"In prosperous clubs salaries of 120 thousand rubles a month." 5 interviews about reforms in Russian hockey

Second strongest guide hockey league Russia has written a letter of resignation, the clubs of the Continental League are happy with new opportunities for interaction with the VHL, and hockey players are trying to knock out debts. Details from the life of the Major League are on Match TV.

FHR President Vladislav Tretyak and Managing Director VHL German Skoropupov long before the rights to host the major league championship returned to the hockey federation. Photo: KHL.

In March, Russian hockey was planning to create another league: KHPL, which stands for "Premier Hockey League". Farm clubs of the Continental League teams were supposed to play in the KHPL. At the same time, the new structure would partially duplicate the functions that the Higher Hockey League is currently performing - and it is not entirely clear where to get so many hockey players to fill it as well. By the beginning of May, the decision was ripe: there will be no KhPL, and the VHL will carry out reforms that, in particular, will make life easier for top clubs in the issue of calling their hockey players from farm clubs or teams with which there are cooperation agreements. It is assumed that this can be done throughout the championship. At the same time, hockey players who are on bilateral contracts and previously could freely move between clubs almost until the playoffs of the VHL - I immediately recall the example of Alexei Sopin in the winter of 2013: on January 31 in the KHL there was a deadline for transfers, Balashikha, and then was raised to the base and on the 21st he scored two goals for Dynamo Moscow in the Gagarin Cup (and eventually won the playoffs with the team).

In the 2016/2017 season, the Highest league will be held under the auspices of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation. This means that club contributions will go to the Russian Ice Hockey Federation, which in turn will allocate a budget for the operation of the VHL. The league is expected to be managed by the organizing committee, which will include three representatives of the FHR and two representatives each from the KHL and the VHL.

Why is the leadership of the VHL leaving

VHL Managing Director German Skoropupov, who led the league since the first season of 2010/2011, disagreed with the current reforms and resigned. In an interview with Match TV, he explained the reasons for his departure.

- This is not an impulsive decision, not a loud slam of the door, says Skoropupov. - I am the executive director of the general meeting of leaders VHL clubs, that is, subordinate to the interests of clubs and regions. When we drew up an open letter (it was signed by 18 clubs - Match TV), an option arose: if we are not heard, we can go to play in the VHL championship (not to be confused with the VHL championship - Match TV), for which there is rights for another two years. We sent out bulletins asking if the clubs are ready to do this. And on June 2, by 6:00 pm, we received all the answers. A minority of clubs were ready for such a step.

- How many?

- I will not name the exact number. But there are not many clubs left that are ready to defend their interests. When the regions and clubs decided to go under the ice hockey federation, I resigned. There was no point in ripping off the rest of them somewhere. I didn't want to harm anyone and I didn't want to create any kind of fragmentation. In this situation, I do not feel that I can be useful. And no personal gain can interrupt this feeling. I just can't do what I don't understand.

During the 2012/2013 lockout, Alexander Semin came out to play for Sokol Krasnoyarsk in the VHL - and only then signed a contract with the KHL Torpedo club. Photo: RIA Novosti / Sergei Chernykh.

Most importantly, we tried not to lose the sporting aspect of the tournament. I do not find it useful for a player's growth when he walks between two KHL and VHL teams. I believe that the player will grow only in strong competitions, having passed the entire tournament with the team. If it is differently, then we need a different league with different goals and objectives: as in the project of the hockey premier league, when each KHL club itself maintains its own farm club. And when the regions with the VHL club should work for the region with the KHL club and be subordinate to the training of players for another region - in our conditions it is simply unacceptable. How interesting will such competitions be for the fans?

- It is clear that this may not be in the interests of sponsors and club owners. But isn't that in the interests of the players themselves? VHL hockey players will be motivated, knowing that they can be raised to the KHL club at any time.

- Well, what kind of running around will turn out? And how will the player grow here? Here from the KHL a hockey player will be lowered to the VHL team - and where should the coach put him if he has a well-played five?

- So in the AHL they cope calmly. And there is attendance.

- It was built differently there. Their sports component does not suffer: when it is possible to lower it, when it is impossible. It would never occur to anyone there that some team would have an advantage in the playoffs due to these enhancements.

- If there was an appeal from the clubs, if the clubs were so worried about their independence, then why did no one follow you?

- Our clubs are mainly financed from the budget, that is, by the executive branch. So this is a question for the leaders of the regions. You see, I am proud that the perception of our work for all this time has been positive from the Ice Hockey Federation, fans, players, specialists. The clubs really felt like a league and understood that decisions in the VHL were made in favor of the entire league, and not just one club. How it can work differently, I do not know. It is all the more important to take into account the interests of the clubs in today's economic conditions.

- Because you can discourage interest in investing in hockey?

