Should the fines go up next CBA?

[amnesiac]

Just for comparison,

Someone making $6M per and getting fined $5000 = $40 fine for someone making $50K/year

Does it even make sense to fine a player knowing how little it is to them, which is usually paid by the team anyway?

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[COHawk]

$50K seems reasonable. A 10x increase is substantial but still doesn't hurt the players' pockets too much.

In case anybody is curious about comparisons to other leagues, here are the NFL's fines. Most are in the $10-20K range with some more serious infractions going up to $40-70K for second offenses.

 

[SotasicA]

They shouldn't even do fines. It's a joke. Suspensions work much better. They lose pay for the duration anyway.

And hockey is full contact anyway. You represent an employer that tells you to bump into other people. It's a job. And you wouldn't be there in that game if it wasn't for your job. It's not like it's a thing you should necessarily be personally responsible for. Especially for stuff that happens during a game. The game has rules and enforces itself. If you do shit outside the game and get in trouble (but still within the confines of a hockey environment), then yes, fines can still be a thing. But small. Like if you punch arena staff, spectators. Flash your penis to media people. Etc.

 

[amnesiac]

They shouldn't even do fines. It's a joke. Suspensions work much better. They lose pay for the duration anyway.

And hockey is full contact anyway. You represent an employer that tells you to bump into other people. It's a job. And you wouldn't be there in that game if it wasn't for your job. It's not like it's a thing you should necessarily be personally responsible for. Especially for stuff that happens during a game. The game has rules and enforces itself. If you do shit outside the game and get in trouble (but still within the confines of a hockey environment), then yes, fines can still be a thing. But small. Like if you punch arena staff, spectators. Flash your penis to media people. Etc.

what about embellishment? would you just leave it at a 2 min minor or suspend them a game, if you cant fine them?

but if a player punches a spectator I would definitely expect a suspension and not just a small fine.

 

[GermanSpitfire]

I think it’s fine, $5,000 is not an insignificant amount of money, even for professional athletes.
Losing that definitely makes a player think twice about doing it again.

 

[ThatsSoSlavin]

McDavids 5000 dollar fine is the same as someone who makes 50000 a year giving up 20 bucks (or something like that).

it doesn’t make sense to fine someone making league minimum and someone making 12 million a year the same amount

 

[Crow]

I’ll go with the percentage, up to 1%. For a 5 million dollar player it’s 50k. Costs them slightly less than missing one game which would be 1.22%.

 

[Mickey Marner]

Yes, the fines should go up by 2026. Those options are unrealistic though. 10k would be on the high end. Probably ends up closer to $7500.

 

[ijuka]

Well, the McDavid fine was 5000.

For a guy making 25k a year, that'd be equivalent to a 10 dollar fine.

It should be a % of salary. That way it would at least sting everyone.

Problem with making it like 100k is that it would hurt the marginal players making min salary a lot. But a top player wouldn't have issues with paying 100k.

I think that a good starting point would be 2% of yearly salary.

 

[ThatGuy22]

I think they should, but I know they won't. Owners don't care enough to give something up to the players in the next CBA negotiation.

 

[Big Empty]

I think 1% of the minimum salary (750k) is fair.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

It’s not going to happen. Friedman discussed this on one of his recent podcasts. The PA bargained the low fine numbers into the CBA. I doubt the league cares to bring it up, and the PA won’t agree to make them higher without concessions that the league won’t agree to.

 

[AvroArrow]

Relative to salary, also the league should get their heads out of their asses and suspend players when it's appropriate regardless of who it is.

 

[ClydeLee]

I guess it's called a Day-fine system looking it up that requires fines based on % of income. I'm a little surprised it's so high up. Not that I want to stere it politically but I do wonder some things about the voting. Seems it's a system not often liked or wanted in NA but more common in scandinavian countries. But do their sports league punish that way or is there a set fine for everyone there too?

 

[The Moose is Loose]

Everyone looking at the McDavid fine needs to remember he is an anomaly and the highest paid player in the league. 5000 doesn't mean much to him but it would to someone making 900K, and there are way more guys getting fined who make near min.

