National Hockey League (NHL). NHL clubs: history of the overseas hockey league All NHL teams

Who are all these people whose greed was not accused except by the lazy? Let's take a look at all NHL club owners.

East Coast

Buffalo Sabers
Owner: Terrence "Terry" Pegula

Information: at one time, Mr. Pegula founded the gas company East Resources, which in 2010 he successfully sold to the oil and gas giant Royal Dutch Shell for $4.7 billion. It is clear that Terry did not simply put so much money in his pocket, but tried to invest and diversify into various projects as efficiently as possible.

One of these projects was the purchase of Blades for $189 million. After purchasing the club, Pegula immediately promised to win the Stanley Cup. Let's see what he can do. There are certain doubts, although results in the NHL are so difficult to predict.

Interesting fact: Pegula's daughter, Jessica, is a professional tennis player and is ranked 159 in the ITF rankings. The 18-year-old girl's prospects for achieving big victories are vague. There is still much more confidence regarding Buffalo.

Boston Bruins

Owner: Delaware North Companies

Information: the company is a giant in such a specific field as catering, providing slot machines, holding various entertainment events, etc. Annual revenue reaches almost $2 billion. The main person in the company and in the Bruins is Jeremy Jacobs, who represents the interests of club owners in negotiations with the union during the current lockout in the NHL, which, incidentally, he did 8 years ago.

She is also a business shark with a personal capital of $2.3 billion, according to Forbes magazine. The hockey world would clearly be different without Jacobs. Perhaps not so mercantile. Although…

Interesting fact: by the way, the company's headquarters are located in Buffalo, New York. In the same place as the Buffalo Sabers team of the same name - the Bears' principal rival.

Washington Capitals

Owner: Monumental Sports & Entertainment

Information: Another management company headed by an ethnic Greek, Theodore "Theo" Leonsis. Monumental Sports & Entertainment owns the Capitals, basketball Wizards, the WNBA Mystics and, in fact, the sports palace in the US capital - Verizon Center.

Interesting fact: here, rather, we need to talk about an interesting personality. Theo Leonsis is a rather extraordinary person. Internet tycoon, documentary film producer, passionate sports fan, active user of all kinds of social networks, famous philanthropist - these are just a few of the achievements and interests of the odious Leonsis.

Winnipeg Jets

Owner: True North Sports and Entertainment Limited (TNSE)

Information: Residents of Winnipeg, by and large, should bow deeply to TNSE and personally to Mark Chipman, the company's chairman of the board. It was this company that built the MTS Center ice palace, worth $133.5 million, and in 2011 returned big-time hockey to the city. Mark Chipman, it seems, deserves some kind of monument for his vigorous hockey activity.

So far, his labors have been rewarded “only” with the Order of Manitoba, an honorary insignia from the Canadian province of the same name.

Interesting fact: the new owners of the hockey franchise clearly made the right choice. Already in the first days after the start of sales, season tickets for the 2011/2012 season were sold out. Coveted tickets for the opening game of the revived Winnipeg reached prices of $1,700 apiece. The team's debut itself took place with great pomp and was accompanied by a military orchestra. Throughout last season, the team and its fans lived in mild euphoria, which only benefited TNSE. Atlanta could only have dreamed of such an attitude.

Carolina Hurricanes

Owner: Peter Karmanos

Information: a person with such a flashy surname probably a priori could not be poor. Having earned a large fortune in the development of computer technology, Mr. Karmanos devoted a huge part of his life to investing in the hockey he loved so much. It all started in Detroit in the 70s with the creation of an amateur league, and ended with the purchase of an NHL club from Hartford and moving to North Carolina. Peter has enough money - his Compuware Corporation is valued at a billion dollars.

Interesting fact: Until now, Peter, again, an ethnic Greek, like Leonsis, generously helps the development of children's and youth hockey, apparently understanding the key to the success and popularity of this sport in North America.

