Do European players even bother

[KingsFan7824]

coming back?

With the absolute mess the NHL is in right now, and if the NHL comes back in whatever form it may take, will the Europeans follow?

Nothing against the European and Russian players. I love watching them. My favorite player is Norstrom. I love what Frolov could've been for the Kings. But the only reason they started coming over was the money. I'm sure winning the cup is a nice accomplishment, but that was never the reason. Well, for a lot of players anyway, not all.

If they can stay in their home countries, be national heros(as opposed to not known in the US), and make the same money that they'll probably end up making in the new NHL(when and if), why would they come back?

I blame the owners for getting everyone in this mess in the first place by ruining the game financially on many levels. I blame the players for not ending this mess with what will turn out to be the owners best offer from this day forward.

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[CarlRacki]

If they can stay in their home countries, be national heros(as opposed to not known in the US), and make the same money that they'll probably end up making in the new NHL(when and if), why would they come back?

Except the vast majority won't make in Europe anywhere near what they'd make in the NHL, even under a cap. Right now, most NHLers over there are making the equivalent of a $150,000 a year salary, a.k.a. a tenth what they'd be earning here under a $42.5 million cap.

 

[Magnus Fulgur]

I hope that the Europeans don't come back (as much as I love European hockey) what will SAVE the NHL part Deux is having it based on College teams in the US and Junior teams in Canada. That's part of what keeps the cap system and the fan interest going in the NFL and NBA. Even MLB is leaning that way.

 

[Mountain Dude]

Of course, they're little weasels looking for the best deal possible, and will go wherever that deal is.

 

[McDonald19]

I hope that the Europeans don't come back (as much as I love European hockey) what will SAVE the NHL part Deux is having it based on College teams in the US and Junior teams in Canada. That's part of what keeps the cap system and the fan interest going in the NFL and NBA. Even MLB is leaning that way.

I have to agree here.

I'd be ok with an all North America players league.

Nothing against the Europeans, I love watching talented players like Federov and Jagr but maybe it's time to start over with kids from North America who really want to be in the NHL.

 

[Jacob]

How many players currently in Europe are making more than if they were in the NHL? Maybe like, 5?

 

[McDonald19]

How many players currently in Europe are making more than if they were in the NHL? Maybe like, 5?

yes but NHL salaries are going to drop and Russian salaries are rising.

 

[WhalerBoy]

European content was brought in, for the most part, a more talented calibre of play.

And to think the Russian league or a Super league will get NHL calibre players, your high. They dont have the money as a league, and there just isnt the room. The only guys who get anywhere near NHL coin are the ones who sign on with teams run by very rich owners who dont care about salary cost. There are only a couple of those, 700 players cant all play for AK Bars Kazan!!

Anyone else notice how you never seen European players comment on the lockout? Outside of exec members Alfy and Irbe, my guess is they want to go back to work NOW. You could have quite a mutiny with this contingent. Im betting they cross any lines faster than you can say "Welcome to the Swedish Elite League, get on the bus"

 

[Chaos Giraffe]

yes but NHL salaries are going to drop and Russian salaries are rising.

Lol, the average goes from 1.8 million to what? 1.5? 1.4? Still gonna make well over 6-8 times what they'd be getting in Europe, and against the highest level of opponents. In Europe, there are like 4 or 5 "big leagues", which spread the talent pool thin.

Russian salaries don't approach those numbers.

 

[McDonald19]

Lol, the average goes from 1.8 million to what? 1.5? 1.4? Still gonna make well over 6-8 times what they'd be getting in Europe, and against the highest level of opponents. In Europe, there are like 4 or 5 "big leagues", which spread the talent pool thin.

Russian salaries don't approach those numbers.

If the lockout takes out 05/06 then that 1.5 is more like 750,000 or less.

The league would be practically starting over.

If I'm a European hockey player I'm getting comfortable on a team over there. Why bother with the NHL if your not from North America?

 

[Chaos Giraffe]

Yeah, Dan Russel on CKNW (Vancouver) made a great point last night. NHL is all about the lifestyle. The luxurious treatment, 5 star hotel, the massive amount of fans (no league in Europe can constantly churn out 18000 fans to fill an arena), the air trips compared to bus, etc.

It's only a matter of time, everyone will come back, sooner or later, when the NHL starts back up.........especially the top end talent. A Kovalchuk isn't gonna settle for 1 or 2 million there, when he can fetch like 5 million here even with a cap.

 

[Simon]

The big paychecks in the Russian Super Leage are mostly coming from AK Bars Kazan, a team that's been assembled to be the best in the league for the city's 1000 year anniversery. Their total salary is estimated to be around $25 million to $30 million.

"There can't really be any talk of profits," Mochkin, the Russian Hockey Federation spokesman, told the Moscow Times. "It's much more of a social project."

http://www.andrewsstarspage.com/10-10-04cba.htm

The European players who want either the cash, or the chance to prove that they're one of the best in the world will come back. No question. And if the best team in the RSL has a lower salary than the average NHL club, then I think it's safe to say that money won't be keeping them overseas.

 

[PeterSidorkiewicz]

An NHL with 30 teams and ZERO european players? Give me a fricken break. This would be the WORST marketing move ever. And Quite frankly this will never EVER happen. I mean come on no Naslund, Kovalchuk etc. People need to stop thinking of country of origin and look at TALENT and see they're all hockey players regardless where they were born.

 

[teme]

It used to be the case that NHL salaries where so high that even trying to match them would be futile. But the combination of falling NHL salaries and fallind dollar may change this. In Western Europe there are a dozen or so teams that could conceivably pay multi-million salaries to a top notch player. In Russia propably a few teams can do this in a sustainable way. And unlike NHL, this might actually be a sensible investment: if signing say Zetterberg fills the arena, there is nothing wrong with paying him big money.

