Where elite NBA players can make up to $50 million annually, pro basketball officials are estimated to earn between $200,000-550,000 per year, plus travel reimbursements and a courtside seat for games.

But getting to the NBA is hard as there are thousands of basketball referees across North America and across the planet, so the chances of ever reaching the top end of the salary bracket are slim.

From the big leagues to lower levels, here��s a breakdown of how basketball officials are compensated.

The Big Leagues

There are about 80 on-court officials in the NBA, and as many as three work each of the 1,230 regular-season games and playoffs.

The lead official is the crew chief, and he or she is joined by two umpires that keep control of the game.

Veteran NBA crew chiefs make upwards of $550,000 per year �� paid out to about $7,000 per game over about 80 games per regular season.

The best of the best earn playoff assignments, which could net them an additional $9,000 per game, and if they are chosen for NBA Finals games that pay could jump by threefolds.

Less experienced NBA umpires can still make six figures but more like $3,000 per game.

These officials still receive first-class travel arrangements, hotel reimbursements and per diem. Plus they still get to be on the floor for NBA games.

Officials have been covered by a union, the NBA Referees Association (NBRA), since 1973.

In 2017, the union expanded to cover officials of the NBA G League and WNBA.

WNBA officials make about $500 per game and nearly $200,000 per season. G League officials make less than that.

The NBA also relies on replay, which means it needs officials at its video operations room in Secaucus, New Jersey each night.

Those operators make about $21 per hour, according to Glassdoor.

College

The NBA is the majors, but where do the pros pull their talent from?

College, of course.

Officials of college games are not covered by unions but still can make more than six figures �� around $2,500 per game in major conferences like the Big East, Big Ten or Big XII �� according to Sapling.

Though college basketball plays far fewer games than the pros do, which means the earning potential is less in college even though the per-game cost can be more.

The median income for a college basketball official is about $36,000, with food and travel expenses reimbursed, which is a nice income supplement for those who officiate college or professional football games in the fall �� former NFL referee and current CBS commentator Gene Steratore and current NFL official Bill Vinovich each have officiated college basketball games during their offseason.

Those who are chosen to officiate NCAA Tournament games can make $1,000 per game more, or $2,000 per game if they reach the Final Four.

Lower Levels

There are thousands of girls�� and boys�� basketball games played every day, including high school, AAU, youth and even adult men��s leagues. These games need officials too as tempers flare up and the sport doesn��t police itself.

For high school games the pay is less, but still can be lucrative, particularly as a side job on nights and weekends.

Officials for AAU games can make $70 apiece. High-end high school refs can make between $40-$60 per game, according to Dunkorthree.com, and on weekends could officiate two or more games per day

Youth referees can make a little less than high-school refs, roughly $30 per game, but again can work multiple games per day to boost their earnings.

So now you know how much basketball officials make, why not find out how much NHL referees make too? Or expand your basketball knowledge with our guide on basketball periods.

But if you��re a new hockey fan, you��re probably going to want to cheer for an NHL team to take that support to the next level.

If you live in an NHL city, it might be easy to choose which team to support. But if you don��t live in a hockey market �� or don��t care to root, root, root for the home team �� then it could be tricky.

That��s where we come in.

Here��s our foolproof guide on how to choose an NHL team to support.

Anaheim Ducks

Established in: 1993

Stanley Cups won: 1 (2007)

Star players: Center Ryan Getzlaf, forward Rickard Rakell, Goalie John Gibson

All-time greats: Paul Kariya (1994-03), Teemu Selanne (1995-01), Ryan Getzlaf (2005-22), Scott Niedermayer (2005-10), Chris Pronger (2006-09)

You should support them if: You love 1990s nostalgia, particularly the Disney variety.

The Ducks, who were founded by Disney in response to the popularity of the ��Mighty Ducks�� movie franchise, play second fiddle to the Los Angeles Kings in that region.

They��re coming out of a rebuild with a budding crop of talented young players but still may be a few years from legitimate Stanley Cup contention.

Arizona Coyotes

Established in: 1996

Stanley Cups won: 0

Star players: Forward Phil Kessel, forward Clayton Keller, defenseman Jakub Chychrun

All-time greats: Keith Tkachuk (1996-01), Jeremy Roenick (1996-01)

You should support them if: You��re a schizophrenic sports fan who wouldn��t be affected if they moved.

The Coyotes, who moved to the southwest from Winnipeg in 1996, have been flirting with relocation for more than a decade at this point, which has also coincided with just one postseason appearance since 2012.

The 2021-22 season should be their last at Gila River Arena, meaning the team is essentially a free agent when this season ends.

Boston Bruins

Established in: 1924

Stanley Cups won: 6 (1929, 1939, 1941, 1970, 1972, 2011)

Star players: Center Patrice Bergeron, forward Brad Marchand, forward Taylor Hall, defenseman Charlie McAvoy

All-time greats: Johnny Bucyk (1957-78), Bobby Orr (1966-76), Phil Esposito (1967-75), Raymond Bourque (1979-00), Cam Neely (1987-96), Joe Thornton (1997-05), Zdeno Chara (2006-20)

You should support them if: You��d love to support tradition.

The Bruins are arguably the most classic NHL team, with the legendary spoked B logo and support from across hockey-mad New England.

Orr created a generation of hockey fans with his smooth skating and incredible skill, but Neely carried the torch through his rugged and skilled play.

Modern-day stars like Chara, Bergeron and Marchand helped bring Boston back to the forefront, winning the Cup in 2011 and helping Boston reach the Stanley Cup final in 2013 and 2019 as well.

Buffalo Sabres

Established in: 1970

Stanley Cups won: 0

Star players: Forward Jeff Skinner, defenseman Rasmus Dahlin

All-time greats: Gilbert Perreault (1971-87), Phil Housley (1982-90), Dave Andreychuk (1982-93), Alex Mogilny (1989-95), Pat Lafontaine (1991-97), Dominik Hasek (1992-01)

You should support them if: You��re loyal and love a good project.

