S.U.F.O.

“We’re not making money and that’s one reason we need to fix our system. We need to fix how much we’re spending"

- Craig Leipold, April 11, 2012.  A classic case of talking out of your ass. 

Zach Parise and Ryan Suter have both signed with Leipold's Minnesota Wild.  Craig fixed them good.  Each deal is for 13 years and US$98-million. Both players get $12-million in each of the first two years. The deals then gradually go down in value, with each player making US$1-million in both 2023-24 and 2024-25.

Those last 2 years at 1 million, to artificially lower the cap hit, completely urinates all over the intent of the salary cap.  It is one of the things Leipold and his cronies will want fixed in the next CBA. Basically, they're demanding to be saved from themselves.  It's like hitting yourself with a hammer while complaining, "People! We're bleeding all over the place.  We need to stop hitting ourselves in the head with a hammer!  *BONK!*  See?"

Everyone likes a good acronym, like YOLO - you only live once.  SUFO works for the NHL.  No, it's not Shut up and Blank Off, although that kinda works too.  It's Save Us From Ourselves.

It’s getting hard not to be generally resentful.  Getting paid that much guaranteed money for that long to play hockey?  It’s ridiculous, of course, but it's been that way for a long time.  But it's especially obnoxious to hear the owners go, "Whaaaaaaa!  The players make too much money, the system is broken, we have to cancel the season to fix it."  Then, of their own free will, they go out and drop 196 million on two guys.

We overlook mismanagement, ridiculous salaries, the insane price of everything, the cancelled '05 Cup, the frustrating, inconsistent officiating and player discipline.  The NHL is really lucky, as yet another work stoppage looms, we remain so passionate about the product.  Other companies behaving the same way with such little regard for their customers, would have hung out an "Out of Business" shingle a long time ago.