Leipold: League is healthy
Under the NHL's new revenue-sharing system, the Wild actually gets "a little money," owner Craig Leipold said. Under the previous collective bargaining agreement, the top 10 revenue-generating teams distributed to the bottom 10. Now, the top 10 give to the bottom 20.
"This league is really healthy," Leipold said. "A lot of the new revenue that's coming into the league is leaguewide revenue that all 30 teams at least share in. In past years, the revenue in the league was going up, but it was because the top five or six teams' local revenue generated such a large degree that it pushed the revenue of the league up. That didn't help the lower teams."
No rest for the weary
Dan Bylsma, who doubles as the U.S. Olympic coach, was asked if Wild defenseman Ryan Suter, who leads the NHL in ice time, may feel refreshed at the Olympics because he won't have to play 30 or 32 minutes a game.
"Who says that's the case?" Bylsma said, smiling. "He's a pretty good player."
Just in case
The Wild's Matt Cooke is an infamous prankster, so during his return to Pittsburgh on Thursday, Bylsma joked, "We did change the locks [of the locker room] on him."
