C
Canadian_Rugger
Guest
The same thing has been happening in European Ice Hockey with the NHL for the past 25 years. Highly successful professional clubs in Europe such as Sweden's Vastra Frolunda, Swiss HC Davos, Jokerit, Sparta Praha, Krefeld Penguins, MoDo, Slavia Praha, Dynamo Moscow, etc are having their best players purged by NHL for millions of dollars. Example being Jaromir Jagr who is being paid 10 million a season to play in the NHL. No European clubs can pay him this much because they don't have the money and in the end national pride gets thrown aside when dollars start flashing. Not even Metallurg Magnitogorsk, a russian superleague team that is most comparable to the NHL as far as European salaries are concerned, could hold onto Evgeni Malkin, who before signing for Pittsburgh, was considered the best player outside the NHL.
Fact is money will always win and if the NZRU can't compete it is going to have to drastically alter the way it runs the professional game if they are going to hold onto their players. The best possible way to do this is thrugh franchising. The reason NHL teams as well as North American sports team in general have so much money is because they are run by billion dollar franchises and not controlled by their respective unions. If you want to compete with European teams your going to need private investment to come in and make a substantial impact. Also your going to need to work with the IRB with the other national unions to ensure that the international game does not fall prey. The NHL and the IIHF were up until recently on completely different pages but now they are starting to work together and hockey as an international sport is being restored to its former glory.
Fact is money will always win and if the NZRU can't compete it is going to have to drastically alter the way it runs the professional game if they are going to hold onto their players. The best possible way to do this is thrugh franchising. The reason NHL teams as well as North American sports team in general have so much money is because they are run by billion dollar franchises and not controlled by their respective unions. If you want to compete with European teams your going to need private investment to come in and make a substantial impact. Also your going to need to work with the IRB with the other national unions to ensure that the international game does not fall prey. The NHL and the IIHF were up until recently on completely different pages but now they are starting to work together and hockey as an international sport is being restored to its former glory.
