The NHL was seeking a declaration from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, authorizing its board of governors to proceed with disciplinary actions against the Rangers for “materially breaching their contractual commitments to the league and the other 29 member clubs - as well as for compensatory damages stemming from those breaches.”
The war between the Rangers and the NHL started over who controls the rights to new media (ie, the Internet) and the potentially lucrative revenue streams that it produces now and down the road. Three times, the Rangers' lawsuits have gone to court; three times the NHL won its case. Instead of understanding the old maxim that three strikes and you're out, the Rangers have challenged the NHL on an anti-trust basis – essentially arguing that everything the league does is unlawful.
Wow this is getting messy!
