NHL 2023-2024 season

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by harls

Not sure it was the winter, but Florida got Tarasenko from Ottawa because of his family being there.

I think $$$ would make me live anywhere, maybe.

People made a big deal of the income tax stuff too, maybe overblown but it's true.

Make $10M in Canada and take home $5. Make $10M in Florida and take home $6 or more. The cap hit is the same but the player is literally making more money.

[Coldrsx]

Or in some US jurisdictions essentially 0 tax...

[WarrenC12]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Or in some US jurisdictions essentially 0 tax...

State Tax, but there's always Federal tax.

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by Coldrsx

Or in some US jurisdictions essentially 0 tax...

No state income tax in Texas for example. For a sports figure or high income professional, these tax implications can figure big in any decision where to play (or practice).

[Calgarian]

When the difference in tax rate equates to 7 figures in your bank account each year, that's huge! especially if you invest your money, higher starting point means higher returns.

[Wigs]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

I was Team Yeti to start with, but have warmed to Mammoth.

No way does Utah keep "Utah HC" after the first year. They are going to want to capitalize on a second round of merchandising with a new name in the 2nd year...

As for Delta Center renovation. I'm still not sold they go that route. I know Smith said he was presented with some plans on how to do it, but you just look at it in hockey configuration and I can't imagine how they fix those sightlines. ...Smith made a great speech at his opening presser about wanting to do right by downtown SLC, but I think when push comes to shove, he's going to look at his soon to be 35 year old arena and the difficult expense of fitting hockey in there, and head to the suburbs like he originally planned.

I hope it's Utah Mammoth. Even I'd buy a shirt or a hat because the logo would (hopefully) look cool.

It seems like the SLC Downtown business association(whatever it's called), retail merchants, restaurant/bar owners are really hoping for a revitalized Delta Center and for the millions in spinoff development from having 41 games/yr of NBA and 41 games/yr of NHL right downtown.
SLC for a smaller Metro has a healthier downtown than a lot of cities, and it seems to be continuously improving, bit by bit. Their 44.8 mi (72.1 km) light rail, TRAX is made to funnel large numbers of people downtown as well.
I hope the arena stays in the city center.

For example:
Everyone I know that's been to Ottawa (or lived there) and seen a Sens game says the worst thing is the arena out in Kanata. Arenas don't require the excessive footprint of an NFL stadium so should be walkable or at least easily accessible in my humble opinion.

[Djeffery]

I agree fully, I hope they do come to a downtown solution. I just don't think when it comes down to it, that Delta Center, as old and tight of a footprint that it is, will work out. And as Ryan Smith said in April, it's very tough to get land in downtown, that even the church, which is huge there, is having trouble. He said that from his company's perspective, building new in the south end, where he can build homes and condos and everything else, would make much more sense for his company, but that he owes it to the city to keep the teams downtown. Hopefully when reality sets in how expensive all this will be that he still puts community over his corporation. I just look at pictures like below and I can't wrap my head around how they make that hockey friendly, while also not wrecking the basketball experience he also says is paramount. This is why this arena wasn't used for hockey in the 2002 Olympics.

Originally Posted by Wigs

I hope it's Utah Mammoth. Even I'd buy a shirt or a hat because the logo would (hopefully) look cool.

It seems like the SLC Downtown business association(whatever it's called), retail merchants, restaurant/bar owners are really hoping for a revitalized Delta Center and for the millions in spinoff development from having 41 games/yr of NBA and 41 games/yr of NHL right downtown.
SLC for a smaller Metro has a healthier downtown than a lot of cities, and it seems to be continuously improving, bit by bit. Their 44.8 mi (72.1 km) light rail, TRAX is made to funnel large numbers of people downtown as well.
I hope the arena stays in the city center.

For example:
Everyone I know that's been to Ottawa (or lived there) and seen a Sens game says the worst thing is the arena out in Kanata. Arenas don't require the excessive footprint of an NFL stadium so should be walkable or at least easily accessible in my humble opinion.