New York Islanders

Owner: Charles Wang

Information: Mr. Wang, although born in Shanghai, immigrated to the United States (specifically to Queens, New York) at the age of 8 years. The talented young man eventually built an entire IT empire - CA Technologies, a company specializing in the development of various computer software. Last year, for example, the company declared more than $5 billion in revenue. Wang acquired a large stake in the Islanders back in 2000, and 4 years later he bought the remaining shares from his partner Sanjay Kumar.

Interesting fact: one of the reasons why Kumar got rid of part of the club was the charges of fraud and securities fraud brought against him in 2004. And Wang himself recently complained that, if he could turn back time, he would never buy a hockey club in his life. Thus, the ethnic Chinese drew a line under all the misadventures of the Islanders that occurred over the last decade.

New Jersey Devils

Owner: Jeffrey Vanderbeek

Information: The passionate Devils fan has long dreamed of one day leading his favorite club. But this opportunity came to Jeffrey only after a long journey and hard work in various positions in the American financial titan - Lehman Brothers bank. Having risen to the position of executive vice president (and along the way collecting excellent bonuses and salary - in the best times, about 30 million a year), Jeffrey spat on his career as a financier and fulfilled his childhood dream by buying shares of the Devils.

Interesting fact: Remember the 2008 financial crisis. One of the main “bubble bursts” was the Lehman Brothers bank. As a result, this financial institution suffered a sad fate. By the way, one of the reasons for the bankruptcy of a large bank was said to be huge bonuses (including compensation, so-called “golden parachutes”) to its top managers! In a word, at the right time, Vanderbeek switched to hockey, as if he sensed something. Or did he know?

New York Rangers

Owner: Madison Square Garden, Inc.

Information: A company created to manage assets in the entertainment industry. In fact, it consists of three divisions: MSG Sports, MSG Media, MSG Entertainment. The Rangers, like the New York Knicks, are directly managed by MSG Sports. If we talk about specific people, we need to highlight the head of the company’s board, an experienced manager and functionary, James Dolan. Dolan is one of those people who actively participates in the affairs of the team and enters into heated debates with the press, managers, and coaches of “their” teams. Whether this is right or wrong is up to you to judge.

Interesting fact: Once, after a string of victories, Dolan mentioned winning the Stanley Cup, to which John Tortorella, in his style, angrily muttered that “some presidents tend to talk complete nonsense.”

Montreal Canadiens

Owner: Molson family

Information: a respected and successful Montreal family, which dates back to the end of the 18th century. The family's sphere of interests is not limited to hockey and includes banking (Bank of Montreal), charity and, most importantly, brewing, on which the Molsons made their considerable fortune. The affairs of the Hubs are directly managed by 41-year-old Jeff Molson, a native, of course, of Montreal.

Interesting fact: The Molson family, namely the patriarch of the family, John Molson, brewed the first beer back in 1786, which makes today the Molson beer company the second oldest in Canada.

Ottawa Senators

Owner: Eugene Melnik

Information: finally the most interesting. The owner of the hockey senators is an ethnic Ukrainian, Evgeniy Melnik. Eugene/Eugene earned his billions in the field of pharmaceuticals and medicine, and then successfully invested part of his free resources in a hockey club. The connoisseur of horses and equestrian sports, philanthropist and citizen of Barbados at one time literally saved an Ottawa franchise that was on the verge of bankruptcy.

Interesting information: We will immediately answer the burning questions - according to media reports, Eugene speaks Ukrainian and has visited his ethnic homeland several times. By the way, his ancestors are from near Chernivtsi. And in Canada, Eugene is an active member of the Ukrainian community and acts as a philanthropist in various cultural and educational projects, one way or another connected with Ukraine.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Owner: Mario Lemieux/Ronald Burkle

Information: We see a fascinating combination of PR and business in the Penguin board. Mario Lemieux is a hockey legend and a local god, and is there anyone who hasn't heard of Super Mario? Burkle is an established entrepreneur with a net worth of approximately $3.2 billion. A successful symbiosis, judging by the recent quite good seasons of the Penguins.