The Sabres have had some near-misses �� Hasek carried them to the Stanley Cup final in 1999 and they went to the Eastern Conference final in consecutive years in 2006 and 2007 �� but have the sport��s longest playoff drought and just traded captain and star center Jack Eichel in a rebuilding move.

Sabres fans are among the most loyal in hockey, although their patience is wearing thin.

Calgary Flames

Established in: 1980

Stanley Cups won: 1 (1989)

Star players: Forward Johnny Gaudreau, forward Matthew Tkachuk, goalie Jacob Markstrom

All-time greats: Al MacInnis (1981-94), Lanny McDonald (1982-89), Joe Nieuwendyk (1986-95), Theo Fleury (1988-98), Jarome Iginla (1995-12), Miikka Kiprusoff (2003-13), Mark Giordano (2006-21)

You should support them if: You prefer the upstart in a rivalry.

The Flames have always played understudy to the tradition-laden Edmonton Oilers. The Flames have only gotten to the mountain��s summit once, 1989, yet annually go to battle with a competent and star-laden lineup.

For some reason, recent playoff success has been hard to come by as Calgary hasn��t advanced past the second round since its run to Game 7 of the Cup final in 2004.

Carolina Hurricanes

Established in: 1997

Stanley Cups won: 1 (2006)

Star players: Center Sebastian Aho, forward Teuvo Teravainen, forward Jordan Staal, defenseman Jaccob Slavin, goalie Frederik Andersen

All-time greats: Ron Francis (1999-04), Rod Brind��Amour (2000-10) Eric Staal (2003-16), Cam Ward (2005-18)

You should support them if: You like your sports to be a little bit fun or fashion yourself a jerk.

The Hurricanes have had a run of relevance under coach Rod Brind��Amour and led by its loaded roster and creative marketing team that has leaned into its quirkiness.

Carolina, which moved from Hartford in 1997, has donned the legendary Hartford Whalers jersey at least one night every season since 2018-19, dubbed itself the ��Bunch of Jerks�� in response to now-disgraced hockey commentator Don Cherry��s complaints in 2019 and have participated in the arena-wide ��Storm Surge�� where they produce elaborate celebrations after home victories.

Chicago Blackhawks

Established in: 1927

Stanley Cups won: 6 (1934, 1938, 1961, 2010, 2013, 2015)

Star players: Center Jonathan Toews, forward Patrick Kane, defenseman Seth Jones, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury

All-time greats: Bobby Hull (1957-72), Glenn Hall (1957-67), Stan Mikita (1958-80), Tony Esposito (1969-84), Doug Wilson (1977-91), Duncan Keith (2006-21), Marian Hossa (2009-17)

You should support them if: You like blue bloods and are not afraid to shield your eyes at times.

The Blackhawks are coming out of a dynastic decade where they won the Stanley Cup three times.

However, before that dynasty they were among the most irrelevant teams in the NHL, to the point where they were blacked out on local TV. Chicago had gone 49 years between championships and only won once in a 72-year stretch.

Now they��re headed back for a rebuild while also attempting to manage a scandal involving a sexual assault coverup that marred their 2010 title.

Colorado Avalanche

Established in: 1995

Stanley Cups won: 2 (1996, 2001)

Star players: Center Nathan MacKinnon, forward Mikko Rantanen, forward Gabriel Landekog, defenseman Cale Makar

All-time greats: Joe Sakic (1995-09), Peter Forsberg (1995-04), Patrick Roy (1995-03), Raymond Bourque (2000-01), Rob Blake (2000-06)

You should support them if: You love speed and skill.

The Avalanche took the NHL by storm from the minute they moved west from Quebec City, claiming the Cup twice, reaching the Western Conference final six times in a seven-year stretch and developing one of the fiercest rivalries in league history with the Detroit Red Wings.

Colorado is back as the preseason favorite to win the Cup after reaching the playoffs each of the past three seasons.

Columbus Blue Jackets

Established in: 2000

Stanley Cups won: 0

Star players: Forward Boone Jenner, forward Max Domi, forward Patrik Laine, defenseman Zach Werenski, goalie Joonas Korpisalo

All-time greats: Rick Nash (2002-13), Sergei Bobrovsky (2012-19), Nick Foligno (2012-21)

You should support them if: You love the smell of smoke in the morning.

The Blue Jackets�� identity league-wide comes from the cannon the team blasts off after every home goal at Nationwide Arena.

It took Columbus nearly two decades to win a playoff round �� it famously won its first postseason series against the dominant Tampa Bay Lightning �� and is back to rebuilding after not renewing the contract of coach John Tortorella after the 2020-21 season.

Dallas Stars

Established in: 1993

Stanley Cups won: 1 (1999)

Star players: Forward Tyler Seguin, forward Jamie Benn, forward Alex Radulov, defenseman Miro Heiskanen

All-time greats: Mike Modano (1993-10), Joe Nieuwendyk (1995-02), Sergei Zubov (1996-09), Ed Belfour (1997-02), Brett Hull (1998-01)

You should support them if: You love Texas.

The Stars moved from Minnesota in 1993 and immediately became one of the league��s most dominant teams, becoming the first Sun Belt team to win the Cup in 1999 and reaching the Cup final in 2000.

Dallas has had a few good, not great, years �� notably their upstart run to the Stanley Cup final in the bubble playoffs of 2020 after hosting that year��s Winter Classic �� but haven��t quite been able to reach the summit in the new century.

Detroit Red Wings

Established in: 1933

Stanley Cups won: 11 (1936, 1937, 1943, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2008)

Star players: Center Dylan Larkin, forward Tyler Bertuzzi, forward, Filip Zadina, defenseman Moritz Seider

All-time greats: Ted Lindasy (1944-57), Gordie Howe (1946-71), Terry Sawchuk (1949-64), Alex Delvecchio (1950-74), Steve Yzerman (1983-06), Nick Lidstrom (1991-12), Sergei Fedorov (1990-03), Brendan Shanahan (1996-06), Pavel Datsyuk (2001-16), Henrik Zetterberg (2002-18) 

You should support them if: You love timeless teams.

