Heading into this summer, General Manager Ken Holland and the rest of the Detroit Red Wings’ brain trust knew that it would be difficult to keep last year’s team together. After signing Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen to long term contracts during the season, the Wings were perilously close to the salary cap. They had […]
Author: Dan Furey
In the Phoenix courtroom of Judge Redfield T. Baum, the Phoenix Coyotes bankruptcy drama continues to play out. On June 15th, Jim Balsillie’s attempt to purchase the Coyotes and move them to Hamilton took a hit. Judge Baum rejected Balsillie’s bid, however the Research in Motion magnate has vowed to keep going in his mission […]
I’ve only written about hockey on this site, but I am a huge sports fan in general. I like to think that I have a good working knowledge of the business side of the four major North American sports leagues. So something caught my eye while I was perusing the sports pages over the past […]
Just prior to the start of the 2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Johan Franzen signed an 11 year, $43 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings. Franzen’s new contract was the latest in a series of extremely long-term contracts that have been signed by a number of National Hockey League players in the past 18 months. […]
It’s good to be back after a hiatus from writing for the site. The old saying goes that in law school they scare you to death in the first year, work you to death in the second year, and bore you to death in the third year. Consider me officially bored, but unfortunately that doesn’t […]
For the past few weeks, one of the hot topics in hockey circles has been the stream of NHL talent heading across the Atlantic to join teams in the new Russian Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). Players leaving the NHL to play in Europe is nothing new. Leagues in Sweden, Switzerland, Russia, Germany, and other countries […]
Categories
July 1st Post Mortem
I wrote an article a few weeks ago in anticipation of the start of the NHL free agency period. I described it as the NHL’s “silly season”. I had no idea it would be as silly as it was. In an off-season where very few marquee free agents were available, teams paid major dollars for […]
Categories
Buyer Beware: The NHL’s Silly Season
On July 1st, millions upon millions of dollars will be spent by NHL clubs looking to strengthen their teams for a run at the Stanley Cup. But only one of those teams will make the acquisition that will win them the Cup. Last season, the Detroit Red Wings’ decision to sign defenseman Brian Rafalski played […]