Interesting fact: Ron Burkle, who began his career as an errand boy in a grocery store and earned a lot of money, has a reputation as a lucky man, a rake and a playboy. Burkle is famous for its love of parties, celebrities and girls. And besides, Ron is friends with former US President Bill Clinton, who was also seen having piquant leisure time.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Owner: Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment

Information: in fact, the club is controlled by Jeffrey Vinnik through Tampa Bay Sports and Entertainment. A businessman who has been investing in the sports field for a long time and owns, in addition to the Lightning, the Tampa Bay Storm football team. Mr. Vinnik also has a small stake in the legendary Boston Red Sox baseball club and is on the board of directors of Liverpool Football Club.

Interesting fact: Since there is nothing interesting to say about Vinnik, apart from the boring names of investment funds and achievements in the field of the securities market, we note that one of the founders of the franchise in Tampa was the great and terrible Phil Esposito - the main hater of Soviet hockey.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Owner: Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment Ltd. (MLSE)

Information: another management company, which, however, is valued at $2.25 billion. In addition to hockey, the company's interests include basketball (local Raptors) and football (MLS club from Toronto). The company itself is controlled by a group of investors, among which, for example, is the Canadian leader in the field of telecommunications - Bell. Let's call the key manager in MLSE Larry Tannenbaum, the head of the board and owner of 25% of MLSE shares through the holding company Kilmer Sports Inc.

Interesting fact: the father of the modern Leafs and the most important figure in the history of the Canadian team should be considered the legend of legends - practically a celestial being in the mythology of the NHL - Conn Smythe. Old Smythe is such a unique personality that he clearly deserves more than a few lines in this article. For the Leafs, finding a more iconic figure in franchise history is nearly impossible.

Philadelphia Flyers

Owner: Comcast Spectacor

Information: As in the case of the Rangers, the club is managed by the company that also owns the local ice palace - Wells Fargo Center. The company is headed by its main shareholder and one of the founders of Flyers, Edward Snyder. Comcast Spectacor is a fairly large player in the Pennsylvania and even American market for entertainment and sports management services. They own dozens of stadiums and skating rinks in the USA and Canada; in addition, until 2011, the company’s balance sheet included the 76ers basketball club, which was later sold to a group of investors (including, by the way, actor Will Smith).

Interesting fact: Ed Snyder, the actual owner of the Pilots, is one of the adherents of the philosophical movement of objectivism - a movement based on the books of the Russian emigrant Ayn Rand "Atlas Shrugged" and "The Fountainhead". Objectivism is based on the unity of the world and language, being and thinking, and presupposes the existence of an objective reality independent of people. Mr. Snyder generously funded various institutes and research centers studying this philosophical trend.

Florida Panthers

Owner: Sunrise Sports and Entertainment

Information: Another property management company that operates in South Florida. It is clear that in addition to the club, the company also owns the ice arena - BB&T Center. The company is headed by a certain Cliff Weiner. Last year's income was $30 million. That's all, I guess.

Interesting fact: Mr. Weiner, before hockey, was quite successfully involved in real estate transactions, and after purchasing Florida he managed to slightly quarrel with the former shareholders of the club and divorce his wife.

Basketball).

The National Hockey League was founded on November 26, 1917, initially consisting of only five teams (all Canadian), two of which play in NHL from the creation of the league to the present day ( Montreal Canadiens And Toronto Maple Leafs). The NHL was not the first North American professional hockey organization, and in its early years, it was not the only one. First, the Pacific Coast Hockey Association competed with it for the title of the strongest league ( The Pacific Coast Hockey Association, PCHA), and then the "Western Canada Hockey League" ( The Western Canada Hockey League, WCHL).

The first American team to join the NHL was in 1924 Boston Bruins, and two years later there were already ten teams playing in the league. By this time, the "competitors" of the National Hockey League had disbanded and NHL remains the only major league in American hockey.

Montreal Canadiens in the early thirties of the XX century

Hockey players Detroit Red Wings, 1954

The Great Depression and later World War II led to a decline in NHL. By 1942, only six teams remained in the league, becoming known as the "Original Six": Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers And Toronto Maple Leafs. The NHL existed with this composition until the end of the sixties.

