Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Bozek
This is true, but this one was really a case of penny wise and pound foolish, because the salaries were obviously moving up, and the contract MacInnis got (as one of the premier defensemen in the league) was very quickly within the Flames' range. The trade really exemplified the era of Canadian teams being unable to compete with the budgets of American teams, and, of course, the loss of the Quebec and Winnipeg teams .
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This also is true.
Unfortunately, in 1994 the Flames' management still had their heads in the sand and did not understand that $4 million a year for Al MacInnis was going to be a bargain price before the contract was over. They should have sucked it up, matched the offer and then kept the player. Instead, they began a practice of cheaping out on every aspect of the team's operations, which quickly spiralled downwards into the sucking mudhole of the ‘Young Guns’ years.