 

[Kaners Bald Spot]

what about embellishment? would you just leave it at a 2 min minor or suspend them a game, if you cant fine them?

but if a player punches a spectator I would definitely expect a suspension and not just a small fine.

The only way to curb embellishment is to suspend for it. Rules similar to headhunting. Get that crap out of the game.

 

[jetsforever]

Maybe it's just me but I personally couldn't care less how much NHL players get fined.

 

[hamzarocks]

Well, the McDavid fine was 5000.

For a guy making 25k a year, that'd be equivalent to a 10 dollar fine.

It should be a % of salary. That way it would at least sting everyone.

Problem with making it like 100k is that it would hurt the marginal players making min salary a lot. But a top player wouldn't have issues with paying 100k.

I think that a good starting point would be 2% of yearly salary.

That's higher than what players lose out from suspensions. Players lose 1.22% of their pay per game missed with suspension.

A fine should be considerably less than that. I think 20K maximum is fair limit and will sting no matter how much a player is earning. The 20K should also be for a 3rdtime offense with it going

5K --> 10K --> 20K

If a player is stupid enough to get fined 3 times for the same borderline play than he deserves a suspension on the next close but not clear cut dangerous play

 

[ijuka]

That's higher than what players lose out from suspensions. Players lose 1.22% of their pay per game missed with suspension.

Just increase the amount lost due to suspensions then. Not rocket science, is it?

 

[Byron Bitz]

Yes but more importantly they should expand the causes that the money goes toward. We have far more pressing issues in the world than the player’s emergency relief fund or whatever it’s called.

 

[bobholly39]

Yes but more importantly they should expand the causes that the money goes toward. We have far more pressing issues in the world than the player’s emergency relief fund or whatever it’s called.

That would be hilarious if they start giving Fine money away to a charity. Tom Wilson would go from public enemy #1 to Humanitarian of the Year.

 

[Narow]

Everyone looking at the McDavid fine needs to remember he is an anomaly and the highest paid player in the league. 5000 doesn't mean much to him but it would to someone making 900K, and there are way more guys getting fined who make near min.

Have the fines as a % so it feels the same for anyone.

Hello finland speeding ticket

An alternative that has the same effect is simply suspension tho...

 

[North Cole]

McDavids 5000 dollar fine is the same as someone who makes 50000 a year giving up 20 bucks (or something like that).

Just for comparison,

Someone making $6M per and getting fined $5000 = $40 fine for someone making $50K/year

Well, the McDavid fine was 5000.

For a guy making 25k a year, that'd be equivalent to a 10 dollar fine.

I feel like you all read each others posts and tried to come up with a more exotic way to say it each time

I thought the maximum fine was 50% of a days salary or 10k, but subsequent maximum fines can be 15k? Theres only certain things like embellishment that have specifically defined fines. For fines exceeding the 5K the player has to do a telephone hearing.

I always assumed practically speaking the hearing is used to denote suspension and thus player safety just fines 5k to avoid using the hearing.

I dont think fines need to go up. Just gonna be more of a headache for the players.

 

[amnesiac]

I feel like you all read each others posts and tried to come up with a more exotic way to say it each time

I thought the maximum fine was 50% of a days salary or 10k, but subsequent maximum fines can be 15k? Theres only certain things like embellishment that have specifically defined fines. For fines exceeding the 5K the player has to do a telephone hearing.

I always assumed practically speaking the hearing is used to denote suspension and thus player safety just fines 5k to avoid using the hearing.

I dont think fines need to go up. Just gonna be more of a headache for the players.

like, make them do the team's laundry or clean the home locker room toilets for the next 3 months?

 

[CanadienShark]

They shouldn't even do fines. It's a joke. Suspensions work much better. They lose pay for the duration anyway.

And hockey is full contact anyway. You represent an employer that tells you to bump into other people. It's a job. And you wouldn't be there in that game if it wasn't for your job. It's not like it's a thing you should necessarily be personally responsible for. Especially for stuff that happens during a game. The game has rules and enforces itself. If you do shit outside the game and get in trouble (but still within the confines of a hockey environment), then yes, fines can still be a thing. But small. Like if you punch arena staff, spectators. Flash your penis to media people. Etc.

... Uh....