East Lansing Love Story
12/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Dec. 5, 2002
BY NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
Funny how things work out sometimes.
Jason Woolley was in Buffalo. The Sabres went to the Stanley Cup finals in 1999. But then star goaltender Dominik Hasek demanded a trade; owner John Rigas committed white-collar crime, lost his fortune and went to jail; the NHL took over the team; and the team went into the tank.
"It wasn't real fun going to the rink anymore," Woolley said. "I wanted to start having fun playing the game again."
Blaming him for their power-play woes, burdened by his $1.45-million salary, the Sabres put Woolley on waivers. He could have gone anywhere, from Atlanta to Anaheim. But he cleared; the Sabres gave him permission to talk to other teams; he heard the Red Wings were interested in him, having just lost Jiri Fischer to a torn anterior cruciate ligament; and he called his agent.
"Just get me to Detroit," he told him, "and we'll go from there."
Woolley, a 33-year-old defenseman, went to the Wings for a conditional draft pick Nov. 16. He had to take a $125,000 pay cut, but he said he didn't "even care."
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