A few weeks ago, I wrote a "who's better" piece between
Adam Oates and Mark Messier.

So I feel uniquely qualified to pick up the (short-term)
debate about Sather's interest in Adam Oates.

There's a crucial point here to understand: Mark Messier's
salary funds his family, and significantly his agent and
brother Doug Messier.

Doug has always played hardball with Messier's salary - including
the trade from Edmonton to New York, the free agent signing with
Vancouver, and the return to New York for millions.

Indeed, there was a rumor that part of Mark's last contract
gave Doug 'work' with the organization (though I've been unable to
unearth solid details, so let's pass this over for now ...)

So expect Doug to be doing the same thing right now ... as his one
meal ticket is likely getting his last contract before retirement.

Sather's Subtle Slap

Normally, Sather comes out and says that a player has excessive
demands, as he did with Martin Rucinsky last summer.

But he can't do that with Messier.

So this Oates rumor was a subtle dig at the Messier camp to bring
them down to earth a bit.

The point? A similar 40+year old center, who has had far more success
both from a team and an individual standpoint, and just helped lead a
team to the Stanley Cup, can't get a team to ante up more than
$2.2 million and is subsequently close to retirement.

So if Sather does choose to walk away, what does that leave Messier
with? A salary of $1 million from Edmonton and a cut of his merchandise
sales (as was the rumor)?

Chances are that whatever Sather is offering is at least $1 million
more than any other team will come up with.

So are Sather and Dolan fools?

From a hockey perspective, signing Messier is absolutely foolish, and
anyone that would argue differently talks from emotion and not logic.

But Cablevision is a public company whose one and only goal is cash
flow ... and from that regard, Dolan will have the last laugh.

As Messier breaks Gordie Howe's mark, there will be commemorative
t-shirts, jerseys, photos, programs, tv ratings and ESPN coverage as
the station waits to jump into the celebration.

Only in New York and Edmonton would the nostalgia bandwagon have
significance in dollars, and Sather will easily outbid Lowe in
guaranteed dollars.

So the Oates rumor has no juice ... the Messier signing is inevitable
... and I'm already bracing for the e-mail from MSG telling me all the
things I can buy as Messier chases Gordie's number.

If they are selling a vomit bags, then I'll get that one.

-Gabe

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