In the SHL, the demands of being a professional come with a pretty high price tag. And unfortunately, due to a pretty tight budget, pay day isn't exactly as exciting as it might sound. While many players are making millions each season, those dollars don't really stretch when you consider all of the necessary expenses to be a top notch player. First, we have to invest in individual coaching and weight lifting. Having someone there to work with us outside of our everyday coaching staff allows us to grow week to week. If we didn't spend hundreds of thousands of dollars each week on improving ourselves as professionals, we might not reach the goals that we have set for ourselves as players. Not only can coaching be expensive, but so too can equipment. For every guy around the league, this is a real personal choice. Not everyone can afford to have the newest set of skates or the state of the art stick that was just released. However, for those of us that really strive to be top talents at all levels, we can't skimp on our equipment.

By the time payday money has been allocated to coaching, training and equipment, I have a modest amount of money to go down to the local convenience store and pick up a 99 cent hotdog. Sheesh.

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