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

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

To state the other obvious one, a HHOF career because ensures not only a high level of wealth, it basically seals the deal on generational wealth, it means you will (lets be honest) have your pick of any kind of partner you could dream of.

You're at the top of the dating food chain, beautiful women will effectively be fighting to get your attention in every city you fly into. That's how it goes for pro sports athletes who are big ticket players and have the bank account to back it up. Any concerns you have about that area in life are basically taken care of for you as you have options the normal male could only dream of.

Again, you win the game of life, which is more important than any made up game.

Maybe it's just me, but the idea of flocks of gold diggers following me around trying to trap me into a relationship so they can get my money doesn't sound like something I'd ever want.

 

[Soundwave]

A hard working 49 year old often considers spending a lot of money on realizing their dream (ie: car) of their childhood. There's a guy out there who openly says (and probably has the means to) he wants to buy an NFL team to realize his childhood dream. Don't discount what it is worth to some people to realize their childhood dreams.

A 49 year old driving around in the classic dream car of his childhood could qualify as not smart. But IMO, it's really cool and an awesome flex.

Or you know you could just have 80 million in your bank account and own 100 different cars including even the Batmobile or whatever dumb fantasy you had as a 10 year old. 10 year olds have 800 random dreams going on it's an overly romanticized thing.

 

[rogking65]

Not necessarily. Depends on your living expenses. $2 million should actually last most people a lifetime. Unfortunately most people are just terrible with money. Simply invest in an index fund that follows the S&P500. A safe withdrawal rate is the amount at which you can spend your retirement savings and never run out in your lifetime. Which is your annual spending and times it between 20 and 30. For example if your average spending rate per year was $40,000, then that would be a million dollars (x25). You could spend up to $80,000 per year using the 4% rule and would be fine with $2 million at 25. This factors in inflation btw.

yeah I woukd take this and a cup ,,,NOT.. Taking 2 vacations a year flying coach sure beats chartering a private jet and taking the family on vacation whenever you want

 

[HugeInTheShire]

You don't have to be a HHOF player but it certainly opens massive doors. Jarome Iginla can go work for any NHL team. He could also call up ESPN and they would love to have him. So would Sportsnet. Whatever you want to do, you can probably get a job in hockey doing it. So can Henrik Sedin. So can Henrik Lundqvist.

You have a wealth of choices even after your career ends, albeit by that point you probably have so much money you don't even give a f***. You won the more important game 10x over, which is called the game of life.

I'd be happy with my 5 million career earning and a job outside playing in the NHL even if I was just an average NHL player for those 5 years.

Unless you're bad with money, that 5 million should be more than enough to set up
at least a couple generations. Unless of course you're assuming you just take the 5 million and put it in your bank account until it runs out, and you don't ever earn another cent by playing in the KHL or any other paid league for the rest of your life.

If the question was would you rather be a P.K. Subban or Chris McAlpine I'd take Subban but if it's Patrik Elias vs Daniel Alfredsson I'm taking Elias. I assumed the OP saying you're an NHL player meant that you'd have an NHL career, not just a 4th liner that got his name on the Cup.

 

[rogking65]

All you're doing is implying context that isn't given to pick the money, at no point does the OP say you get a single season in the NHL unless you take the HOF career. Your assuming you're just some nobody on a Cup team instead of having an NHL career and winning the Cup.
Also you don't have to be in the HHOF to work in the NHL unless guys like George Parros or Mike Greir are in your HHOF somewhere. Also laughable take that you need that to be a sportscaster or broadcaster, take a look at any teams broadcast team, you'll find a whole lot of Ken Daneyko's and very few HHOF players.

because the HOF player made enough money that he does not need to work after retiring from playing

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

because the HOF player made enough money that he does not need to work after retiring from playing

Any player who lasts 10+ years as a regular player in the NHL shouldn't need to work after retiring.

 

[Soundwave]

I'd be happy with my 5 million career earning and a job outside playing in the NHL even if I was just an average NHL player for those 5 years.

