Quote:
Originally Posted by Locke
Okay....
I just think of it more along the lines of:
"We're a team, you just got a Once in a Lifetime career opportunity that is going to immensely benefit our family, some sacrifices may have to be made to take maximum advantage of it."
That seems pretty reasonable to me.
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The Gaudreau’s and their children will never have to worry about money again. It’s perfectly rational to value being in the same country as your family and support system in crucial childrearing years over the extra money from signing the Calgary contract. When you’re looking at career earnings of almost $120 million, that extra $10 million buys you only marginal (if any) more happiness vs the social and emotional benefits of raising your family where you want.
When he was 28, Niklas Lidstrom came very close to pulling a Hakan Loob and moving back to Sweden to raise his family. He would have left well over half of his career earnings on the table. Would that have been a mistake? Not if Lidstrom and his family were happy with the consequences of that decision.
And then there’s Loob himself. There’s never been any suggestion he regretted his decision to return to Sweden in his prime to raise his family, even though it meant he had to get a day job (NHL salaries hadn’t hit the big leagues yet in ‘89).