In 1958, the first black player appeared in the National Hockey League, Willie O'Ree, who received the nickname "Jackie Robinson of hockey" (named after the famous athlete who "broke" the racial barrier in baseball).

In 1967, the "expansion period" began NHL, the number of teams in the league doubled that season and continued to grow in the following decades (reaching the modern thirty in 2001).

At the end of the last century and the beginning of this century, the National Hockey League experienced a series of shocks (strikes and lockouts) caused by labor disputes between the players' union and team owners. The 2004-05 season was completely missed due to these conflicts. However, hockey remains one of the most popular sports in the United States and Canada, and the NHL is one of the most popular sports leagues.

Pittsburgh Penguins And Toronto Maple Leafs

Wayne Gretzky is one of the most famous NHL players of all time

The modern NHL includes thirty teams, divided into two conferences: Eastern ( Eastern Conference) and Western ( Western Conference). In turn, the conferences are divided into two divisions each: Atlantic ( Atlantic) and Stolichny ( Metropolitan) in the Eastern (eight teams each), Pacific ( Pacific) and Central ( Central) in Western (seven teams).

The annual National Hockey League championship consists of two parts: the regular season ( regular season) and a series of knockout games ( playoffs, playoffs). "Regular" NHL begins in October and lasts until April, during these six months each team participates in eighty-two matches.

Around the middle of the season, the NHL All-Star Game is held ( National Hockey League All-Star Game), which features the best players in North American hockey. Once every four years, instead of the All-Star Game, the league championship takes a break, giving hockey players the opportunity to take part in the Winter Olympics.

At the end of the regular season, the sixteen strongest teams continue to fight for the championship title. The top three (with the most points) teams from each division “automatically” qualify for the playoffs. In addition, two more teams in each conference from among those who did not take “prize” places in the divisions, but showed the best results (the so-called “wild cards”, qualify for the final part of the competition wild card). In a series of games, first the conference champions and then the strongest team in the National Hockey League are determined.

The winners receive the main trophy NHL- Stanley Cup ( Stanley Cup). This award, the oldest in North American professional sports, was established back in 1892 by the Governor General of Canada, Lord Stanley Preston, and has since been the most prestigious prize for any hockey player.

In addition to the Stanley Cup, several more honorary trophies are awarded to NHL teams every year, including the Prince of Wales Trophy ( Prince of Wales Trophy, awarded to the winning team in the Eastern Conference), the Clarence Campbell Cup ( Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, awarded to the Western Conference champion team), "President's Trophy" ( Presidents" Trophy, awarded to the team that scores the most points during the regular season).

At the end of the season, the best players (as well as coaches and managers) in the league receive awards. Among the most honorable ones is the Hart Prize ( Hart Memorial Trophy), which is awarded to the most useful (that is, the one who made the greatest contribution to the game of his team) player in the league; "Art Ross Prize" ( Art Ross Trophy) - award for the best striker; "James Norris Prize" ( James Norris Memorial Trophy) - best defenseman, "Vezina Trophy" ( Vezina Trophy) - the best goalkeeper; "Calder Prize" ( Calder Memorial Trophy) - the best newcomer; "Ted Lindsay Award" ( Ted Lindsay Award) - the best player according to the players themselves and others.

Hockey players Boston Bruins with the Stanley Cup

Compound NHL(National Hockey League)

