Quote:
Originally Posted by mh34444
The league may have shot themselves in the foot by maximizing the punishment from the onset. On top of the 200k fine, it puts at risk a multi-million dollar renovation of the Memorial Coliseum. Portland can force the issue as much as they want and whats the worst thing the league can do? Oust a GM and increase the fine? Johnston was already a year or two away from moving on, and $$$? Well this ain't no family run organization here.
Pretty good article IMO link
Everyone else already hated Portland before the sanctions. The fans are behind Johnston and the team more than ever. Its us against them baby. Now give me some Twisted Sister music! |
Excellent article, thanks for posting it. The sanctions and article confirm what was already apparent to anyone who keeps an eye on WHL suspensions: The Winterhawks have a bullseye on their back and are going to get screwed on every possible occasion by the league. And then you consider the penalties to Johnston, which look an awful lot to me like the league trying to place a scarlet letter on him... it's downright vindictive.
As I see it the team was being generous to the families of its financially needy players with its own money. Yes it violated some rules and should be punished accordingly for it (namely paying for training and the cell phone), but hammering them for the flights is ridiculous when you look at how that rule is worded. This strikes me as the equivalent of the police raiding a suspected drug house and only finding a building code violation, but condemning the house and charging the owners with drug crimes anyway because that's what they thought/hoped they'd find.