In an unusual transaction between two major sports entities, Major League Baseball Advanced Media will pay the National Hockey League $100 million annually starting next year to operate the NHL.com website, and the NHL Network will also distribute out-of-market games online through NHL GameCenter Live and through television providers on NHL Center Ice.
“Two professional sports leagues in North America have never entered into an agreement of this nature,” Gary Bettman, the N.H.L. commissioner, said during a conference call on Tuesday. “We’re not turning hockey into baseball, and baseball isn’t turning baseball into hockey. We’ll each do our own things.