Another level of player pestering that I think is/was a factor is the insane playoff pressure and fallout from losses. Whose fault it was. The guys aren't playoff performers. Can't step it up. Blah blah blah.
There are a lot of other good players and at least a half dozen other teams that are strong contenders for winning. Only one can. Sometimes crap doesn't go your way. If OVIE had been Flame he would have been chased out of town so long before he ever won. Fans complain about lack of patience with ownership and management, but at the soonest taste of potential success, it becomes so binary. You either walk away with the Cup, or it deserves to be blown up.
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