ElCapitan

They've been losing money pretty much every year. Team payroll around the middle of the pack mostly. Pegula just bought the team last year though, and they've gone bat s*** crazy on spending ever since. (Highest salary payroll in the league right now.) It doesn't seem like he's all too concerned about making a profit (at least right now); he just wants to build a good hockey team. I wouldn't be at all surprised if he just wants the season to start.

That's right, in any business/industry a great product, marketed properly, will be more profitable. That's how Ilitch rebuilt the Wings and (hopefully) that's what Pegula's plan of action is.

I really enjoyed that video clip & if that's what Mr. I truly said...Amen.

Exactly. I think people really forget what he was in the early and mid-90's. They remember the washed up guy who ended up in ANA, COL, and WAS, and not the guy who was every bit as feared as Ovechkin, Malkin, Stamkos, and the snipers of today. Except Fedorov had a two-way game too.

It's tempting to look at what Yzerman's teams did in the 80's versus what a more team-oriented Yzerman did in the 90's with help from guys like Fedorov, but there were so many other factors in those 90's teams that isn't exactly fair. Bowman and Lidstrom obviously had a ton to do with that, along with the sheer depth of veteran talent we had filling out our lines. But Fedorov was huge.

Federov never played for Colorado! When I first saw this I was a bit alarmed, thinking I had a bad case of amnesia, but then I realized you meant CBJ.

El Capitan

Done!  We'll need to see a pic.

(First, serious props to ElCapitan for the Stevie Ray Vaughan guitar as an avatar - that's an iconic instrument)

Thanks, got to see it in Austin this spring!