Late 1970s canadiens salaries.

[Canadiens1958]

From an unknown newspaper.

Click to read more...

 

[Doctor No]

Surprised at Larocque relative to many of the non goaltenders.

Of course, you don't always get what's "fair"; you get what you negotiate.

 

[Hockey Outsider]

If we're assuming that the salaries are from 1978, Lafleur's salary is the equivalent of about $636K today. Robinson's would be about $441K. And the lowest salary (Engblom's) would be about $194K - everyone else on the team would be very nearly at $250K today or higher.

Not the stratospheric salaries that we see today, but still a very high income. (The biggest surprise, actually, is there's not a huge separation between the top stars - Lafleur and Dryden's salaries are "only" about double what Wilson and Bouchard were making).

 

[NyQuil]

In the early days, wasn't a job of working for the Molson Brewery over the summer one of the perks for playing for the Montreal Canadiens?

How things have changed.

 

[Canadiens1958]

In the early days, wasn't a job of working for the Molson Brewery over the summer one of the perks for playing for the Montreal Canadiens?

How things have changed.

No, just rep and promotional work often contracted.

Few landed front office jobs if qualified.

 

[tony d]

Interesting. Salaries really have increased even with the adjustment. 180,000 is what some guys make in a week over 52 weeks now in hockey, it was a yearly salary back then. I'd take Lafleur over any player today with the exception of a very select few.

 

[NyQuil]

No, just rep and promotional work often contracted.

Few landed front office jobs if qualified.

I actually thought it was blue collar work.

Thanks for the clarification!

 

[MXD]

I actually thought it was blue collar work.

Thanks for the clarification!

Well, there were farmhands working blue-collar jobs for Molson later. I don't know if that was the practice in the 70ies.

 

[NyQuil]

Well, there were farmhands working blue-collar jobs for Molson later. I don't know if that was the practice in the 70ies.

Yeah, I meant earlier than the 70s (when I meant early days in my original post).

I wasn't very clear on that.

 

[reckoning]

Low salaries considering how good those players were. The Rangers signed Hedberg and Nilsson for more than twice as much as anybody on that list. I'm sure Dionne, Perreault and Esposito were all well over $200K.

I believe it was early in the 78-79 season when Lafleur decided he wouldn't play unless his contract was renegotiated. Some felt it was because he thought Grundman wouldn't be as tough to deal with as Pollock.

 

[Iron Mike Sharpe]

Gainey was underpaid.

 

[streitz]

First thing that jumped out to me was Houle making more then Gainey.

 

[reckoning]

I found the thread from a few years back that listed all the salaries from the 77-78 season, which matches the Habs numbers in this thread:
1977-78 NHL Salaries

It looks like Phil Esposito was the highest at $325,000, with Marcel Dionne in second at $320,000. Next were Brad Park and Walt Tkaczuk at $250,000.

 

[Jumptheshark]

In the early days, wasn't a job of working for the Molson Brewery over the summer one of the perks for playing for the Montreal Canadiens?

How things have changed.

in a few cases it was mandatory for some of the players to work at Molson. I think it was Lemiere who said that as the season came to the end a couple players got their work schedules and the players who refused were traded--this is waaay back

 

[Stephen]

First thing I notice is they're still pretty well compensated for 2018 Canadian salaries.