On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including Alex Ovechkin breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL scoring record. Ovechkin passed on the opportunity to score an empty net goal at home, then broke the record on the road at the New York Islanders on Sunday.
The hosts talk about a strong run for the NHL, which often operates in the shadows of its larger peer leagues. The NHL’s Four Nations Face-Off earlier this year was a big commercial success, and last week it signed a 12-year Canadian TV deal worth about $7.7 billion (CA$11 billion). Now Ovechkin breaks a high profile record right on the eve of the playoffs.
The hosts also talk about the geopolitical undercurrent of the record. Ovechkin, who is Russian, has not been critical of Vladimir Putin in the way that many Russian athletes have. Putin congratulated him on his accomplishment and called it a cause for celebration across Russian. Gretzky, who was on site to congratulate Ovechkin, is caught in a geopolitical storm of his own. His friendship with U.S. President Donald Trump has put him in the crosshairs in Canada, where Trump’s tariffs and talk of the “51st state” have angered a lot of Canadians.
Next the hosts talk about the impact of Trump’s tariffs on sports. Companies like Nike and On, which do a lot of manufacturing in China and Vietnam, have already lost billions in market cap. The tariffs will likely affect the cost of big capital expenditure projects like stadium construction and impact donations for colleges.
They close by talking about the NCAA tournaments. UConn’s women’s team won its first title since 2016, but coach Geno Auriemma issued an ominous warning about the sport’s future. They also talk about the Masters, which is happening at the end of the week.
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