When Glen Sather was riding high in Edmonton as Oilers' boss, he took notice of the vast amounts of moolah Madison Square Garden was pouring into its Rangers franchise, compared to Slats' impoverished Oilers.
Glen then chirped for all the world to hear, "If I had their (Rangers) payroll, my team would never lose."
Well that was easy to say some 3,000-odd miles away. Besides, nobody ever expected that ole cowhand from Alberta to wind up on 42 Street or Seventh Avenue and West 33rd or eating knishes in Katz's deli.
But just like the old gag: "Call me a cab. Poof! You're a cab," Poof! Just like that, Sather wound up behind a desk in the year 2000 and the desk said: General Manager, New York Rangers.
Wonderful. Just wonderful. This is the year of The Cup. (Well, he promised, didn't he?)
We had every reason to look forward to a Stanley Cup in 2001. Okay, 2002. Well, he needed some time, how about 2003? Still building? Okay, 2004.
Giving Sam Rosen A Lifetime Blueshirts Title He Deserves
Sam Rosen doesn't want to "go" and nobody in Rangerville wants Sam to be anything but "around."
Yikes! Surely by 2010, 11, 12, 13. C'mon, already. So the Garden suits gave him until 2015 and you know what they said, "Enough, already."
And that's how we got Jeff Gorton!
P.S. Slats' Rangers batting average with all that fat payroll stuff: Oh for 15! Moral Of The Story. They never should have fired Neil Smith!