Unless you're bad with money, that 5 million should be more than enough to set up
at least a couple generations. Unless of course you're assuming you just take the 5 million and put it in your bank account until it runs out, and you don't ever earn another cent by playing in the KHL or any other paid league for the rest of your life.

If the question was would you rather be a P.K. Subban or Chris McAlpine I'd take Subban but if it's Patrik Elias vs Daniel Alfredsson I'm taking Elias. I assumed the OP saying you're an NHL player meant that you'd have an NHL career, not just a 4th liner that got his name on the Cup.

The way I look at it is a lot more basic, being presented this scenario is effectively like being handed a 100% guaranteed lottery ticket that will net you $80 million+ in career earnings (HHOF career guaranteed) + any kind of career in any NHL or NHL adjacent media org you would want (if you're bored).

If you had anyone sane with you, a lawyer, agent, a girlfriend or wife with any financial sense, they'd tell you to take that and run.

Now imagine someone coming along and saying "Give me $75 miillion of that lottery ticket and I'll let you lift this trophy for 30 minutes, I get $75 mill and you keep only $5 million" ... I'm sorry but that's an insanely stupid deal for anyone to accept even under the guise of "well I still got $5 mill, rite?".

I'm not giving up $75/$80 million dollars to lift any made up trophy. Like sorry but no. No trophy is worth that.

 

[HugeInTheShire]

because the HOF player made enough money that he does not need to work after retiring from playing

Sure but they likely don't "need" to work either. 5 Million is a lot of money.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

The way I look at it is a lot more basic, being presented this scenario is effectively like being handed a 100% guaranteed lottery ticket that will net you $80 million+ in career earnings (HHOF career guaranteed) + any kind of career in any NHL or NHL adjacent media org you would want (if you're bored).

If you had anyone sane with you, a lawyer, agent, a girlfriend or wife with any financial sense, they'd tell you to take that and run.

Now imagine someone coming along and saying "Give me $75 miillion of that and I'll let you lift this trophy for 30 minutes and you keep only $5 million" ... I'm sorry but that's an insanely stupid deal for anyone to accept even under the guise of "well I still got $5 mill, rite?".

I'm not giving up $75/$80 million dollars to lift any made up trophy. Like sorry but no. No trophy is worth that.

What if you only have to give up $20m, and still have a long, illustrious career that just isn't quite worthy of the HHOF?

 

[Soundwave]

What if you only have to give up $20m, and still have a long, illustrious career that just isn't quite worthy of the HHOF?

That's an easy no. You want me to give up 20 million dollars to skate around with a trophy for about an hour?

That trophy could come with three Victoria Secret models and I'd still say nope.

 

[MikeyMike01]

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.

If we’re talking 500k net, then yeah that’s not enough. 2M net would be plenty.

Keep in mind my dream is to own an off the grid farm in bumf*** nowhere.

 

[HugeInTheShire]

The way I look at it is a lot more basic, being presented this scenario is effectively like being handed a 100% guaranteed lottery ticket that will net you $80 million+ in career earnings (HHOF career guaranteed) + any kind of career in any NHL or NHL adjacent media org you would want (if you're bored).

If you had anyone sane with you, a lawyer, agent, a girlfriend or wife with any financial sense, they'd tell you to take that and run.

Now imagine someone coming along and saying "Give me $75 miillion of that lottery ticket and I'll let you lift this trophy for 30 minutes, I get $75 mill and you keep only $5 million" ... I'm sorry but that's an insanely stupid deal for anyone to accept even under the guise of "well I still got $5 mill, rite?".

I'm not giving up $75/$80 million dollars to lift any made up trophy. Like sorry but no. No trophy is worth that.

Makes sense, you're looking at it as it's already done. I'm looking at it as I'm living it. The biggest difference between us and real NHL player is, they've put everything in to becoming an NHL player and the goal was always to win a Cup. We on the other hand tend to want to make the most money.
Most players in the NHL are there for winning and the money is a massive bonus.

