There are some reports surfacing now that Ilya Kovalchuk apparently turned down a massive $101 million offer from the Atlanta Thrashers. That's apparently being misconstrued as some kind of evil, unbridled greed.
Let's ignore the typical facts surrounding pro athletes: they get paid a lot because they are exceedingly rare talents and that's what the market can bear when it comes to their services. Let's also ignore that pretty much anyone else in a similar circumstance would probably do the exact same thing.
Read the above lede again - the instructive bit of info isn't the "$101 million" it's that the offer was "from the Atlanta Thrashers". There are other incentives beyond money for the pro athlete. Winning is one. Playing in a certain type of market is probably another. The Atlanta Thrashers organization has been a disaster for most of Kovalchuk's tenure. They've made the post-season once. He's watched star teammates either be traded out of town or eagerly escape when their chance arose.
As such, I think what Kovalchuk is communicating here isn't 'I want more than $100 M to play hockey.' It's 'I want more than $100 M to forfeit my right to play hockey elsewhere and remain in this poorly run organization'. He's purposely pricing himself out of ATL negotiations because, no doubt, he wants a chance to play for someone else and maybe win a few games for a change.
