Judge Cans NHL Deal with Molson-Coors

Ruling the league reneged on their deal with Labatt's, an Ontario Superior Court Judge rejects the most lucrative deal in NHL history.

The NHL's major $375-million sponsorship with Molson-Coors was nixed Friday by an Ontario Superior Court Judge, who ruled the league had reneged on its deal with the company's archrival, Labatt's. The decision by Judge Frank Newbould tosses out the most lucrative deal in NHL history. The NHL and Molson-Coors had announced their "monster" deal back in February, but Newbould said Molson-Coors was already aware of NHL's previous deal with Labatt's. “In my view the NHL should not be entitled to profit from its breach of its agreement with Labatt," Newbould said. "Labatt should be entitled to its bargain and to its unique marketing position resulting from the agreement to be the Canadian sponsor of the NHL for the next three years."