One that has always stuck out for me was Scotty Bowman dealing Alan Haworth and a third to the Caps for a 2nd and a 4th... and the assurance that the Caps wouldn't take Phil Housley at #6 OA. The Caps wanted Scott Stevens -- who they took -- and got a useful 20-goal checking line guy from Buffalo for it.
Another Bowman gem, dealing McKegney, JF Sauve, and Andre Savard to the Nordique for Real Cloutier and a first round pick so he could show Cloutier up. Bowman reportedly hated that Cloutier had turned down going to the Bowman-coached Habs and ran him out of hockey in less than a season, all the while opening up a hole on LW that it seems has never, ever been filled in Buffalo.
Or how about drafting Jiri Dudacek 17 OA in '81 when the guy had never said he wanted to come over to NA to play. Bowman's ego vs. the Czechoslovakian government... and his ego lost.
Or Bowman dealing Rick Martin to the Kings and having team doctors lie to Martin and the Kings about the severity of Martin's knee injury? He plays on it, damaging it more, ending his career.
Ray Sheppard on waivers to the Rangers, post-severe ankle sprain. Transfer cost, $1.
Pissing off Hasek by nickle-and-diming Peca in the fall of 2000 and then not using him to acquire anything to help the team. Peca in the lineup probably makes the series with the Pens all that much closer, perhaps even tipping it in Buffalo's favor. Instead, Hasek feels the team isn't committed to winning (they weren't) and demands a trade that he gets to review to make sure it doesn't hurt his new team too much. The Blues offer he feels is too much, instead insists that it be the Wings who ship over an automatically disgruntled Slava Kozlov and what was announced at the time as a 1st and a conditional first. Hasek is so pissed off, he retires, screwing the Sabres out of the conditional pick.
Not offering Danny Briere more than 3 years in '06. Instead they held firm to 3, wouldn't budge to 5 that Briere asked for nor even the 4 that Briere himself said he would have signed. Instead, they put their eggs in one basket with Drury who they don't negotiate with in good faith all season and then walks after a lack of communication. Co-caps both gone.
There are more... those are the ones that cause my blood pressure to go up immediately without thought.
Another Bowman gem, dealing McKegney, JF Sauve, and Andre Savard to the Nordique for Real Cloutier and a first round pick so he could show Cloutier up. Bowman reportedly hated that Cloutier had turned down going to the Bowman-coached Habs and ran him out of hockey in less than a season, all the while opening up a hole on LW that it seems has never, ever been filled in Buffalo.
Or how about drafting Jiri Dudacek 17 OA in '81 when the guy had never said he wanted to come over to NA to play. Bowman's ego vs. the Czechoslovakian government... and his ego lost.
Or Bowman dealing Rick Martin to the Kings and having team doctors lie to Martin and the Kings about the severity of Martin's knee injury? He plays on it, damaging it more, ending his career.
Ray Sheppard on waivers to the Rangers, post-severe ankle sprain. Transfer cost, $1.
Pissing off Hasek by nickle-and-diming Peca in the fall of 2000 and then not using him to acquire anything to help the team. Peca in the lineup probably makes the series with the Pens all that much closer, perhaps even tipping it in Buffalo's favor. Instead, Hasek feels the team isn't committed to winning (they weren't) and demands a trade that he gets to review to make sure it doesn't hurt his new team too much. The Blues offer he feels is too much, instead insists that it be the Wings who ship over an automatically disgruntled Slava Kozlov and what was announced at the time as a 1st and a conditional first. Hasek is so pissed off, he retires, screwing the Sabres out of the conditional pick.
Not offering Danny Briere more than 3 years in '06. Instead they held firm to 3, wouldn't budge to 5 that Briere asked for nor even the 4 that Briere himself said he would have signed. Instead, they put their eggs in one basket with Drury who they don't negotiate with in good faith all season and then walks after a lack of communication. Co-caps both gone.
There are more... those are the ones that cause my blood pressure to go up immediately without thought.
