Tony Chapman breaks down why Canadian sports stars keep signing with American teams once free agency hits, and it isn’t only about the paycheque. He walks through how currency, cross-border taxes, and something harder to quantify, the pull toward playing for a winner, all stack against Canadian franchises at once.
Tony argues one thing is more damaging to a team’s brand than years of losing seasons: a star player walking away entirely. He points to one athlete who once left a championship roster rather than defend the title, only to return to that same city years later, as proof of how fractured loyalty in professional sports has become.
Only eight percent of Canadian kids are currently playing organized hockey, a number Tony says should scare anyone who assumes the sport’s grip on the country is permanent. He names what he thinks fills that gap if the number keeps shrinking, and it isn’t another winter sport.
Topics: Canadian sports teams losing players, NHL free agency Canada, hockey participation decline, star player leaving team, salary cap Canadian teams
GUEST: Tony Chapman | http://chatterthatmatters.ca
Originally aired on2026-09-16
