Kraken And NHL Holiday Fun
Seattle Kraken fans can hear the latest about the NHL’s plans for the Olympics, a World Cup and the salary cap as NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly joins Rob Simpson for a special holiday edition of “Simmer’s Morning Skate”.
Also, hear a remarkable story about the legendary Swedish defenseman Borje Salming, his recent honors and his passing.
Daly and Simmer also pretty much crush the concept of expanding the NHL playoffs. And young Seattle Kraken broadcaster earns a happy mention.
Here’s the playoff expansion clip – full interview near the bottom of the page.
Daly has been the first NHL Deputy Commissioner since 2005. He was the league’s lead negotiator in the very eventful 2004-’05 collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that came out of the NHL lock-out.
The former Dartmouth College football fullback earned his law degree from New York University (NYU) in 1990.
Daly has been a key figure in negotiations with various television networks over the years, securing broadcast rights deals, and is the key liaison between the NHL and the American Hockey League (AHL), the Canadian Hockey League (CHL), that is the major junior hockey collective of the Western League, the Ontario League, and the Quebec Major Junior League, and also USA Hockey, Hockey Canada, and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).
The Deputy Commissioner definitely earns the air miles, having recently made three separate trips to Europe in a short time span for NHL Premiere Games and a special event in Sweden honoring Hockey Hall of Fame legendary defenseman Salming, who passed away not long afterward. It’s one of the topics of our conversation.
Full holiday interview:
In 2014 Daly received the Lester Patrick Award, which is given annually to individuals who advance the sport of hockey in the United States. He’s on the board of both the Hockey Hall of Fame and the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. All in all, Daly is just a great guy to be around and dedicated lover of the sport of hockey.
He concludes the interview with a holiday special; his collection of Christmas trees. Happy Holidays Kraken fans!
