from Erik Erlendsson of the Tampa Tribune,
“Frankly we were losing a lot of money when we first bought the team, and now we are losing a little bit of money,’’ Vinik said. “It’s been such a fun experience over the past five years. Our mission to try and become the Green Bay Packers of the NHL, to try and become world class, we are gaining on both of those. But we still have a ways to go, and when we get there I will raise the targets because you can’t stop chasing excellence.’’
That includes continuing to increase payroll to try to field the best possible team.
“From Day 1, my philosophy was spend at or near the salary cap, because how lucky am I to be the owner of a professional sports team and a professional hockey league team,’’ Vinik said. “I want our fans and myself to enjoy giving it our best shot to win.’’
So when it comes time next summer for Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman to explore extending Stamkos’ contract and locking the franchise player into another long term-deal that could carry an average annual salary north of $10 million, Vinik said he will let his feelings be known.
“I’ll tell Steven loud and proud that I hope you are with us for your whole career and lead us to a lot of Stanley Cups,’’ Vinik said. “I will let Steve Yzerman handle (the negotiations). The day I get involved with hockey negotiations or picking players is the day you better worry about the future of our franchise.’’
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