85% of Canadians have a strong hockey opinion they're happy to share. 70% follow hockey. 50% are watching hockey, 25% are paying attention. 15% have a understanding more than basic.

The media is a huge factor in this. I hate Canadian Sports Media. They are always hunting for controversy... and they are obnoxiously repetative. I truly blaim Sportsnet, and the like, for the undue pressure placed on the athletes, and absolutely the cause of the Riots in Vancouver, as well as many Hockey Players wanting out of Canada.

It's definitely an interesting topic. I've run into players at the grocery store here in Vegas. They're very respectful and laid back. I can understand wanting to be able go to the store or grab a bite to eat and having some semblance of normalcy off the ice. I think that's one of the top reasons NHLers gravitate towards the American market. I think as fans we sometimes forget that these guys are human.

That’s why it is so laughable hearing the suggestion that the Panthers should move to Quebec year after year after year. Florida is tax free and you can golf year round. It’s easily a top 5 destination in the NHL.

I think many players are recognizing that they can get the passionate fan bases elsewhere without the disgusting behavior when they don't win every night. I get having passion for the game, but turning around an wreaking havoc on your players mentally for the mistakes they make is going to make more and more top tier players leave those markets and have success elsewhere.

Playing Hockey in Canada is like driving for Ferrari in F1 or playing for England in the World Cup, im sure there is more examples but the pressure is real and lets be honest, can be very toxic. Not everyone wants to deal with it and have it throw it off their game and i dont really blame them for that.

Many reasons to this: - Media pressure (particularly present in Toronto and Montreal where anything less than a cup is seen as a bust) - Currency exchange rate (getting paid in USD > getting paid in CAD) - Income tax (taxes are generally lower in US than Canada) - Most cities are undesirable (no offence but which players actually want to play in Edmonton, Ottawa and Winnipeg; Toronto and Montreal are cool but the pressure is high and why play in Vancouver when you have other west coast markets anyways) - Weather (self explanatory) - Publicity (NHL players are just another fish in a large pond in the US whereas in Canada they are a large fish in a small pond) - Language (this is specifically for Montreal but French being the first language turns off a lot of non-francophone players from signing)

That’s partly why Montréal went to the cup final three years ago; during COvid. No fans; very little media present, fewer interviews etc… The pressure of expectation is an athlete’s worst enemy and it takes a while before it can be contained and dealt with. Asked about what he would have done differently during the World Juniors, McDavid said “…put my cell phone away…”

There are undoubtedly many reasons a player decides to not play in Canada,and probably the constant pressure is one of them, but I doubt it's the main reason. Brian Burke once said a player can save about 30% in taxes by playing in the USA and even more in some States such as Florida. All hype and desire for a Stanley Cup aside, it's still the player's life's work and the 30% he loses by playing in Canada will never be regained. Add the horrible weather in many Canadian cities and you can appreciate the player who opts for the U.S., where they DO win Stanley Cups.

Pressure isn‘t all bad. A healthy dose of it is vital IMHO. We‘ve passed „healthy“ a long time ago in some CAN markets though. Sh*t‘s turned toxic a while ago. I can understand any player that decided that that‘s just not worth it.

If I’m an nhl player I’m playing in Dallas Florida or Vegas. Low taxes, mild winters

I think you are spot on but I think it's more about the taxes and high cost of living. By signing with a Florida team you instantly make 25% more. I think if the NHL and or the Canadian government want to draw more players to Canadian markets the will make the players taxes exempt or adjust the salary cap accordingly in some way. I really don't think the latter will work.

I personally know a few Canadian NHL players (recently retired) and all of them said TOR and MON are the absolute worse markets to play for, the pressure/media attention gets tiring very fast.

It's important to understand that Canadian media has a high expectation of the teams they cover to be "the first team to bring the cup back to Canada" and they will hound and hound players for every little mistake and all that does to a player is compound the issue. "Now every time I touch the ice there's a microscope on everything I do by people who don't even play the sport" it's easy to understand why players wouldn't want to be in that situation.

