The jubilation of winning the Stanley Cup has begun to come to a close. Over the weekend, with the third annual Chicago Blackhawks Convention congesting the city streets, many could only speak of the goaltending situation at hand.
With the Antti Niemi arbitration hearing taken place on Thursday, many at the convention held their breath for most of Saturday, preparing for a ruling.
Some were optimistic regarding a projected amount, while the vast majority knew that the situation would only get more difficult.
Noted by many sources, the Blackhawks had offered Niemi $8 million over three years, but were turned down.
While it was weighted with a cap-friendly hit for the upcoming season, the reality is that it was not far away from what the arbitrator ruled at ($2.75 million), stretched over a three-year span.
Yes, ideally you would think that Niemi signs this year for $2.75 million and then seeks more next year should the success remain consistent.
While agreeing with the thought, unfortunately the greed somehow seemed to outweigh the desire to win. Even with a roster that is much lighter via trades si ...
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Article written by Kyle Wahlgren
Chicago Blackhawks Netminder Antti Niemi Needs Lesson in Humility
August 1st, 2010 by Kyle Wahlgren Leave a reply »
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