1977-78 NHL Salaries

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I was doing some research on something else and came across this.

Atlanta Tom Lysiak $130,000 Dick Redmond$ $125,000 Daniel Bouchard$ $100,000 Bob MacMillan $85,000 Bill Clement$ $85,000 John Gould $70,000 Willi Plett$ $70,000 Eric Vail$ $65,000 Guy Chouinard $65,000 Richard Mulhern$ $60,000 Yves Belanger$ $60,000 David Shand $55,000 Pat Ribble$ $55,000 Harold Phillipoff $50,000 Rey Comeau$ $50,000 Bob Simpson$ $50,000 Ken Houston $45,000 Ed Kea$ $45,000 Miles Zaharko$ $45,000 Greg Fox $45,000 Bobby Lalonde$ $40,000

Boston Brad Park$ $250,000 Gerry Cheevers $160,000 Jean Ratelle$ $150,000 Gilles Gilbert $135,000 John Bucyk$ $115,000 Wayne Cashman$ $110,000 Peter McNab $100,000 Rick Middleton$ $100,000 Rick Smith $100,000 Gregg Sheppard$ $85,000 Ron Grahame$ $80,000 Bob Schmautz $75,000 Terry O'Reilly$ $70,000 Don Marcotte$ $70,000 Gary Doak $70,000 Al Sims$ $60,000 Mike Milbury$ $50,000 Stan Jonathan $50,000 Dwight Foster$ $50,000 Bob Miller $40,000 John Wensink$ $40,000

Buffalo Gil Perreault$ $200,000 Richard Martin $170,000 Jim Schoenfeld$ $115,000 Danny Gare $105,000 Jocelyn Guevrement$ $100,000 Rene Robert$ $100,000 Gerry Desjardins $90,000 Fred Stanfield$ $90,000 Lee Fogolin $85,000 Ron Schock$ $85,000 Jerry Korab$ $80,000 Bill Hajt $80,000 Andre Savard$ $75,000 Craig Ramsay$ $70,000 Don Luce $65,000 Jim Lorentz$ $60,000 Gary McAdam$ $60,000 Don Edwards $50,000 Bob Sauve$ $50,000 Ric Seiling$ $50,000

Chicago Tony Esposito $200,000 Stan Mikita$ $200,000 Dale Tallon $150,000 Alain Daigle$ $80,000 J. Bob Kelly $80,000 Grant Mulvey$ $80,000 J. P. Bordeleau$ $75,000 Pierre Plante $70,000 Darcy Rota$ $70,000 Mike Veisor$ $70,000 Ted Bulley $60,000 Bob Murray$ $60,000 Mike O'Connell$ $55,000 Doug Wilson $55,000 Dave Logan$ $50,000 Kirk Bowman$ $45,000 Reg Kerr $45,000

Cleveland Gilles Meloche$ $125,000 Jim Neilson $125,000 Rick Hampton$ $95,000 Dennis Maruk $95,000 Gary Edwards$ $90,000 Al MacAdam$ $85,000 Walt McKechnie $85,000 J. P. Parise$ $80,000 Jean Potvin$ $70,000 Chuck Arnason $60,000 Mike Fidler$ $60,000 Greg Smith$ $60,000 Dave Gardner $55,000 Randy Holt$ $55,000 Bob Murdoch$ $50,000 Robert Stewart $50,000 Kris Manery$ $45,000 John Baby$ $40,000 Rick Jodzio $40,000

Colorado Wilf Paiement$ $160,000 Doug Favell $155,000 Michel Plasse$ $90,000 Gary Croteau $55,000 Paul Gardner$ $55,000 Nelson Pyatt$ $55,000 Fred Ahern $50,000 Denis Dupere$ $50,000 Bryan Lefley$ $50,000 Dave Hudson $45,000 Mike Kitchen$ $45,000 Andy Spruce$ $35,000 Randy Pierce $35,000 Ron Delorme$ $35,000 Joe Contini$ $30,000

Detroit Vaclav Nedomansky $150,000 Jim Rutherford$ $135,000 Dennis Hextall $120,000 Terry Harper$ $110,000 Nick Libett $110,000 Greg Joly$ $100,000 Dennis Polonich$ $60,000 Jean Hamel $55,000 Perry Miller$ $55,000 Errol Thompson $55,000 Rick Bowness$ $50,000 Paul Woods$ $50,000 John Hilworth $45,000 Larry Wright$ $45,000

