Montreal Canadiens Michael Pezzetta slams the government for high taxes

NHL players make millions, but they also have to pay millions back in taxes to the government. The problem is that not all cities have equal tax brackets. Let's use Victor Hedman and Elias Pettersson as an example. Hedman plays in the state of Florida, which has no state income tax, meaning he gets to keep almost all of his income. Pettersson, on the other hand, plays in Canada, which is one of the highest taxed countries in the world. He has to pay two taxes, one to the B.C. provincial government and the other to the Canadian federal government.

Playing for the Montreal Canadiens means players have to be prepared to sign their bank accounts away to the Quebec government, as Michael Pezzetta of the Habs is taxed at the highest percentage than anyone else in the NHL on other teams. Quebec's tax rate is 25.75% on income over $126,000, so when combined with the Federal government's tax rate, players are losing more than half their income to taxes, compared to only 12.6% for players in California.

Some teams are definitely more attractive for players during free agency period than others, which is why we have seen four of the last five Stanley Cup champions come from cities where there is no state income tax.

Sorry Canadian hockey fans, but until the governments decide to lower the tax bracket, it's going to be very hard signing big name players that can help win a Stanley Cup.

Credit Markerzone:
Montreal Canadiens forward exposes the NHL's bias against Canadian teams