Quote:
Originally Posted by Falclore
I always though Fleury had great skill but not someone you would want as your teammate. I believe the Flames marketing Fleury in the early 90's compared to the heart and soul of the team like Nieuwendyk and Roberts lead to a bit of a team split (Maybe more of a media hype too). The guys that left like Nieuwendyk, Roberts, and MacInnis, all went on to be part of successful TEAMS, because they weren't one man shows would want all the lime light.
What did the team win, once Fleury was a regular on the team? No playoff success!
To be honored by a team, you should be a TEAM guy. That is why it shouldn't happen anytime in the next few years if at all.
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Have you looked at the roster of some of those teams once Roberts, MacInnis, and Nieuwendyk were gone?
The Flames never lost because of Fleury, they lost because the golden boys of the Stanley Cup had been traded away. And the Flames never lost most of those players because of Fleury. The Flames lost them because they could not afford them. All of those players went on to sign big contracts once they left the Flames. The Flames simply could not match the money those players were due.
That was the era when the Canadian dollar traded at 60 cents per US dollar. Plus, salaries were all paid in US dollars. That is why Canadian teams had a hard time being competitive period, not just the Flames.