The Red Wings are classic. They have arguably the best alumni base. They play in Hockeytown USA.

They have arguably the coolest playoff tradition �� throwing octopus on the ice in a nod to when it took just eight wins to claim the Stanley Cup.

The only thing they don��t quite have yet is a winning club, although with Yzerman calling the shots as the team��s general manager, that can��t be too far off.

Edmonton Oilers

Established in: 1979

Stanley Cups won: 5 (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990)

Star players: Center Connor McDavid, forward Leon Draisaitl, forward Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, defenseman Darnell Nurse

All-time greats: Wayne Gretzky (1979-88), Mark Messier (1979-91), Jari Kurri (1980-90), Paul Coffey (1980-87), Glenn Anderson (1980-91), Grant Fuhr (1981-91), Ryan Smyth (1994-07)

You should support them if: You love old-time dynasties.

The Oilers organization is still clinging to the five championships it won in a seven-year span, while also trying to revive Edmonton��s moniker as Canada��s City of Champions.

McDavid and Draisaitl are a veritable 1-2 punch as two of the league��s best players, but the Oilers have struggled to put enough talent around them to become even a championship contender.

That duo is still fun to watch, though.

Florida Panthers

Established in: 1993

Stanley Cups won: 0

Star players: Center Aleksander Barkov, forward Jonathan Huberdeau, forward Sam Bennett, forward Sam Reinhart, defenseman Aaron Ekblad, goalie Sergei Bobrovsky

All-time greats: John Vanbiesbrouck (1993-98), Scott Mellanby (1993-01), Pavel Bure (1999-02), Roberto Luongo (2000-06, 2014-19), Olli Jokinen (2000-09)

You should support them if: You support endangered species.

The Panthers have long been one of the NHL��s most moribund organizations. Outside of their famous Year of the Rat run to the Cup final, Florida has been largely irrelevant and a threat to move.

Still, the Panthers have one of the NHL��s best young cores and are poised for a run of relevance.

Will the team be supported? Stay tuned.

Los Angeles Kings

Established in: 1967

Stanley Cups won: 2 (2012, 2014)

Star players: Center Anze Kopitar, defenseman Drew Doughty, goalie Jonathan Quick

All-time greats: Marcel Dionne (1975-87), Luc Robitaille (1986-94, 2003-06), Wayne Gretzky (1988-96), Rob Blake (1989-01, 2006-08), Jeff Carter (2012-20)

You should support them if: You love the glitz and glam of Hollywood.

The Kings may be down the pecking order of Southern California sports, but they are still the top hockey act in town thanks to a mid-2010s run that included two championships and a trip to the Western Conference final in 2013.

The Kings are notable for their splash-making as they brought Wayne Gretzky to the US in 1988 and moved the NHL from out of the dark ages and toward the mainstream �� particularly as celebrities flooded the Great Western Forum, LA��s home arena at the time, to get a glimpse of ��The Great One��.

Minnesota Wild

Established in: 2000

Stanley Cups won: 0

Star players: Forward Kirill Kaprizov, forward Joel Eriksson-Ek, forward Mats Zuccarello, defenseman Matt Dumba, defenseman Jared Spurgeon

All-time greats: Marian Gaborik (2000-09), Mikko Koivu (2005-20), Niklas Backstrom (2006-15), Ryan Suter (2012-21)

You should support them if: You support second chances.

The Wild have unfortunately had similar success to the North Stars before them only with much more rabid fan support. Losing a team will inspire that.

The Wild haven��t yet achieved star status in the NHL zeitgeist, but they��re trying with a young core of skilled players, coach Dean Evason and general manager Bill Guerin appear to be moving in the right direction.

Montreal Canadiens

Established in: 1917

Stanley Cups won: 24 (1924, 1925, 1930, 1931, 1944, 1946, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1973, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1986, 1993)

Star players: Forward Brendan Gallagher, forward Jonathan Drouin, defenseman Jeff Petry, defenseman Shea Weber, goalie Carey Price

All-time greats: Georges Vezina (1917-26), Maurice Richard (1942-60), Jean Beliveau (1950-71), Jacques Plante (1952-63), Henri Richard (1955-75), Yvon Cournoyer (1963-79), Ken Dryden (1971-79), Guy Lafleur (1971-85), Larry Robinson (1972-89), Patrick Roy (1984-95)

You should support them if: You speak French or love a winning tradition.

The Canadiens are sports royalty, essentially hockey��s New York Yankees, with the timeless uniforms, endless traditions and litany of star alumni looming over the present-day roster.

Montreal is currently stuck in its longest championship drought in franchise history, but that shouldn��t stop any prospective fans from cheering on le bleu, blanc et rouge.

Nashville Predators

Established in: 1998

Stanley Cups won: 0

Star players: Center Matt Duchene, forward Filip Forsberg, defenseman Roman Josi, defenseman Mattias Ekholm

All-time greats: Tomas Vokoun (1998-07), David Legwand (1999-14), Shea Weber (2005-16), Mike Fisher (2010-18) Pekka Rinne (2005-21)

You should support them if: You like your sports with a twang.

The Predators play in the heart of Nashville and have embraced the Music City theme as one of their main identities, enlisting marquee country acts to perform the national anthem at playoff games and even having a house band play during intermissions at every home game.

What they haven��t quite done is reach the promised land, as the Predators�� deepest run came in 2017 when they fell to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Cup final.

New Jersey Devils

Established in: 1982

Stanley Cups won: 3 (1995, 2000, 2003)

Star players: Center Jack Hughes, center Nico Hischier, defenseman Dougie Hamilton, defenseman P.K. Subban, goalie Mackenzie Blackwood

All-time greats: Scott Niedermayer (1991-04), Scott Stevens (1991-04), Martin Brodeur (1992-14), Patrik Elias (1995-16)

You should support them if: You like an upstart and have thick skin.

New Jersey is constantly belittled for its small-market status and ��boring�� run of success in the mid-1990s and early 2000s.