- Well, of course. What is the point for the governor to invest money from the budget in competitions if they suddenly cease to arouse interest among the residents of the region? My main task there was an alignment of clubs according to opportunities. Judging by standings, we have achieved this: the teams were very tight. Attendance at our playoff matches is often limited only by the capacity of the sports palaces. In the same Izhevsk, people could not get into hockey: there were no tickets. Even with this dilapidated farm - I mean the old ice palaces- we have accomplished a lot: put things in order, created the maximum possible conditions for fans and players. Plus, all our matches were streamed for free in live... It was not easy, but we are the first in Russia to do it. And we are the first in Russia who conducted official matches championship on open ice: having small resources, we came up with and implemented a large-scale project "Russian Classics".

February 17, 2012, Krasnoyarsk. The first "Russian classics": "Sokol" (Krasnoyarsk) - "Lokomotiv" (Yaroslavl). Photo: KHL

- Are you leaving alone?

- We had a small but very strong team. Most key executives have written resignations. I’m trying to persuade them to stay. I don't want them to make decisions on emotions, otherwise they think that they will betray someone if they stay.

- For a person who is retiring, you are too correct.

- I'm not leaving because of some kind of offense: I respect the Russian Ice Hockey Federation. I am leaving simply because I cannot fulfill this decision and I do not feel the strength to be useful to that the project that is now being proposed.

What do the FHR answer

FHR executive director Dmitry Kurbatov did not comment on Skoropupov's resignation. In a conversation with a Match TV correspondent, Kurbatov disagreed with the statement that the VHL is becoming a league of farm clubs: “New opportunities are emerging for the movement of players, but this does not make the VHL a league of farm clubs. The competition will be interesting and there shouldn't be any drop. It is incorrect to say that something will change so much that the interest in the competition will decrease. The transition rules will now change, including at the end of the season, we will be able to move players faster. But nothing else has changed in this respect. "

What are VHL clubs concerned about?

“I don't really want to break an old car that was running well,” says Viktor Levashov, general director of HC “Sarov”. - There was a good system, but we decided to change it.

- What will change for the clubs?

- If the last six years the clubs had a majority when voting on any issue and they made decisions themselves, now there is no such majority - and instead of clubs, functionaries will decide everything. And this is the main thing, and everything else is already consequences. I must say that Major League always distinguished by the fact that our regulations were adopted by voting of clubs and did not change under external influence. Now the clubs do not participate in the development of the regulations.

- In the new season, the KHL clubs will not have restrictions on the movement of players with bilateral contracts in the VHL and back. How do you feel about this point?

- For understanding: the KHL clubs could move players to our league and back anyway, there was just a reasonable restriction: until the VHL playoffs. And the desire to remove this restriction arose due to the fact that last season one of the KHL clubs flew out of the playoffs and, without reading our regulations, wanted to send six or eight hockey players with bilateral contracts to the VHL. The leaders of this KHL club began to call the director of the major league and ask him to resolve the issue. But no one went against the regulations for which the VHL clubs voted. And immediately a scandal arose: "Our hockey players are not allowed to play!"

- What would happen bad if they transferred the players? Would the team receive an unexpected playoff boost?

- The championship must be played according to clear rules that cannot be changed at the last moment. If, relatively speaking, the sixteenth VHL team before the meeting in the playoffs with the first, bypassing the regulations, gets eight people from the KHL club - in my opinion, this is not entirely correct. As for the reforms, I am in favor of maintaining a balance of interests.

- How many people with bilateral contracts are on your team?

- About twenty people pass during the season: from "Torpedo", from "Chaika". They play from two to six at the same time, but most of them are young hockey players. A KHL players we have for one or two recovery matches after an injury, for example. This is a normal process. Basically, on bilateral contracts, we have young players from Torpedo who do not make it into the main team, and the most promising from Chaika. Our club was created specifically for the "Torpedo" system. Everything is different: some have one farm, some have two (like SKA), some have none (like Metallurg Novokuznetsk). MHL - VHL - KHL is an elevator in which most hockey players try to get to the top floor. And the major league has always been built into this system, interacted and was not isolated - and at the same time was controlled by the clubs that played in it. At the moment, as I said, the clubs have been removed from the league management.

- What would you like to influence, but you are unlikely to be able to?

- For example, they want to accept an Estonian club in the VHL. Before, we all would have thought ten times whether the league needed this club or not. Because it's the clubs that will pay for their trips to Estonia, not the league. And now the clubs do not have a majority of votes and decisions come down from the top - and it seems to me that the people who make these decisions are not very familiar with the financial condition of the VHL clubs. Now more than half of the teams are in survival mode. We are not cut off from the general economic situation.

The general manager of Salavat, Leonid Vaysfeld, is waiting for the opportunity to send hockey players to the VHL all year round. Photo: KHL.

