The issue of player salaries within the NHL has long been an issue. During its early days in the first half of the 20^th century, the league subjected players to salary caps, but these were eventually done away with and forgotten about for several decades. This topic rose to the surface again in the 1970s when the NHL Players Association was created. The issue finally came to a head during the 1994-1995 season and resulted in a lockout and a portion of the season being cancelled. However, the problems solved at this time would only sedate the issue for about ten years. In 2004 a lockout resulted in the entire season being cancelled, which was the first time this has ever happened in a North American professional sports league. However, in the end, negotiations finally resulted in a salary cap agreement. A salary cap per team and per player was set based on revenues of the league. Therefore, in years where the numbers are good and revenue is up, teams can spend more and players can make more. This year the team cap is 59.4 million and the individual player cap is 11.8 million; the highest numbers yet since the agreement. There are a number of specifications and exceptions pertaining to injuries, guaranteed player contracts, and bonuses.So now that you understand the history and basic salary cap policy, the question remains; how has this affected the NHL? One of the biggest changes to come about is the changing equality of success within the league. In earlier years, dynasties dominated the NHL for up to a decade at a time. Where there used to be a much clearer more distinguishable line between the teams you could expect to place well in the tournament and bring home the Stanley Cup, now it seems to be any man’s game. Another trend that is gaining strength is lifetime contracts. Teams are attempting to minimize the effects of a star player’s salary on their team cap by extending it over a long period of time. However, this is leaving teams very vulnerable to injury and early retirement and could cause problems down the road.