Devils fans embrace their team��s history and relish the three championships �� even though the title celebrations came in the parking lot of the Meadowlands arena.

They also hope the team can emerge from a dark period with its young and improving core and deliver a new and sustained run of excellence to Prudential Center.

New York Islanders

Established in: 1972

Stanley Cups won: 4 (1980, 1981, 1982, 1983)

Star players: Center Mathew Barzal, forward Josh Bailey, forward Anthony Beauvilier, defenseman Ryan Pulock, defenseman Adam Pelech, goalie Ilya Sorokin

All-time greats: Denis Potvin (1973-88), Bryan Trottier (1975-90), Clark Gillies (1974-86), Mike Bossy (1977-87), Butch Goring (1980-85), Billy Smith (1972-89), Pat Lafontaine (1983-91)

You should support them if: You like an upstart and have thick skin.

The Islanders have taken a lot of the same flack that Devils fans have gone through in their existence, notably from New York Rangers fans.

Still, the Islanders�� dynasty in the early 1980s cemented their place in hockey history, and fans on Long Island are hoping the present-day team �� which has reached the Eastern Conference final two straight years �� can rekindle some of that success at their new home, UBS Arena, which opened November 20, 2021.

New York Rangers

Established in: 1926

Stanley Cups won: 4 (1928, 1933, 1940, 1994)

Star players: Center Mika Zibanejad, forward Artemi Panarin, defenseman Adam Fox, goalie Igor Shesterkin

All-time greats: Gump Worsley (1952-63), Rod Gilbert (1960-78), Jean Ratelle (1960-75), Ed Giacomin (1965-75), Brad Park (1968-75), Brian Leetch (1988-04), Mike Richter (1989-03), Mark Messier (1991-97, 2000-04),  Wayne Gretzky (1997-99), Henrik Lundqvist (2005-20)

You should support them if: You love to cheer for a frontrunner that never actually wins.

The Rangers own the hockey scene in New York, and Rangers fans like to pretend they don��t share a market with two other teams.

Sure, the Rangers have history, tradition and arguably the greatest arena in hockey �� Madison Square Garden �� but they��ve only won one championship since 1940 and have only reached the Stanley Cup final twice since 1980, famously winning in 1994.

The Islanders won as many titles in four years as it��s taken the Rangers to in nearly 100.

Still, the fandom gets passed from generation to generation and that same superiority always seems to be there as well.

Ottawa Senators

Established in: 1991

Stanley Cups won: 0

Star players: Forward Brady Tkachuk, forward Tim Stutzle, defenseman Thomas Chabot

All-time greats: Daniel Alfredsson (1995-13), Alexei Yashin (1993-01), Wade Redden (1996-08), Chris Phillips (1997-15), Marian Hossa (1998-04), Jason Spezza (2003-14), Erik Karlsson (2009-18), Craig Anderson (2010-20)

You should support them if: You want to support a Canadian team that isn��t a blue blood and can tolerate a miserly owner.

The Senators sit tucked between Toronto and Montreal and usually are stuck playing the little brother to each team��s verbose fanbase.

The Senators are generally plucky, coming just a goal from an upstart run to the Cup final in 2017 and reaching the Cup final in 2007, and are on the rise with a slew of great young draft picks.

But as long as owner Eugene Melnyk is signing the paychecks, the team will act stingy financially and could ultimately skip town if its arena situation isn��t resolved.

Philadelphia Flyers

Established in: 1967

Stanley Cups won: 2 (1974, 1975)

Star players: Center Sean Couturier, forward Claude Giroux, forward Cam Atkinson, defenseman Ivan Provorov, defenseman Ryan Ellis, goalie Carter Hart

All-time greats: Bernie Parent (1967-70, 1973-79), Bob Clarke (1969-84), Bill Barber (1972-84), Mark Howe (1982-92), Ron Hextall (1986-92, 1994-99), Eric Lindros (1992-00), John LeClair (1994-04), Eric Desjardins (1995-06)

You should support them if: You have no problem being the villain.

The Flyers embraced the Broad Street Bullies moniker that led to two Stanley Cup championships and three straight trips to the Cup final and haven��t shaken that rep even almost 50 years later.

The Flyers want to play rough-and-tumble hockey, and it paid off with their legendary Legion of Doom line with Lindros, LeClair and Mikael Renberg during the 1990s that led to a run of regular-season dominance and a Stanley Cup final appearance in 1997.

Philadelphia hasn��t played for the Cup since but is always in the hunt with a rabid fan base that is just itching for another championship.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Established in: 1967

Stanley Cups won: 5 (1991, 1992, 2009, 2016, 2017)

Star players: Center Sidney Crosby, center Evgeni Malkin, forward Jeff Carter, forward Jake Guentzel, defenseman Kris Letang

All-time greats: Mario Lemieux (1984-06), Jaromir Jagr (1990-01), Ron Francis (1991-98), Marc-Andre Fleury (2003-17)

You should support them if: You love flightless birds or flock to superstars.

The Penguins have been, let��s just say fortunate, through the years to land multiple generational talents �� notably Lemieux, Crosby and Malkin �� who have in turn built a standard of excellence as the Penguins�� identity.

Lemieux and Jagr teamed up for consecutive titles in the early 90s, then Crosby and Malkin helped did the same in the mid-2010s.

Crosby, Letang and Malkin are still going strong, and the Penguins are trying for one last championship run before the inevitable rebuild that is to come.

San Jose Sharks

Established in: 1991

Stanley Cups won: 0

Star players: Center Logan Couture, forward Tomas Hertl, defenseman Erik Karlsson, defenseman Brent Burns

All-time greats: Owen Nolan (1995-03),  Patrick Marleau (1997-17), Evgeni Nabokov (1999-10), Joe Thornton (2005-20), Joe Pavelski (2006-19), Dan Boyle (2008-14)

You should support them if: You support teams that fall just short.

The Sharks have been perennially one of the NHL��s best teams throughout the 2000s yet have never quite reached the summit.

