Hier steht etwas über Beweggründe und Finanzen der NHLer:

Players warm up to less pay, more fun
By Kevin Allen, USA TODAY
During the NHL lockout, USA TODAY will look at the financial impact it's having on various groups. Today: players and on-ice officials.
Andy McDonald of the Ducks says he is enjoying life in the German League in spite of the major decrease in pay.
By Nam Y. Huh, AP

Andy McDonald says his decision to play in the German League during the lockout "wasn't at all about the money" and he has the pay stubs to prove it.

He signed a two-year deal worth $800,000 a season this summer with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and he has taken almost a 90% pay cut to play in Ingolstadt, about 30 minutes from Munich. San Jose Sharks forward Marco Sturm, a German native, is also on the team.

"The decision was more about just playing hockey and playing at a fairly high level," McDonald said by phone from Germany. "The alternative was to stay home. But by coming over here I could stay on top of my game, visit another country and have a good life experience."

There are 232 NHL players now on European rosters, and most earn less than $150,000, plus housing and car. Insuring their NHL contract is also an issue. For example, a player might sign with a Swedish team for $120,000 U.S., but then have to pay $35,000 for insurance.

Some Russian League teams are offering considerably more money — $600,000 to $750,000 in some cases — but still not close to the average NHL salary of $1.8 million. (Related item: Lockout's high personal cost)

"To me, sending players over there is more about good mental health rather than financial concerns," said agent Steve Bartlett, who has a handful of his clients in Europe. "I can't fill their pockets, but I can at least take away some of the anguish (about the lockout) because I think it's worse just sitting around talking about it."

Locked-out NHL players are, in effect, taking jobs that would have gone to other athletes, but there hasn't been much tension because European leagues traditionally use import players.

"I can't deny that they are taking jobs," Bartlett said, "but in some cases teams are taking players they wouldn't normally take because they view this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get a higher-visibility guy or a guy who can sell tickets."

McDonald had a chance to go to Switzerland for more money, but that league doesn't allow many imports and there is far greater pressure for imports to be among the top players.

"We have a good team here," McDonald said. "It's been a lot of fun, without much pressure. It may not be quite the same over here in terms of level of commitment, but it's still a high demand on you. I find the German players over here are extremely hard workers. To me, the decision was what's going to make me better. Was it staying home and practicing or coming over here and it was an easy decision."

On-ice officials

NHL linesmen and referees could presumably find work in a variety of leagues all over the planet and yet no one has stepped on the ice for pay during the lockout.

"Collectively, we decided we are not going to work hockey in a refereeing capacity unless it's for charity," said referee Stephen Walkom, president of the NHL Officials Association. "In the past we have often received support from the amateur/professional ranks and we don't want to do anything to take away a job from an amateur official or an up-and-coming official."

The base salary range for NHL referees is $110,000 to $255,000 and $72,000 to $162,000 for linesmen. But no NHL official is getting paid during the lockout. Most are essentially unemployed, according to Walkom, although referee Don VanMassenhoven is selling cars and Bill McCreary is installing cabinets.

"We knew there was a likelihood of this three years ago and all of our guys were told to plan for it," Walkom said.

Walkom said his association, which had a collective-bargaining battle with the league in 1993, is staying neutral.

The Officials Association has recommended that referees volunteer with their local association "to give back to amateur hockey." Walkom said many have already volunteered as supervisors. He is planning to help supervise some high school referees and is coaching his son Brendan's and daughter Stephanie's teams.

Counting preseason and playoffs, some officials are gone nine months a year. Walkom said officials' honey-do list is mountain-sized.

"It's costing us a lot of money, and not just from the money we don't get," Walkom joked. "We are just around all the time doing things. And I think we are driving the wives crazy."

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nh...out-money_x.htm