Cup for sale - The Fans Speak Out

Hockey Digest, March, 2002 by Matt Calder

A little aside to Steven Mauk's letter about the Red Wings in the "Fans" section of the January issue. Indeed, with such a veteran team, they had better win it this year, but about buying the Cup ... I don't believe that any Cup-winning team has been built from the ground up since '50s and '60s. (OK, maybe the Oilers and the Isles of the '80s.) Let's be realistic, the Avs bought the Cup in 2001, the Stars bought (or actually stole) the Cup in 2000, the Rangers bought the Cup in '94. Heck, even the Wings bought the Cup in '97 and '98 to some extent. Bob Rouse, Jamie McCoun, Igor Larionov, Slava Fetisov, and Brendan Shanahan were all newcomers when the Wings won the Cup. In other words, for the purist, there are no genuine championships anymore. That aside, I am still a Wings fan, and look forward to rebuilding. Let's just say it is better than what I grew up with; a Wings team that missed the playoffs in 15 out of 17

seasons. I still loved the Wings then and I'll root for them now.

Matt Calder
Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.