San Jose has made the playoffs 21 times in its 30-season existence, had nine 100-plus-point seasons in the 2000s yet has only reached the Cup final once in 2016, losing in six games to the Penguins.

The Sharks are caught between rebuilding and chasing the championship right now, an unenviable position generally.

Seattle Kraken

Established in: 2021

Stanley Cups won: 0

Star players: —

All-time greats: —

You should support them if: You want in on the ground floor.

The Kraken are brand new, with no discernible history, identity or legacy.

They play in sports-mad Seattle yet have struggled out of the gate in their first season.

If you want the truest taste of hockey fandom �� watching a club build, grow and ultimately taste success �� this is the place to start.

St. Louis Blues

Established in: 1967

Stanley Cups won: 1 (2019)

Star players: Center Ryan O��Reilly, forward Vladimir Tarasenko, defenseman Colton Parayko, goalie Jordan Binnigton

All-time greats: Glenn Hall (1967-71), Bernie Federko (1976-89), Brett Hull (1987-98), Al MacInnis (1994-04), Chris Pronger (1995-04), David Backes (2006-16), Alex Pietrangelo (2008-20)

You should support them if: You��re a long-suffering fan who finally got the payout.

The Blues were like the Sharks for years, constantly falling short and letting down their fans.

Then came the magical run from last place to the Stanley Cup during the 2018-19 season.

St. Louis has emerged from the Blackhawks�� shadow as one of the best teams in the NHL, led by O��Reilly and coach Craig Berube, and should be playoff regulars for the foreseeable future.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Established in: 1992

Stanley Cups won: 3 (2004, 2020, 2021)

Star players: Center Brayden Point, center Steven Stamkos, forward Nikita Kucherov, defenseman Victor Hedman, goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy

All-time greats: Vincent Lecavalier (1998-13), Martin St. Louis (2000-14), Brad Richards (2000-08),Nikolai Khabibulin (2000-04), Dan Boyle (2001-08)

You should support them if: You want in at the penthouse.

The Lightning are the model NHL franchise with a loaded roster and arguably the NHL��s top coach, John Cooper.

Tampa Bay has brought home consecutive championships and reached the Cup final three times since 2015 yet also has a strong tradition that includes a championship in 2004.

Toronto Maple Leafs

Established in: 1926

Stanley Cups won: 13 (1918, 1922, 1932, 1942, 1945, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1967)

Star players: Center Auston Matthews, center John Tavares, forward Mitch Marner, forward William Nylander, defenseman Morgan Rielly, defenseman Jake Muzzin

All-time greats: Turk Broda (1936-52), Tim Horton (1949-70), George Armstrong (1949-71), Frank Mahovolich (1957-68), Johnny Bower (1958-70), Dave Keon (1960-74), Darryl Sittler (1970-82), Borje Salming (1973-89), Wendel Clark (1985-94), Doug Gilmour (1991-97), Felix Potvin (1991-99), Mats Sundin (1994-08)

You should support them if: You are a New York Knicks or Dallas Cowboys fan.

The Maple Leafs have all the tradition, all the fan support, all the media attention and none of the recent success.

Toronto currently has the NHL��s longest playoff-series-win drought despite having a roster loaded full of young and skilled talent yet has not even reached the second round of the playoffs since 2004.

The Maple Leafs haven��t been to the Stanley Cup final since they won it all in 1967, with three painful and memorable conference-final defeats in that span.

Toronto is also the center of the hockey universe, meaning the sport will always be focused on the Leafs whether they are good or bad.

Vancouver Canucks

Established in: 1970

Stanley Cups won: 0

Star players: Center Bo Horvat, forward Brock Boeser, forward Elias Pettersson, forward Conor Garland, defenseman Quinn Hughes, defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, goalie Thatcher Demko

All-time greats: Trevor Linden (1988-98), Pavel Bure (1991-98), Markus Naslund (1996-08), Daniel Sedin (2000-18), Henrik Sedin (2000-18), Alex Edler (2006-21), Roberto Luongo (2006-14) 

You should support them if: You love to watch things burn.

The Canucks have come painfully close to a pair of championships, most recently in 2011 when they were the NHL��s best team yet fell in Game 7 of the Cup final to the Boston Bruins.

Yet both times Vancouver fell in the final, coincidentally each time in Game 7, fans rioted and set the Pacific Northwest city ablaze.

Still, Vancouver appears to be headed in the right direction, talent-wise, although a new coach is likely to end up doing more with that talent than current bench boss Travis Green has.

Vegas Golden Knights

Established in: 2017

Stanley Cups won: 0

Star players: Center Jack Eichel, forward Max Pacioretty, forward Mark Stone, defenseman Alex Pietrangelo, goalie Robin Lehner

All-time greats: Marc-Andre Fleury (2017-21)

You should support them if: You want to be an early supporter of a team that can compete for the Cup.

The Golden Knights captured the sports world by reaching the Cup final in their first season, 2017-18, and have built a juggernaut that��s reached the Western Conference final in consecutive seasons but hasn��t yet hoisted the Cup.

The first title can��t be too far off though.

Washington Capitals

Established in: 1974

Stanley Cups won: 1 (2018)

Star players: Center Evgeny Kuznetsov, center Nicklas Backstrom, forward Alex Ovechkin, forward T.J. Oshie, defenseman John Carlson

All-time greats: Mike Gartner (1979-89), Peter Bondra (1990-04), Sergei Gonchar (1994-04), Olaf Kolzig (1989-08), Mike Green (2005-15), Braden Holtby (2010-20)

You should support them if: You want to support a team that will inevitably break your heart.

The Capitals finally got over the mountain with Ovechkin and Co. for their first championship after more than 40 years of near-misses, chokes and blown series leads.

For many diehard fans, that championship erased decades of horrible memories, yet what��s happened since is more of the same: dominant regular seasons that end in heartbreaking postseason losses.

