While wearing the Montreal Canadiens jersey is an immense honour for most NHLers, playing in this city comes with a few unique downsides.
That list of cons includes brutally cold winters, intense fan and media scrutiny, and last but not least, paying Quebec taxes.
Appearing as the most recent guest on the Cam & Strick Podcast, Canadiens forward Michael Pezzetta was not shy in discussing how much of his salary he’s forced to fork over to the government.
“It’s crazy,” said Pezzetta, who signed a two-year, $1.625 million extension with the Habs last June. “I think we’re like 54% taxed. You lose 4% to your agent, escrow (14%) too.”
Taxes in Montreal are no joke! Michael Pezzetta up now on all platforms! šØš¦ ā¦@CamandStrickā© #GohabsGo pic.twitter.com/iFelM7o7Mz
— Andy Strickland (@andystrickland) July 23, 2024
The 26-year-old Toronto native recalled his rude awakening to North America’s highest-taxed area when he earned his first call-up to the NHL in November of 2021.
“I remember my first year, I got called up to the NHL, making $750,000 or whatever it was. You’re like ‘Wow, I’m gonna make so much money,'” he said. “And then you get that first paycheque and you’re like ‘Oh my god, where’s all the money?'”
Nevertheless, he was grateful for the pay raise.
“It was still a crazy paycheque compared to what I was getting in the minors, but not as big of a difference as I thought.”
Luckily for Pezzetta, Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki, the team’s two highest-paid forwards, often take care of the bill on a night out.
“Cole and Nick, whenever we go out to dinner, they’ll take care of the boys,” he said. “Cole just loves throwing money on the board.”
Despite having less dough in his pocket at the end of the year, Pezzetta, who first joined the Canadiens in 2018, seems happy to be a Hab.
“You’re there on a Tuesday night, it’s you vs. Arizona, neither team’s good in the standings, and there’s 20,000 people in the rink. It’s going crazy,” he said, painting a picture of Montreal’s devoted fan base.
“This is a special place to play. You just gotta soak it in sometimes. You look around like, ‘This is insane.'”
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