Wackiest trade of all time?

[archibalduk]

Whilst setting up the Prediction League 2010/11 I came across a rather strange trade that took place in the WHL in the 1980s:

On January 19, 1983, the Seattle Breakers dealt the rights to Tom Martin to the Victoria Cougars in exchange for the Cougars' team bus. The deal made perfect sense: the Breakers were unable to sign Martin, who wanted to play in his home town of Victoria, and the Cougars were unable to use the bus (which they had purchased from the folded Spokane Flyers) because they were unwilling to pay the taxes and duties required to register the vehicle in Canada.

Made me chuckle!

Can anybody beat that?!

[YZG]

Whilst setting up the Prediction League 2010/11 I came across a rather strange trade that took place in the WHL in the 1980s:

On January 19, 1983, the Seattle Breakers dealt the rights to Tom Martin to the Victoria Cougars in exchange for the Cougars' team bus. The deal made perfect sense: the Breakers were unable to sign Martin, who wanted to play in his home town of Victoria, and the Cougars were unable to use the bus (which they had purchased from the folded Spokane Flyers) because they were unwilling to pay the taxes and duties required to register the vehicle in Canada.

Made me chuckle!

Can anybody beat that?!

I don't think it beats it, but Ray Sheppard from Buffalo to the Rangers in the early 1990's for $1 was a solid one too.

Even funnier, the Rangers didn't think it was bright to keep him following the 1990-91 season and Detroit signed him as an UFA. He went on to score 52 goals and 93 points for the Wings that season. Funny lack of insight

- YZG

[batdad]

Heh. I was just talking about that the other day with a buddy of mine. IT was an awesome deal. Was chatting about how if Canucks dealt O'BRien for anything it would be for a bus and a bucket of pucks. Which is pretty much what they got!!

[philou21]

I was waiting since I saw that trade a post of you about your dear O'Brien...I finally got it!

[archibalduk]

Heh. I was just talking about that the other day with a buddy of mine. IT was an awesome deal. Was chatting about how if Canucks dealt O'BRien for anything it would be for a bus and a bucket of pucks. Which is pretty much what they got!!

Haha - a great analogy

[Justintinov]

Whilst setting up the Prediction League 2010/11 I came across a rather strange trade that took place in the WHL in the 1980s:

On January 19, 1983, the Seattle Breakers dealt the rights to Tom Martin to the Victoria Cougars in exchange for the Cougars' team bus. The deal made perfect sense: the Breakers were unable to sign Martin, who wanted to play in his home town of Victoria, and the Cougars were unable to use the bus (which they had purchased from the folded Spokane Flyers) because they were unwilling to pay the taxes and duties required to register the vehicle in Canada.

Made me chuckle!

Can anybody beat that?!

I don't think it beats it, but Ray Sheppard from Buffalo to the Rangers in the early 1990's for $1 was a solid one too.

Even funnier, the Rangers didn't think it was bright to keep him following the 1990-91 season and Detroit signed him as an UFA. He went on to score 52 goals and 93 points for the Wings that season. Funny lack of insight

- YZG

Detroit must love these $1 deals. They also picked up Kris Draper from the Winnipeg Jets for $1. He went on to win 4 Stanley Cup rings. The Jets went on to play in Phoenix. Maybe if they asked for more in return, they would still be in Winnipeg.

[getzlaf15]

I'm sure this happened in football (soccer). I can't remember what it was but i'm sure someone was sold for a few pairs of football boots...

[Danny]

Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks for Marco Sturm and two trees with skates tied to their roots.

[Manimal]

An interesting trade happened in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League a few days ago. Two set of brothers were traded for each other! Has something like that ever happened before somewhere?

[bruins72]

Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks for Marco Sturm and two trees with skates tied to their roots.

Yeah, that one was pretty bad!

How about Cam Neely and Vancouver's 1st round pick (which turned out to be the #3 overall pick which the Bruins used to draft Glen Wesley) to Boston for a declining Barry Pederson. To add to this, Glen Wesley was later acquired by the Hartford Whalers and the Bruins got 3 first round draft picks from them. One of those players they got with those picks, Jonathan Aitken, was a dud, but the other 2 picks got them Sergei Samsonov and Kyle McLaren. If you follow the way the Bruins kept turning over these assets, McLaren eventually helped them trade for Nathan Horton (McLaren+ for Jillson+, Jillson for Brad Boyes, Boyes for Wideman, and then Wideman+ for Horton+). Samsonov also netted the Bruins a 2nd round pick (plus a couple players) which they used to draft Milan Lucic.

So that Neely for Pederson and a 1st round pick was really the trade that kept on giving.

