justafan22
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- Jun 22, 2014
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Players who are around 25, but have no NHL future go overseas since you'll get paid a ton more and you can also be a star
Pros and Cons of playing hockey outside of North America
- Thread starter steveayres35
- Start date
Yeah, why go to places with almost zero criminality, hockey is everything and beautiful women everywhere. You will also get paid more, play a more creative game and if you are really unlucky you will get to spend your pre-season with sun 24/7.
Now im talking about the swedish country side and especially Dalarna/Norrland.
LordNeverLose
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Ah yes, whereas hockey is nothing in Toronto and San Diego has a dearth of attractive women
habsrule4eva3089
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- Nov 22, 2008
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Why would you even consider the US if your not in the NHL when you have Europe(Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, Germany) as an option. If your young everything is more beautiful lifestyle wise, and you can see the world instead and discover entire cultures. Do people on this forum not travel?
BruinsFan37
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- Jun 26, 2015
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A player that has gone to Europe has most likely resigned themselves to the fact that they're probably not going to make it to the NHL -- so they're going where the paycheck is the highest. Add in the veteran cap in the AHL and yeah making peanuts in the ECHL (or lower) vs. a decent wage (for a hockey player) in Europe and its a no-brainer.
mouser
Business of Hockey
There are 7 NHL teams outside of the United States of America.
There are zero NHL teams outside of America.
SirQuacksALot
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LordNeverLose
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I can't speak for everyone but I wouldn't wanna have to move and live in a foreign country with a different language. I have a lot of respect in that regard for the Europeans who do do that.
And yes I've been to Sweden, Finland, Russia, and Germany (but not Switzerland or the Czech Republic)
Alf the dwarf
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- Jul 20, 2018
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mouser
Business of Hockey
Man Machine
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- Jan 6, 2018
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Not wanting to live in Russia except for St. Petersburg and Moscow I get, also China (because the organisation in Kunlun seems to be very much a sham).
But apart from that I can see nothing but positives for a player who chooses Europe over AHL - especially if he is young.
Most AHL teams operate out of small cities where as most European teams are in bigger cities or the very least places close to big cities. Yeah, northern Finland and Sweden are the exception.
Language is not a problem there. Also less travel, star status, women (who as we all know tend to find foreigners "interesting"), generally a more liberal attitude towards life than smalltown USA, etc.
But apart from that I can see nothing but positives for a player who chooses Europe over AHL - especially if he is young.
Most AHL teams operate out of small cities where as most European teams are in bigger cities or the very least places close to big cities. Yeah, northern Finland and Sweden are the exception.
Language is not a problem there. Also less travel, star status, women (who as we all know tend to find foreigners "interesting"), generally a more liberal attitude towards life than smalltown USA, etc.
Alf the dwarf
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- Jul 20, 2018
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€comprise the totality of the continents of North and South America. ". How many NHL teams there are in south america?
Except quite a few players go to Europe to try to get into the NHL. Brian Rafalski and Tim Thomas are the marquee examples, but many others too.
Tougher competition, and different playing styles develop you as a player - so a long term project can get more ice time, face tougher competition and so forth
But yes, salary is a biggie. 2-way entry level contract pays $70k per year in AHL, while for an ’average international player’ a European league would pay $150k and someone expected to be really good can get a lot more
mouser
Business of Hockey
The fact that there are zero teams in South America doesn’t make my comment any less correct.
Alf the dwarf
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- Jul 20, 2018
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True, just wondering who the hell uses americas instead of north america when speaking of hockey.
Hockey is a bigger thing in Skellefteå and Leksand than Toronto per capita. Personally I would prefer to be a no name on the streets but I guess it's individual
IslesNorway
Registered User
Most players who go to Europe do so because they know they will never make the NHL but they still would want to earn a living as hockey players. Europe offers them that opportunity. Most will never become multi-millionaires but if you're a good player you can earn a very good living for a number of years. I guess the average wages in Sweden, Finland, Germany or Switzerland is a fair bit more than the AHL and combined with easier schedules and high living standards makes it a very attractive option.
Not really. I've known a few Canadian hockey players that went to play in Russia and it's wrll known you do that for a few years for the payday, before you hang up your skates. The better pay along with near non existent taxes is about the only reason a north American pro hockey player will play there.
If they can handle playing in Russia they do. Otherwise, if they can't handle the country they go to Sweden or Switzerland. They don't pay as much but life in those countries is light years better than some of the places you find yourself in the KHL. Mist with wives will simply not even consider russia. I've also known some that got there, and lasted a couple of weeks before realizing they've made a mistake and wanted to leave. Hell I even know one guy that played one game and got out as fast as he could. He only lasted ONE game. He hated it.