Getting on the Capitals bandwagon now is like jumping on a train two stops before the end of the line �� as Ovechkin��s chase of Wayne Gretzky��s all-time goals record and the team��s pursuit of a second championship with The Great Eight wearing the ��C�� are about the only things left to accomplish before the most successful era in team history undoubtedly results in a rocky rebuild.

Winnipeg Jets

Established in: 2011

Stanley Cups won: 0

Star players: Center Mark Scheifele, forward Kyle Connor, forward Pierre-Luc Dubois, forward Nikolaj Ehlers, forward Blake Wheeler, defenseman Nate Schmidt, goalie Connor Hellebuyck

All-time greats: Dustin Byfuglien (2011-19), Jacob Trouba (2013-19)

You should support them if: You��d love to root for a small-market team with an insanely rabid fan base.

The Jets moved from Atlanta to Winnipeg, Manitoba in 2011 and have sold out every game at Bell MTS Place since �� albeit playing in front of empty stands during the COVID-19-shortened 2020-21 season.

Winnipeggers love their Jets and were distraught when the Jets version 1.0 moved to Phoenix in 1996, thus willing the NHL��s return to the Central Canadian market.

The only thing they��d love more is a championship, which neither Jets edition has delivered, coming closest with a trip to the Western Conference final in 2018.

Lead image: nhl.com

Sure, there was a time �� before the NHL instituted a salary cap in 2005 �� where players commanded huge sums of money.

Many even cashed in on endorsement deals when hockey was at its peak popularity in the United States in the 1990s.

But the NHL has been less inclined to market players after the full-season lockout of 2004-05, and in the post-cap world, salaries have been less eye-popping than in the free-spending days of the late-1990s and early-2000s.

Still, there are some who have cashed in in the post-cap world. But most of the richest hockey players have some playing tie to BC �� before cap.

Here are the 10 richest hockey players ever in terms of net worth.

10. Rob Blake – $57 Million

Position: Defenseman

Teams: Los Angeles Kings (1989-01, 2006-08), Colorado Avalanche (2001-06), San Jose Sharks (2008-10)

Career Earnings (as of 2021): $74.8 million

Estimated Net Worth: $57 million

The Skinny: Raymond Bourque��s Stanley Cup win in 2001 gets remembered, but Rob Blake was arguably the player that put the Avalanche over the top that year when he was acquired from Los Angeles.

Blake is a member of the Triple Gold club �� winning the Stanley Cup, Olympic gold and the World Championship as a player �� and has been in the Kings front office since 2013.

9. Jarome Iginla – $60 Million

Position: Right wing

Teams: Calgary Flames (1995-13), Pittsburgh Penguins (2013), Boston Bruins (2013-14), Colorado Avalanche (2014-17), Los Angeles Kings (2017)

Career Earnings (as of 2021): $91.4 million

Estimated Net Worth: $60 million

The Skinny: Iginla was one of the fiercest competitors in hockey throughout his career, who also unsuccessfully chased the Stanley Cup and played in the free-spending pre-salary cap days.

But Iginla made the bulk of his money after the lockout of 2004-05 as one of the faces of the NHL �� he guided Calgary to a surprising run to the Stanley Cup final where they fell just a game short of the championship in 2004.

The three-year, $16 million contract he signed with Colorado as a 37-year-old also aided his net worth.

8. Nicklas Lidstrom – $60 Million

Position: Defenseman

Team: Detroit Red Wings (1991-12)

Career Earnings (as of 2021): $42.5 million

Estimated Net Worth: $60 million

The Skinny: Lidstrom is arguably the greatest defenseman who ever lived, boasting seven Norris Trophies and four Stanley Cup wins in his Hall of Fame career with Detroit.

Lidstrom also played in the height of salaries �� the mid-1990s and early 2000s �� and thus cashed in on his talent and fame by playing in hockey-mad Detroit.

7. Joe Thornton – $65 Million

Position: Center

Teams: Boston Bruins (1997-05), San Jose Sharks (2005-20), Toronto Maple Leafs (2020-21), Florida Panthers (2021-present)

Career Earnings (as of 2021): $110 million

Estimated Net Worth: $65 million

The Skinny: ��Jumbo Joe�� is something of a wealth compiler. The No. 1 pick of the 1997 NHL draft is in his fourth decade playing as he chases that elusive Stanley Cup championship.

Thornton��s career overlapped the high-earning, pre-salary cap days, but the 2006 Hart Trophy winner also earned massive contracts as the captain and face of the Sharks during the mid-2000s and early 2010s.

6. Chris Pronger – $65 Million

Position: Defense

Team: Hartford Whalers (1993-95), St. Louis Blues (1995-05), Edmonton Oilers (2005-06), Anaheim Ducks (2006-09), Philadelphia Flyers (2009-12)

Career Earnings (as of 2021): $111.4 million

Estimated Net Worth: $65 million

The Skinny: Pronger also has a case as one of the best defensemen in NHL history, and he made the bulk of his career earnings as a result of not retiring midway through the seven-year, $34 million contract he signed with the Flyers �� thus saving Philadelphia cap space through a loophole in the collective-bargaining agreement.

Still, Pronger earned the bulk of his pay as one of the most physically dominant players of his era.

He won the Hart Trophy in 2001 and played for the Stanley Cup in consecutive seasons in two different cities, helping Anaheim claim the trophy in 2007.

Pronger dipped his toe into a career as a hockey executive but left to assist his wife��s travel business in 2020.

5. Joe Sakic – $65 Million

Position: Center

Team: Quebec Nordiques/Colorado Avalanche (1988-09)

Career Earnings (as of 2021): $109.9 million

Estimated Net Worth: $65 million

The Skinny: Sakic was the face of two Stanley Cup championship teams in Colorado and the bulk of his career was spent before the NHL adopted a salary cap in 2005.

Sakic also played for the high-spending Avalanche, who needed to keep up with the rival Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference arms race, and they famously matched an offer sheet from the New York Rangers in 1997 �� which entitled him to a $17 million salary in 1997-98 alone according to Cap Friendly.

He is adding to his net worth too as the general manager of the Avalanche, where he is one of the best executives in the game.

