Originally posted by BlueJ1
Yup.
But, hockey players are underpaid compared to baseball, football, and basketball.
You call them underpaid???? I got the following from CBC Sports Online from last fall when they were explaining the new CBA that the players union received from the owners.
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/indepth/cba/the minimum salary is increased from $185,000 under the last agreement to $450,000 in 2005-06. It rises to $500,000 for the final two years of the deal.
Compared to the following for the NFL minimum salary cap which is as follows:
The minimum salary structure for 2006 is as follows:
Years Salary
Rookies $275,000
Second-year players $345,000
Third-year $420,000
Fourth-year $495,000
Fifth- through seventh-year $585,000
Eighth- through tenth-year $710,000
10 or more years $805,000
To me that is a pretty vast difference in minimum salary between NHL players and NFL players. Especially considering that most NFL players are in the league less than 4 years. While NHL goaltenders have averaged 12 years in the league and the outplayers average just over 10.5 years. Don't give me this "they play a longer season" stuff either. I know they have 80+ games but NFL players must train 12 months a year to stay in game shape or they are in the league less than the under 4 year average. Its still soccer on ice and they are in the same book as the other whiners like pro baseball and basketball players.