What are KHL clubs happy about

- How do you perceive the VHL reform?- a question to the general manager of Salavat Yulaev Leonid Vaysfeld.

- If I knew what the reform would be, I would comment.

- Don't you know?

“Well, I just know what they're going to do. But we have revolutions every day.

- What would you like to get as a result?

- I wish I could send people up and down without any limits. No time limit or quantity. And now, for example, I cannot send a player to the VHL if there is a playoff. It is necessary that the general manager of the KHL club be able to move hockey players from the VHL and back all year: in July and in August.

- Explain why you need it?

- Here you need to decide: what is the VHL for? If this league wants to be autonomous, independent and in itself, then yes - these transitions are not needed. If this is a league in order to train people in the KHL, then there is nothing without it. Let's say I'm in the playoffs and there is a young guy who doesn't make it to the squad. But he needs practice - and I let him down. Or some team does not make it into the KHL playoffs - and so that the young ones do not end the season in February, I send them to the VHL. They have to play, train, and it turns out that they have to next game six months. Everything is obvious right there.

- Are you surprised by the reaction of the VHL leaders who resigned?

- Not surprised. Why be surprised? This is a power struggle. It’s just that if they hadn’t rested in their time on these issues, then everything could have been resolved. There weren't such big disagreements. But they wanted to be kind of independent.

2380 spectators gathered for the last match of the 2015/2016 season in Almetyevsk, with a palace capacity of 2200. Photo: VHL press service

How players perceive it

In the application for the season, farm clubs must have no more than 40 hockey players, other teams must have no more than 30 hockey players plus up to 10 with bilateral contracts. It is assumed that no more than 10 hockey players aged 29 and older can be included in the application.

The hockey players themselves who play in the VHL are not happy with everything. One of them anonymously told the Match TV correspondent about the situation in the league's clubs.

- Here they write: "The KHL clubs must pay off their debts for the last season by June 15, otherwise they threaten not to be admitted to the championship." Perfectly. And no one controls the major league like that. In the VHL, the most important thing is to recruit the required number of teams. Last year, "Zvezda-VDV" was for quantity - it paid nothing to a single player and withdrew. This year, only three or four teams paid the players the promised bonuses. And most of the teams have not seen not only bonuses - they are waiting for salaries. We have to submit to the trade union, to the inspection, to the prosecutor's office. Something can be resolved if clubs with serious debt are not allowed. But this will affect the number of teams. And so - there are clubs that threw someone and continue to play. There is probably no major league hockey player who has not been thrown somewhere. I talk to guys over 30 who come to the big league after the KHL. Why don't they stay for a long time: they say that they would play a season or two, but they are already tired of these proceedings, of the need to knock out the money that you agreed on before the season. I understand the leadership of the league in a way: the main thing for them is that the club remains, even with debts, so they could turn a blind eye to any violations. But half of the clubs have a reputation for being unreliable.

It was profitable for VHL clubs to keep hockey players on bilateral contracts: after all, the KHL club pays them their salaries, there are no costs here. And now they can be taken away at any time - of course, one can understand the dissatisfaction. The reform is disadvantageous for clubs that have been playing in the Major League all their lives. The same Orsk, Angarsk, Almetyevsk are serious about this tournament, they have a lot of people going to hockey - and they do not want to be perceived as someone's farm club.

Now, it seems, they will still make a limit: a maximum of 10 people in a team after 27 years (according to our information, after 29 years - "Match TV"). VHL is now only aimed at young people. And the fate of middle-aged players, such a feeling, just no longer worries anyone.

- How much do they pay on average in the major league?

- If earlier a player of the “near the KHL” level could earn 250-300 thousand rubles a month in the Major League, now salaries have dropped. The same "Toros", where the maximum salary was 300 thousand, they say, has lowered the ceiling to 200. Players of age in prosperous clubs are usually given 120-130 thousand "dirty". There are higher stakes in each team, but there are two or three of them. By by and large nowhere are there normal salaries, somewhere in general they play for 50 thousand, somewhere over 90. the whole season. And when you sign a contract, it's better not to count on bonuses right away.

This year, it seems, prizes were given only in Orsk, "Toros" and elsewhere. "Saryarka", the guys say, reduced the bonus: they talked about one amount, and gave another. In Sputnik, for example, they gave a bonus before the playoffs in February, and the players were told that the debts would be repaid in reverse order: that is, issued for February, now they will give back for January, then December, and so on. In many clubs, salary delays: somewhere in April they did not pay, somewhere else in March there were debts. And everyone closes their eyes, nowhere is this described, because who is interested in the Major League? The Tretiak, or what, will delve into all this and stand up for the hockey players? I’m talking with a friend who plays for the Asian League - there’s no such thing, everyone pays on time.

