The COVID-19 pandemic brought a lot of changes to our lives — fan-less games, more sweatpants, and the advent of the ‘flat cap’ era in the NHL.
The flat cap was part of the four-year Collective Bargaining Agreement extension reached between the NHL and NHL Players’ Association in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Essentially, an acute lack of revenue, combined with overpayments from the paused 2020 season and the return-to-play programs, have put the NHL in a tough financial spot. In order to recoup revenue losses and maintain long-term economic success, the flat cap was instituted until revenue surpasses $3.