I think it’s difficult for the family members of professional athletes to deal with the excessive scrutiny and negativity in the local media. Also, I think the lack of success only makes it less appealing for players to want to play for such teams as the desperation by fans increases. This happens in other sports: in NY, the Mets, Jets, and especially the Knicks all feel this to varying degrees.

Finally subscribed after watching your vids for quite some time. One of the most level headed and informative hockey channels out there.

They also see how tyranical our lockdowns were

This channel is really good at a surface level, but this is the perfect example of how it falls short of doing a comprehensive analysis or, more importantly, elucidating the actual (complex and diverse) realities.

This is why (among Canadian teams) Ottawa is becoming a destination. It's the perfect middle ground between pressure to win and the ability to focus on your game. You'll get recognized sometimes if you're out and about, especially if you're Brady Tkachuk but the media doesn't jump down your throat like they do in Toronto, MTL, Vancouver, etc... Add a tight knit locker room where everyone holds everyone else accountable and I think the Sens are quietly building a championship mentality. That's why they've been able to attract guys like Giroux and Tarasenko in recent years, players across the league are starting to take notice.

Media,fan scrutiny added to high taxes and lousy winter weather. Can't blame them for not wanting to be there.

After hearing and then seeing how the Leafs treated Phil Kessel. Can’t blame them. I also think because of how taxes work in Canada that a player wanting to keep most of his money would rather play in Dallas than say Ottawa.

So it’s just a Toronto thing got it. But I do want to mention players will still go to Canadian teams if they feel they have a shot at winning. Kane resigned with Edmonton for less money then he could have gotten elsewhere. Hymann walked himself to Edmonton. Kieth wanted to play for Edmonton to be closer to his son. The twins decided to stay in Vancouver throughout their entire careers. Iginla wanted to stay in Calgary until they traded him. Carey Price stayed with Montreal his entire career. I can go on it’s not every player.

I've always felt that one of the reasons Brodeur never went to free agency, and as a result, forfeited his chance to become the highest paid goalie (which he would have been) was because he didn't want to allow the narrative to develop that he might be coming to Canada, specifically Montreal.

That player's comment about the Toronto market was spot-on. I lived a bit north of Toronto for a time and I remember listening to a sports-talk station up there one day as I was driving back to the U.S. for a weekend getaway. It was August and the Blue Jays were in the middle of a pennant race. The Raptors were coming off a promising season and even the Argonauts were looking promising. Yet almost all of the callers wanted to talk about the Maple Leaf's, even though it was summer and they had stunk it up the year before and were expected to stink it up again. The host became so frustrated he said he would not take anymore calls from callers who wanted to talk about hockey. It was practically crickets. I was a Wings fan and when people would see me wearing a Wings shirt they would ridicule me, telling me how superior their team was to mine. Granted, the Wings had won just won the Cup, giving us four in nine years, and the Maple Leaf's did finish in last place in their division that season and hadn't hoisted the Cup since 1967, so I got where they were coming from. I'm serious too. People would tell me how much better the Leaf's were with a straight face. Right then Toronto fans claimed the #2 spot on my list of obnoxious fanbases, trailing only the Dallas Cowboy fans who nobody can touch when it comes to douche-baggery. So yeah, I get why a guy would say no to Toronto.

There is a lot of passion for hockey in Canada, but the same can be said for certain areas of the U.S. While it is true no Canadian team has won the cup in 30 years, literally hundreds of Canadian players have played on cup winners in that same time span. Here in Vegas the vast majority of the roster is Canadian. They're great guys and great players and seem to enjoy living and playing here. I know I'm really glad they are here.

Why don't baseball players avoid the Yankees, or basketball players avoid the Knicks or Lakers, or football players avoid the Cowboys? I don't think its a pressure thing, professional athletes thrive on pressure. I think it mostly has to do with taxation and lifestyle.

I love the one two of “you have to be built different” and “no one has found this winning formula” because it beautifully encapsulates the problem. It’s putting the onus on the players to be tougher while acknowledging that even among the worlds top athletes no one has yet been tough enough to crack it and yet “softer” teams in “weaker” markets have managed to have success.