4. Pavel Bure – $70 Million

Position: Right wing

Teams: Vancouver Canucks (1991-99), Florida Panthers (1999-02), New York Rangers (2002-03)

Career Earnings (as of 2021): $66 million

Estimated Net Worth: $70 million

The Skinny: Bure helped put hockey in south Florida on the map as one of the few true superstars in Panthers history, and they rewarded him with a lucrative five-year contract after acquiring him from the Canucks in a blockbuster, midseason deal during the 1999-00 season.

Bure led Florida to the playoffs in 2000, but injuries damaged his on-ice production, and he was traded to the Rangers midseason in 2001-02, where he finished his career.

3. Alexander Ovechkin – $80 Million

Position: Left wing

Team: Washington Capitals (2005-present)

Career Earnings (as of 2021): $127.2 million

Estimated Net Worth: $80 million

The Skinny: ��The Great Eight�� famously signed a record 13-year, $124 million contract in 2007 as a 22-year-old, before the NHL banned such contracts from being signed, and lived up to the billing.

The 37-year-old recently signed another five-year contract, worth $47.5 million, as he pursues Waye Gretzky��s all-time goal streak.

If he can catch Gretzky, he may have a chance to climb this list.

2. Mario Lemieux – $200 Million

Position: Center

Team: Pittsburgh Penguins (1984-97, 2000-06)

Career Earnings (as of 2021): $54.5 million

Estimated Net Worth: $200 million

The Skinny: Lemieux is arguably the greatest NHL player who ever lived, yet whose career was unfortunately cut short due to a litany of injuries and physical ailments.

Interestingly, that coupled with Pittsburgh��s financial woes of the mid-2000s led to his exponential gain in wealth as he was given an ownership stake in the team as compensation for a lawsuit where he sought fulfillment of his contract.

Lemieux and the Penguins continue to make money hand over fist as one of the NHL��s marquee franchises.

1. Wayne Gretzky – $250 Million

Position: Center

Teams: Edmonton Oilers (1979-88), Los Angeles Kings (1988-96), St. Louis Blues (1996), New York Rangers (1997-99)

Career Earnings (as of 2021): $46 million

Estimated Net Worth: $250 million

The Skinny: Gretzky is the most famous hockey player ever and played at the height of NHL salaries, so it��s no surprise he��s atop this list.

His on-ice prowess led to a run of pop-culture relevance in the 1980s and 1990s, which aided his bottom line, as did forays in management with Hockey Canada and the Arizona Coyotes �� where he was coach and held an ownership stake.

Gretzky remains in the public eye working for Turner as part of their NHL coverage, meaning his net worth should continue to rise.

All career earnings are courtesy of Cap Friendly. Net worth estimates are via CelebrityNetWorth.com and TheRichest.com.

Refs endure taunts, jeers and more than occasional boos, yet they make far more annually than most fans do.

NHL officials have a difficult job since pro hockey is the fastest team sport in North America. They also have a union which keeps their pay going up.

Overall Salaries For NHL Refs

NHL referees, who call penalties and essentially preside as the game��s judge, make six-figures per season.

The website Scouting the Refs cited the NHL-NHL Officials Association agreement that referees had a maximum salary of $300,000 per regular season as of 2014.

Referees pay started at $165,000 per season, and they also made an additional $18,000 per round worked in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

NHL officials salaries may seem lucrative, but that��s because they��re the best of the best.

Minor-league officials, while well-paid generally, make much less, and amateur officials �� the ones who call you beer league or your kid��s 6 a.m. games �� can make between 0-$50 per game. So go easy on them.

NHL Linesmen Salaries

Pay for linesmen, whose job it is to break up fights and rule on offsides, icing and other line-related infractions, start at $110,000 and can top out at about $250,000.

They also make $12,000 per postseason round for working in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Pay Per Game

NHL referees work 73 games per season, and linesmen work 75.

Therefore if you do some math, officials make about between $2,500-$5,000 per game.

Refs vs. Players’ Salaries

Officials may seem well-paid, but they are not the players in the multi-billion-dollar industry, which is why their pay pales in comparison to the veteran minimum of $750,000.

Benefits

NHL officials, as we stated earlier, are covered by a union, and their contracts are collectively bargained.

Therefore officials are eligible for a pension and retirement fund and receive medical, dental, life insurance, career counseling and more.

Officials also receive travel expenses covered and have protections to keep them from working too many games in a certain number of hours.

Pay In 2021

Things have changed for NHL officials over the past seven years, but not drastically.

For starters, the bottom-end for officials salaries remains the same �� $165,000 for referees and about $110,000 for linesmen �� while the maximum has crept over $400,000 per season.

This job listing from Reddit from two years ago suggests the starting rate is better than reported.

Qualifying for playoff rounds has become more lucrative. According to Scouting the Refs, referees made $25,400 per playoff-round worked in 2021, with linesmen taking home $16,500.

Next season, those totals will bump to $27,000 and $17,250 for linesmen.

Lead image: mark6mauno/Flickr, CC BY 2.0 – adapted by Casino.org

Goalies are projects, and even though they are highly touted prospects many goalies take years to develop. Only five netminders �� Jack Campbell, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Malcolm Subban, Jake Oettinger and Spencer Knight �� had been selected in the first round since 2010.

It��s become an annual tradition for the top goalie prospect to wait until Day 2 to hear his name called. The 2021 NHL draft was a bit different.

Despite its perceptions as a down year for skaters, it was a highly touted draft for netminders. 21 goalies were picked over two days, and two goalies were chosen in the first round for the first time since Vasilevskiy and Subban were picked in 2012.

Many teams valued size when choosing goalies in the 2021 draft as eight of the 10 netminders on this list are 6-3 or taller. These are the top 10 goalie prospects from the 2021 NHL draft.

1. Jesper Wallstedt, Lulea (SHL)

Height/Weight: 6-3, 214

Drafted by: Minnesota Wild (1st round, No. 20)

The skinny: Sebastian Cossa may have been chosen ahead of Wallstedt, but that��s not because Cossa is superior. Wallstedt was ranked fifth on McKeen��s final list of prospects and was the first Swedish goalie ever chosen in the draft��s first round.

