Jacobv2 said:
I fail to see how finishing in the bottom 5 with a 75 million dollar payroll is somehow better than finishing in the bottom 5 with a 25 million dollar payroll. You argue that "at least they tried", but that's bull. Trying doesn't count, you have to execute
You know what? You're absolutely right from a sports point of view!
It's pretty pathetic to fail with a 75M payroll, no question. That's the hockey nuts in me speaking. We all know one thing HAS to finish last and we all know one goalie has to have the worst save percentage and so on...
It's part of a 30-team environment that one will be crowned king for a year and one will be the top loser. It's all fun as long as everyone tries.
Where it's no fun is when you don't try. Is Lemieux a smarter hockey guy than Leonsis? Most probably. But he is terribly misguided and is simply not trying hard. I care about this sport and I think it is in the interest of all fans (and even more in the interest of Pittsburgh fans) to have a league where people try. Otherwise, it cheapens the sport.
It seems pretty obvious to me that we disagree on that. I happen to think highly of organizations such as the Wild. They try. Everybody should try. I know some organizations don't try as hard, and I don't look too favorably toward them. And when I see an organization not trying at all, and making a parody of the NHL, I don't like it.
We seem to disagree on this, which is unfortunate. But hey, if you're fine with the way things are in the NHL, I am not. In this era of overscouting, it will become increasingly clear that the next step after the CBA will be to have a healthy competitive league and I think the best way to achieve this will be to award the best lottery slot to the 17th team overall, not the 30th.
If you're fine with people who give up, I am not. If the Minnesota Wild were able to achieve results from the start with NOTHING, nobody will ever make me believe the Pens couldn't do likewise. The money thing does not change the fact you can and MUST try to win. There are cheap free agents, import UFAs. Instead of dumping Jagr for picks you could have acquire a couple of cheap youngsters, sure things. Instead you end up with three guys who are in limbo and further sucking up ressorces instead of helping.
Small shortsighted gains don't always pay up in the long run. The decisions the Pens have taken to save a few penny are costing them more than they gain. The fanbase will need to be won back, the team has totally gave up on playoffs revenue.
The Pens are a mess that was created on purpose. It is also undeniable that they do not follow the spirit of hockey. It's a game where you try to win. They didn't give a flying **** about that.
It's wrong.