If the exercise is do I want 80 million and never have to work again but fail at the goal I poured my life into trying to achieve or make 5 million and achieve it, it's an easy choice. I can earn more money if I need to, I can't buy the feeling of achieving a life long goal.

 

[archangel2]

I doubt any hall of famer who has not won the cup would honestly say they would prefer being in the Hall to having their name on the cup

 

[kevsh]

In retrospect, I should have added a fifth option:

- Sign a massive contract after your ELC, but you're a complete bust. You never win anything but retire at 27 (mostly because no one will sign you) a multi-millionaire with a hot wife and an impressive sports car collection.

 

[Soundwave]

Makes sense, you're looking at it as it's already done. I'm looking at it as I'm living it. The biggest difference between us and real NHL player is, they've put everything in to becoming an NHL player and the goal was always to win a Cup. We on the other hand tend to want to make the most money.
Most players in the NHL are there for winning and the money is a massive bonus.

If the exercise is do I want 80 million and never have to work again but fail at the goal I poured my life into trying to achieve or make 5 million and achieve it, it's an easy choice. I can earn more money if I need to, I can't buy the feeling of achieving a life long goal.

I actually doubt any of Jarome Iginla, the Sedins, Luongo, would give away 90% of their career earnings just to have a Cup.

Hockey fans have an idealized 10-year-old version of what they think the NHL is, the reality of it is more different than they probably imagine.

Yeah a Cup is important, but if you're an NHL player and you "made the show" you've already satisfied most of the itch of being a professional athlete.

I think hockey fans would also likely be shocked at how many players frankly don't actually deep down give that much of a crap about a Cup. It's a "nice to have" for a lot of the players, not a must have.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

That's an easy no. You want me to give up 20 million dollars to skate around with a trophy for about an hour?

That trophy could come with three Victoria Secret models and I'd still say nope.

The fact that you describe the ultimate achievement in professional hockey as "skating around with a trophy for about an hour" is why you pick the money.

 

[Soundwave]

The fact that you describe the ultimate achievement in professional hockey as "skating around with a trophy for about an hour" is why you pick the money.

Because any sane person would.

Even NHL players, if winning a Cup is actually literally that important, no one is stopping any of the Cup-less players from terminating their existing contract and signing for league minimum on whoever is the Cup favorite of the moment. After all if the Cup is literally the most important thing in life, why not just do that then.

Auston Matthews is free to sign with Florida or Edmonton for $800k a year, nothing is stopping him from doing that. He could demand a trade there and then mutually agree to terminate his existing contract.

No one in their right mind would do that. First of all their wife/gf and agent would probably leave them right on the spot and I can't say I'd blame them.

There's a little more to life than "I wanted a trophy when I was 10 years old" like big whoop. I also wanted a WWF championship belt when I was 10 years old and thought that was equal with a Stanley Cup, I also wanted a DeLorian car etc. etc. At some point you grow up.

 

[Dr Jan Itor]

HHOF. Best chance that I was a sustained top player in the league for the longest time. Probably a couple of very nice contracts in there somewhere.

 

[HugeInTheShire]

I actually doubt any of Jarome Iginla, the Sedins, Luongo, would give away 90% of their career earnings just to have a Cup.

Hockey fans have an idealized 10-year-old version of what they think the NHL is, the reality of it is more different than they probably imagine.

Yeah a Cup is important, but if you're an NHL player and you "made the show" you've already satisfied most of the itch of being a professional athlete.

I think hockey fans would also likely be shocked at how many players frankly don't actually deep down give that much of a crap about a Cup. It's a "nice to have" for a lot of the players, not a must have.

Again you're looking at it as after the fact. and BTW none of those players fit the criteria given. All of the won Gold Medals and are in the HHOF.

 

[Soundwave]

Again you're looking at it as after the fact. and BTW none of those players fit the criteria given. All of the won Gold Medals and are in the HHOF.

