The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
The new deal between the NHL and its players has only been in place for a short time, but already fans in smaller markets are seeing the impact Ð and loving it. Chris Pronger, a Hart and Norris Trophy winner, is locked in with the Edmonton Oilers for the next six seasons. The Calgary Flames not only re-signed scoring machine Jarome Iginla, but added star winger Tony Amonte and three-time Cup champion Darren McCarty. Sergei Gonchar, one of the game's top offensive blueliners, finds himself in Pittsburgh Penguins black and yellow. A year ago, these transactions would have seemed as believable as the stories gracing the front page of the Weekly World News. In fact, those headlines about space aliens visiting the White House may have appeared more plausible. But this is the post-lockout era, a new age where the playing field, while not completely level, is pretty darn close. For the first time in what seems like forever, teams with bags of cash don't rule the day. With the smaller markets on a near-equal footing with metropolises like Detroit and New York, players may look at factors besides their wallets when deciding where to sign. Lifestyle, hockey tradition and community have become much more vital. Sure, huge contracts are still being doled out, such as Scott Niedermayer's new $6.7-million-per-season deal with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. But unlike the dark days, the likes of Bob Clarke and Pierre Lacroix can no longer stockpile big-name (and big-money) players year after year. The $39-million cap pretty much restricts teams to a couple of wildly overpaid names, and no more. That means that over time, talent will be more evenly dispersed throughout the NHL's 30 members. Many guys will simply have to accept less dough to stay in the league. The Pronger, Iginla and Gonchar signings are just the beginning of an exciting new trend. And the legions of dedicated fans in the smaller markets deserve nothing less.
