Sports are a major deal across Durham and all of Canada. While there may be challengers for the honor, ice hockey is still the most popular sport for Canadians to get involved with. This is of course, down to a variety of factors, which include the sheer excitement NHL games deliver and how much fun it is to keep up with breaking NHL news.
In addition to this, ice hockey is a sport that has a long history in Canada, and the country is known for producing some of the best players ever. This includes icons such as Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howie, and Mario Lemieux. When you also add in the legendary Canadian hockey franchises that still light up the game to this day (such as the Edmonton Oilers), you can see why so many people around Ontario follow hockey.
However, in recent times, it seems as though a lot of Canadian players are opting to play for sides based in the USA. This leaves the NHL team in Canada struggling to keep hold of the best local talent and becoming unable to compete consistently. But why is this happening?
More money from US sides
NHL odds site Betway is not just known for making it simple to have fun when betting on hockey games or bringing the best value odds to customers. As their recent Brett Hull interview shows, they also have a knack for delivering insightful comments from some of the sport’s true experts. Interestingly, this interview touches on one reason why Canadian hockey players are moving to US teams so much lately – money!
In short, with the salary cap in place across all NHL teams, players based in Canada must pay more tax compared to their US counterparts. According to Brett Hull “it’s hard to lure free agents and it’s hard to keep people into multi- year contracts because they just want to play theirs out and leave.”
Pressure can be a factor
Another interesting point raised by Brett Hull in the above interview was the sheer pressure that playing hockey for an NHL side in Canada brings. With hockey being one of the top sports in Durham, and also the national game, players can expect to get a lot of attention from fans.
This can be both when out on the ice and also when going about their daily lives. While this can be fine if things are going well, it can soon become a burden if fans are behaving negatively toward them.
Even if there are no issues with how fans behave, the intense spotlight that playing hockey in Canada can bring is too much for some players. This sees them heading over to teams in the US, which offer a more relaxed hockey career without so much attention.
Canadian weather can be off-putting
It is well-known that some Canadian hockey sides struggle to attract the best free agents from the US because of the poor weather the country can see (especially in winter!). This may also be a reason why a lot of Canadian players are leaving to play in the States. Although they might have grown up in and are used to the cold, this does not mean they like it or that they won’t fancy living in the sun when the chance is offered.
As a result, it is now all too tempting for Canadian players to hop over the border and sign-up with US sides when they come calling. This is certainly true for sides who have good weather to offer, such as the LA Kings or the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
US teams currently have the edge
The current NHL season is being stormed by US sides such as the Devils, the Krakens, and the Bruins. This is a similar picture to what has happened recently in the NHL, with the last Canadian Stanley Cup champions being Montreal in 1993! This shows how big the gap has grown between the Canadian sides and the US sides in the NHL.
The problem this brings lies in pro athletes’ natural desire to play for the best teams and win trophies. When they can see that Canadian hockey has fallen behind somewhat, they often choose to move to the US in order to fulfill their ambitions. As more of the sports’ top talent moves stateside, even more players follow suit in order to play with the best people. This ultimately leads to a real drain on the best hockey players who are born in Canada and are playing for Canadian franchises.
Top Canadian hockey talent leaving
When you see that top Canadian-born players, such as Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins), Steve Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning), and Patrice Bergeron (Boston Bruins), all play for US NHL sides, the issue becomes clear. If the Canadian NHL franchises are to reverse this trend and start to hold onto the country’s best talents, then they must act soon.