[VintageVictory]

I always thought John Kordic for Russ Courtnall was a pretty wacky trade...

And the legend that Peter Pocklington 'won' Gretzky in an in-flight poker game with the Indianapolis Racers owner (the rights to him anyway, for a million cash, I believe)

[VintageVictory]

Tom Kurvers for the number one pick overall too, that was pretty wacky...

[philou21]

The Flyers who trade almost everything for Lindros.

[VintageVictory]

Another good one is the Dale McCourt 'trade'. Back in 1978, Detroit signed LA Kings' free-agent goalie, Rogie Vachon; 35 year old Rogie Vachon. So an independent arbitrator awarded to LA, Detroit's 21 yr old, up and coming center, leading point scorer, Dale McCourt.



Dale did not want to go to LA, so he filed a lawsuit. Both Dale and Rogie played for the Wings in 1979-80, while McCourt's case went thru the court system. The decision (trade) was upheld, but LA realized that Dale was not going to come to them willingly, (in fact he had already appealed the court's decision) and so they settled for a Detroit first rd pick that year - a pick that become Larry Murphy.

And so now we have a lovely hockey card, nicely airbrushed, depicting Dale in a uniform he never wore.

So while technically not a trade, pretty interesting nonetheless.

[bruins72]

The Flyers who trade almost everything for Lindros.

That trade turned the Nordiques into a decent team and then made the Avalanche a powerhouse for a while. Honestly, without that trade, I don't think NHL hockey would've caught on in Colorado.

[VintageVictory]

Whoops..I remebered that wrong...Kurvers for the third overall pick that became - Scott Neidermayer!

[philou21]

The Flyers who trade almost everything for Lindros.

That trade turned the Nordiques into a decent team and then made the Avalanche a powerhouse for a while. Honestly, without that trade, I don't think NHL hockey would've caught on in Colorado.

Flyers been screwed alot in that thanks to the high ( too much ) reputation of Lindros back in time. It's a fact that it's being a HUGE part of the great development of the Nords/Avs. I don't think though that without that trade the hockey wouldn't have been popular in Colo, maybe just longer to be. They had a nice core even without Forsberg and the trade of Roy change alot of things too.

[bruins72]

Honestly, if they didn't have the players they got from the Lindros trade, I don't think they would have gone after Roy. And how many seasons after moving to Colorado was it before they won the Cup? Not many. Quick championship success is a sure-fire way to get a new city's attention.

[philou21]

I totally agree with you B's but I still think Colorado is more a hockey place than Phoenix, SJ, Anaheim etc....For sure the Cup in the first year help alot though. It would've take maybe a couple of more years before been really popular if it's wasn't for that.

For the Roy trade, I think about that too. If they didn't got everything for Lindros, I doubt the trade would've been made. They trade Thibeault for Roy and Thibeault was the first round pick they got in the Lindros trade.

[CeeBee]

Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks for Marco Sturm and two trees with skates tied to their roots.

Yeah, that one was pretty bad!

How about Cam Neely and Vancouver's 1st round pick (which turned out to be the #3 overall pick which the Bruins used to draft Glen Wesley) to Boston for a declining Barry Pederson. To add to this, Glen Wesley was later acquired by the Hartford Whalers and the Bruins got 3 first round draft picks from them. One of those players they got with those picks, Jonathan Aitken, was a dud, but the other 2 picks got them Sergei Samsonov and Kyle McLaren. If you follow the way the Bruins kept turning over these assets, McLaren eventually helped them trade for Nathan Horton (McLaren+ for Jillson+, Jillson for Brad Boyes, Boyes for Wideman, and then Wideman+ for Horton+). Samsonov also netted the Bruins a 2nd round pick (plus a couple players) which they used to draft Milan Lucic.

So that Neely for Pederson and a 1st round pick was really the trade that kept on giving.

B72, did you really have to bring up the Cam Neely trade? That trade still makes me sad

[archibalduk]

Joe Thornton to the San Jose Sharks for Marco Sturm and two trees with skates tied to their roots.

Yeah, that one was pretty bad!

I was pretty gutted about that trade. Thornton was such a big player for the Bs. I really didn't see what was in it for us - and still don't

How about Cam Neely and Vancouver's 1st round pick (which turned out to be the #3 overall pick which the Bruins used to draft Glen Wesley) to Boston for a declining Barry Pederson. To add to this, Glen Wesley was later acquired by the Hartford Whalers and the Bruins got 3 first round draft picks from them. One of those players they got with those picks, Jonathan Aitken, was a dud, but the other 2 picks got them Sergei Samsonov and Kyle McLaren. If you follow the way the Bruins kept turning over these assets, McLaren eventually helped them trade for Nathan Horton (McLaren+ for Jillson+, Jillson for Brad Boyes, Boyes for Wideman, and then Wideman+ for Horton+). Samsonov also netted the Bruins a 2nd round pick (plus a couple players) which they used to draft Milan Lucic.

