Two others involving great Bruins' defensemen:
Bobby Orr signing with Chicago was extremely controversial on so many levels. Not only in the immediate days but what transpired over time involving Eagleson. Raymond Bourque being traded, eventually to Colorado.
When the Flyers traded Bernie Parent to Toronto, and decided to keep Doug Favell, there were many irate Flyers' fans at the time.
Edit/Add: Darryl Sittler, feuding with Toronto management, demanded a trade and after a period of time it was granted and he joined the Flyers. http://hockeydraftcentral.com/1970/70008.html
i am suprised no mention of this - the whole Shanahan - Stevens St Louis Blues fiasco as well as the Fedorov offer sheet
i dont understand how that one ranks in here? everyone in Boston wanted him to win a cup and they knew he couldnt do it in Boston. he didnt demand a trade.
Anyone remember the details of the Harold Ballard/Roger Neilson paper bag fiasco?
Certainly Bruins' fans were supportive of Bourque but not so much of management at the time especially for what some felt was a lack of a support cast. Controversial in the sense that he didn't finish his career with Boston, not meant to equate it with the same type of controversy as say Bobby Orr's departure.
I think one of the most controversial things the league ever did was signing an exclusive contact with Sportschannel in the US in the 80s. It took the NHL off of national TV and into a small market that not only had cable (which was rare back then) but had that channel. Especially when you had so many 1980 US olympians in the NHL at the time, you just basically shut over 3/4 of the country out of the sport. It was a terrible business decision that I feel the NHL is still feeling the effects of to this day in the US.
Punch Imlach telling the parents of a young hockey phenom that their son was too young to be taken into the Leaf organization and to check back in a few years when he was older.
That hockey phenom was Bobby Orr
The success of the WHL and how it changed hockey forever.
WHA?
I think the bigger controversey is NHL teams signing 12 year olds and basically owning them for life until they no longer have a use for them.
Remember this beauty:
Before the 1989 waiver draft, Philadelphia trades Pete Peeters and Keith Acton (both of whom they didn`t have room for on their protected list and likely would`ve lost) to Winnipeg for future considerations. Winnipeg puts both guys on their protected list and after the draft trades them back to Philly for a 5th round pick.
The difference is that as a grocery clerk at A & P, if he didn't like it, he could cross the street & become a grocery clerk at Loblaws.Owning them for life?
Actually, Orr could have done anything he wanted. He could have been an accountant, a grocery clerk or anything, really. If he wanted to play NHL hockey, he had to follow their rules of employment - like he would any job.