Text: Alexander Lyutikov, Nikita Krotov

Photo: press service of the VHL; photo.khl.ru; RIA Novosti / Sergei Chernykh

Quite a lot of Russian citizens attribute hockey to national sport... And the most popular and even reputable hockey leagues are the KHL and VHL. Our compatriots know practically each of their players by sight and constantly follow the development of their careers. But what kind of salary is paid for such KHL hockey players, we will continue to analyze, since this moment is of interest to so many people.

What is the KHL League

By participating in the KHL league, athletes can receive a continental cup, which is comparable in importance only to the NHL - the hockey league of the United States of America. It is this cup that is the most popular among our compatriots, however, not only are participating in this league Russian clubs... The KHL has been assigned an international status, and it includes 28 teams from the following states:

• Russia;
• Finland;
• Kazakhstan;
• Belarus;
• Latvia;
• Slovakia;
• Croatia.

The hockey season is opened by competition for the championship between all the clubs in the League. Having determined the top eight, matches are held to receive the cup named after Gagarin. A team eliminated from the competition is in a special play-off system.

How much do KHL hockey players get?

1. I. Kovalchuk, a player of the SKA team, earns about 335 million rubles.
2. P. Datsyuk and V. Voinov, players of the same team, receive approximately 275 million rubles.
3. 140 million rubles is the salary of V. Koshechkin, who plays for Metallurg Magnitogorsk.
4. 135 million rubles for S. Mozyakin, a Metallurg player.
5. Hockey players of the Avangard and SKA-V teams - Sobotka and V. Shipachev annually receive 120 million rubles.
6. 100 million rubles is the earnings of the player of the Ak Bars team M. Varnakov.
7. The salary of 90 million rubles is transferred for the hockey player of the Siberia team A. Silak, as well as for A. Zubarev, A. Belov, M. Chudinov, E. Yakovlev, E. Dadonov, who represent the SKA team.
8. A salary of 78 million rubles is charged for S. Costa, I. Telegin, V. Nichushkin, the CSKA team hockey players, for the representatives of Avangard A. Perezhogin and I. Zubov, as well as for V. Tikhonov, who plays for the SKA team.
9. SKA hockey players S. Plotnikov and A. Khokhlachev receive 73 million rubles each, Torpedo player V. Galuzin, Ak Bars team representative A. Popov.
10. I. Grigorenko, representing Salavat Yulaev, receives a salary of 67 million rubles.
11. SKA team hockey player N. Prokhorkin - 65 million rubles.

Based on this data, it is easy to calculate how much players receive per month and in rubles. However, it should be borne in mind that the published data should be considered as approximate, since the team enters into a confidential contract with the player, so the amount of hockey players' salary is not officially announced.

Has the salary of hockey players changed over the past two years

If we consider the changes that relate to the earnings of athletes for 2018, 2019 and the next 2020, you will notice that the total amount of cash payments has changed slightly. At the same time, hockey clubs do not have the right to accrue earnings to athletes above the amount that is established in accordance with the rules of the championship. In the last hockey season, the highest mark should have been equal to 1.1 billion rubles a year. And now this figure has been reduced to 1.05 billion rubles a year, as there has been a serious devaluation of the Russian currency.

Due to this process, the salaries of athletes may decrease slightly, but this point will not affect the most famous hockey players who are most valued in the KHL:

• A. Burmistrova;
• I. Kovalchuk;
• S. Kostitsyna;
• A. Radulova.

the site explains what needs to be done with the VHL so that the clubs do not leave it, and what benefit this will bring to the KHL and the entire Russian hockey.

When the Major Hockey League, and the reason is the budget cut by 47% (although before the cut it was the richest VHL team, spending about 300 million rubles a year), their eyes open wide and refuse to return to their usual state. Think about it: 150 million rubles! $ 3 million at the current exchange rate is the budget of the "packed" AHL club. Not one of the rich, but not poverty-stricken either. Maybe not profitable, but surely beating costs. At the same time, he has a much more solid selection of players.

In general, the budgets of independent clubs in the American Hockey League - and there are 15 out of 30 in it - vary from 2 to 4.5 million dollars. In practice, addicts are even cheaper, although formally this is not the case, since they still transfer money from one pocket to another.

What's funny is that the limits in VHL are exactly the same. According to the regulations, the minimum budget of the club should be 100 million rubles - the same $ 2 million. And this 100 million, by the way, does not include the membership fee - another 4 million. And the richest clubs spend over 200 million. The circus? And what another.

But, as you understand, at the same cost of clubs on both sides of the ocean, at the exit, we see a product that is completely different in quality. Bratina's finale is not a sight for the faint of heart. Low rate, butterflies from a mustache, undershoots by 3 meters. The Calder Cup Final is a bouncy, fun and completely digestible action that you want to watch. But what can I say, the leaders of the AHL come to the KHL and become leaders on this side of the ocean. Not all, yes, but most of the same. Whereas the leaders of the VHL at the level of the Continental League, to put it mildly, are completely untenable. So what is the point of this banquet then?