Los Angeles Marcel Dionne $320,000 Syl Apps$ $150,000 Mike Murphy$ $120,000 Rogatien Vachon $120,000 Danny Grant$ $110,000 Butch Goring $100,000 Glenn Goldup$ $90,000 Don Kozak$ $85,000 Bob Murdoch $85,000 Gary Simmons$ $85,000 Hartland Monahan$ $80,000 Larry Brown $70,000 Randy Manery$ $70,000 Tommy Williams $70,000 Pete Stemkowski$ $65,000 Vic Venasky$ $65,000 Gary Sergeant $60,000 Bert Wilson$ $55,000 Dave Hutchison $50,000 Robert Palmer$ $45,000 Dave Taylor$ $45,000

Minnesota Glenn Sharpley $75,000 Harvey Bennett$ $70,000 Roland Eriksson $70,000 Doug Hicks$ $70,000 Tim Young$ $65,000 Kent-Erik Andersson $60,000 Per Olov Brasar$ $60,000 Dean Talafous $60,000 Tom Younghans$ $55,000 Bryan Maxwell $55,000 Paul Harrison$ $55,000 Bill Butters$ $50,000 Jerome Engele $50,000 Jim Roberts$ $50,000 Ron Zanussi$ $50,000

Montreal Ken Dryden $180,000 Guy Lafleur$ $180,000 Guy Lapointe $175,000 Yvan Cournoyer$ $160,000 Serge Savard$ $155,000 Jacques Lemaire $135,000 Larry Robinson$ $125,000 Steve Shutt $120,000 Doug Risebrough$ $80,000 Rick Chartraw$ $75,000 Mario Tremblay $75,000 Murray Wilson$ $75,000 Doug Jarvis $70,000 Pierre Mondou$ $70,000 Bill Nyrop$ $70,000 Gilles Lupien $55,000 Brian Engblom$ $55,000

N.Y.Islanders Denis Potvin $150,000 Bill Harris$ $125,000 Ed Westfall$ $110,000 Glenn Resch $100,000 Clark Gillies$ $95,000 Bob Nystrom $90,000 Billy Smith$ $90,000 Bryan Trottier$ $90,000 Bert Marshall $80,000 Wayne Merrick$ $80,000 Bob Bourne $75,000 Jude Drouin$ $75,000 Gerry Hart$ $75,000 Lorne Henning $75,000 Garry Howatt$ $75,000 Stefan Persson$ $60,000 Pat Price $70,000 Dave Lewis$ $70,000 Mike Kaszycki$ $55,000 Mike Bossy $50,000

N.Y. Rangers Phil Esposito $325,000 Walter Tkaczuk$ $250,000 Wayne Dillon$ $175,000 Carol Vadnais $120,000 Dave Maloney$ $110,000 Steve Vickers $105,000 Don Awrey$ $100,000 John Davidson$ $100,000 Wayne Thomas $100,000 Hardy Astrom$ $80,000 Pat Hickey $80,000 Don Murdoch$ $75,000 Ron Duguay$ $70,000 Lucien Deblois $65,000 Nick Fotiu$ $65,000 Dave Farrish$ $65,000 Ed Johnstone $60,000 Mark Heaslip$ $55,000 Mike McEwen$ $50,000

Philadelphia Bobby Clarke $160,000 Bill Barber$ $150,000 Rick MacLeish $150,000 Bernie Parent$ $140,000 Gary Dornhoefer $120,000 Jim Watson$ $115,000 Bob Dailey$ $110,000 Joe Watson $100,000 Wayne Stephenson$ $95,000 Orest Kindrachuk $90,000 Reggie Leach$ $90,000 Ross Lonsberry$ $90,000 Tom Bladon $80,000 Mel Bridgman$ $80,000 Andre Dupont$ $80,000 Rick Lapointe $80,000 Don Saleski$ $80,000 Bob Kelly$ $75,000 Paul Holmgren $70,000 Barry Dean$ $60,000 Kevin McCarthy $55,000 Dave Hoyda$ $45,000

Pittsburgh Jean Pronovost$ $135,000 Dave Burrows $125,000 Pete Mahovlich$ $125,000 Rick Kehoe $110,000 Ron Stackhouse$ $110,000 David Schultz$ $100,000 Denis Herron $90,000 Dunc Wilson$ $90,000 Lowell MacDonald $80,000 Gene Carr$ $75,000 Mike Corrigan$ $75,000 Tom Edur $75,000 Wayne Bianchin$ $70,000 Russ Anderson$ $60,000 Colin Campbell $60,000 Blair Chapman$ $60,000 Brian Spencer $60,000 Peter Lee$ $55,000 Mario Faubert$ $50,000 Greg Malone $50,000 John Flesch$ $40,000

