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Teams receive bonuses the farther they go into the playoffs. Those bonuses are paid out to the players equally. Unless players have bonuses writen into their personal contracts, they are not paid during the playoffs. They receive their equal portion of any bonuses the team receives from the league, if they receive any at all.
It's tradition!
Each player has a set salary, regardless of whether they win or lose. There can be bonuses to players for certain achievements (getting awards, winning the cup...) but generally those aren't just "win a game" or "win the 1st round in the playoffs."
Most non-Canadian hockey players have been drafted from American teams to the Canadian teams.
because they cant afford to take stupid penalties in really important games
There are 191 American players in the NHL.
United States Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, MN, USA
American football, hockey, boxing, rugby
The NHL playoffs typically run until early June.
2004
Whatever teams are in 4th 3rd 2nd or 1st place 5th if necessary in a division makes the playoffs.
A playoff beard is the superstitious practice of a National Hockey League player not shaving his beard during the Stanley Cup playoffs. The player stops shaving when his team enters the playoffs and does not shave until his team is eliminated or wins the Stanley Cup. It is believed that the tradition was started in the 1980s by the New York Islanders. The tradition is also practiced by nearly all North American hockey leagues, to include high school leagues and the NCAA hockey teams, as well as minor league affiliates. The tradition has also spread to hockey leagues in Europe. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Playoff_beard