It is clear that the maintenance of the MHL and RHL clubs, which are at the disposal of some VHL clubs, costs a pretty penny, but the salaries of the players should also be lower and significantly. As well as employee salaries. Moreover, in the VHL you will not find any development coaches, skating coaches, scouts, sales departments of 20 people, a pack of certified physiotherapists and other attributes of AHL clubs, where, sometimes, the staff has 50 people, and everyone is really busy with business.

The leaders of the AHL come to the KHL and become leaders here, and the leaders of the VHL at this level are untenable. So what is the point of this banquet then?

The minimum wage in the AHL is $ 42,375 per year. In the VHL - 150 thousand rubles (3000 dollars) per year for players under the age of 21 and 450 thousand (9000 dollars) - after 21. The maximum in both leagues is not limited, there is no ceiling, but in the same American Hockey League no one earns more than 400 thousand dollars (the minimum contract in the NHL is 525 thousand) with an average salary of about 80 thousand. Only 15 players have a salary of more than 300 thousand there - and these are necessarily bilateral agreements with unlimited free agents (from 27 years old), which are either partially (from independent clubs; according to a complex formula, taking into account indicators), or are fully covered by the parent club of the NHL. Unilateral, purely Akhael contracts, more than 200 thousand dollars, are simply unthinkable, but in the VHL, just imagine, they are encountered. How this is possible, and where a lot of money goes - that is another question.

The Grand Rapids Calder Cup finalist, Detroit's independent farm club, has a budget of $ 3-3.5 million a year. Of these, 350 thousand are spent on logistics, 500 thousand - for renting the 11-thousandth Van Andel Arena, about one and a half million - for salaries of 40 employees (the sales and marketing department is the most numerous, the average attendance, by the way, is 8082 people) plus 10 interns ... This "fee fund" is actually quite modest, because the coaching staff is paid by Detroit, and many have part-time employment. The remaining money from the budget goes directly to the players. At the same time, it should be noted that in the 2015 playoffs for the Griffons there are only four hockey players who have nothing to do with the Red Wings, whose salaries do not exceed the average for the AHL. That is, almost the entire composition is partially paid by the "red wings", which carefully bring their own staff to the NHL, including coaching. Suffice it to say that Detroit has as many as 15 full-fledged Grand Rapids graduates, and Mike Babcock is likely to replace Main coach Griffins by Jeff Blashill.

This, of course, is in many ways a unique system, but in the NHL and the AHL everyone is striving for something like this one way or another. Some are doing worse, and some are even better, like Tampa and Syracuse, for example. But everyone wins, including the fans of the Ahaelov teams. And that's why:

1. NHL clubs can safely bring the players of the system to the desired level, spending mere pennies. About 80% of the league's hockey players have gone through the AHL school in one way or another (short trips to get in shape, of course, do not count, otherwise the percentage would have been much higher);

2. AHL clubs get the opportunity to reduce costs, while strengthening their rosters;

3. The difference in salaries in a bilateral contract is often tenfold, or even more (although in rare cases it can be doubled), which provides a powerful incentive for players to develop;

4. The charter of the AHL states that its main priority is the development of players. In view of this, the following rules have been adopted: out of 18 field players in the application for a match, 13 must qualify as "developing players". That is, have in your asset no more than 260 matches in a career in professional leagues... The American Hockey League itself, the NHL, the KHL, the VHL, and all the leading European championships with their sub-league systems are taken into account. Therefore, the AHL is a very young league: average age- 24 years old against 26 in the VHL, 27.3 in the NHL and 27.7 in the KHL. The screenings are ongoing, if veterans remain, then they are truly great professionals, albeit, perhaps, lacking in talent;

5. Add that very powerful stimulus to your youth, and at the exit you will get the highest speed and readiness of teams to gnaw the ice every second, which, of course, affects the entertainment for the best.

The relentless struggle for a place in the sun is what makes the AHL such a rewarding league for the NHL. And at the same time for USA Hockey with Hockey Canada. The competition within the teams is enormous, young people spur both themselves and others, everyone wants to break into the first link - an ideal springboard for a step up. Well, if it's too difficult, then at least show up and move up the table of ranks in the scout reports of other teams. Perhaps some of the clubs will want to barter you and place a bet on you.

It should also not be forgotten that for the development of the player, the more playing time, the more play in different situations, the more responsibility, the better. This, however, does not bother the FHR at all, which strives to forcibly stuff as many semi-finished products into the KHL as possible, and they do not care that there is almost no sense from 5-7 minutes of the game, interspersed with imprisonment in the club boxes.