St. Louis Garry Unger $175,000 Red Berenson$ $125,000 Phil Myre$ $105,000 Rod Seiling $105,000 Bill Fairbairn$ $100,000 Barry Gibbs $100,000 Jim Roberts$ $100,000 Inge Hammarstrom$ $95,000 Larry Patey $90,000 Curt Bennett$ $85,000 Claude Larose $85,000 Bruce Affleck$ $80,000 Bernie Federko$ $70,000 Neil Komadoski $70,000 Brian Ogilvie$ $65,000 Doug Grant $60,000 Bob Hess$ $60,000 Gary Holt$ $60,000 Brian Sutter $55,000 Jack Brownschidle$ $50,000 Tony Currie$ $45,000

Toronto Darryl Sittler $165,000 Borje Salming $ $155,000 Lanny McDonald $145,000 Ron Ellis$ $140,000 Ian Turnbull $120,000 Dan Maloney $ $105,000 David Williams $ $105,000 Jack Valiquette $85,000 George Ferguson $ $80,000 Brian Glennie $80,000 Mike Palmateer $ $75,000 Mike Pelyk $75,000 Gord McRae $ $70,000 Stan Weir $ $70,000 Jerry Butler $60,000 Pat Boutette $ $50,000 Trevor Johansen $ $50,000 Jimmy Jones $40,000 Ron Wilson $ $40,000

Vancouver Pit Martin $140,000 Don Lever$ $120,000 Dennis Ververgaert $120,000 Cesare Maniago$ $105,000 Hilliard Graves $100,000 Mike Walton$ $100,000 Dennis Kearns $90,000 Garry Monahan$ $85,000 Chris Oddliefson$ $80,000 Ron Sedlbauer $80,000 Rick Blight$ $75,000 Curt Ridley$ $75,000 Sheldon Kannegiesser $70,000 Harold Snepsts$ $70,000 Jere Gillis $65,000 Jack McIlhargey$ $65,000 Claire Alexander $60,000 John Grisdale$ $60,000 Gerry O'Flaherty$ $60,000 Brad Gassoff $50,000 Bob Manno$ $50,000

Washington Guy Charron $85,000 Bryan Watson$ $80,000 Bill Collins$ $75,000 Ace Bailey $70,000 Jack Lynch$ $70,000 Gerry Meehan$ $70,000 Bob Sirois $70,000 Yvon Labre$ $65,000 Bernie Wolfe$ $65,000 Dave Forbes $60,000 Bob Girard$ $60,000 Mike Marson$ $60,000 Robert Picard $60,000 Ron Lalonde$ $55,000 Bill Riley$ $55,000 Gordie Smith $55,000 Jim Bedard$ $50,000 Larry Bolonchuk$ $50,000 Gordie Lane $50,000 Mark Lofthouse$ $50,000 Tom Rowe $50,000
 
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Big Phil

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Nov 2, 2003
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The highest paid player in the NHL was Phil Esposito at $325,000. Not bad. Consider that the average salary for a middle class man would be around $20,000 then and you basically have Esposito making 15x that amount. Sound like a lot? Fast forward. Crosby and Malkin are the highest paid players in the NHL at $8.7 I believe right? Or Ovechkin at $9. I can't remember. Anyway, compare $9 million to the average working class salary today - let's put it at $40,000. You end up with Ovechkin making 225x more money than joe punch clock.

Now I know it isn't just the players and owners that cranked up the prices but the fans, the sponsors, the NHLPA, etc. So everyone is at fault here. But think about just how much better it was back then with no salary disclosure. Espo is making $325,000 and the best player in the world - Lafleur - is making $180,000. Somehow I think Lafleur still managed to feed his family, and since he didn't know what Esposito was making did it really bother him? Ignorance is bliss right?

And think about another thing, Ovechkin makes 225x times more than us and there is still going to be another lockout in the NHL in 2012. Scary.
 