They can't compete with NHL on average salary unless some kind of European super league emerges. That would seem a natural development in long term there really isn't anything pointing to that direction in near future. But then again, from a financial point view I don't see why any other teams or leagues would want to duplicate NHL's practice of paying average players seven figure salaries (which more than star salaries is what has gotten the league in the trouble IMO.) From the Euro market, you can get a decent second/third liner like Jukka Hentunen for couple hundred thousands, so why would a team pay say Brian Rolston five or ten times that?

 

[Sanderson]

I don't think there is any team in Western Europe which could pay a player a million or more, even the Swiss can't do that.
Scandinavia has pretty low salaries compared to say Germany and there is no team in Germany with a player budgt over 6-7 million. I doubt that even the biggest teams of Western/central Europe have a budget of more than $10 million.

 

[helicecopter]

I hope that the Europeans don't come back (as much as I love European hockey) what will SAVE the NHL part Deux is having it based on College teams in the US and Junior teams in Canada.

:lol

 

[Ola]

A league with only Canadian players would only work without gauranteed contracts. It would be a sight for a sore eye if longterm contracts would be allowed...

 

[SENATOR]

coming back?

With the absolute mess the NHL is in right now, and if the NHL comes back in whatever form it may take, will the Europeans follow?

Nothing against the European and Russian players. I love watching them. My favorite player is Norstrom. I love what Frolov could've been for the Kings. But the only reason they started coming over was the money. I'm sure winning the cup is a nice accomplishment, but that was never the reason. Well, for a lot of players anyway, not all.

If they can stay in their home countries, be national heros(as opposed to not known in the US), and make the same money that they'll probably end up making in the new NHL(when and if), why would they come back?

I blame the owners for getting everyone in this mess in the first place by ruining the game financially on many levels. I blame the players for not ending this mess with what will turn out to be the owners best offer from this day forward.

I wish people would stop biggotry posts like this.

Canadian players go to Russia for only one reason, to make a coin, as they do it in NHL. All NHL players proved to be the greediest ones in all proffesional sports, canceling the season over the money issue.

Russia is not the most pleasent places to visit, but it has rich owners rival to NHL.

Young talented Canadians are a hot comodity in Russia and Russian people have no regrets to have them. On contrary, they love the experience.

Russia is not like the rest of Europe and the 18 thousand like arenas are not a distant future.

 

[Magnus Fulgur]

Man, I was only trying to say that the NHL should have stronger ties to North American college programs. That's the best way to keep costs down, no? Why is this laughable? I'm not arguing that NO Europeans should come back. They will, obviously, and I'd love to see them too. However, a lot of the second-tier European players should hopefully be replaced by NA players. I don't care where people are born, it's a matter of what organizations the NHL works with. I don't care if the NHL is stocked with 9 million Russians or Finns...but if they came out of NA organizations, that would only help the infrastructure of the league going forward.

Is that clearer?

 

[helicecopter]

Man, I was only trying to say that the NHL should have stronger ties to North American college programs. That's the best way to keep costs down, no? Why is this laughable? I'm not arguing that NO Europeans should come back. They will, obviously, and I'd love to see them too. However, a lot of the second-tier European players should hopefully be replaced by NA players. I don't care where people are born, it's a matter of what organizations the NHL works with. I don't care if the NHL is stocked with 9 million Russians or Finns...but if they came out of NA organizations, that would only help the infrastructure of the league going forward.

Is that clearer?

First of all, this is not only clearer, is different from you said previously.
That said, what's(was) laughable is thinking that a thirty teams NHL without Europeans is what would save itself, cause it would simply SUCK.

 

[KingsFan7824]

I wish people would stop biggotry posts like this.

Wow. All I asked was whether or not European players would rather stay in their home country if the amount of money you could make in the NHL dropped significantly. If that's biggotry, then humanity has far fewer problems than I thought.

Nothing against the European and Russian players. I love watching them. My favorite player is Norstrom. I love what Frolov could've been for the Kings. But the only reason they started coming over was the money.

And I even stated that I have nothing against European players. I love European players. I'm one generation removed from Europe in my family. Other than a few players here and there, the main reason players from Europe started to come to North America was the fall of Soviet communism, and the chance to make money. Do North American players go to Europe and Russia to make money? Yes, we're seeing that today.

I'm not saying "get the hell out of my country and go back to where you came from". Believe me, I'm not that guy. I asked, "Would they return to the place of their birth to have a career playing hockey if the NHL has to bascially start over?", that's it.

The NHL is a complete mess right now. Nobody knows if the league itself will even be back. Unless they negotiate a deal between the NHL and NHLPA, they're almost starting a new league. The money will not be the same. There is no TV contract, and if they ever do get one, it'll be for around $5.00. If they can't guarantee an NHL season next year, and after actually taking the step to cancel this season, there won't be any corporate or season ticket money either.

Considering all that, I thought it was a fair question. You could also ask if there was a new NHL, would North American players go over to Europe if there was more money to be made over there. I don't know, that's why I asked.

 

[Steve L*]

Of course, they're little weasels looking for the best deal possible, and will go wherever that deal is.

Ok Don, and I suppose the canucks havent followed the money to Europe then?

 

[Mountain Dude]

Ok Don, and I suppose the canucks havent followed the money to Europe then?

They're all weasels at this point, I wasn't saying its just the Europeans.

Sorry, should have clarified that earlier.

 

[HockeyCritter]

I think that we might lose about 10-percent of the European players to their home countries once the CBA dust settles, but as long as the NHL pays more than the European clubs it should not be an issue enticing the top talent over.