Thunderstruck said:
How are they being punished by being asked to live under the same constraints as their fellow franchises?
The league let them know what was coming.
Too bad for them if they didn't pay attention.
This is why it is pointless to even discuss salary cap issues.
I suppose the Red Wings were guilty of ruining the league.
Yet, never once did they go out and sign a UFA still coveted by his old team. Nearly all the UFAs signed by the Wings were guys at the end of their career.
Never once did the Wings go out and offer a huge contract to an RFA, unlike the the "responsible" small market owners like Karmanos, who is might just be the dumbest SOB involved in the lockout. (He moves a struggling team to Carolina??? Then he makes one of the most inflationary contract offers in recent league history. And now he says it's not fair??? Pshaw!)
Nope. Illitch turned around a franchise that was struggling for 30 years. In the process, he helped bring much needed life to downtown Detroit (without the success of the Wings, the Lions would still be out in the suburbs).
And guess what? Detroit isn't some mega market.
In baseball, it's a medium to small market. In football, it's a medium market.
Chicago or Boston could have done every thing Detroit did, quite easily.
All Detroit did was MARKET THE HELL out of its hockey team. And it paid off.
Wings tickets are still the hottest item in town. ANd fans willing to pay the big bucks are gauranteed to see one of the most talented teams in the league.
Thank god the league is getting a salary cap, so this never happens again.