If Jarome Iginla or the Sedins really wanted a Cup *that* bad, they could have signed with Chicago for 1 mill contracts circa 2012.

Obviously even in the moment they'd never do that. Because it would be financially stupid to have done that.

 

[rogking65]

for the cup option being so far in front i have to assume there must be a lot of kids voting that have never worked a day in their lives

 

[HugeInTheShire]

If Jarome Iginla or the Sedins really wanted a Cup *that* bad, they could have signed with Chicago for 1 mill contracts circa 2012.

Obviously even in the moment they'd never do that. Because it would be financially stupid to have done that.

Again Iginla and the Sedin's don't fit the criteria. You're also assuming that players have the knowledge the do now as in, they know who is winning the Cup each year. Iginla chased Cups when he refused to waive his NTC for Boston and instead chose Pittsburg. Then he signed in Boston because they had just won. Chased again signing in Colorado after they put up 112 point the previous year. Then he signed in LA who won the Cup 2 years before he signed. All he did was chase Cups in his late career.

As for the twins, they chose to play for 1 franchise instead of chasing Cups, but they also won Gold Medals and made the hall so again they don't fit the criteria of this poll.

 

[Soundwave]

Again Iginla and the Sedin's don't fit the criteria. You're also assuming that players have the knowledge the do now as in, they know who is winning the Cup each year. Iginla chased Cups when he refused to waive his NTC for Boston and instead chose Pittsburg. Then he signed in Boston because they had just won. Chased again signing in Colorado after they put up 112 point the previous year. Then he signed in LA who won the Cup 2 years before he signed. All he did was chase Cups in his late career.

As for the twins, they chose to play for 1 franchise instead of chasing Cups, but they also won Gold Medals and made the hall so again they don't fit the criteria of this poll.

The point is even to players, they don't really actually want a Cup *that* bad, as in they want it so bad they can't live without it.

There's nothing stopping any superstar of today going to their team and saying "you know ... I can live comfortably on $2-$5 mill/year, lets terminate my $10 mill contract and I'll resign for 1/2 or 1/3 my current salary so we have the best chance possible of winning a Cup".

No one would do that in the league. They're all free to do it, no one actually would though.

 

[Figgy44]

TL;DR - I think this topic taps into a concept of many hockey fans' principles. Sorry for the wall of text below.

Or you know you could just have 80 million in your bank account and own 100 different cars including even the Batmobile or whatever dumb fantasy you had as a 10 year old. 10 year olds have 800 random dreams going on it's an overly romanticized thing.

9-10 year old kids aren't as smart as adults but they aren't that dumb. They are not incapable of understanding what it is like to dream of things like cars and mansions. To them it's perhaps not practical or important to think of. Who else played M.A.S.H. as a 7 or 8 year old?

But what childhood dreams represent are pure unadulterated joy. That's perhaps why so many adults spend a lot of money in the post apex of their career realizing those childhood dreams. The world grinds a lot of joy out of us over time and they want to be reminded of those times of pure joy.

A cup or Olympic gold can give an adult a warm fuzzy feeling that's hard to replicate, even with millions of dollars. It's a kid's dream to do something at the highest possible stage. I'd imagine a HHOF recognition or individual awards certainly represent a very high apex of one's career, but I would doubt it give the same warm fuzzy feeling as other key moments in one's career.

A HHOF player who also won the cup probably barely gets far less good vibes contemplating the fact he's in the HHOF. He'll reminisce about the cup win or other key moments of his career.

The way I look at it is a lot more basic, being presented this scenario is effectively like being handed a 100% guaranteed lottery ticket that will net you $80 million+ in career earnings (HHOF career guaranteed) + any kind of career in any NHL or NHL adjacent media org you would want (if you're bored).

If you had anyone sane with you, a lawyer, agent, a girlfriend or wife with any financial sense, they'd tell you to take that and run.