Vegas, Dallas, Florida and Tampa are teams with 0% income tax. Those 4 teams have appeared in the finals 7 times in the past 6 years. I rest my case.

Perhaps taxation is actually the bigger reason. Desire for privacy and anonymity is the other, not pressure. These guys have been under pressure since they were kids, at every level they played.

Heard this exact thing from a friend of mine who used to play pick-up with Alex Petrovic here in Edmonton. Couldn't go to the grocery store without fans wanting a picture or to chat. Loved playing in Florida by comparison.

Great video bud. Well done.

IMO, the biggest drawback isn't Canada, but the geographic locations of many of the destinations. Calgary/Edmonton/Winnipeg and even Vancouver are "isolated" destinations, especially if you're an East Coaster. Montreal with its French restrictions might not be attractive to players with working wives and children. I live in the Toronto area, and feel the media is very soft on its teams and players. So while a lot of media, certainly not harsh.

I think the pressure certainly does play a role. Along with weather and lifestyle. That said pressure may be used as a scapegoat when income tax likely plays a bigger role. 3/4 teams in stanley cup semis were fro. States with no income tax (texas, florida, nevada). At their income level, a player in one of those states is paying 33 % income tax vs one in quebec who is paying over 50%. Over a multi year contract, this can translate to leaving millions on the table. It probably would hurt their image more in front of fan though if they were to publically state that tax were a primary driver behind choosing where to play. Remember tiger woods moved from california to floroda not long after turning pro, and even said his motivations for based in the difference of tax rates.

Vegas, Nashville, Seattle, New York, Chicago, Florida, LA just to name a few: how does Ottawa, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton (which are all fine places) sound in comparison?

Pretty understandable tbh. No single player can win a cup so if they feel the team isn't there around them and/or management isn't going to change that anytime soon, why consign yourself to not even having a chance of winning a cup for X number of years?

Taxes and weather are the #1 reason .. Its all about the pay cheque these days .. Stanley Cup is #2 on the list and has been for many years now

The media is intense but I think its overblown to a degree. I think media pressures is just one of the major considerations a player factors along with, money, taxes, travel, and weather. The immediate reaction to media pressure is "make a mistake and they'll eat you alive" but the opposite can be true as well. Players come in and win over the hearts of fans and they are beloved despite mistakes. The media will always have their flavor of the week but I expect these pro athletes especially someone like Gudas to be able to block out the noise as they would do in American markets as well. So lets take a look at Gudas for a second. Anaheim signed him for $4m AAV for 3 seasons. That's more money than Edmonton, Toronto, or Calgary could have offered without having to move pieces out the door. All three teams have less than $1M in available cap space. Anaheim by comparison has over $8M available in cap space right now. By signing in Anaheim he's inked the largest AAV contract he's ever had. Now, it can't be all about money because California is going to tax his pants off. But what about weather and general amenities? A guy like Radko can be a highly paid pro hockey player in L.A / Anaheim and never get recognized in public. They like that. Look at Messi shopping at Publix in Miami without anyone batting an eye. Weather / amenities / and recognition play a role as well. By comparison a player in Edmonton will get spotted and will get approached by fans on the street because they are essentially royalty in the city. At the end of the day he's not going to say "money, weather, travel" etc as his reasoning. It's easy to blame Canadian media and fandom. The reality is many more factors exist. I do find it odd for a pro athlete to turn down playoff teams citing "pressures" when their primary driver should be a stanley cup and winning - but in this case we know its not - its money and weather and the draw of living in L.A. I don't blame the guy but its not just because of scary media attention.

don't underestimate the recent moves by the Canadian Revenue Agency (like our IRS) that closed a loophole that allowed pro sports players to avoid some taxation. Imo saying it's about the pressure is just a stock answer that is generally acceptable. Lately things seem more anti-Canadian than usual and it coincides with these rule changes

I mean theres pressure everywhere, especially if you have close teammates, I think a larger issue is the recognition and that you are always on in Canada vs most of the US where once you leave the rink thats it till the next game/skate. Some people want to have a life outside of work and that is fine

Very nice way to describe hockey 👏

How does this compare to the "Pressure" applied to Players in American markets for other sports like NYC for Baseball, or Penssylvania, Midwest and Dixie when it comes to Football?