[Coldrsx]

EDMONTON, AB – Edmonton Oilers CEO of Hockey Operations Jeff Jackson has released the following statement regarding President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Ken Holland:

"The Edmonton Oilers and Ken Holland have mutually agreed that his contract will not be extended beyond the end of its current term. Over the past five seasons as General Manager, Ken has not only built the Edmonton Oilers into one of the NHL's best teams, he has also established a deeply rooted foundation of success and a culture of winning that will continue well into the future. Thanks in large part to Ken's outstanding work, Edmonton has become a destination city for players around the National Hockey League. We wish Ken, Cindi and his entire family the very best and thank him for his leadership and contributions to the Oilers organization and the City of Edmonton."

www.nhl.com
RELEASE: Oilers issue statement regarding Ken Holland | Edmonton Oilers
CEO of Hockey Operations Jeff Jackson has released a statement regarding President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Ken Holland
www.nhl.com www.nhl.com

[lio45]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

No state income tax in Texas for example. For a sports figure or high income professional, these tax implications can figure big in any decision where to play (or practice).

Florida has no state income tax. Maybe it’s a factor that explains why they get players able to win the Stanley Cup 3x in 5 years (while reaching the finals the other two years!)

[ChillN]

I think that as Canadians, at the end of the day, we can all be proud we're helping grow ice hockey in the Southern US. :/

[MonctonRad]

Originally Posted by lio45

Florida has no state income tax. Maybe it’s a factor that explains why they get players able to win the Stanley Cup 3x in 5 years (while reaching the finals the other two years!)

To paraphrase the "litany against fear" from Dune:

"for taxes are the little death that kills me over and over."


The Liberals have piled on a number of "little taxes" over the last ten years, each of which has served to further hamstring and kneecap farmers, fishermen, small business people, entrepreneurs and professionals all across Canada.

Each of these "little deaths" are beginning to pile up, and are starting to take a real toll. Soon people may start to act and reduce their exposure to such taxes, by whatever means possible, including fleeing to low tax jurisdictions (if they can).

Some professionals have highy desirable skills and are eminently mobile ( including having made sure they already have the necessary qualifications to practice in a more favourable jurisdiction like in certain American states).

[Coldrsx]

Originally Posted by lio45

Florida has no state income tax. Maybe it’s a factor that explains why they get players able to win the Stanley Cup 3x in 5 years (while reaching the finals the other two years!)

Funny how that and lifestyle work...

[suburbanite]

Athletes pay tax based to the jurisdiction where each game is played (essentially where the income is earned). It's referred to as the "jock tax" and it means that no athlete pays zero state income tax. Florida still has an advantage since 50% of their games are at home with zero income tax, another 2-3 are in the same state against Tampa, a few more in Tennessee and Texas. I remember someone did the math when Marner and Point were both free agents to see how much lower Tampa could pay Point while giving him equivalent take home earnings including both federal and provincial/state tax and obviously the federal taxes make up the bulk of the difference.

The wikipedia article on it has a bunch of interesting examples:

Andrew McCutchen
In 2015, Andrew McCutchen, then an outfielder with the Pittsburgh Pirates, inadvertently left the first page of his direct deposit pay stub for May 1–15 in the visitors' clubhouse at Wrigley Field after the Pirates finished a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs. The stub was found by a visitor during a stadium tour and posted online. (McCutchen was not financially harmed by the exposure because the posted stub contained no bank routing numbers.) It revealed that he had state taxes for Illinois and Missouri, as well as city taxes for Philadelphia and St. Louis, withheld. In addition, Arizona, Ohio, and the city of Cincinnati were listed as potential tax recipients, but no money was withheld for those jurisdictions because the Pirates did not play in those places during the stated period. The stub also indicated that other taxable locales were "continued on next stub", which was not found by the visitor and thus never posted.[6]

[thenoflyzone]

^ If that's the case with the NHL, at least it evens out the disparity a bit.

