Versus, NHL in Bed for the Next Three Seasons; Will ESPN Make It a Threesome?

Last month, Kevin Allen of USA Today -- as close to an idol-maker as we have in U.S. hockey journalism -- penned a blunt plea for the NHL to grovel back to ESPN "with hat in hand," making the case against Versus along the way. One of his most powerful jabs:

One of the major beefs from many players is that Versus is not available in any hotel that they have ever stayed in. If a network isn't on a hotel cable package, is it a real network?

The NHL clearly believes Versus is a "real network"; more importantly, it has identified the currency Versus uses to pay the League for television rights to its games as "real money." The NHL agreed to a three-year contract extension with Versus yesterday, as ratings have increased and the way the network covers the game is converting some non-believers this season. The bottom line is ... well, the bottom line: Comcast is willing to pay the NHL a rights fee (following the New York Times's math, well over $72 million per season) that no other network would seek to pay for the rights to regular season hockey games. The League is already in one public access deal with NBC; it came to OLN for the money in the first place, and it simply can't leave this kind of money on the table with Versus.

But what does this deal mean for the NHL's year-long flirtation with its old mate, ESPN? There was talk last July that Versus might waive its exclusivity clause if the NHL agreed to an extension. Terms for this extension haven't been released, but it would be stunning if the NHL didn't work out a deal that would allow it to share games with other cable networks like the WWL. Who knows: Maybe we'll have our "3 Networks, 1 Cup" postseason coverage after all.