Division	Team logo	Team	Year creation teams	Year attached dinyeniya to the league	Home stadium, city (closest major city), state (province), country
		Eastern Conference ( Eastern Conference)
Atlantic (Atlantic)		Boston Bruins (Boston Bruins)	1924		TD Garden, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
		Buffalo Sabers (Buffalo Sabres)	1970		First Niagara Center, Buffalo, New York, USA
		Detroit Red Wings (Detroit Red Wings)	1926		Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan, USA
		Florida Panthers (Florida Panthers)	1993		BB&T Center, Sunrise (Miami), Florida, USA
		Montreal Canadiens (Montreal Canadiens)	1909	1917	Bell Center, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
		Ottawa Senators (Ottawa Senators)	1992		Canadian Tire Center, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
		Tampa Bay Lightning (Tampa Bay Lightning)	1992		Tampa Bay Times Forum, Tampa, Florida, USA
		Toronto Maple Leafs (Toronto Maple Leafs)	1917		Air Canada Center, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Metropolitan (Metropolitan)		Carolina Hurricanes (Carolina Hurricanes)	1972	1979	PNC Arena, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
		Columbus Blue Jackets (Columbus Blue Jackets)	2000		Nationwide Arena, Columbus, Ohio, USA
		New Jersey Devils (New Jersey Devils)	1974		Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, USA
		New York Islanders (New York Islanders)	1972		Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale (New York City), New York, USA
		New York Rangers (New York Rangers)	1926		Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, USA
		Philadelphia Flyers (Philadelphia Flyers)	1967		Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
		Pittsburgh Penguins (Pittsburgh Penguins)	1967		Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
		Washington Capitals (Washington Capitals)	1974		Verizon Center, Washington, DC, USA
		Western Conference ( Western Conference)
Pacific (Pacific)		Anaheim Ducks (Anaheim Ducks)	1993		Honda Center, Anaheim, California, USA
		Calgary Flames (Calgary Flames)	1972		Scotiabank Saddledome, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
		Edmonton Oilers (Edmonton Oilers)	1972	1979	Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
		Los Angeles Kings (Los Angeles Kings)	1967		Staples Center, Los Angeles, California, USA
		Phoenix Coyotes (Phoenix Coyotes)	1972	1979	Jobing.com Arena, Glendale (Phoenix),

How the famous sports organization structures its teams, who among them are bluesmen, killer whales and fighters, why its participants do not come to the championships, who the Mascons are and why the NHL has unused player numbers - the article will try to display all this.

What does NHL mean?

The abbreviation NHL stands for National North American Sports Official Community, uniting hockey clubs in the United States and Canada. NHL teams are recognized as some of the best in the world because of the athletes who play on them.

The main award of the League is played in the playoffs, which coincides with the time of the World Hockey Championship. Therefore, many players sacrifice participation in the global competition for the more prestigious Cup. In addition to it, both teams and individual players are awarded individual awards: the best scorer, the best club in the division, etc.

NHL teams

All NHL teams are divided into two conferences: Western and Eastern. Conferences are divided into divisions. So, the Western divisions include the Central and Pacific divisions, and the Eastern divisions include the Atlantic and Metropolitan divisions.

Now let's look at the NHL teams by division and at the same time find out how their names are translated:

• Atlantic: Ottawa Senators, Boston Bears, Montreal Canadians, Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Buffalo Blades, Toronto Maple Leafs.
• Metropolitan: "New York Rangers", "Columbus Bluecoats", "New Jersey Devils", "Pittsburgh Penguins", "Carolina Hurricanes", "New York Islanders", "Washington Capitals" , "Pilots from Philadelphia."
• Pacific: “Los Angeles Kings”, “Anaheim Ducks”, “San Jose Sharks”, “Arizona Coyotes”, “Calgary Lights”, “Edmonton Oilers”.
• Central: St. Louis Bluesmen, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Savages, Winnipeg Fighters, Nashville Tigers, Colorado Avalanches, Vancouver Killer Whales, Chicago Black Hawks ".

The club must play 36-38 games per season within its conference and 4 matches with teams from another (2 away, 2 home). The top three teams in each division advance to the playoffs, along with the pair of teams with the most points.

About the teams

It is known that 33 players from Russia were included in the rosters of NHL teams for the 2016-2017 season. The largest number of Russians - four - are in clubs in Colorado, Montreal and Tampa. Last year, 41 Russians took part in the North Atlantic League matches.

Which NHL team has which mascot is most often determined by its emblem. After all, a mascot, in other words, is a team mascot. For the Wild Wing it is a duck, for the Carolina Hurricanes it is a hog, for the Washington Capitals it is an eagle, for the Pittsburgh Penguins it is a penguin, etc.

NHL teams also sacredly honor the tradition of removing the numbers of dead or deceased players from circulation within the club.