Lots of NHL players just want to collect a paycheck and be left alone. There is little to no loyalty to the team they play for and to the fans who pay exorbitant ticket prices to go to the games. The money is pretty much all that matters to them. They’d rather play in markets where hockey comes after the other major sports and where there is less media and fan scrutiny. Of course, taxes and weather are contributing factors too.

Friends that played for Canadian teams said their income tax is crazy. Why they didn’t wanna play there.

I appreciate this summary the issue. I'm a hockey fan in the US, so I don't have an idea about it.

If I were a hockey player, I wouldn't sign a contract with a Canadian team. I don't want to live in Canada and I don't want to pay Canadian taxes. (I would also not sign a contract with a team in California, New York, or New Jersey, for many of the same reasons.) If I were Canadian, I might well not want to sign a contract with a US team. I don't see this as problematic in any way. But then I think the whole "You must indenture yourself for years to the team that drafts you" thing to be pretty offensive.

This will soon change. In time, Canada's new national sport will be cricket. No more pressure or excuses.

4:07 yes it’s an issue. It’s a big issue. I’m from the GTA, and I’ve long considered whether or not the Leafs ability to win a cup was contingent upon the media pressure here. Question is what can we do about it?

Remember when Ron Wilson was booed out of Toronto, literally weeks after receiving a contract extension?

I think that the “I don’t want the spotlight” player mentality is the reason the NHL (even in Canada and I live in Edmonton where the best player is) is a dead sport and is stagnating in popularity at best

Let's face the truth that not many want to say: The vocal majority of Leafs fans and media need to balance their life a bit more. They are too hyper-focused on every little tiny thing Leafs, and nobody likes a micro-manager or a back seat driver. And judging from the comments section posts of most Leafs fans, again the vocal ones and not Canadians in general, they are not the brightest. The word "Psychotic" comes up often when people outside of Canada speak to me about their interactions with Leaf fans. Relax, it's a game. Passion is great, but never go "full ret**d."

Minnesota has a huge hockey following, and a passionate fan base. Even when struggling, games are sold out. Media does criticize. Yet there is a difference somehow. It would be out of line to confront a player or coach.

Don't get how they even find time to care what the media thinks, don't they have games, practice, wives, a family, a life. Just ignore it.

HP is a Bettman shill hiding the conspiracy that the NHL does not want Canadian teams to win the Cup! (Just kidding.)

You are talking about American hockey players not wanting to Canada and wanting to play in there home country for the most part, but yes more and more Canadians are liking the idea of playing in the states, because of taxes, life style and weather

I can't imagine how blue jays feel being the only Canadian team not to mention 162 games a year not including playoffs.

I wonder how NBA, Major League and NFL players handle playing in a crazy American markets, with crazy fan bases who care much more about those sports than hockey? Are hockey players just mentally more fragile than their counterparts?

Gudas basically said he doesn’t want to be part of a circus. Clowns are offended.

Not mentioned here, but there are also political issues involved, especially post-COVID and the difference of the response to COVID in the US and Canada. Canada kept locked down for more than a year after the US unlocked. I also saw an interview with Andy Sutton on the Shane O'Brien-Scottie Upshall podcast where Sutton, a good ol' Canadian boy if there ever was one, talked about settling in Nashville and "living the American dream," talking about his successful business down here in the states, and hinting at and coming pretty close to saying that the same life wouldn't be possible in the Trudeau Canada of COVID lockdowns and free speech crackdowns. Even more telling than what teams players choose to play for will be where they choose to settle when their careers are over.

Idk I’d be frustrated if I was a Toronto fan. They win when it doesn’t matter and never wins when it does. They get paid so much it’s like… just be better when it counts, stop making excuses

Not a huge fan of showing a clip of Laine at 2:45, implying that the pressure of playing in Canada had anything to do with his decision to leave Winnipeg. He's pretty much said that it was because of the toxic team culture (especially perpetrated by a few top players).