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LeBlondeDemon10

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Jul 10, 2010
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The highest paid player in the NHL was Phil Esposito at $325,000. Not bad. Consider that the average salary for a middle class man would be around $20,000 then and you basically have Esposito making 15x that amount. Sound like a lot? Fast forward. Crosby and Malkin are the highest paid players in the NHL at $8.7 I believe right? Or Ovechkin at $9. I can't remember. Anyway, compare $9 million to the average working class salary today - let's put it at $40,000. You end up with Ovechkin making 225x more money than joe punch clock.

Now I know it isn't just the players and owners that cranked up the prices but the fans, the sponsors, the NHLPA, etc. So everyone is at fault here. But think about just how much better it was back then with no salary disclosure. Espo is making $325,000 and the best player in the world - Lafleur - is making $180,000. Somehow I think Lafleur still managed to feed his family, and since he didn't know what Esposito was making did it really bother him? Ignorance is bliss right?

And think about another thing, Ovechkin makes 225x times more than us and there is still going to be another lockout in the NHL in 2012. Scary.

Ya, I think the secrecy of salaries was the last angle the owners had then other than pure intimidation ("What are houses going for in Colorado these days?"). But don't you think Espo and Lafleur talked at the Canada Cup or even in a New York bar after the game? I'm sure they did and they were aware of who was getting shafted.

The fact that Lafleur and Clarke were making just over half as much as Espo, Dionne is an injustice. They were the most current SC Champs. Does this show the hold the owners still had on the players at the time? Were these guys just happy to be playing the game they love that salary didn't matter all that much? I don't know, but isn't this the year that Lafleur attempted a hold out mid season but caved just before the Habs were to play the Leafs on a Saturday night?

Can you imagine the salaries for the Habs, Bruins or Flyers in today's dollars? For one, the cap would not allow this to occur, which is sad because these teams were so great to watch. What are we missing today because of forced parity?

Also, Bobby Orr is not shown in this list. Wasn't he still a member of the Bruins or Hawks but just on long term injury reserve? I wonder what he was making? Oh well, I guess I could just call Alan Eagleson.
 

Passchendaele

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Dec 11, 2006
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The highest paid player in the NHL was Phil Esposito at $325,000. Not bad. Consider that the average salary for a middle class man would be around $20,000 then and you basically have Esposito making 15x that amount. Sound like a lot? Fast forward. Crosby and Malkin are the highest paid players in the NHL at $8.7 I believe right? Or Ovechkin at $9. I can't remember. Anyway, compare $9 million to the average working class salary today - let's put it at $40,000. You end up with Ovechkin making 225x more money than joe punch clock.

Now I know it isn't just the players and owners that cranked up the prices but the fans, the sponsors, the NHLPA, etc. So everyone is at fault here. But think about just how much better it was back then with no salary disclosure. Espo is making $325,000 and the best player in the world - Lafleur - is making $180,000. Somehow I think Lafleur still managed to feed his family, and since he didn't know what Esposito was making did it really bother him? Ignorance is bliss right?

And think about another thing, Ovechkin makes 225x times more than us and there is still going to be another lockout in the NHL in 2012. Scary.

20 000$ in 1978 would be about 66 000 in 2010 dollars, not 40.
 

reckoning

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Those figures were reported in The Globe and Mail that year. The numbers were unofficial, and several GMs claimed that most of the reported salaries were incorrect. Official salaries were rarely publicly released back then, the league preferring to keep their players in the dark about their worth.

Call me crazy, but I disagree with Phil and think that disclosure in necessary. Was it right for Gordie Howe to be making less money than several other Detroit players like Bob Baun or Carl Brewer because he didn't know what they were making? The team certainly wasn't going to offer him the money he deserved on their own.



A few notes about the 77-78 salaries (assuming they're close to correct):

- The top salary listed there is Esposito's $325,000. For the following season, Anders Hedberg and Ulf Nilsson signed with the Rangers for a reported $600,000 a year each. How did they get so much? It was a bidding war between New York and a few other teams (Toronto and Philadelphia were mentioned as being interested). That was a turning point in convincing some NHL owners that merging with the WHA needed to be done to prevent that from happening again.

- Another free agent who surpassed Espo's salary the following season was Rogie Vachon, signing with Detroit for a rumoured $350,000 a year. The league awarded L.A. Dale McCourt as compensation (to discourage other free agent signings), which resulted in a long court battle when McCourt refused to go.

- As mentioned a few posts above, Guy Lafleur held out early the following season to get his contract renegotiated, which it was. The prevailing opinion of many at the time was that he would have never done that when Sam Pollock was GM, but immediately tried it when Irving Grundman took over.

