The Weak Dollar and the N.H.L.

1. The bad economy in the United States and the weak dollar have changed the balance of power in the N.H.L. Now Sun Belt teams are in financial trouble and Canadian teams are flush with money — a reversal from five or six years ago.

2. The weak dollar also led to the collapse of the player transfer agreement between the N.H.L. and Europe. For the first time, the N.H.L. cannot dictate terms; it must deal with European clubs as economic equals. Oil-rich Russia, now with standardized contract laws, is matching North American salaries and attracting talented European players to a restructured league with Continental ambitions.

NYTimes article "Things We Learned This Season"