People calling Gudas pathetic for not wanting the pressure when they themselves don’t have to face a fraction of it is itself pretty pathetic. There are things to criticize about the guy but not this.

KZfaq’s best hockey channel

This is very similar to what happens in NY with the Mets and Yankees. In 2022 the first half of year the Yankees were on a roll and the fans still went out of their way to boo and heckle Aaron Hicks basically the guy on the team struggling. You pay your money you can boo, good for you, but just know it is absolutely NOT helping your team. Also in 2021 the Mets players were basically playing against their fans Lindor was getting booed every at bat basically from the 10th game of the season on. The media breaking down every sneeze and every moment of everything is definitely not helping a team, the team’s in those markets that win have to be incredibly mentally tough.

That Canadiens' 1993 was majority Québécois. Maybe that pressure is easier to take if you have your family around? Or if the pressure comes from ppl you can identify with?

its a split nate thompson on a podcast said he liked the pressure in winnipeg and some players just dont like and its the same in pit boston chigago detroit new york and even buffalo

Excellent commentary. It's harder than most fans realize living in a fish bowl or under the constant surveliance & presence of these Phone(y)Cells (prison cells of cameras everywhere its like living under a magnifying glass which can get pretty hot under intense light. ) Then there's the issue of thousands possibly millions of TOXIC TONGUES & TOXIC TALK ripping & tearing these athletes apart. Neil Peart & Rush addressed this issue in their hit song "Limelight" imo. Part of the solution for this is what Costner said in Draft Day (disconnect & don't do social media & media) that's what sports agents, GM's & coaches & team physcologists should be suggesting to their players. Imo.

What about the taxes in Canada vs USA? Wouldnt that also play a big part why none wanna play for Canadian teams? I mean the salary becomes essentially quite a bit lower in Canada vs some states in USA after the taxes are done Id assume?

so long as original six win every now and then?

This has been known for a long time. I think a contributing factor is how the pandemic was handled

Taxes, shitty weather, and neverending media scrutiny. Weird.

In the US the NHL is well below the importance of the NFL, NBA and MLB, but still above the fledging MLS. That can be a good fit for someone who doesn't want to be recognized in public but also makes a decent living. Being THE sport in Canada means the fans know the game and know when players are underperforming. On the other hand, in the US they still struggle with offside, booing even obvious ones. They won't catch 7 players before the refs do like in Canada. In fact the ref is often alerted to it in Canada BY THE CROWD. So yeah, it's harder in Canada because stars in any major sport get shafted. Look at Ronaldo in European football. He had to leave for Saudi Arabia to get away from the heat. But Zak Prescott can only move after this year to another NFL team in the US where the same pressure might follow him if he falters.

Playing hockey in Canada sounds a bit like playing football in Paris or Marseille in France....except that in paris and marseille players and their fmilies can be assaulted in their own house or their house robbed while they are out for a game (i.e Neymar, Di Maria, Marquinhos, Dani Alves, Thiago Silva, Choupo Moting, Donnaruma just for Paris SG)

Taxes. The freaking taxes. They all have other claims, but the taxes taking over 15% immediately and then expecting YOU to fill tax forms to show them how much MORE they should take from you. Canadian Athletes can often have almost 10% of their salary just being taxes.

it's cause canadian truly love hockey and our nhl teams are generally the only team that competes at a global level. only toronto has and mlb and nba. to americans nhl is just another entertainment option like deciding between netflix and prime.

I'm old so i grew up watching canadian teams since the late 70s until now and i have to say the msm has gotten a lot worse on the teams. They never used to be this bad talking about the teams under a microscope. They seriously need to back off a little. I wouldn't mind not hearing anything about the teams for awhile and I'm sure the players feel the same. Just my opinion

Great content. Watched hockey in the 80's and 90's and Canada always had some great teams. Makes sense, especially with the ultra rabid fan base capable of making your life miserable for just one mistake in the wrong game. Humans are funny animals.