Now imagine someone coming along and saying "Give me $75 miillion of that and I'll let you lift this trophy for 30 minutes and you keep only $5 million" ... I'm sorry but that's an insanely stupid deal for anyone to accept even under the guise of "well I still got $5 mill, rite?".

I'm not giving up $75/$80 million dollars to lift any made up trophy. Like sorry but no.

And this is valid. I have no issues with your opinion. I just vehemently disagree that others are dumb for choosing the 5 vs the 80 million is the part others are disagreeing with.

Spoiler

My family grew up poor. As a 9 or 10 ish year old too poor to afford a few dollars worth of candy, I vowed one day that I could walk into any grocery store a few times a year, fill a basket full of non-generic brand treats and not worry if I had enough money in the bank to check out. I accomplished this for the first time after getting my first scholarship in university. I never let myself lose that amazing feeling of accomplishing my childhood dream.

I have no issues with anyone who will laugh at my simple childhood dream. I have no issues with people saying it's a low bar. It's a valid opinion. By my own personal opinion is that it is immeasurably valuable, and I honestly think there are others who understand where I am coming from.

To me personally, there isn't a huge difference between 5 million and 80 million in terms of worrying about money for basic necessities. To be honest, with 80 over 5, I think I'd fear losing that feeling and spiraling quickly into ennui.

5 million in Canadian bank stock is about $200K a year in dividend income (passive income, never have to work) without touching principal and factoring that the value of the stock doubles every 10 years or so. Even the original number at 2 million, that's $80K a year and I'm happy with that and working a decent job that doesn't demand over 40 hours a week making $70K for a total of $150K. That's enough to be "semi-retired". I work that job to continue to accumulate wealth, but not so time demanding of a job that I cannot spend time with family or work.

Again with the "low bars" but my current dream would to be mortgage free for a detached home by age 40 with an annual household income of $150-200K with both spouses averaging 40 hours a week or less. That's still a very comfortable and very premium lifestyle. It's also a target where I think it's well balanced. Enough that I don't have any worries about basic necessities, enough to enjoy but not so much that I'd have burdens relating to my wealth. I'm not even a millionaire and I worry and actively do what I can to make sure my kids understand the value of money and that my accumulated wealth/lifestyle will not affect their chances of settling into a situation where they don't reach their highest potential (ie: spoiled).

My mindset is also very different though. If I won the lottery tomorrow (ie: 5 million lotto 649), I'd immediately break that number into 5 parts: 50% for my family, 12.5% x 4 for my in-laws, my parents, my sibling, my wife's sibling. I wouldn't want to rocket into a life of luxury and make others feel uncomfortable. I've met enough wealthy multi millionaires like that. I'd give that amount also so that they'd have no reason to request money from me (already given) or resent me for living my best life while they continue to toil. Heck, I even bet my parents and in-laws would attempt to reject the money I'd gift them. I've seen enough families who value money over blood relations and it's awful. I wouldn't wish that upon my family and it certainly would get hard to avoid that if I had 80 over 2-5 million from a hockey career.

Again, don't get me wrong. Your opinion is valid. I'm just explaining that I have an alternate opinion I prefer. I apologize for the wall of text.

for the cup option being so far in front i have to assume there must be a lot of kids voting that have never worked a day in their lives

Or perhaps a bunch of adults who know that money isn't everything.

 

[IWantSakicAsMyGM]

The point is even to players, they don't really actually want a Cup *that* bad, as in they want it so bad they can't live without it.

There's nothing stopping any superstar of today going to their team and saying "you know ... I can live comfortably on $5 mill/year, lets terminate my $10 mill contract and I'll resign for 1/2 my current salary so we have the best chance possible of winning a Cup".

No one would do that in the league. They're all free to do it, no one actually would though.

You might also notice that players aren't always jumping ship chasing the biggest payday. So, it's not only about money for them.

And, the NHLPA would probably take issue with their highest paid members cancelling their contracts, or taking less than market value, and I'm pretty sure the rest of the NHL owners would probably claim it's cap circumvention. So, yes, there are things stopping your scenario from happening.