The View From Wisconsin

The principle of SEW is showing that it is alive and well in regards to our beloved National Hockey League this week.

The "SEW" principle is a very simple one, one that has helped sports recover from the darkest depths and the most precipitous times. It is the simplest form of capitalism (and I'm not talking about being a follower of Alex Ovechkin and his teammates in DC).

The principle is: If you don't buy it, Someone Else Will.

If you're not the one going out and buying Predators season tickets, someone else will buy your ticket.

If your network doesn't plunk down at least $60 million for your cable TV rights, some other network will - and maybe even more.

If a team doesn't pay beau coup bucks for a star player, some other team will.

It's the beauty of living in a free-market society - and the NHL is benefitting from it.

I'll bet that, by the end of the 2006 season, OLN will have the highest ratings for NHL games than any other show on its network - and maybe even higher than Poker Night on ESPN.