Hopefully it'll get to the point where team management/ownership will reign in the media.

that pressure all the time makes diamonds and gems and if u look 90% of all the NHL ALL STARS ARE FROM CANADA MOST OF THE MAIN ONES AND FRANCHISE EVEN IF THEY ARE ON A AMERICAN TEAM 90% OF ALL STARS ARE CANADIAN BORN AND RAISED

I understand the pressure aspect but what of the salary Do players in Canada get paid in USD or Canadian and same of taxes considering Canada as higher tax rate then US

One of the many reasons I'm happy to be a Red Wings fan. A large majority of the dedicated fanbase is knowledgeable & most of our fans are very classy. Aside from Helene St. James, most of the media press are pretty cool & classy.. but the hard questions do get brought up. I can't imagine rooting for a team that eats its own the way some fanbases do. Disclaimer: The Detroit Lions fans do this worse than the Toronto Leafs; I'm just explicitly stating for the Red Wings.

I feel like this is the same case for the minnesota vikings for football. There's so much pressure to win the superbowl since they havent even been close as of late that it's making it harder to accomplish it.

cant be fun with the media and fans telling you to off yourself for every little mistake

Can someone explain why hockey players are so soft mentally? You don't see this kind of running away from high pressure markets in any other sport.

Poor babies... Must be tough making millions and having people adore you...the nerve of the fans...Hockey is entertainment...you are a hockey player/entertainer...Part of getting the big money is the fan adulation and notoriety...No matter how tough it is being a hockey player...try being a roofer in July.

I'm a Canadian, and a hockey fan, and I understand 100% why they don't want to play here.

What I don’t understand about this comment as a Canuck who has played the game, coached albeit at an amateur level. But point being watching since Leaf’s last won the Cup. Everyone has pressure at work ! And just like a business who offers inferior products or services if a customer complains they are paying staffs wages, when they do business with company! Professional Athletes it is no different fans pay your salary. And over 20 yrs ago the minimum NHL salary was $500,000! So if they don’t like the pressure do what everyone else has to do get a different job and live a lifestyle you can afford!

Haha that Jarrett Allen post at the end is savage bro 😂

I don't understand why any star player would want to play in Canada. It's far less desirable in almost every dimension. Culture, affordability, weather, healthcare, taxes the list goes on. I guess family would be something, and a passionate fan base? I don't even really consider Canadian fans that passionate, most of them are casual fans that pretend to know more about the sport than they actually do. They get caught up in the herd mindset because there isn't really much else going on here in the way of professional sports. I found the fans at the Argonauts game more passionate than any Leafs game I've been to.

I've been saying this for 3 decades now; Mississauga needs their own team. It would be the best thing that could happen to Toronto. But they never would, can't take a fan base away...

Here's an obvious answer no one in really mentioning: a large, dark possibility of the - dare I say it - 'scripted' Stanley Cup Playoffs, not only favoring but ENSURING the final glory of American teams, thanks to the inner burns - some blatantly even caught on tape, of the league's American commissioner, Lord Gary Bettman: "A Canadian franchise will NEVER take the Stanley Cup as long as I'm in charge" (yeah, google it). Think about it: The last SC victory, was Montreal in 1993, now over three DECADES ago. That, my friends, just happens to be the same year that the Toronto Blue Jays, “diabolically” REPEATED as WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS, to the chagrin of millions of Americans, including MANY top-level, back-office sports heavyweights. Wow, you’d think that us canucks, literally ‘stole their national pastime’ away from them at that point. Coincidence? Not. Canadian franchises always, assuredly boast loads of talent during every single regular season. But 'magically', they get overpowered by this - every single year since 1993 - in the playoffs, by 'superior' south-of-the-border-situated hockey clubs. I could not believe what I saw in the final three games years ago, when the Calgary Flames had an apparent strangle-hold in the final series vs. the Tampa Bay Lightning, up three games to one. Pretty sure, I experienced what it must have felt like, for the many devoted Chicago fans, watching their beloved White Sox fail, way back when in that World Series against the Cincinatti Reds. In those last 3 games, Calgary shape-shifted as a winning, hungry hockey team I had a sharp eye on all playoff long, into an energy-devoid ball of moo, with all of their SC rings just a single win away. Still don't believe me? Remember what I said about Canadian teams, always with every passing year boasting top-level talent as any given U.S.-based franchise does? For the SEVEN Canadian teams, being denied a final Cup, in the last 30 years? The mathematical odds come to about 4,000 to 1, maybe even higher now, of any of those teams, not winning Lord Stanley in the endgame, at least once. Go figure.