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This is such a special form of childhood.

You start skating at three or four years old, skate in the yard, play hockey with the neighborhood boys, after which you are entered into one of a thousand children's leagues. For the next 8-10 years you travel all over the country by bus, playing with your peers. Those who have ever driven along Canadian highways probably remember the countless number of buses running back and forth. These are, for the most part, carriers of children's teams. You're not only playing with peers from Ontario and Quebec, not at all, you're covering huge distances to get to the Northwest Territories, Nunavut or Yukon. This is your childhood, and it is dedicated to hockey - just as your whole life will be dedicated to it.

In 2013, one of the famous North American personal growth motivators held a series of meetings with young players from minor leagues. He offered to take a simple test - you had to write on a piece of paper your 5 main goals in life. It's easy, right? However, there was only one condition - you couldn’t enter anything related to hockey, family or friends.

Most hockey players sat with blank sheets of paper until the end of the test.

Hockey is incredibly popular in Canada. They talk about hockey at work, in diners, even on first dates, to avoid awkward silence, they start talking about hockey specifically - fortunately, everyone watches it. Hockey is the oldest and most deeply ingrained Canadian disease. But why are the rich Canadian clubs, which the entire population of the country supports, in such a deplorable sporting situation?

Where the Canadian teams (all seven) did not qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs were considered. It was about the sports component of this minor process. But besides this, there are also everyday reasons, so to speak, things that are not too commonly discussed: in general, Canadian clubs are less attractive to NHL players (regardless of nationality) than American ones.

Why is this happening?

There are three main reasons.

1. Winternipeg instead of the Big Apple.

In 2015, thanks to the efforts of ESPN, agents compiled a list of the most undesirable clubs for hockey players in the League. There were 4 Canadian clubs in the top five (according to the ranking: 1. Edmonton, 2. Winnipeg, 4-5. Ottawa and Toronto), and all seven were in the top ten. To sign a free agent, Edmonton or Winnipeg will have to overpay significantly, and the player will demand a completely different amount than, for example, from the conditional Rangers.

Canada is a beautiful country with amazing nature, clean air, the highest quality of life and the highest paid middle class on the globe. But small (compared to American) Canadian cities aren't very attractive if you're in your 20s or 30s, like the vast majority of NHL players, and want some adventure. Player Shaw is not middle class, and the calm, measured life in the country of the maple leaf, by and large, annoys him. All hockey players love to stay in New York or Los Angeles, but no one would ever dream of spending an extra night in Winnipeg.

On top of that, some Canadian cities are too specific. Montreal is located in the province of Quebec, and there is a completely different mentality and way of life - mostly European, not North American. Coming to Montreal, a hockey player not only has to restructure himself, but also get used to the French language. Okay, Montreal, they at least communicate more or less in English, but what if Quebec joins the NHL? A city where no one wanted to go before, except true Francophones.

In general, Winnipeg is small and has a terrible climate, Edmonton is a real hellish wilderness, there is absolutely nothing to do in Calgary in your spare time, and Ottawa is too close to Toronto: each has its drawbacks.

1. Pressure.

Canada lives by hockey, and stick masters in this country are treated like gods who, due to some misunderstanding, came to earth. But this sick form of adoration also has its dark side - the level of expectations is always very high, as a result of which any Canadian team is subject to intense pressure. If we rate the level of pressure in American teams as equal to one on a scale of ten (Boston and Detroit can reach three in a good season), then in Canadian clubs it will be at least five, in Montreal eight (and nine, if the Habs woke up and became a contender), and in Toronto - a top ten, independent of anything - neither the coach, nor the GM, nor the roster.

Canada lives by hockey, everyone knows the players by sight, so they are constantly under pressure. Going to a bar with club partners is a common occurrence in large US cities, where there are many sports clubs and hockey is not the most popular game. But in Canada, everything is different: the same trip to the bar the next day will end in defeat in the media with a detailed report: how much the hockey player drank, how much he paid for it, how he was rowdy, who he hooked up with, and at the end there will also be a note of moralizing - but I thought is he talking about the club and its fans, drinking with a girl on his lap and bawling songs at karaoke? And this applies to all Canadian cities - both small and large, the player must always take care of himself, relaxation is like death.