At the moment, the VHL does not give anything to Russian hockey, simply throwing out suitcases of money

SKA, Ak Bars, Salavat, Dynamo, Traktor understood this, deciding to work closely with farm clubs, but this is not enough, especially since: with all responsibility declares that his league will never will become a competition between farms, speaks of some kind of history, although what does history have to do with it?

What's the use of history if half a league is well-fed, not striving for anything, veterans, receiving more than they could get anywhere else? And all this against the backdrop of disastrous marketing and complete loss-making of clubs. The following steps suggest themselves:

1. Make player development a priority;

2. Introduce a similar qualification for the AHL, adjusted for a smaller number of matches;

3. Remove the downright idiotic rule from paragraph 3 of Article 35 of the VHL regulations, which reads:

The club has the right to include in the "Main Team" application list the players of the KHL club who have entered into relevant bilateral contracts, subject to the following conditions:

- no more than 9 hockey players for Clubs that have a common organizational and / or financial structure with the KHL club;

- no more than 4 hockey players for Clubs that have entered into an agreement on sports cooperation with the KHL club;

4. At the same time, to introduce a ban on sending players from the KHL to farm clubs who may play in the MHL due to their age, so as not to weaken the Youth Hockey League;

5. To reorient towards making a profit instead of a pointless waste of money, for which to introduce the concept of a maximum salary, which cannot exceed the minimum in the KHL (750 thousand rubles a year for players under the age of 21, 3 million rubles a year for players over 21) ... Again, an additional incentive.

At the moment, the VHL does not give anything to Russian hockey, simply throwing out suitcases of money. Yes, clubs perform a certain social function, but they will continue to perform it even when a common strategy appears - now it is not there. It is quite possible that it is even better to perform. And at the same time benefit ourselves and the big hockey pyramid.

It is not surprising that this is not understood in FHR. With this organization, everything has long been clear. But the new leadership of the KHL was going to reform HSE, and the release of a considerable number of MHL hockey players with a new age limit may not be accidental. Not a fact, of course, but Dmitry Chernyshenko, a big fan of Big Data, shouldn't have lost sight of such an ineffective structure as the VHL.

There is such a saying in Russia: “who studied what”. Usually she is parried by an envious "luck to some". If we compare the salary of an academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences and a hockey player of the youth league, then the first proverb disappears right away, it’s a no brainer that it doesn’t work here. It is better not to read this article for academicians and professors of the country's universities, and they will not, most likely, this is not their content.

Not only hockey players do not like to talk about their salaries, but also people employed in any other field of activity. The question "How much do you get?" has finally become incorrect in our country. But this does not mean at all that he has ceased to interest your relative, neighbor or classmate. And if there is demand, then there is supply. And people of the most ancient profession (I mean journalists) by hook or by crook obtain this information and make it public. Thanks to their valiant work, today we can speculate on what the salary of hockey players depends on:

1. First of all, from the league they play in. Highest earnings in the NHL. Connor McDavid was awarded a $ 12.5 million deal for the season and John Travers for $ 11 million. The highest paid Russians in the NHL league are Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeny Malkin, but they are in the second half of the NHL's TOP 10 players.
2. Hockey players of the continental hockey league, or the KHL, are also quite wealthy people, but even here a lot depends on the player's rating. The higher the rating, the more the hockey player will receive.
3. Depending on how the hockey player plays, how many goals are scored on his account, each club of any league concludes a contract with him. Therefore, how much he will receive depends entirely on his abilities and, to a large extent, on luck.
4. From the type of contract - unilateral or bilateral. A unilateral contract is a guarantee to receive the agreed amount, therefore it is a priority for hockey players. A two-sided contract is a deliberately lower pay with a tendency to decrease if something goes wrong with the player.

First, consider the salary of the lucky ones who managed to sign a unilateral contract with the NHL clubs. This means that the hockey player will receive the agreed amount for the 2018-2019 season, regardless of whether he is fixed in the main team or he is delegated to the MHL team or to the championship of another country. Even with the exchange of players between clubs, the financial side of the contract does not change. And it looks like this:

1. The maximum amount for the season was paid to Alexander Ovechkin and teammate Evgeny Kuznetsov, $ 10 million each. The Washington Club has a decent budget, hence the generous contract.
2. Evgeni Malkin received a little less for a game in the Pittsburgh club - $ 9.5 million.
3. Ilya Kovalchuk and Alexander Radulov, respectively, received 8.5 and 8.0 million dollars for the same season.
4. Vladimir Tarasenko in St. Louis earned $ 7 million.
5. And then in descending order: Valentin Zykov's earnings in the NHL for playing at the Carolina club amounted to the minimum amount for a “unilateralist” - 650 thousand dollars. This hockey player closes the list of players in the NHL, consisting of 23 players who have entered into a unilateral agreement.
6. And 32 more Russian hockey player signed bilateral contracts with NHL league clubs. The maximum amount under such contracts was paid to Andrey Svechnikov - 925 thousand dollars. The minimum amount of $ 650,000 was paid to Rinat Valiev.

