And now Kaprizov having a five year,45 million dollar contract. Earning 9 usd from year two in nhl.Yea that's the gamble. The big money, long-term, is with the NHL. However most players that go over must endure a lower salary (even if they make the NHL) in hopes of earning more later.
If I recall correctly, that's why Kaprizov extended with CSKA two years ago. On the advice of his father he wanted to ensure he was financial secure before attempting the NHL.
And some people said it would never happen!
No one could have predicted that Europe would go back from the 21st century to the spirit of the 1930s. All future-oriented projects are then immediately destroyed, of course.
What seemed like a good path moving forward, is no more. New paths will need to be invented.
It was never a good path.
I disagree. Slovan's seasons in the KHL was the best league hockey Slovakia got to see since the breakup of the Czecho-Slovak league in the early 90s.
Absolutely no regrets of having participated there, and without inept oligarch-style management, Slovan might still be there until this season.
The KHL is forever destroyed now, so the hope must be for the resurrection of the Czecho-Slovak league, or even a wider one, in one way or another.
The ultimate goal is, as I've always said, the creation of a European division/conference of the NHL.
basic facts
Teams | Arena | Population (metro) | ||
1 | Prague | Sparta Praha | 17,383 | 2,700,000 |
2 | Ostrava | Vitkovice Ridera | 10,004 | 983,000 |
3 | Brno | Kometa | 7,700 | 736,000 |
4 | Plzen | Skoda | 8,236 | 354,000 |
5 | Pardubice | Dynamo | 10,194 | 173,000 |
6 | Prague | 13,150 | 2,700,000 | |
7 | Vienna | Capitals | -20,000 | 2,600,000 |
8 | Innsbruck | HC TWK | 7,212 | 229,000 |
9 | Bratislava | Slovan | 10,115 | 625,000 |
10 | Kosice | HC | 8,378 | 250,000 |
11 | Krakow | Comarch Cracovia | 15,000 | 1,700,000 |
12 | Ljubljana | HK Olimpija | 10,500 | 540,000 |
13 | Budapest | 9,479 | 3,300,000 | |
14 | Zagreb | Medvescak | 15,200 | 1,100,000 |
Teams | Arena | Population (metro) | ||
1 | Olomouc | HC | 5,500 | 235,000 |
2 | Zlin | PSG Bernani | 7,000 | 193,000 |
3 | Hradec-Kralove | Mountfeild HK | 7,700 | 164,000 |
4 | Ceske Budejovice | CEZ Motor | 6,421 | 195,000 |
5 | Liberec | Bili Tygri | 7,250 | 175,000 |
6 | Graz | 99ers | 3,800 | 290,000 |
7 | Linz | Black Wings | 4,050 | 203,000 |
8 | Zilina | Vlci | 6,200 | 156,000 |
9 | Trencin | HK Dukla | 6,150 | 114,000 |
10 | Lodz | LKH | 10,400 | 1,100,000 |
11 | Katowice | GKS | 11,500 | 5,300,000 |
12 | Gdansk | GKS Stoczniowiec | 11,409 | 1,100,000 |
13 | Wroclaw | 10,000 | 1,250,000 | |
14 | Debrecen | 6,480 | 329,000 |
Teams | Arena | Population (metro) | ||
1 | Karlovy Vary | Energie | 7,500 | 115,000 |
2 | Jihlava | HC Dukla | 7,504 | 112,000 |
3 | Usti Nad Labem | HC Slovan | 6,500 | 119,000 |
4 | Trinec | Ocelari | 5,400 | 214,000 |
5 | Havirov | AZ Heimstaden | 5,100 | 248,000 |
6 | Kladno | Rytiri | 5,200 | 165,000 |
7 | Klagenfurt | EC KAC | 5,500 | 98,000 |
8 | Salzburg | EC Red Bull | 3,600 | 157,000 |
9 | Vienna | 7,022 | 2,600,000 | |
10 | Zvolen | HKM | 7,038 | 68,000 |
11 | Nitra | HK | 3,600 | 150,000 |
12 | Wroclaw | 10,000 | 1,250,000 | |
13 | Warsaw | 4,824 | 3,100,000 | |
14 | Szekesfehervar | AV19 | 3,600 | 272,000 |
You and facts, that's a good joke indeed! Your rambling post is full of non-sequiturs that don't deserve a comment. Suffice it to say that, of course, it's possible to conduct business in a standard fashion, and just like the best football teams are located in Europe (while ice hockey as a sport is ridiculously insignificant compared to football on a global level), in the same way it would, naturally, be possible to compile at least a European division of the NHL on the same financial level as overseas. It's less likely to happen in a post-Communist country than in wealthy Scandinavia, but I trust that a European division (if not conference) of the NHL will happen eventually.
unsustainable
like my suggestion for the Nordic Countries I suggest the following
You constantly talk **** about things you haven't the foggiest idea about. I live within walking distance of Slovan's arena and have attended games there for decades. The KHL seasons are among the finest highlights in Slovan's 100+ years of history, and they are the finest stretch since the late 1980s – no question about that, and everyone recognizes it.
And yes, Slovan is definitely in better shape today, also because of its financial failure in the KHL. It led to the oligarch selling the club to a standard businessman, an IT entrepreneur. I have zero doubt that the intention was to return to the KHL ASAP. The KHL is dead now, so not gonna happen.
Let's hope Slovan will not remain imprisoned in Slovakia-only league for too long. The Slovak league is excellent for Slovan's farm team, just like the AHL serves the NHL. One of the mistakes made during Slovan's original stint in the KHL was that it left the Slovak league completely, leaving it without a farm team there. Many such mistakes were made in the enthusiasm of joining the KHL, which is exactly why it's so stupid to conclude and keep trumpeting, "it didn't work out the first time, so it would never work out". That's bull****. It might succeed the second time, if done properly and carefully, which is how Slovan's new owner was going about it. But it's a moot point now.
High level hockey loses money in Slovakia.
I will only give a very crude estimation but.. Žalgiris Kaunas, the team in my city, is one of the biggest basketball brands in Europe. Leads Euroleague in attendance, averaging ~14,5k per game during pre-covid years. Their budget has never eclipsed 10 million euros.Your very opening premise is false, which is why all that follows from it is, as mentioned, a long string of non-sequiturs. Give it a rest...
Your very opening premise is false, which is why all that follows from it is, as mentioned, a long string of non-sequiturs. Give it a rest...
Is there something I don't know?
Uhm what?Other than that, your post is full of strawmen where you purport to be arguing against positions that I have never held or uttered.
Slovan is not imprisoned by Slovak league, it is imprisoned by reality.Well, of course. Re-read your post, for example the beginning of the second paragraph. I have no idea with whom you're arguing there (all those preposterous propositions you listed), but it sure ain't me!
Anyway, as mentioned, there's nothing to discuss right now. Slovan is imprisoned in the Slovak league, and there's no realistic improvement in sight.
That's not an argument, that's an illustration of my point that a financially healthy franchise in Eastern Europe has a certain hard cap on the income it can generate. I'm not sure what are you calling a strawman or even know what strawman is since it was simply a direct comparison in order to better grasp what the optimized Slovan budget could be.Well, of course. Re-read your post, for example the beginning of the second paragraph. I have no idea with whom you're arguing there (all those preposterous propositions you listed), but it sure ain't me!