The press presses all the time. If in the USA after a match a hockey player answers ten usual questions with cliches (“Why did you lose today?” - “The opponent was good, they beat us, but we will pull ourselves together and fight in the next game”) and goes home, then in Canada these questions there are much more, and they are much deeper; you can’t get away with simple excuses from local journalists. The unspoken code of communication with journalists was first adopted by Canadian clubs (“Don’t be rude; don’t dare hurt someone’s feelings; try to remember the name of the journalist and address him by name, this will increase your level of trust; never lie, even if the question inconvenient, it’s better to just remain silent; never speak on behalf of the club; don’t raise your voice,” etc.), and hockey players should never violate it.

Pressure only from an everyday point of view seems to be an insignificant reason, but it runs like a red line through the entire life of a professional athlete living in Canada. Your neighbors are filming your departure for training, you can’t go to the store, you are always the number one target, because you are a hockey player in the most hockey country.

Canadian hockey players who grew up with posters of Toronto and Montreal players on their walls will never directly say that they do not want to go to their dream clubs. But they understand too well what awaits them there.

As a result, a situation often arises when a player comes to a Canadian club after an American one, and after only one season in the country of the maple leaf asks to be traded with the only wording: “Just let it not be a Canadian team!”

1. Taxes and other financial components.

We live in a mercantile world in which a person can endure a lot - Zimnipeg with its two bars and the eternal cold, and the French language, and the pressure of the press - but only if they pay very well for it. However, from this side, Canada is less attractive for life. The country has three levels of taxes (!!!) - federal, provincial or territorial, and local. The primary tax rate for hockey players starts at 29%, and that's just the beginning. Together with all required fees at the expense of the state and depending on the province in which the player lives, the amount of tax deductions reaches 54.2% (the province of British Columbia, where Vancouver is located) - this is a normal figure for Western Europe, for example, but much more than in the USA. In Canada you have to pay for everything - income tax, sales tax, income tax, excise taxes, social security, registration and licensing fees, only health insurance is free, and it would still be paid with such and such taxation. It is the government tax system that helps Canada maintain a stable economic environment and put the urban middle class on a pedestal, but what is good for the middle class is not always good for those with a lot of money. And hockey players usually have a lot of them. But how much will remain on the card after paying all taxes and the traditional 18% escrow for the NHL (this 18% can come back at the end of the season, which is far from a fact)?

Among other things, if in the USA, for example, the purchase of real estate is encouraged - there is an immediate tax relief - then Canadian legislation does not provide for such a scheme. Food is more expensive, clothing is more expensive, Montreal is more expensive than New York in everything except luxury restaurants, all real estate transactions are more expensive, especially after housing prices collapsed in the American market in 2009. A conventional million in the USA and Canada are different things.

Any Canadian boy dreams of playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs or Montreal Canadiens, clubs with great history and traditions, but life takes its toll, and in the end it turns out that he will simply have more money in a modest team from the USA.

Of course, for any hockey player, the main thing is not money, but titles. If the clubs in the country of the maple leaf were true contenders, then they would still want to go to them, as was the case in the eighties with the Oilers: Gretzky played there, which means there was always a chance to win the Stanley Cup, and it doesn’t matter that the city of Edmonton is a hole - hole, and the legislation is bothering you like crazy. But the fact is that the last time the Stanley Cup came to Canada was 23 years ago (1993, Habs), and now the situation with Canadian clubs is like a vicious circle. Hockey players do not want to go to Canada for all the above reasons, as a result of which clubs are forced to develop, in fact, only through the draft, and not by signing free agents and making high-profile trades. Draft development is a complex and long journey, and if you don't believe me, then ask the Edmonton Oilers, a team that has a huge number of first picks, but is consistently at the bottom.

The words of the Canadian anthem do not lie - it truly is “The True North, strong and free!”

But it doesn’t say how difficult it is for hockey players to build their lives in the cold house of the True Northwoman.