You have the right to disagree. But, you'd be wrong.
Come on, the Red Wings of the late 90s can't hold a candle to the great Habs teams, the great Oilers teams or the great Islanders teams.
I find it really difficult to believe that one of the main points of argument for a modest luxury tax, but no cost certainty system, is because of the fact we'll never see another dynasty in the NHL.
If the BEST the NHL could do going forward was the same team winning the Cup 2 out of 3 years, but that all other clubs would be profitable and reasonably competitive, wouldn't THAT supersede the need for team greatness???
As far as the Detroit Lions are concerned, they've stunk for years but that is mainly due to the fact they've had horrendous management and player evaluation. Compare that to the Montreal Expos (may they RIP), who were the consummate small-market operation but became extinct because fans got fed up with the looting of talent. The NHL may not be at that level yet, but we're not THAT far off, either.
Any system where the rich can simply get richer if they so choose is not a good system--not when you have 30 franchises operating and revenue-generating problems.