from Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun,

High taxes put teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators and Montreal Canadiens at a disadvantage when it comes to signing NHL free agents, a taxpayers’ group says.

An analysis prepared by the Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) found the three teams are located in the least financially attractive cities in the league.

But the story is far different for fellow Canadian teams in Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.

The CTF looked into how much tax the top 30 NHL free agents would pay with various clubs.

“The numbers don’t lie; NHL players take a financial hit to play in Ontario, Quebec, California, New York and New Jersey,” said CTF analyst Nick Bergamini, the paper’s author and a former Junior A goalie.

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