The 2010 NHL season didn't go as Red Wings fans hoped, especially since the Blackhawks ended up winning the Stanley Cup. Even so, there has been plenty of schadenfreude for Wings fans this summer with the dismantling of the Stanley Cup champions. Detroit got a taste of what the salary cap can do to your team a year ago, and now the Blackhawks are experiencing it on an even higher level.
↵The latest damage done to the Blackhawks by the salary cap is the loss of goaltender Antti Niemi. He played an integral part in the Blackhawks' success during the regular season and during their Stanley Cup run, but because an arbitrator awarded him a judgment of $2.75 million, Chicago couldn't afford to re-sign him. As a result, they walked away from the offer and let him become an unrestricted free agent.
↵Chicago quickly replaced Niemi with Marty Turco, the former Michigan Wolverine and Dallas Star. While Turco is talented, the good news for the Red Wings is that he has struggled quite a bit against Detroit during his career, especially at Joe Louis Arena. From Nightmare On Helm Street:
↵↵↵Marty Turco is 1-9-2 in 13 Games Played at Joe Louis Arena. 3.31 Goals Against Average with a Save Percentage of .884.
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Welcome to the division, Marty. Your jockstrap is that way.
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