This is why i love the Detroit Redwings. From the owners down its a differnet atmosphere

Players are soft these days walking out of hotels and into rinks looking like they should be on Netflix not the ice.

The result is two divergent possibilities, which verge back into the same result. 1) Player is like described in the video, would rather sign in the US; 2) Player is williing to sign in Canadian team, if you overpay me enough to both make it worth it and to overcome taxes, leading to a much bigger cap hit. Result? No Cup-worthy rosters that can run 4 lines, 3 pairings and 1 legit starting goaltender with all high demand positions filled with contender-level players (1C, 2C, 1D that's RHsD, 3D, 1G).

Note on the income tax point: Player's salaries reflect the income taxes of the city. i.e., The same players will be offered a larger salary in Toronto than in Nashville but they would take home the same. Player's Agents negotiate knowing the fair price based on the city.

Don't forget the abusive tax rates we have in Canada.

What these players are also not saying is that the extremely high Canadian taxes, the cold Canadian winters and the American wives preferring to stay in their home country are all factors. Two other things which have annoyed players recently were the insanely overbearing Covid restrictions in Canada, and the constant push to virtue signal woke progressive dogma. Canada went too far with the Covid restrictions and a lot of players and their families were fed up with it. And people forget that MANY hockey players are conservative/libertarian and/or religious(or simply anti-woke), and they don't want to be forced to be activists for things they don't believe in. So if you add all of these factors together, including the media pressure, why would you not choose to play in America?

Forsberg hated playing in Quebec. But when they relocate he love it in Denver.

Regardless of the fan pressure of Canada, why would any player want to pay NEARLY TRIPLE the income tax of what they would be paying if they played for a team like the Panthers.

Hockey players should be taxed. All overpaid individuals in society should be taxed. Don't cry a river for them.

As a Devils fan and an American, I hope this doesn't continue to be the trend. I already feel like certain markets like Buffalo and Columbus basically have no chance as nearly every time they have a star player they leave the first chance they get, which is why I was happy for Columbus when they signed Gaudreau. I didn't think he was the best fit for our team anyway and I am glad he turned us down because Meier is a way better fit for us. It has to be depressing to be in a market where you feel like you don't have a chance to have a truly great team or have any sustained success. In the MLB you see it where a small market team is good for 1-2 years but then falls off the face of the earth because they have to trade away all their good players because they can't afford to pay them. I know all about how it feels to have star players leave. I was a fan when guys like Gomez, Rafalski, Parise, and Kovalchuk left and Hall wouldn't re-sign. Finally having a big time player like Hamilton sign here was an amazing feeling. I was a little nervous that Bratt and/or Meier were gonna continue this trend. It seems that we are becoming a more attractive destination for players this time. Even during the Lou years that wasn't the case. I would like to see a Canadian team win a Cup soon, I think the only team that has a shot at the moment is the Oilers. It would suck if the Leafs lose Matthews, Marner, and Nylander, then the Oilers lose McDavid and Draisaitl in 3 years. In terms of the pressure, one thing I think fans need to realize is that it's different from what it was years ago as all these players have social media. It's one thing to complain about a player on your own social media accounts and fan pages but saying negative things to a player on twitter or instagram is extremely foul. Most people who do that would never say that to a player's face, not just because they're afraid to get beat up but because it wouldn't feel good. Also berating a player in public when you see them is also crossing a line in my opinion. I remember seeing a video of some guy following McDavid around and chirping him when he was leaving a restaurant with his freaking FAMILY.