For comparison, the teachers of universities in Moscow in 2018 crossed the threshold of 138 thousand rubles. per month. But this is only in Moscow, and only the professors. In total, their salary per year is only 1 million 656 thousand rubles. This is $ 25.4 thousand. All of them greetings from Rinat Valiev.

Salary of hockey players playing for domestic clubs

And in this case, the salary of hockey players depends on which league they play in:

• KHL - Continental Hockey League;
• VHL - Major Hockey League;
• MHL - Youth Hockey League.

KHL league players receive up to 70 million rubles a year. And this is without taking into account bonuses, which can increase this amount by 2.5 times. How much it will be in a month can be found out by elementary calculations. Which clubs are leading in terms of payment:

1. In the KHL league, SKA hockey players have the largest representation among the leaders - these are 14 players.
2. This is followed by 11 players of the CSKA club.
3. 5 hockey players each among the leaders occupying the third positions - representatives of the clubs "Dynamo", "Lokomotiv" and "Ak Bars".

In this league, 16 hockey players earn from 100 million rubles a year and more.

In addition to these clubs, among the leaders:

1. Avtomobilist Club - Nigel Dawes - 150 million rubles.
2. Club "Salavat Yulaev" - Anton Burdasov - 100 million rubles. He and Dynamo player Dmitry Kagarlitsky complete this elite, in terms of payment, group.

Victoria Mitina

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Modern hockey is a well-paid sport, and how much hockey players earn depends on their ability. The most talented players get into the Continental or Major Hockey League, where they get a lot of money. Athletes conclude millions of contracts with domestic and foreign hockey clubs... Thanks to which at the end sports career can afford to live in expensive mansions and drive luxurious cars.

How much do hockey players get in Russia and abroad

In hockey, each player receives a salary depending on personal qualities and capabilities. various clubs... National and Continental Hockey League clubs sign contracts with hockey players. The contract salaries of the Kontinental Hockey League players are almost 2 times less than the salaries in the NHL.

In Russia, the Continental and Higher Hockey Leagues have gained particular popularity. The KHL is an international association that includes clubs from Russia, China, Slovakia, Kazakhstan, Finland, Belarus and Latvia.

The VHL includes teams from Kazakhstan and Russia. Until 2016, all competitions were held under the auspices of the VHL. Since 2016, championships and championships have been held under the auspices of the Russian Ice Hockey Federation (FHR). Most VHL clubs cooperate on a contractual basis with the Kontinental Hockey League.

And how much can you earn by creating websites without leaving your home? See the answers in an interview with Dmitry Pavlov - a man who has gone from a lone webmaster to his team

Hockey players' income in the KHL

The Continental League is the second most popular after the NHL. Players compete for a cup that can only be matched in importance to the US National Hockey League cup.

Among the players in the Continental League, there are rules that state that the salary of legionnaires should not exceed the salary fund for the team. In 2017/2018 this amount was equal to 950 million rubles.

There is a system of bonuses for players. The amount of the bonus must be specified in the contract and not exceed 20% of the salary. But this limitation does not apply to the most valuable hockey players. Some players' salaries are trade secrets.

Due to financial difficulties in the country, the salaries of the legionnaires were supposed to decrease. But to prevent the leakage of talented players abroad, sponsors refused to save on hockey players.

For the 2017/2018 season According to the sportfakt.ru portal, the TOP-3 highest paid players of the Continental Hockey League are as follows:

1. Ilya Kovalchuk (31) - SKA St. Petersburg forward had an annual salary of more than $ 4.4 million (RUB 290 million). In 2019 he moved to the NHL.
2. Pavel Datsyuk (40 years old) - played in the NHL until 2016. Currently, he has signed a contract for 4.4 million dollars (286 million rubles) per year with the St. Petersburg club SKA.
3. Vyacheslav Voinov (28 years old) - played in the NHL until 2015. He had trouble with American justice, he was accused of domestic violence. Currently, the contract has been concluded with the SKA club in St. Petersburg with an annual income of $ 3.1 million (201.5 million rubles).

Ilya Kovalchuk is the highest paid player in the KHL

For the season 2018/2019 the following hockey players are in the top three in terms of annual income:

1. Sergey Mozyakin (Metallurg) with an annual salary of 180 million rubles. and additional income of about 60 million rubles.
2. Pavel Datsyuk (SKA) has a contract with an annual income of 170 million rubles.
3. Nikolay Kulemin (Metallurg), without taking into account bonuses, has an annual salary of 165 million rubles.

