Foppa2118
Registered User
- Oct 3, 2003
- 52,353
- 31,525
John Flyers Fan said:Philly became a big market team the day that Larry bertuzzi awarded Lindros to the Flyers. Ed Snider had been trying for over a decade to get financing for a new building, and couldn't get it done.
As soon as Lindros was aquired the Flyers were able to pre-sellout all the luxury suites for the new building, which in turn allowed Snider to get the financing needed to privately build the now Wachovia Center.
The avalanche won the deal, but it isn't nearly as lopsided as some make it out to be. The Avs were well on there way to becoming an elite team before the Lindros trade ... and Forsberg wasn't what put them over the top ... it was the Roy deal.
Jocelyn Thibault was the main part of the Roy deal, so the Philly deal also helped that. Also, Lindros helped them sell tickets, and get a new arena right away, but I think with Forsberg on their team a few years later, and a much deeper team with Ricci, Rucinsky, Simon, Hextal, and even Steve Duchesne, plus the extra $15 million they would have kept, they would have been a very competative team, and thus very popular with the fans, so I think they would have found a deep pocketed owner, and a new arena eventually. It probably just would have taken a few more years, and I doubt the franchise would have folded in that time, so I don't think there is that much of a difference. In fact, with all those players in their lineup, they might actually have been able to win a cup or two, which would have brought them even more money, and been even better for their franchise.