A lot has changed in the weeks since Gary Bettman left an NHL Board of Governors meeting in early December and suggested next season’s salary cap upper limit might be $73 million, up from $69 million this season. Astros Jose Cruz Jr. Jersey . Bettman made his prediction when the Canadian dollar was worth 89 cents U.S. Since then, it has plunged 10 per cent and on Friday morning, was trading at about 80 cents. At the end of the 2012-13 NHL season, the Canadian dollar was worth 98 cents. Canadian NHL team revenues now are worth 18 per cent less in U.S. dollars. It’s near impossible to predict the dollar’s vagaries -- CIBC predicted the Canadian dollar would slip to 81 cents, but not until September -- and its difficult to say how the Canadian dollar’s swoon will affect the cap. “I have an idea of how it might affect the cap. It’s not as much as people are suggesting,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told TSN. “You also need to understand that (hockey related revenue) and cap numbers are all a product of year-long averages, not snapshots in time.” Asked whether the dollar’s decline could push down the salary cap by a few million dollars, Daly said, “I don’t expect it to be nearly that much. The NHL had anticipated that revenue in 2015-16 might eclipse $4 billion. To understand how changes in the value of the Canadian dollar might impact league-wide revenue, you’d need to have a clear understanding of how much income the league generates in Canada. Canadian team ticket sales account for about 11 per cent of overall league income and the NHL’s new $5.2 billion TV deal with Rogers - worth $433 million a year - is another 11 per cent. Then there’s Canadian corporate sponsorships, local broadcast contracts and other income, such as licensing deals. Sports banking officials who have worked on NHL team finances say at least one quarter of the league’s overall income comes from Canadian sources. There’s another pressure that could also drive down the cap next season. When Bettman predicted the $73 million cap, he was likely assuming that the NHLPA would, as it has done consistently in past years, opt to trigger a five per cent cap inflator. Pushing the overall salary cap limit higher drives up the amount of money available for potential free agents - bad news for a spartan free agent class this summer that’s headed by Martin St. Louis - but it also leads to higher escrow collections for all players. Players have become increasingly conflicted about this, several NHL player agents say. “Players are worried about paying additional escrow,” Ian Pulver, a former NHLPA executive and current player agent said in an interview. “It’s a vicious cycle. Over the course of 10 years, players have voted to increase the cap, to ride with increasing revenue.” Pulver said it would be a mistake not to trigger the escalator clause. Because there are a couple of bumps along the way shouldn’t mean the players shouldnt continue to increase the cap and force the major players — the NHL, the clubs and the NHLPA - to grow revenues. To vote against the increase of the cap because of a fear of escrow runs counter to the collective good and common sense. Last summer offered a glimpse at the angst players are feeling when they voted on whether to include the revenue from the league’s new $5.2 billion contract in this season’s cap. The players initially voted no, 16-14. But then NHLPA executive director Don Fehr called for a second vote, a source told TSN, and the players agreed that half the value of the TV deal would be included. That boosted the cap limit by about $1 million. Since then, Pulver and other agents say players have remained upset over the high escrow that’s withheld from their pay checks. This season, 14 per cent of player salaries are being withheld until the season’s final revenue figures are established. “Given that the value of player contracts is, and has remained, less than the full face value of their contracts over the last few seasons, players will certainly discuss over the next few months whether to continue to maintain the five per cent growth factor every year,” NHLPA spokesman Jonathan Weatherdon wrote in an e-mailed statement. “This will allow the executive board to make its decision with the benefit of a full discussion of the issues by the players. There’s a real chance players next summer will vote down the five per cent escalator, which, combined with the plummeting Canadian dollar, could mean a salary cap that peaks at closer to $70 million. The issue of the cap escalator will be a main topic of discussion when Fehr makes his tour of Toronto, Montreal, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles during the second half of the season to meet with player agents. Astros Evan Gattis Jersey . Plata blasted a rising shot to the upper left corner for his team-leading seventh goal of the season. He got the kick after referee Allen Chapman ruled Chris Tierney fouled John Stertzer in the penalty area. Astros Joe Smith Jersey . "He started putting me on the ice to strengthen them at the suggestion from a doctor," he said. Weight said it wasnt a pretty sight at the rink in St. Clair Shores, Mich. "I looked like Forrest Gump," he joked. http://www.cheapastrosjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=astros-jandel-gustave-jersey .J. -- After getting permission from his 7-year-old daughter, New York Giants offensive lineman David Diehl has retired after an 11-year career that included two Super Bowl championships.Waco, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - The 22nd-ranked Baylor Bears play their final tune-up before beginning Big 12 Conference play on Tuesday night, as they host the Norfolk State Spartans at the Ferrell Center. Norfolk State is off to a solid start, the team winning nearly twice as many games as it has lost (9-5). The Spartans are in the midst of a three-game win streak, with the latest being a 74-71 overtime triumph at James Madison on Dec. 22. Following this clash, NSU will visit Georgia and Princeton before heading to Florida A&M on Jan 10 to tip off Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play. Baylor has been nearly perfect through the first month and a half, going 10-1. The Bears are 7-0 at home, and this bout represents the finale in their current four-game homestand. BU has won five in a row since suffering its lone setback of the season in a 62-54 verdict to Illinois as part of the Las Vegas Invitational. The Bears open Big 12 action at Oklahoma this Saturday. Baylor beat Norfolk State, 86-58, on Nov. 13, 2009 in the only other meeting between the two teams. Jeff Short poured in a career-high 30 points, and three others scored in double figures for Norfolk State as it slipped past James Madison in overtime last week. RaShid Gaston finished with a double-double consisting of 10 points and 12 rebounds for the Spartans, who shot 52.1 percent from the floor while allowing the Dukes to convert only 36.8 percent. A 38-29 rebounding advantage helped offset the fact that NSU committed 18 turnovers. Shorts performance upped his season scoring average to a robust 19.3 ppg, as he has done extremely well in hittting his 3-point shots at a 42. Astros Francis Martes Jersey. .9 percent clip (33-of-77). Gaston nets 15.3 ppg, DShon Taylor 12.9 ppg and Malik Thomas 11.0 ppg for a team that produces 71.3 ppg while yielding 64.9 ppg. No other player on the roster average more than 3.2 ppg, which means the big four are pretty much it in terms of consistent offense. A +6.5 rebounding margin has been a huge benefit. Baylors latest win was a closer-than-expected 70-66 decision against visiting Southern University on Dec. 22, a game in which the Bears shot a rather pedestrian 44 percent from the floor, missing 10 of their 14 3-point tries along the way. Fortunately, a 22-12 edge in points at the foul line and a lackluster 40 percent shooting effort from the Jaguars played right into their hands. Johnathan Motley led Baylor with 19 points, while Rico Gather had a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards, and Kenny Chery 11 points and seven assists in the victory. Although he has played half the number of games as most of his teammates, Taurean Prince leads the Bears in scoring with 11.4 ppg. Motley is netting 10.0 ppg as the only other current double-digit scorer, but at least three others are close to joining the ranks, as Gathers, Royce ONeal and Chery check in with averages of 9.8, 9.7 and 9.3 ppg, respectively. Gathers grabs a club-best 10.5 rpg. Baylor is scoring 68.6 ppg while allowing only 55.0 ppg. The teams stifling defensive effort permits foes only 37.8 percent success on field goal attempts, and a paltry 26.6 percent from 3-point land. The Bears own one of the top rebounding margins in the country at +11.5. 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