Mozyakin, like many others, hockey players make money not only from games, but from participation in advertising activities

Hockey players' earnings in the NHL

NHL contracts are for 1, 2 and 3 years, depending on the age of the athlete. A hockey player under 25 signs a two-way rookie contract for one year. At the age of 22-23, the contract is signed for 2 years, and for athletes from 18 to 21 years of age, a 3-year contract is valid. Upon successful completion of such an agreement, you can switch to long-term cooperation with the NHL.

The minimum amount is clearly stated for each season. So for 2021, according to sports.ru, it will amount to $ 750,000, or 48 million rubles. The maximum salary has no limits. It depends on the seasonal "ceiling" of salaries at the time of signing the contract and cannot exceed 20% of this amount. Thus, the income can reach 15 million dollars.

There are a lot of pitfalls in the NHL payment system. One of them is "caphit". Many people confuse it with the player's annual payment, but this is not the case. In fact, a cap hit is the average hockey player's salary over the years of the current contract. It can be either less or more than the salary in a certain season.

The salary of hockey players playing in foreign clubs is subject to the following taxes and mandatory payments:

• US federal tax of 39.6%;
• state tax. It is different for each state and varies from 0 to 13.3%;
• payment of certain percent of salary (escrow) to the NHL insurance fund;
• agency fees of 3%.

Highest paid player of the 2017/2018 season - Patrick Kane (Chicago), had a salary of $ 13.8 million. In third place was Jamie Bann (Dallas) with an annual income of $ 13 million.

Kane is a three-time Stanley Cup winner

After taxes, Jamie Bann had a salary of $ 7.85 million, and Patrick Kane's salary was $ 7.65 million. And after taxes, Jamie Bann had a net $ 5.57 million, and Patrick Kane had $ 5.28 million. The net salary of our hockey player Alexander Ovechkin for the season in question was just over $ 4 million out of the initial 10 million.

3 highest paid players

Per Last year The top three highest paid NHL players have changed dramatically. Today, according to sport24.ru, it consists of the following talented hockey players:

1. Connor McDavid (21, Canada) is the most valuable player in the 2018/2019 season. In 2017, he retired from the rookie and signed an eight-year contract with the Edmonton Oilers for $ 100 million. At a $ 15 million salary, his top spot is advertising revenue, which is $ 4 million. As a result, the total revenue is $ 19 million.
2. John Tavares (28, Canada) is # 2 with a salary of $ 15.9 million and ad revenue of $ 1.4 million. In 2018, he signed a $ 77 million 7-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs. His total annual income is $ 17.3 million.
3. Carey Price (31 years old, Canada) is ranked third. In the summer of 2017, he signed an 8-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens for $ 84 million. The annual salary is $ 15 million, advertising revenue is $ 600,000 and the total annual earnings are $ 15.6 million.

Conor McDavid - center forward

How much do hockey players get in the VHL

The annual income of VHL hockey players depends on the wealth of the club. The maximum annual income of athletes is 1.8 million rubles. Leading hockey players, leaders of clubs, have an average monthly salary of 100 to 120 thousand rubles.

There are no highly paid players among the VHL hockey players. To date, this league does not cause much excitement among the fans. Therefore, among ordinary hockey players with salaries from 50 to 200 thousand rubles. it is not possible to find even 3 highly paid players.

What are the incomes in the National Team

The Russian national team is a national team that represents the country at various world championships, international tournaments and the Olympics. The team was created in 1992 and is the legal successor of the USSR National Team. It includes the best representatives of Russian hockey. The national team is the second among the world hockey teams. It is played by highly paid hockey players.

How much do they get at the World Championship

Participation in various tournaments is paid from the established prize fund... There is a different reward for each competition. So, for receiving bronze at the World Championship in 2016, as reported by sportbox.ru, each player of the National Team received 50 thousand dollars.

How much do they get for winning the Olympics

Individual awards are given to the winners of the Olympics. So, for gold medal received in Korea in 2018, each hockey player received 5 million rubles. According to sport-express.ru, the Ministry of Sports of Russia, in accordance with a government decree, has established special monetary awards for medalists. Olympic Games in the following sizes:

• 1st place - 4 million rubles;
• 2nd place - 2.5 million rubles;
• 3rd place - 1.7 million rubles.

In total, the players of the Russian hockey team received 9 million rubles each for winning the Olympics in Pyeongchang. In addition, the winners were presented with foreign-made cars from the Russian Olympians Support Fund. There were also regional awards.

How much hockey players earn per month, per year, they tell in this video:

Fans love spectacular hockey and rarely think about what comes before it. And these are long and grueling workouts, injuries. Sport, along with its beauty, is also very cruel. Therefore, the big earnings of hockey players are justified and deserved.