February 19, 2004

Liquidation Sale In Washington

I have ranted before in this space about the tremdously stupid moves made by the Washington Capitols and their supposedly fan-friendly owner Ted Leonsis. Well, yesterday the Caps traded their all-time leading scorer Petere Bondra. It's not just that he leads all NHL players in hat tricks over the past 8 seasons, or that he has spent his entire career with the team, or that by the end of the season Bondra would have played more games in a Caps uniform than anyone else. No, it's that Leonisis got only a 20-year old minor leaguer and a future draft pick -- nothing -- in return for a real star.

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Mike Wilbon comments that Bondra cried when he heard the news of what Wilbon termed the "liquidation sale" going on in DC. He also cogently points out -- as I personally told Leonsis last Spring -- why my 5th row season tickets to the Caps will not be renewed next year.

It's unimaginable to me that anybody would want to pay full price to watch what the Capitals could turn into for the last weeks of this season. This wasn't the way it was supposed to be for Leonsis, who started his run here as the most fan-friendly owner imaginable. The last month has turned into a complete nightmare, from his beat-down of that young heckler at MCI Center to the trading of the glamorous Jagr to the dumping of the incredibly popular Bondra. There's nothing fan-friendly about the eyesore the Capitals have become.

Goodbye, Bonzai. Pleasant travels.

 Posted by glenn

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