nothing to say against that. I live on the planet Earth. Obviously, things don't work in where you are as they do here. Let me explain you it in a very simple way: Before the start of Euromaidan, I asked you to lend me 100 USD. You did so. Back then, this was equivalent of 3500 RUB and I could pay this, because I earned 5000 RUB. However, things got messy and RUB plummeted to 68. Now, I still owe you 100 USD but I have to pay 6800 RUB back instead of what I borrowed from you. So... If this is good for Russian people and companies, then OK. As I said, I have nothing to prove you wrong on this one.

4) A new limit on the number of foreign players allowed in the Russian League is to be introduced this season. Russian government want to give more chances to home-grown players before the WC. So no big name player signing this year. Zenit already have Hulk and Witsel, €100 million was paid for them.

This rule has nothing to do with huge spending sprees of Russian clubs we are used to see. You are still allowed a fair amount of foreigners but not many of them were signed this season. Just check RPL spending in recent years. From almost 400 million Euros to 40 now. Home-grown players cannot explain such a big gap. Moreover, due to the artificial scarcity caused by this rule, Russian players got more valuable. Now you have to play some Russians - therefore, there are "important", so more expensive than they should be. Even so, the transfer expenditure of Russian clubs do not exceed 40 million Euros. OK, Zenit has Witsel and Hulk. Say so. What do the others have? Lokomotiv, Dynamo, Spartak, CSKA... How much did they have in piggy bank to spend? I guess not much. Why? Because of Russian players? No. Economy is not in a good state, that's why.

5) "Almost no team can pay their players' wages on time."

What's your source?

Rostov's financial struggles: http://www.sports.ru/football/1033265470.html

Please don't tell me you believe this guy who says there is no boycott. It was an obvious warning from players.

Kuban's boycott around the corner, fresh news: https://lenta.ru/news/2016/04/02/kubanamkar/

CSKA's struggle: http://lifenews.ru/news/172862

I am not even mentioning hockey club of Sochi and many others.

Anyway, I've already made my point clear for so many times here and as I said, I do not want to start another off-topic war, so that's all from me in this case. I do not want to slide off-topic even more. Keep being the aggressor if you wish, I'll play Poroshenko The Chocolate Guy and keep calm & stay on topic.

 

[GaboriklessWild]

Almost no team can pay their players' wages on time.

You mentioned three teams.

 

[Atas2000]

So? Numbers speak for themselves. With or without sanctions, rouble suffered heavily and this affects everything, including hockey. Russia's currency follow crude oil which is nearing its lowest ever. Path A or B, in the end, we come to same conclusion: rouble lost value and it affects companies, people's pocket, therefore hockey.

You both are wrong. Currency devaluation isn't suffering. It has a lot of positive effects for the economy, ecpecially in the current environment. People's pokets are only affected if peple spend their holidays abroad and that's it. Exporting companies thrive on the cheap ruble. Cmpanies whose business is in Russia only don't care. Importing companies suffer, but they are an unimprtant minority.

The effects on hockey have nothing to do with the ruble directly. Maybe fr foreign players whch we should have less of as there are only a few who are worth their contracs in the KHL.

And the corelation of ther uble o the oil price isn't due to real economy factors. It is like many things in today economics part of the cancer we should getr rid of - the games of the financial jugglers at the stock market.

Well I have nothing to say against that. I live on the planet Earth. Obviously, things don't work in where you are as they do here. Let me explain you it in a very simple way: Before the start of Euromaidan, I asked you to lend me 100 USD. You did so. Back then, this was equivalent of 3500 RUB and I could pay this, because I earned 5000 RUB. However, things got messy and RUB plummeted to 68. Now, I still owe you 100 USD but I have to pay 6800 RUB back instead of what I borrowed from you. So... If this is good for Russian people and companies, then OK. As I said, I have nothing to prove you wrong on this one.

Only an idiot borrows money in a currency he has no income in. There were few in Russia and the government had to bail them out. But again, those are just a cuple of idiots. Yu als don't undersand how debt for companies work. The exchange rates are fixed there most of the time. Also russian companies debts are pretty healthy and the peaks for USD debts are behind us in 2015 and tehre are none in 2016. And the current situation taught Russian businessmen the West is not a reliable partner and most of them redirect theit efforts toward work towards more reliable countries and concenrate on reducing risks.

This rule has nothing to do with huge spending sprees of Russian clubs we are used to see. You are still allowed a fair amount of foreigners but not many of them were signed this season. Just check RPL spending in recent years. From almost 400 million Euros to 40 now. Home-grown players cannot explain such a big gap. Moreover, due to the artificial scarcity caused by this rule, Russian players got more valuable. Now you have to play some Russians - therefore, there are "important", so more expensive than they should be. Even so, the transfer expenditure of Russian clubs do not exceed 40 million Euros. OK, Zenit has Witsel and Hulk. Say so. What do the others have? Lokomotiv, Dynamo, Spartak, CSKA... How much did they have in piggy bank to spend? I guess not much. Why? Because of Russian players? No. Economy is not in a good state, that's why.

