to Madhav Sarda:
Having confronted Dr. David, Howard Brazee, International Man Of Mystery, 
exclaimed:
 
 DR>     This is what we get as we follow the trades through the years up
 DR>until August of 1996. * marks retired players, # marks drafts picks used
 DR>by other teams.  Now was this a good trade?  
 HB> The trade wasn't about players, it was about money.  If you are the
 HB> owner, you have to add that to the equation.
 
     Perhaps for Peter Pocklington and Bruce McNall that was all it was 
about, but that is of no relevance to the average fan.  Peter Puck at 
the time said it was about trading for the future and as fans we have to 
take that at face value and see if it was true.  I haven't updated the 
trade echo to 1997 but I do know that both Dufresne and Norton have been 
traded and only Dean McAmmond plays regularly with the Oilers.  Both 
McSorley and Gretzky are still playing so right at this moment it was 
not a good trade for the Oilers.
 
 DR>     The average salary for the AHL is even less, there are probably
 DR>people watching in the stands that make more.  BTW I'm pretty sure
 DR>that's 17 million over four years not this year...
 HB> It is.
     Correction it's a three year contract worth $21 million.  Sakic will 
get $2 million a year plus $15 million up front, so in reality he's 
making an average salary of $7 million which is Gretzky territory (and 
well worth it.)  We will probably see only Lindros and Karyia make more.
                                    Sincerely Yours
                                    
                                    David G. Riess
                                    EchoHockeyGhod
... she smiled for the cameras as a bodyguard grabbed me
--- Blue Wave/DOS v2.20 [NR]
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