Congrats to all the chicago fans, though i have to admit i really wanted to see the rangers play chicago, would have been so much chirping going on between the finance guys from the 2 cities.
Well NY vs Chicago vs LA is a marketers dream come true. It would be funny to see Rick Santelli argue with some guy from the east coast about NY vs CHI I think this Florida team comes back next year and wins. This is the toughest team the Hawks have faced in the finals, and all the games were super-tight. They are a young team with huge talent. In fact, they remind me of the BHs. And next year, the BHs are a ghost of the team they were the three years they won. People forget, the BHs are very deep, with their 3rd line being starters on many teams. You can't play Duncan Keith for 40 minutes every game.
Chicago did it right, they had a lot of bad years to gain talent like Kane Toews and Keith, who they could build a team around. Then they paid the rights guys and relied on talent until they eventually got broken up, like you said. Im a leafs fan, so i have to watch them make the worst decisions year after year all to appease their rabid fans. They keep paying up for players when they dont even have a chance to make the playoffs, they should have built around the draft, but every incoming GM or incoming coach knows they got 2 years before the fans are calling for their heads. So they keep bandaging their massive problems and never getting any where. The leafs in hockey remind me of the browns in football, year after year a bad club, all because they never give guys the chance to build a team, the best programs are always the ones where the coach and management are there for years. The 1 great story about Chicago that I havent heard much press about, Hossa signed with the penguins to try to win a cup, and lost in the finals, then the next year signed for detroit, and lost in the finals to his previous team, who won it, then signed with Chicago, and it was looking like they were going to lose that series in Chicagos first cup which would have made him three for three for signing with the team who lost the cup. Then he goes on too win 3 cups in chicago, so he eventually got it right. IMO someone will sell the farm to pick him up just cause hes been there 5 of the last 7 years. Only other athlete whose made it to the finals as many times as him in that many years is lebron.
I don't know, while to me Hossa is one of the best all around players, his legs don't have that much gas left in them. The players that are likely to be traded are: Sharp Oduya Hossa (buyout) Bickell Rozsival Seabrook That would get them under the salary cap, but how are you going to replace those players? Not easily.
Yeah i agree hes old, and not worth what he will most likely get paid, but some team will think he is the final piece to the puzzle, and pay up for him, it will be pretty funny if he ends up going to the cup again with a new team.