- One name among the superstars getting big money in 77-78 may surprise some fans: Walt Tkaczuk. The Rangers gave him a big raise not to jump to the WHA, and he never seemed to be the same player after getting it.
 
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Big Phil

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Nov 2, 2003
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What's better about no salary disclosure?

Well for starters salaries skyrocketed the second everyone knew what everyone else was making. Jealousy sets in, loyalties are brushed aside. Lockouts happen. Sometimes it isn't the worst thing in the world if the owners have a tighter leash on the players when it comes to the business side of things. The players sign the contracts don't they? Put it this way, Lafleur probably didn't know an over the hill Espo was making that much more than him. But could this have broken up a dynasty if he did and demanded more? It might have.

Heck, we've seen this happen in the modern day NHL. Tampa was a team capable of repeating. But they lose Khabibulin and have never had a good goalie since. Chalk that up to overpaying Richards and Lecavalier for starters. Chicago? A fire sale after their 2010 Cup win.
 

FiveForDrawingBlood

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May 25, 2010
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The highest paid player in the NHL was Phil Esposito at $325,000. Not bad. Consider that the average salary for a middle class man would be around $20,000 then and you basically have Esposito making 15x that amount. Sound like a lot? Fast forward. Crosby and Malkin are the highest paid players in the NHL at $8.7 I believe right? Or Ovechkin at $9. I can't remember. Anyway, compare $9 million to the average working class salary today - let's put it at $40,000. You end up with Ovechkin making 225x more money than joe punch clock.

Now I know it isn't just the players and owners that cranked up the prices but the fans, the sponsors, the NHLPA, etc. So everyone is at fault here. But think about just how much better it was back then with no salary disclosure. Espo is making $325,000 and the best player in the world - Lafleur - is making $180,000. Somehow I think Lafleur still managed to feed his family, and since he didn't know what Esposito was making did it really bother him? Ignorance is bliss right?

And think about another thing, Ovechkin makes 225x times more than us and there is still going to be another lockout in the NHL in 2012. Scary.

How much were tickets back then?
 

Pancakes

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And think about another thing, Ovechkin makes 225x times more than us and there is still going to be another lockout in the NHL in 2012. Scary.

I don't think this is fair to the players. The owners already get a huge chunk of the revenues and got their salary cap which limits player salaries. Wouldn't you want your fair share too if you were a player?

I don't know why people always call players greedy for trying to get more money when it's the owners who are the ones who are always lying about how much they make, getting sweetheart arena deals which screw taxpayers, and getting most of the revenues the NHL makes.

Players should be pushing for as much as they can get quite frankly and I don't blame them.
 
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canucks4ever

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I'm glad Dionne was making more than lafluer. He had to spend his whole career on miserable teams, while guy got all the media attention and legacy with the habs, at least he was making more.
 
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Big Phil

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How much were tickets back then?

In the late 1970s at Maple Leaf Gardens I seem to remember a seat behind the bench being $40-50

I don't think this is fair to the players. The owners already get a huge chunk of the revenues and got their salary cap which limits player salaries. Wouldn't you want your fair share too if you were a player?

I don't know why people always call players greedy for trying to get more money when it's the owners who are the ones who are always lying about how much they make, getting sweetheart arena deals which screw taxpayers, and getting most of the revenues the NHL makes.

Players should be pushing for as much as they can get quite frankly and I don't blame them.

But someone has to give right? We wasted an entire year with this stubborn crap. Let's face it, there is no good faith on either side. Bettman and the owners aren't exactly salt of the earth people and the NHLPA is now being run by a guy who foresaw the steroid explosion in baseball, did nothing, and then stood by while his players under him were thrown under the bus for something the league and the union was letting slip by.

Is there ever a deal done when everyone is concerned with how much the other side is getting? We'll see in Part 3 in the fall of 2012. It'll be fun. I hope you're an NFL fan
 

John Flyers Fan

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Too many people like Phil that buy into the owners way of thinking.

Ohhhhhh we need a lockout to keep the ticket prices low. Far too many sheep buy that crap.

Owners will charge what they can charge, no matter what they're paying the players.

Flyers payroll this year has just this year risen to match what it was pre-lockout.

