You Get Only One (Cup/Medal/Hart/HHoF)

[Fig]

If the point is to go down in infamy/bragging rights...

Cup - If I'm from a hockey crazy country and my talent level doesn't exceed star level (it's the friends you make along the way).
HHOF - If I want a long career and my talent level is great.
Olympic gold - If I'm from a country with a developing hockey program and we've never won gold (ie: Belarus?).
Individual accolades - If I'm in a contract year and my talent level or health over the long term is questionable (money).

For myself personally, I'd probably go with being a passenger to a cup.

 

[kevsh]

For me it came down to HHoF vs. the Cup.

The deciding factor was asking would I want to be one of those all-time great players that will forever carry the label of never leading their team to the Cup? No.

Even if it meant I'm no star, just a grinder with minimal contribution, but part of a team that would be immortalized forever with a Cup? I'll take that easily.

Gold medal finishes third. A big deal of course but a short 2-week tournament every four years - less of a collective effort that grinding it out with your teammates for years to finally capture the big prize after a grueling 2-month marathon.

 

[I Hate Blake Coleman]

MVP because that means a big pay day.

 

[Coffees]

The ultimate goal of any NHL player should always be to win the stanley cup.

Not job stability ?

 

[HugeInTheShire]

The Cup, we didn't pretend to win Hart trophies or Gold Medals when we were playing road hockey as kids.

 

[Regal]

Thought about it a little. Either HoF or Hart to guarantee highest career money. Voted Hart because that essentially guarantees I had a high-paid career in NHL

If you win the Hart but don’t make the Hall of Fame, you probably had a shortened career or couldn’t sustain your peak, so that might affect the money. I’d say a Hall of Fame career without a major award means you probably played long enough to give better financial odds

 

[jigglysquishy]

Out of curiosity, some of the best players that did one but not the others

Just the Cup
Patrik Elias
Vincent Damphousse
Rod Brind'Amour

Just Hart
Jose Theodore
Taylor Hall
Tommy Anderson

Just HHOF
Jeremy Roenick
Pierre Turgeon
Daniel Alfredsson

Just Gold
Jamie Benn
Rick Nash
Mike Peca

 

[Empoleon8771]

There are two answers to this question: it's a fan answer of "cup" and a pragmatic answer of "hall of fame".

Hall of fame guarantees multi-generational wealth and it sets up you and the next few generations up financially. A cup is what all players want but winning a cup as a $800k rookie isn't going to pay the bills.

Yes I would, my life with $2M would be exactly the same as $100M.

You're going to run out of money if you only get $2 million at age 25.

 

[hurdemz]

Not job stability ?

Ability equals stability

 

[Coffees]

Ability equals stability

Damn that’s a good quote

 

[rogking65]

The Cup, we didn't pretend to win Hart trophies or Gold Medals when we were playing road hockey as kids.

then they grow up and realize that the financial stability for life that a Hart trophy gives you is way more important then the other 3 options

 

[Bizz]

I'd rather be in the HHOF without a Cup ring than win one while being the third string goaltender who didn't see a minute of ice time in the playoffs.

 

[MikeyMike01]

There are two answers to this question: it's a fan answer of "cup" and a pragmatic answer of "hall of fame".

Hall of fame guarantees multi-generational wealth and it sets up you and the next few generations up financially. A cup is what all players want but winning a cup as a $800k rookie isn't going to pay the bills.



You're going to run out of money if you only get $2 million at age 25.

$2 million dollars would allow you take out $80,000 per year in perpetuity. People live on less.

My lifestyle requirements are pretty low, to be fair.

 

[Empoleon8771]

$2 million dollars would allow you take out $80,000 per year in perpetuity. People live on less.

My lifestyle requirements are pretty low, to be fair.

My rent alone in Seattle is $40k per year

It's definitely possible for sure, but I would bet most people wouldn't be able to live within their means and actually be able to maintain it.

 

[tarheelhockey]

So I get all the rhetoric about how “only the Cup matters”. But realistically, a Hall of Fame career is the most desirable item on this list. HHOF’ers would not trade their careers with an average player just to get a ring.

 

[tarheelhockey]

$2 million dollars would allow you take out $80,000 per year in perpetuity. People live on less.

My lifestyle requirements are pretty low, to be fair.

That’s not how career earnings work. You still have taxes and bills coming out of that.

A player with $2M earnings would do really well to have $500K savings at the end of his career, which would produce $20K rather than $80K per year. Meaning he would have a bit of fun money each year to take the sting out of going into the workforce with only hockey on his resume.

 

[Coffees]

There are two answers to this question: it's a fan answer of "cup" and a pragmatic answer of "hall of fame".

Hall of fame guarantees multi-generational wealth and it sets up you and the next few generations up financially. A cup is what all players want but winning a cup as a $800k rookie isn't going to pay the bills.



You're going to run out of money if you only get $2 million at age 25.

What about a financial advisor ?

 

[kevsh]

I'd rather be in the HHOF without a Cup ring than win one while being the third string goaltender who didn't see a minute of ice time in the playoffs.

Sure, if you take it at the extreme.
I'd rather have had Marcel Dionne's career to Nick Kypreos by a mile.

How about if you're a solid middle-six winger who scores 5 or 6 goals during the playoff run and has a solid career overall vs. a not-first-ballot Hall of Famer that never won the Cup? I guess for everyone the line will be different.

 

[Juxtaposer]

I would rather be in the HHoF than be a 14th forward who gets his name on the Cup because he played eight minutes one game as an injury replacement in the first round. But I'd prefer winning a Cup as a solid depth player than just being in the HHoF. IMO if you were a meaningless player to the end result it's a little embarrassing to have your name on the Cup.

 

[CanadienShark]

Hall of Fame. I care about the money, not just being some no-name that did nothing to contribute to a cup and got the name on as a token gesture.

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Hall of Fame AINEC .

Hall of Fame. I care about the money, not just being some no-name that did nothing to contribute to a cup and got the name on as a token gesture.

Yeah, nobody remembers some healthy scratch 8th defenseman who happened to be on the best team.

I want a team to build a statue of me outside their arena

 

[Soundwave]

Unless you're honestly stupid the answer has to be HHoF or Hart trophy because that will earn you and your family the most money.

There's tons of nobodies on Cup winning teams that earn dick all in their career and no one remembers.

Pokey Reddick is a Cup winner (back up for the 1990 Edmonton Oilers), you'd rather be Pokey Reddick than like Roberto Luongo or Henrik Lundqvist? No offense to Pokey, who was a cool dude, but you'd be an idiot if that's what you chose. Pokey himself would likely trade in that 1990 Cup ring for $70+ million in career earnings.

Christian Djoos is a Stanley Cup winner (18 Caps) you'd rather be him than Erik Karlsson? Christian Djoos wouldn't even choose that, lol.

 

[GreeningOil]

I want the cup.

 

[Albatros]

Out of curiosity, some of the best players that did one but not the others

Just the Cup
Patrik Elias
Vincent Damphousse
Rod Brind'Amour

Just Hart
Jose Theodore
Taylor Hall
Tommy Anderson

Just HHOF
Jeremy Roenick
Pierre Turgeon
Daniel Alfredsson

Just Gold
Jamie Benn
Rick Nash
Mike Peca

 

[Seras]

"It's all about career earnings"

"Why won't X player take less money?"