from Dan Robson of Sportsnet,

The snooty treatment embarrassed Derek Sanderson, who had grown up poor. It made him mad, vindictive and then foolish. Sanderson went to the bank to get a cashier’s cheque for $78,000 (that’s more than $400,000 in today’s dollars when adjusted for inflation). He returned to the dealership, made sure the salesman didn’t earn a commission and drove the Rolls-Royce right off the lot.

A day earlier, the shaggy-haired Boston Bruins star of the late ’60s and early ’70s signed the richest contract in sports history — a $2.65-million deal with the Philadelphia Blazers of the WHA (surpassing Pelé on the highest-paid athlete list).

But signs of trouble developed immediately. For starters, the Rolls-Royce ran out of gas on the way home. Soon his bank account was running on fumes, too. Sanderson played only eight games for the Blazers in an injury-plagued first season. The team grew tired of the contrast between his lack of performance on the ice and his considerable energy off it.

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