- Oct 18, 2010
- 2,698
- 327
I'm amazed at the emphasis that some people put on living vicariously through a bunch of rich jocks.
The salary cap and revenue sharing has also kept payrolls lower. Without a cap, I wouldn't be surprised if the Leafs would have payroll that is $20M or so higher than they do with a cap. The cap and revenue sharing may actually be saving them money.
http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/nhl-should-have-thrown-the-maple-leafs-a-mcbone/
I was reading a Jeff Blair column he wrote on Sportsnet and he says the NHL should have made sure the Leafs won the draft lottery and select Connor McDavid and he here is some of what he says.
Folks around the rest of the country won’t like hearing this, but the Maple Leafs have bankrolled the NHL for a long time. They were printing money while other Canadian franchises were on financial life-support, or wringing their hands over weak Canadian currency. It would have been nice to get a McBone thrown in their direction, you know? And you’d think that Bettman’s background in the NBA would have taught him a thing or two about the strategic value of, um, “directing†generational players. Remember how Patrick Ewing ended up with the New York Knicks in 1985 (the frozen or creased envelope conspiracy)? Remember how the Cleveland Cavaliers went from fourth to first in the 2011 draft lottery (hmm … don’t the Leafs have the fourth pick?) after losing LeBron James? Or how about 2008, when Chicago native Derrick Rose ended up with the Bulls when that team, in dire need of a star after the post-Michael Jordan years, cashed in on a 1.5 per cent pre-lottery chance of getting the first pick overall? Coincidence? Yeah, right. Professional sports is about entertainment and marketing and money and TV and such. Fairness sometimes sucks. Connor McDavid should be a Maple Leaf, and everyone knows it – including McDavid himself.
The right minded adult over here wanted McDavid at any costs!
This lottery loss still stings daily whenever I read about this ****.
I agree that the NHL was never going to fix the lottery to make sure the Leafs won it. However I do agree with him that the Leafs have bankrolled the other teams with all the money they make for the NHL and I remember others on here mentioned that prior to the lottery. At the very least at least Blair realizes that which no one else has mentioned.
I'm fine with Strome or Hanifin or whoever else is identified as BPA.
No smurfs.
A big no for Marner then?Flames fan at work said McDavid to the Leafs would have been about the best option.
This is in Calgary.
I'm fine with Strome or Hanifin or whoever else is identified as BPA.
No smurfs.
I thought you were better then this Ulf. Disappointed in this way of thinking... sigh...