There has been an increased sense of displeasure from Detroit Red Wings fans in their teams reluctance to spend big money recently. From the outside it appeared the Wings were gun-shy about handing out huge contracts to free agent superstars. Red Wings’ general manager Ken Holland was said to have offered for defenseman Ryan Suter this summer, but wasn’t willing to spend the big money on the other big-money free agents such as Zach Parise. The Red Wings would argue there is strength in their method, and the folks at Bloomberg Business Week absolutely agree.
Bloomberg announced their list of smartest spenders in all of the four major American sports (MLB, NHL, NBA, NFL), and the Red Wings came in as the smartest spending team in the NHL, and were 2nd overall to only the Tampa Bay Rays. It’s tough to argue against that kind of shrewd business model that the folks in Hockeytown have implemented.
Bloomberg is a mass media corporation most known for using software tools to analyze and share information on financial data and trends. They analyzed how much teams spend per win in their respective leagues over the last five seasons. One niche for this years data was the implementation of increased value for “marquee” wins, which includes wins above .500, playoff wins, and championships won.
Red Wings’ fans might also enjoy the fact that their rivals to the north, the Toronto Maples Leafs, came in last in the NHL using this metric, with only three teams in professional sports spending more money per win.
It may not be flashy, it may not get fans excited each summer, but it is absolutely an effective business model for the Detroit Red Wings. They have been to the playoffs in 21 consecutive seasons, a streak that spans both the free spending the salary cap eras, and have done so more efficiently than any other club in the league.
Can you really ask for anything else?
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