“Few men in the history of our game were more closely connected to a city and a franchise than Bob Plager was to St. Louis and the Blues,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman s...

FILE - In this Thursday, Feb 2, 2017 file photo, Former St. Louis Blues player Bob Plager waves to fans while speaking during a ceremony to retire his number before an NH...

Media pundits believe the rights package of NHL's new seven-year deal with ESPN is worth $400 million per year. But post-breakup, ESPN continued to value NHL content by c...