He��s been compared to his idol Henrik Lundqvist since he began playing junior and has attended King Henrik��s goalie camp in Sweden.

With Finnish-born Kaapo Kahkonen, who finished 15th in Calder Trophy voting, also on the roster, the future looks extremely bright in net for Minnesota, particularly since Wallstedt believes he can contribute in 2021-22.

��I��m preparing myself to be ready for next season,�� Wallstedt told TwinCities.com.

��If the Wild feel they��re really ready to put me in the NHL, I��ll prepare myself to be there. I��ll be ready for wherever I am going to play and really compete for a good spot to keep developing.��

2. Sebastian Cossa, Edmonton (WHL)

Height/Weight: 6-6. 210

Drafted by: Detroit Red Wings (1st round, No. 15)

The skinny: Steve Yzerman knows a thing or two about assessing talent, so who are we to doubt him for choosing Cossa over the Swedish-born Wallstedt? The top goalie on NHL Central Scouting��s list of North American netminders is a monster who pitched eight shutouts and only lost seven games in 52 appearances over two seasons for the Oil Kings.

He��ll be unlikely to contribute for the Red Wings in 2021-22, but look for him to become a fixture in goal in Detroit.

��He��s 19 [in November], he��s got another year of junior then he turns pro,�� Yzerman told 97.1 The Ticket. ��If he��s playing in year three I��d be really, really happy. �� Just let the natural development happen.��

3. Aleksei Kolosov, Dinamo Minsk (KHL)

Height/Weight: 6-1, 185

Drafted by: Philadelphia Flyers (3rd round, No. 78)

The skinny: Kolosov may only be 19, but he is the only goalie on this list to play against actual professionals. Kolosov spent 2020-21 in the KHL, the second-best pro league in the world, and even represented Belarus at the 2021 IIHF World Championship.

He��s expected to spend at least one more season in the KHL before the Flyers hope he and Carter Hart can make a dynamite goalie duo.

4. Patrik Hamrla, HC Karlova Vary (Czech)

Height/Weight: 6-3, 194

Drafted by: Carolina Hurricanes (3rd round, No. 83)

The skinny: Hamrla was the third-ranked prospect on Central Scouting��s list of European goalies, despite the fact he just turned 18 in May. Aside from being a good puck-handling goalie, he also is an elite skater and competitor as this clip from the 2020-21 season in Czech Republic indicates.

��Big, athletic goalie,�� Hurricanes assistant general manager Darren Yorke told the Charlotte Observer. ��His power to go side to side is something you can��t teach, especially at his size.��

5. Benjamin Gaudreau, Sarnia (OHL)

Height/Weight: 6-2, 175

Drafted by: San Jose Sharks (3rd round, No. 81)

The skinny: The Sharks, who have had goaltending problems for the past three seasons traded up with St. Louis to choose Gaudreau in the third round. The No. 2 rated North American goalie by Central Scouting only played five games at the IIHF U18 championship due to the COVID-19 pandemic and posted an .890 save percentage and 4.34 goals-against average in his only season for Sarnia, 2019-20. Still, Gaudreau was dominant at the U18 tournament, going 5-0 with a .919 save percentage and 2.20 goals-against average.

6. Tristan Lennox, Saginaw (OHL)

Height/Weight: 6-4, 190

Drafted by: New York Islanders (3rd round, No. 93)

The skinny: Lennox, like Gaudreau, did not play a junior season because the OHL canceled its campaign due to COVID-19. But Dobber Prospects calls him an athletic goaltender with good size and puck-handling ability and states he ��has the tools to become an NHL goalie.��

The Islanders, who already have Calder Trophy candidate Ilya Sorokin, should be set up in goal for years to come.

7. Aku Koskenvuo, HIFK U20 (U20 SM Sarja)

Height/Weight: 6-4, 173

Drafted by: Vancouver Canucks (5th round, No. 137)

The skinny: Koskenvuo was ranked fourth on the Central Scouting list of European goalies, who told Sportsnet 650 that he models his game after Andrei Vasilevskiy of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He told the radio station the pandemic upended his team��s season for 2020-21, and he will come over to North America to study and play at Harvard University in the fall.

8. Rasmus Korhonen, Assat U20 (U20 SM Sarja)

Height/Weight: 6-5, 201

Drafted by: Arizona Coyotes (4th round, No. 122)

The skinny: Korhonen comes from the same league as Koskenvuo, and he led his team in save percentage (.908) and goals-against average (2.18) despite splitting time with Juuso Helomaa. Korhonen��s father Markus was also a goalie and has been Rasmus�� goalie coach in Finland. Rasmus is big, and the Coyotes were excited to select him with their fourth-round pick.

9. Talyn Boyko, Tri-City (WHL)

Height/Weight: 6-7, 196

Drafted by: New York Rangers (4th round, No. 112)

The skinny: No 2021 netminder was taller than Talyn Boyko. Boyko, ranked 12th on Central Scouting��s list of North American goalies, has struggled in Tri-City but also has improved each season — his save percentage jumped from .862 to .901 in three seasons, and goals-against average improved from 5.30 to 3.01 from 2018-21.

10. Gage Alexander, Winnipeg (WHL)

Height/Weight: 6-6, 206

Drafted by: Anaheim Ducks (5th round, No. 148)

The skinny: Alexander, like many others on the list, is enormous and something of a late bloomer as far as prospects are concerned. He posted bad numbers in seven starts in 2019-20, but had a breakout second season for the Ice, leading the team with a .917 save percentage and 2.23 goals-against average.

Alexander was only the 28th prospect on NHL Central Scouting��s list of North American goalies but McKeen��s scouting list at No. 150.

There were others chosen before many of the names on this list — notably Jakub Malek who was taken by the New Jersey Devils with the No. 100 pick. But they are not quite on par with the goalies listed, though that may change in the future.