Rate the Ownership Groups

[Taro T]

With so many dishonorable mentions available, I have to put these 3 at the top (or more appropriately, bottom) of the list. But who was THE WORST?

 

Credentials:

Ballard - drove a once proud franchise into 1st rate laughingstock. Got himself thrown in jail for a few years. Hated the idea of having player names on the backs of sweaters so much that he put white letters on white sweaters and blue on blue. Treated truly classy players like Sittler like dirt. Hired a kid for GM (Gord Stellick) that was nowhere close to being ready to handle the job. Had a coaching carousel. Basically ran a circus.

 

The Gunds - killed hockey enthusiasm in THREE solid hockey markets. Oakland, Cleveland, and even hockey mad Minnesota. How you drive hockey out of Minnesota is still a mystery to me, and I watched it happen.

 

Wang - maintained a once proud franchise's status as a 1st rate laughingstock. Don't believe he's been in jail (yet). Still uses orange 3rds. Treats truly overated players like they're Gretzky. Retained an idiot as GM that was nowhere close to being ready to handle the job. Replaced him with a kid that was nowhere close to being ready to handle the job. Had a coaching carousel. Basically runs a circus.

 

There are others that were bad, but I think these 3 (4 technically, there's 2 Gunds) are the champs / chumps.

[shrader]

To me, this is a no brainer. Wang shows up and immediately hands out a 10 year deal to Yashin. If he had learned from that, it would be ok, but now the DiPietro deal. The whole Neil Smith/Pat LaFontaine thing doesn't help either.

 

Chicago's owner (forget the name) deserves honorable mention.

[Eleven]

I know Wang is in the news lately, but what the Gunds did to Minnesota is truly the piece de resistance of bad ownership.

[Bmwolf21]

I went with the Gunds, simply for managing to kill three completely different markets, including a hockey hotbed in Minnesota.

 

Present day would have to be a tie between Wirtz and Wang, although Wang is leading the charge and is on pace to becoming the worst owner in all of North American pro sports. About the only way he could top his 10- and 15-year deals, suggesting the use of sumo wrestlers as goalies and the Summer 2006 front office implosion is to move the team off the Island in the middle of the night...how he founded and built Computer Associates into the no. 3 software vendor in the world is beyond me.

[LexLuthor871]

Despite what a bungling fool Wang seems to be, I don't feel he can get my vote till all his stupid moves this offseason actually translate to losses. Not that I think his moves will pay off but have to see where all his foolishness this offseason ultimately leads. Nolan may prove to save his hide.