Had my ticket prices gone down, as payroll did ??? ROFL
 

Hardyvan123

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Jul 4, 2010
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Well for starters salaries skyrocketed the second everyone knew what everyone else was making. Jealousy sets in, loyalties are brushed aside. Lockouts happen. Sometimes it isn't the worst thing in the world if the owners have a tighter leash on the players when it comes to the business side of things. The players sign the contracts don't they? Put it this way, Lafleur probably didn't know an over the hill Espo was making that much more than him. But could this have broken up a dynasty if he did and demanded more? It might have.

Heck, we've seen this happen in the modern day NHL. Tampa was a team capable of repeating. But they lose Khabibulin and have never had a good goalie since. Chalk that up to overpaying Richards and Lecavalier for starters. Chicago? A fire sale after their 2010 Cup win.

All of this would be great if teams were actually giving the fan a break but don't kid yourself they were not.

Would you want to work at a place like the NHL you are describing back then or more the pre cap era and lets be honest here.

Alot of people think that athletes should just play for the love of the game but owners don't won teams for the love of the game they are in it to make money it's a business and always has been.
 

Big Phil

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Nov 2, 2003
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Too many people like Phil that buy into the owners way of thinking.

Ohhhhhh we need a lockout to keep the ticket prices low. Far too many sheep buy that crap.

Owners will charge what they can charge, no matter what they're paying the players.

Flyers payroll this year has just this year risen to match what it was pre-lockout.

Had my ticket prices gone down, as payroll did ??? ROFL

I think both sides are at fault, and will be this year too.

All of this would be great if teams were actually giving the fan a break but don't kid yourself they were not.

Would you want to work at a place like the NHL you are describing back then or more the pre cap era and lets be honest here.

Alot of people think that athletes should just play for the love of the game but owners don't won teams for the love of the game they are in it to make money it's a business and always has been.

When there is that much money involved the idea that playing for the love of the game and only so is a bygone way of thinking. However, there is a problem when each side can't find a way to split $2 billion (or whatever amount it was) between themselves. The core of this alone is utterly ridiculous.
 

danielpalfredsson

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By today's standards, those would be downright bargains.

https://www.measuringworth.com/uscompare/result.php?year_source=1977&amount=325000&year_result=2017

Apparently what Esposito made would equate to somewhere between 1M-3M in 2015 depending on numerous factors. This really doesn't seem that bad to me considering the highest AAV in the league is 10.5M but there are also numerous added revenue streams to pro sports that weren't there in the 70s, or revenue streams that were there in the 70s like TV rights deals have exploded.
 

Big Phil

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Nov 2, 2003
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Game 1 of the 1972 Summit Series in Montreal had tickets for $7. Yeah, but inflation right? You're looking at a $30 ticket today. Yes, hockey was way, way cheaper back then. Do you know what a $30 ticket on a Wednesday night at the ACC in Toronto will get you against a team like the Florida Panthers even? Nothing. You might need to serve drinks in the stands and walk the stands selling peanuts just to get standing room for that.
 

Fantomas

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Aug 7, 2012
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And think about another thing, Ovechkin makes 225x times more than us and there is still going to be another lockout in the NHL in 2012. Scary.

This is interesting framing. The players make too much and therefore woe the lockout. But almost no one is heard saying that the owners make even more and woe the lockout.
 

MadLuke

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Jan 18, 2011
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The highest paid player in the NHL was Phil Esposito at $325,000. Not bad. Consider that the average salary for a middle class man would be around $20,000 then and you basically have Esposito making 15x that amount. Sound like a lot? Fast forward. Crosby and Malkin are the highest paid players in the NHL at $8.7 I believe right? Or Ovechkin at $9. I can't remember. Anyway, compare $9 million to the average working class salary today - let's put it at $40,000. You end up with Ovechkin making 225x more money than joe punch clock.

....

And think about another thing, Ovechkin makes 225x times more than us and there is

still going to be another lockout in the NHL in 2012. Scary.

In 1978 the american median household was around $13,650$ (BMW luxury care were around 7000-7500$ Canadian I think back then)

325000$ US would have been 24 time the median american Income.

In 2014, the median american household was making 53,013$, or a 1/164 of a 8.7 million Crosby.

It did change a lot, but more by a factor of 7/8 than a factor of 15.
 
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ICM1970

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Jan 29, 2012
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Some of the numbers surprise me, with Nedomansky making the biggest salary in Detroit and they were also paying a wet firecracker like Greg Joly 100k, or that Cleveland was paying Jim Neilson a very handsome amount or that St. Louis was paying Garry Unger more than what Philadelphia was paying Bobby Clarke...
 

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