So that Neely for Pederson and a 1st round pick was really the trade that kept on giving.

Wow that's amazing! We've picked up some really strong prospects over the past couple of seasons.

What about the Tuukka Rask trade? That was a steal from the Leafs! Thanks to that trade we have two very strong goaltenders.

[poeb05]

If I remember correctly......the nordiques/colo won the cup the first year in colo........too bad for the nordique fan base....so close boys.

Also,
One of the NHL's highest-scoring lines was dismantled Friday when the St. Louis Blues traded All-Star center Adam Oates to the Boston Bruins for center Craig Janney and defenseman Stephane Quintal.

Oates, 29, who has a league-leading 59 assists, centered the line that included the league's leading goal scorer, Brett Hull. Oates, who has 10 goals in 54 games, was involved in a salary dispute with the Blues.

Not a real good trade overall for my blues

[Peterman5000]

the biggest idiot in pro sports

13-Mar-96: New York Islanders traded Wendel Clark, Mathieu Schneider and D.J. Smith to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Darby Hendrickson, Sean Haggerty, Kenny Jonsson and 1st round selection (Roberto Luongo) in 1997.

25-Aug-97: New York Islanders traded Dan Lacouture to the Edmonton Oilers for Mariusz Czerkawski.

20-Mar-99: New York Islanders traded Tommy Salo to the Edmonton Oilers for Mats Lindgren and 8th round selection (Radek Martinek) in 1999.

19-Jun-99: New York Islanders traded Zigmund Palffy, Bryan Smolinski, Marcel Cousineau and 4th round selection (previously acquired from the New Jersey Devils - Daniel Johansson) in 1999 to the Los Angeles Kings for Olli Jokinen, Josh Green, Mathieu Biron and 1st round selection (Taylor Pyatt) in 1999.

19-Dec-99: New York Islanders traded Felix Potvin, a 2nd round selection (later traded to New Jersey - Teemu Laine) in 2000 and a 3rd round selection (Thatcher Bell) in 2000 to the Vancouver Canucks for Kevin Weekes, Bill Muckalt and Dave Scatchard.

24-Jun-00: New York Islanders traded Olli Jokien and Roberto Luongo to the Florida Panthers for Mark Parrish and Oleg Kvasha.

24-Jun-00: New York Islanders traded Eric Brewer, Josh Green and 2nd round selection (Brad Winchester) in 2000 to the Edmonton Oilers for Roman Hamrlik.
24-Jun-00: New York Islanders traded Kevin Weekes, the rights of Kristian Kudroc and a 2nd round selection (later traded to Phoenix - Matthew Spiller) in 2001 to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a 1st round selection (Raffi Torres) in 2000, 4th round selection (previously acquired - Vladimir Gorbunov) in 2000 and 7th round selection (previously acquired - Ryan Caldwell) in 2000.

03-Jan-01: Los Angeles Kings traded Jason Blake to the New York Islanders for a 5th round selection (Joel Andresen) in 2002.

22-Jun-01: New York Islanders traded Mathieu Biron and a 2nd round selection (later traded to Washington, later traded to Vancouver - Denis Grot) in 2002 to the Tampa Bay Lightning for Adrian Aucoin and Alexander Kharitonov.

23-Jun-01: Ottawa Senators traded Alexei Yashin to the New York Islanders for Zdeno Chara, Bill Muckalt and 1st round selection (Jason Spezza) in 2001.

24-Jun-01: Buffalo Sabres traded Michael Peca to the New York Islanders for Tim Connolly and Taylor Pyatt.

22-Jun-02: New York Islanders traded Mariusz Czerkawski to the Montreal Canadiens for Arron Asham and a 5th round selection (Markus Pahlsson) in 2002.

11-Mar-03: New York Islanders traded Chris Osgood and a 3rd round selection in 2003 to the St. Louis Blues for Justin Papineau and a 2nd round selection in 2003.

11-Mar-03: Edmonton Oilers traded Janne Niinimaa and a 2nd round selection in 2003 to the New York Islanders for Brad Isbister and Raffi Torres.

[A9L3E]

Not surprising that Islanders is involved in almost every trade.

[philou21]

If I remember correctly......the nordiques/colo won the cup the first year in colo........too bad for the nordique fan base....so close boys.

You said it.



Doesn't surprise me for the Isles though.....