You obviously have no idea about the state of the russian economy, but you transer that lack of knowledge to come to conclusions.

 

[vorky]

Dont know where to write it, so I will give it here.

KHL published some informations about rating and share on MatchTV.

Match TV is a Russian public sports channel, which began broadcasting on November 1, 2015. The channel was created on the basis of the sports redaction of Gazprom-Media Holding (Chernyshenko is boss here), technical equipment ANO Sports Broadcasting (Panorama brand) and the frequency of Russia-2 (VGTRK - state broadcaster). Match TV is free, subchannels are paid. Russian posters would know more how it works.

All ratings are in group Men 25-59 years, MatchTV broadcasted live 31 matches (round 1-3) and Russia2 broadcasted live 27 matches last year´s playoffs round 1-3. Average ratings of Gagarin Cup 2016 playoffs on MatchTV is 1.1% (last year on Russia2 it was 1.0%), average share (?? not sure how to translate the term доля) is 4.0% on MatchTV (3.7% on Russia2 last year).

Best share results on MatchTV in playoffs 2016:
1st round - 4.7% (Salavat Yulaev v Ak Bars, 5 March)
2nd round - 5.5% (Avangard v Salavat Yulaev, 16 March)
3nd round - 6.2% (Magnitka v Salavat Yulaev, 31 March)

record in West: 6.1% share (CSKA v SKA, 26 March)

 

[Acallabeth]

It's important to understand that due to the decision to start most games at the same time the Match-TV raings are a bit deflated, as viewers move to KHL-TV and KHL-HD (the latter is preferable even on the same match btw).

You both are wrong. Currency devaluation isn't suffering. It has a lot of positive effects for the economy, ecpecially in the current environment. People's pokets are only affected if peple spend their holidays abroad and that's it.

Or if they need a car. Or anything else that's imported. Ruble woes are way overblown, but let's not pretend they don't affect anything.

 

[Atas2000]

Or if they need a car. Or anything else that's imported. Ruble woes are way overblown, but let's not pretend they don't affect anything.

10% of the cars sold in Russa in 2015 were imported. That's what I mean when I say you people aren't exactly well informed about the russian economy.

 

[Acallabeth]

10% of the cars sold in Russa in 2015 were imported. That's what I mean when I say you people aren't exactly well informed about the russian economy.

I'm not even going to discuss this offtopic stat juggling, car prices leapt and sales crashed, that's all that's needed to know.

 

[Killion]

I'm not even going to discuss this offtopic stat juggling, car prices leapt and sales crashed, that's all that's needed to know.

Quite so Acallabeth..... lets reel it back in to the topic at hand gang.

 

[hansomreiste]

So here I go again, please consider my country as Russia to prevent any off-topic discussion: KHL, if it is to become a stable and established league, have to stop this circulation of teams coming and going around. Lev, which is a team that has seen Gagarin Cup finals, joined and soon left. Donbass came as an expansion team and shared the same fate. Atlant, similar to but much more "classical" and established than Lev, also left. For how long can Medvescak retain their spot? We don't know. Same goes for Jokerit: will they keep relying on Rotenberg's money or simply pack up and go back to Liiga?

KHL is a young league and teams joining & leaving is natural. However, in my eyes, the number should decrease and therefore, this is an issue to be addressed. Steps to do this,

1) Make the existing teams have healthy finances so that they can keep being competitive and stay in the league.

Thanks to vorky mainly, we know that the current KHL board is well working on this one. Nice.

2) Work meticulously when introducing new teams. Make sure they'll be able to ice a team for at least two or three years if not more - long term projections are generally not accurate, so I wouldn't expect any organization to guarantee 10-year participation. Nobody knows what'll happen in five years.

Questions may arise about this. As KHL is looking forward to expanding kinda aggressively, maybe they can tolerate some shortcomings of the teams for the greater good. However, I again believe these wise guys will not fill the league with bush teams and be more picky in the future.

3) If needed, create a fund similar to parachute payment to help struggling newcomers - if they have potential to turn things round in near future. For example, Jokerit regularly fills their arena and are a strong, good team. So, if Jokerit somehow gets in financial trouble, this "parachute payment" may keep them afloat for a few years and get them back on feet, instead of punishing the team or saying goodbye.

I know this is very difficult to materialize. When the league itself cannot generate enough money, how will you support "poor" teams with your own fund? However, there is nothing you can't do by working on it. We are not building a stairway to heaven here; with smart business, I believe something like that can happen.

Some teams will come and go, that's for sure... A league cannot have same 30 teams for 30 consecutive years, that's impossible. However, improvements still have to be made to keep existing teams "existing" in my opinion. Vityaz, Severstal, Yugra... Take these out NOW for ever or simply strengthen so we can be sure that they'll be in KHL for upcoming years too as legit teams.