The most contraversial move in NHL history?

[Chili]

Anyone remember the details of the Harold Ballard/Roger Neilson paper bag fiasco?

 

[xeric716x]

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 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.

 

[DayWalk3r]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUmCiw01W-c

 

[GuloGulo]

i am suprised no mention of this - the whole Shanahan - Stevens St Louis Blues fiasco as well as the Fedorov offer sheet

as a Wings fan the offer sheet story was pretty damn rotten.
Karmanos can never redeem himself in my eyes, no matter how many Cups he brings to Carolina.

 

[Greeneye]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUmCiw01W-c

I still can't believe he is alive. That was sick.

 

[I Am Chariot]

The Mega Lindros Cluster F between the Flyers, Rangers and Quebec

So many players involved...three teams involved.

 

[VanCity Millionaires]

Vancouver bringing in Messier, demoting Linden of the 'C', then trading him away. Just downright awful stuff. Controversial stuff in Vancouver, perhaps not leauge wide though.

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

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.

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.

 

[Yes Im Peter Ing]

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

 

[MiamiScreamingEagles]

Anyone remember the details of the Harold Ballard/Roger Neilson paper bag fiasco?

http://www.mapleleafs.com/history/1970s.asp (info at the bottom)

 

[Malefic74]

Certainly the Richard Riot which has a whole mythology around it now and even then seemed so much bigger than a simple hockey incident.

A few others come to mind:

Alan Eagleson embezzling off the Players Association for years until he got popped by the FBI.

The ugly McSorley and Bertuzzi incidents.

The vicious stick swinging duel between Ted Green and Wayne Maki in 1969.

The whole sordid Sheldon Kennedy/Graham James story.

And finally the day that hockey salaries of every single player became public knowledge. That one incident led directly to ridiculous arbitration awards, holdouts, lockouts, and the sad reality that you need to have a rudimentary grasp of economics just to be a fan.

Also whoever invented the concept of TV timeouts should be shot. Than resurerected and shot again.

 

[xeric716x]

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.

ok i understand now

 

[guapo23]

Asa HABS fan the whole Patrick Roy incident gets my vote for 2nd place after the Richard riots.

Molson, Savard & Corey brought in a bunch of idiots with no experience to coach & GM the team : Houle & Tremblay.

They then succed in alienating the best goalie of all time by humiliating him publicly.

They trade him for a bag of pucks : Rucinsky, Kovalenko, Thibault.

We should have gotten players like Sakic & Forsberg for him.

Come to think of it, it reminds me a little of the Thornton trade.
Then again. Roy kick *** in the playoff while Chokin' Joe just floats around. So the Roy trade definitely had a bigger impact.

 

[Phil Parent]

Bill Wirtz' treatment of the Blackhawks franchise and Blackhawks fans deserves a mention.

And I'm an Habs fan.

 

[Drewr15]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUmCiw01W-c

That is still one of the scariest moments I've ever seen on the ice.


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.

 

[gr8haluschak]

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.

That was just one in a line of stupidity when it comes to get the NHL on national TV. The biggest kick in the ___ was them not signing the cbs deal in the 60's, which would have made hockey the number three sport in the US at the very least.

 

[Psycho Papa Joe]

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

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.

 

[Northern Dancer]

The success of the WHL and how it changed hockey forever.

 

[Sens Rule]

The success of the WHL and how it changed hockey forever.

WHA?

 

[Northern Dancer]

WHA?

You are so correct !!!! My mistake !!! Thanks.
(not very often a Leaf fan thanks a Sens fan !!!)
(and not very often a Sens fan corrects a Leaf fan )

 

[Ogopogo*]

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.

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.

 

[i am dave]

Apparantly it was Bobby Clarke signing Ryan Kesler to an offer sheet.

 

[Venom_17]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUmCiw01W-c

RIDicuLOUS!

 

[seventieslord]

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.

I just have to laugh at this one! That's an awesome move!

 

[pappyline]

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.

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.