Quote:
Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction
So only Russians retire from the NHL?
Hakan Loob had just turned 29 when he did the same thing to play in Sweden.
|
Jim Peplinski retired at 29 as well IIRC. They had both just won the Stanley Cup, so why not? They had more money than they could ever spend.
I expect this is a good way for the Devils to escape the albatross contract, and Kovalchuk to go home to Russia.
It'll possibly be interesting to see what happens in 3-4 years if his post career follows the "30 for 30: Broke" pattern (great documentary BTW).
Most pro athletes are in the highest tax bracket so take home only part of their announced contract. In the US those making over 400K are paying 30% tax.
Link
60% of NBA players are bankrupt within 5 years of retirement.
78% of NFL players are bankrupt or under "financial stress" within 2 years of retirement.
Link
I would LOVE to know what the numbers are for players in the NHL. I tend to think not quite as high (and I would hope not as high), but nevertheless - if Kovalchuk was broke in 3 years, he would probably still be able to return to the NHL given his skill level.
Then again, he's probably going to get a boatload of cash from the KHL, so maybe it's neither here nor there.