JackSlater
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- Apr 27, 2010
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Pro is money. You can make more in big European leagues than you can in North America below the NHL level. Another pro could be that some people want to travel to new places and experience something different, but this is more of a theoretical advantage that people throw out than a reality in my experience. People can simply go on vacation, but most people don't want to actually live in another country for an extended period. Most of the countries where the hockey leagues pay good money, basically Northern, Western Europe are highly livable.
Con is that you are probably finished when it comes to making the NHL. You almost never hear of a North American player making the NHL again after going to play in Europe, though coming up from the AHL is also not easy. A lot of players from North America also simply don't enjoy staying in Eastern Europe, but some do. For Canadians (at least Eastern Canadians) I consider it somewhat similar to the move to Fort McMurray or just Northern Alberta in Canada, where you may not really like the area but you like the money.
English wouldn't really be an issue. Most countries you might travel to have lots of people who speak at least a basic level of English, particularly in Europe. This is particularly true if you are in a city.
Con is that you are probably finished when it comes to making the NHL. You almost never hear of a North American player making the NHL again after going to play in Europe, though coming up from the AHL is also not easy. A lot of players from North America also simply don't enjoy staying in Eastern Europe, but some do. For Canadians (at least Eastern Canadians) I consider it somewhat similar to the move to Fort McMurray or just Northern Alberta in Canada, where you may not really like the area but you like the money.
English wouldn't really be an issue. Most countries you might travel to have lots of people who speak at least a basic level of English, particularly in Europe. This is particularly true if you are in a city.
Appleyard
Registered User
It might sound crazy but as for language...
growing up in England and now living in Denmark I would say amongst ~under 40's the average level of English might be the same in Denmark and Sweden as in England. (yes, amongst natives, probably due to average education level being higher.)
I actually don't have to think as much about "dumbing down" my language here and removing some words in order to be fully understood, whereas I would in working class areas in England. (I am originally from a pretty poor, working class area.)
growing up in England and now living in Denmark I would say amongst ~under 40's the average level of English might be the same in Denmark and Sweden as in England. (yes, amongst natives, probably due to average education level being higher.)
I actually don't have to think as much about "dumbing down" my language here and removing some words in order to be fully understood, whereas I would in working class areas in England. (I am originally from a pretty poor, working class area.)
As for Korea and Japan, we offer family-friendly environment with high-speed internet, world-class public transportation system, and education infrastructure that compensate relatively low wage (I believe Matt Dalton gets paid around USD 150K~200K per year with his career).
What exactly does that prove? That there are people that won't like Russia?There are. I would not "last" a day, I would not even consider living in the US for numerous reasons. Not for a trainload of gold. What does that prove?
Your statement at the beginning about the "nearly non-existent" taxes hints that don't kbow much about the reality of Russia. No matter how many random guys who worked in Russia you know.
Your statement about life in say Sweden being "light years better" proves again that you have zero real idea about life in Russia.
Subjectively every human being can like or dislike any place, culture, country in the world. Objectively not every hockey player can handle KHL hockey(and leave after one game?).
The reality still is that some pro athletes come to Russia because of money(just as some do come to NA for the same reasons). Some do like the idea of experoencing a life on another continent in a different culture. And yes, in the end everybody has a home and family. After playing some time abroad it's more than natural to want to leave that experience behind and go home. Or if anything life changing happens in the family or back home. That is a understandable as it is usual. And yes, family is more than one. One might like it abroad the others might have a different opinion. That also leads to decisions.
No, it's common knowledge in hockey circles that you only go to russia for the payday as a hockey player. If youre not russian its just not a desirable place to go. Sweden is. Finland is. Switzerland is. Russia is definitely not.
HHHH
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I have a friend who slugged it out for a bunch of seasons in the AHL and CHL and once he realized the call to the NHL was never coming, he played a few years in Europe and had a great experience. He was not in one of the highest leagues over there, but his housing was paid for, had no taxes, was given a car to drive, but most importantly for him he was able to play hockey, chip in offensively and skate a regular shift, while in the AHL he was more of a tough guy who was expected to drop the gloves. That is a tough way to make a living, and even tougher in the minors with little to no shot of an NHL call up.
He is since retired, and I think going to Europe allowed him to find fun in the game again at the end of his career so he could focus on what everyone loves about the game as a kid...
He is since retired, and I think going to Europe allowed him to find fun in the game again at the end of his career so he could focus on what everyone loves about the game as a kid...
That's a bit of a stereotype.
Here's an interesting podcast with tons of interviews with players who've played all over the place, including Russia. Their experiences there generally don't fit our preconceived notions. Then again, their experiences aren't deemed press worthy as only negative aspects of the KHL are written about in this country.
PuckDrop Podcast - Eyes On The Prize