[Djeffery]

Love this video. Webcam footage from the Elbo Room bar in Fort Lauderdale of a Panthers player with the Stanley Cup early Tuesday morning go across to the beach from the bar. All the oblivious people in their cars who have no idea who that is, or what he's carrying. Probably thought he stole it from shop on Las Olas Blvd lol.

https://x.com/fguzmanon7/status/1805604664454390199

[savevp]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

Love this video. Webcam footage from the Elbo Room bar in Fort Lauderdale of a Panthers player with the Stanley Cup early Tuesday morning go across to the beach from the bar. All the oblivious people in their cars who have no idea who that is, or what he's carrying. Probably thought he stole it from shop on Las Olas Blvd lol.

https://x.com/fguzmanon7/status/1805604664454390199

Bettman's tax-free pet projects can win a hundred Stanley Cups, they will never be hockey towns.

[Ozabald]

Originally Posted by MonctonRad

No state income tax in Texas for example. For a sports figure or high income professional, these tax implications can figure big in any decision where to play (or practice).

No state income tax in the following states which have NHL teams:
- Florida
- Nevada
- Texas
- Tennessee
- Washington

[thenoflyzone]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

Love this video. Webcam footage from the Elbo Room bar in Fort Lauderdale of a Panthers player with the Stanley Cup early Tuesday morning go across to the beach from the bar. All the oblivious people in their cars who have no idea who that is, or what he's carrying. Probably thought he stole it from shop on Las Olas Blvd lol.

https://x.com/fguzmanon7/status/1805604664454390199

Love the Elbo room. That place is always happening. (Obviously not at 10am though!)

[Comrade]

Originally Posted by Djeffery

I agree fully, I hope they do come to a downtown solution. I just don't think when it comes down to it, that Delta Center, as old and tight of a footprint that it is, will work out. And as Ryan Smith said in April, it's very tough to get land in downtown, that even the church, which is huge there, is having trouble. He said that from his company's perspective, building new in the south end, where he can build homes and condos and everything else, would make much more sense for his company, but that he owes it to the city to keep the teams downtown. Hopefully when reality sets in how expensive all this will be that he still puts community over his corporation. I just look at pictures like below and I can't wrap my head around how they make that hockey friendly, while also not wrecking the basketball experience he also says is paramount. This is why this arena wasn't used for hockey in the 2002 Olympics.

Thanks for Wigs for giving me the heads up on this thread.

We're excited for Salt Lake to get going on this NHL team.

I want to say that the Delta Center does appear to be the long-term home of the hockey team with extensive renovations that will modernize the bowls and make it so that there are no obstructed views. It'll also expand hockey capacity to something like 17,500. I have heard speculation that the lower bowl will be contractable or movable in some way and that the rink will actually be off-center as opposed to center to the arena's floor. It also will expand the arena's capacity back to 19,000 for basketball (it's now in the 18,000s after renovations).

Can it be done? They seem pretty committed.

This isn't a situation where Ryan Smith is just placating Salt Lake and waiting for things to not work before moving out to the suburbs. Smith's original plan was to build the arena in the south-end of the valley. He had no intention of ever remaining in Salt Lake. But Salt Lake came to him, as did the Utah Legislature, and likely even had the ear of the LDS Church, to build and commit to downtown. So, I think the commitment is genuine.

IF the Delta Center doesn't work out, I suspect they'll build the arena on a portion of the current Salt Lake Palace Convention Center. But I suspect they want to keep the Delta Center and will do what they can to renovate it.

In the end, I would be surprised if that isn't how it plays out. I am interested to see what the plans look like and they have said that they'll begin renovating the arena in April, 2025 (or whenever both the Jazz/NHL season ends). It will be a multi-year thing, tho. So, the first phase might see the lower bowl renovated and the second stage, likely in 2026, will see the upper-bowl renovated.

But we'll see.

BTW: This is the conceptual plan for the sports district that the city council is expected to approve (Delta Center on the right):

[Coldrsx]

Edmonton Oilers
40m
The #Oilers have placed goaltender Jack Campbell on unconditional waivers for the purpose of a buyout.