Numbers game

NHL fans are enjoying the playoffs-- all two months of them. The number of playoff days has certainly grown over the years, and so has the economics of hockey.

1902: three days

The Rat Portage [now Kenora] Thistles lose $800 when they travel to Ottawa to challenge the Silver Seven for the Stanley Cup. Last year, the Vancouver Canucks lost $10 million.

1920: 11 days

Fans pay 55 to $2.20 to watch the Ottawa Senators claim the cup. If The Maple Leafs had reached the finals last year, supporters would have paid $90 to $380 per seat.

1933: 20 days

New York Ranger players pocket a $1,500 bonus for winning the cup. In 1998, Detroit centre Sergei Fedorov receives a US$12 million bonus when his team reaches the Western Conference final.

1957: 22 days

Senator Hartland Molson buys the Montreal Canadiens, after the team wins its second consecutive cup, for a reported $1 million. Last year, the Habs sold for $275 million.

1964: 31 days

Toronto wins its third consecutive cup at a time when the NHL minimum salary is $7,000. Today, the minimum is US$165,000.

1975: 41 days

The Philadelphia Flyers win the cup and Kate Smith cuts her fee for singing to US$5,000 from US$25,000 because she loves the Flyers and the "good. clean sport." Flyer forward Dave (The Hammer) Schultz sets the all-time penalty record with 472 minutes.

1988: 51 days

After winning four consecutive cups, Edmonton Oilers' owner Peter Pocklington sells Wayne Gretzky to the LA Kings for US$15 million. In 1926, when the Western Hockey League folded and sold its best players to NHL dubs, owners received $258,000.

2001: 60 days

By missing the finals, the Toronto Maple Leafs lose $4.5 million per home game - in 1994, the gate would have been $950,000.