Would NHL players play for an average salary?

[Carolina Hurricanes]

This lockout has got myself thinking about greedy both parties truly are. You can argue that one side is much greedier then the other, but it doesn't change the fact they're both greedy.

When you're a little kid playing out on the outdoor ice, or in your driveway or wherever, you aren't thinking to yourself, I want to be a NHL player when I grow up so I'll be rich, you just imagine yourself lifting the stanley cup, going out on the ice in front of a huge crowd snipping cheddar. With that said, I'm sure most of you with if you had the talent level would love the opportunity to play in the NHL, even with a 80k yearly income, but would the players of today do the same if they had no choice in the matter? I honestly think the majority would not. Whether as their careers went on, money starting going to their head, or their agents got in their head, or they started off with a bad mindset, I honestly do not think these athletes would play

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

I'm sure they would rather play hockey for 80K a year then work a real job though

[Toronto Maple Leafs]

Agreed. You also have to consider when the league wasn't as rich as it was, say the 1980s, and those contracts were some of the highest paid salaries in the league at the time. Hell, I remember hearing a while ago that when Gretzky was in Edmonton, part of his salary was earned from a partial ownership of a Mall. So, yeah, they did, but now with the amount of money the league cashes in from us, the fans, those dollar figures won't be there. Actually, a good comparable is the AHL today is similar to the earnings of the late 80s.

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

I don't miss the NHL at all right now. Watching the AHL and CHL games lately, and not having to watch all the chip it in and cyle crap form the NHL is very refreshing. It is fun to see what hockey use to be when teams tried to win instead of trying to not lose that point they already have. OT and SO's have made the game horrible.

[Carolina Hurricanes]

^ it's the same system in the AHL though, OT and SO that is.

Also, those were the past days, I'm talking modern NHLers.

[Pittsburgh Penguins]

Yes, but they don't chip it in and cycle the puck. They are trying to get better at playing the game.

[Carolina Hurricanes]

When I saw the Marlies play, they did it as well, but you're right not as much.

But I just wasn't sure whether you were aware or not that the AHL have pretty much the exact same OT system.

You should watch the marlies play, they're dominating this year.

[Dallas Stars]

It'd be so awesome if the first NHL game of this season was the winter classic. The ratings would explode

[Personnel Representative]

Oct 16, 2012 20:01:38 GMT -5 Dallas Stars said:

It'd be so awesome if the first NHL game of this season was the winter classic. The ratings would explode

Or, more realistically, it would have no momentum behind it and no one would give a fuck.