5 highest paid players in NHL 2018/19

There is something about sports that just speaks to the human soul and they love it. Sports like Football and Cricket have a major fan following all over the world and there are big leagues which are organized for these sports.Even people who don’t directly take part in these events get thrills out of it through sports betting by making a football bet or cricket bet. But there is another sport that is getting a lot of attention nowadays and it has one of the most profitable leagues in the world. The fever of ice hockey has started to hit the world.

While not the oldest game ever to be played in the world, the origins of organized ice hockey can be traced back to over 100 years ago and the winter sport has been gaining more and more popularity since then, all over the world.

As with any major sport, there are many associations that manage the events and leagues that take place all over the world but the National Hockey League of the United States of America and Canada is by far the biggest and the most important one. In fact, NHL is so big and popular that it can stand with the biggest league of every other major sport and not seem to be out of place in any way. 31 teams consisting of 6 players each play in the NHL, competing for what is arguably the most prestigious cup one can win in ice hockey, the Stanley Cup.

While the viewership is mainly limited to the two native countries in which it takes place—even though the league is slowly gathering a worldwide following—but since one of those two countries is the biggest economic power in the world, there is some serious money involved in it and the star players of this league often end up becoming some of the highest paid sportsmen in the world.

But which these hyper popular and much-loved star players stand at the top when it comes to money? So here is a list of the 5 highest-paid— incomes from endorsements notwithstanding—superstars of the National Hockey League in the season of 2018 and 2019.

Number 5:- Patrick Kane

Staring of the list the star of one of the biggest teams in the national hockey league—Chicago Blackhawks—is none other than the expert right winger, Patrick Kane. As someone who had managed to lift the prestigious Stanley cup, not one, not two but three times, it is extremely fair to consider him one the greatest player the league has ever seen and therefore him being among the highest earners is also very appropriate. Apart from the Stanley Cup, he has also won the Conn Smythe Trophy, a trophy which only given the most valuable player of a particular season.

The American born sportsman is reported to have a salary of around $12 Millon! While that amount might seem like a lot to the uninitiated, to anyone who has been watching him play for the past decade—fan or not, it would seem like a very fair reward for his talent and hard work he has done in all these years.

While being a champion of the National Hockey League, he has also represented his country in the winter Olympics on more than one occasion and that has made him a true national treasure that no country or team would ever accept parting ways with.

Number 4:- Jamie Benn

Moving on from the American hero, its time to talk about a player who hails from the great country to the north of the US, Jamie Benn, one of the greatest Canadian ice hockey players to have ever walked the earth. The forward playing captain of the Dallas Stars is a joy to watch for anyone who loves ice hockey whether they are a supporter or an opponent of his team.

Benn has been playing ice hockey since he was very young and even made a good career in junior ice hockey playing for the Peninsula Panthers, but it was in the national hockey league where is truly got a chance to shine and that is exactly what he did.

With a salary of over 13 million dollars, he sits comfortably on the 4th spot of this list and he absolutely deserves to be here. His fans love him and just can’t seem to get enough of watching him score more and more goals with every game.

Number 3:- Connor McDavid

Another Canadian born star of the national hockey league, Connor McDavid is the pride of his team, the Edmonton Oilers, which he also captains. Growing up in Toronto and developing a love for ice hockey during his childhood years, he is now considered by many as the number 1 greatest ice hockey player in the world and it is easy to see why.

A true prodigy, Connor McDavid has been collect gold medals at ice hockey games ever since he started playing in the junior leagues and once he made the switch to the national hockey league, people have been treated to a form of play they had never seen from a player ever before.

With a pay slip of over $15 million, Connor McDavid is one of the highest earning sportsmen in the world and the most hardcore fans of him would argue that the amount is far less than what he actually deserves. Being only 22 years at the time writing, he still has a long career ahead of him and if he keeps going at this current pace, then that amount might increase by multiple times by the time he retires.

Number 2:- Carey Price

The only goaltender to make it to this list belong to the Montreal Canadiens, Carey Price. Considered by his fans, experts and major sports media outlets as one of the best goaltenders in the world, it’s no surprise he takes the 2nd spot on this list with a salary of over $15 Million!

The Canadian born ice hockey player started his career in this sport by playing the Western Hockey League. Once he started to play in the national hockey league, the world quickly acknowledged his talent and he started to be considered at the MVP of the league, a title reserved for the best of the best.

A true genius at ice hockey, he has represented his country at multiple international events, and he has even won the Ice Hockey World Championship.

Number 1:- John Tavares

While America is has a much bigger economy than Canada, if there is one thing becomes clear by going through this list it is that all the highest earners, bar one, are Canadian and the player sitting at the top is no exception.

The one to top this list and the highest paid ice hockey player in the National Hockey League, with a salary of $15.9Million is none other than the alternate captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, John Tavares.

Words are not enough to express of just what an enigma he is when he plays the game and one look at him shooting a winning will convince even the biggest of sceptics that he truly deserves every penny he gets for his efforts. He might not be the greatest ice hockey player that has ever lived but he is definitely the highest earner the game has ever seen.

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