Hockey players

There is something I don't understand, given the situation in Russia right now, why would an American hockey player decide to sign a contract to play for a team in Russia??? I guess I can understand Russian hockey players choosing to go back to Russia (although they are also taking a chance) but Americans or even Canadians choosing to go there for any amount of money just seems insane!

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Ynotisay · M

I think most of the Canadian or American born players in the KHL weren't in a position to have legit NHL careers. Or they're towards the end. And for the younger guys, or players going up and down to the AHL, the average salary in the KHL is about twice as much as the AHL. But not even close to the average NHL salary. Russia has had a big presence in the NHL for a while and the North American athletes are used to being around foreign born players. I think a lot of guys just want to play and they'll go wherever they'll get paid.