The salary cap put in place for this season ended the Stars' free-spending ways.
"They are not following their old free-spending ways," he said.
For an economy based on consumption, the change to less free-spending ways could be excruciating.
Even legislators normally wary of their colleagues' free-spending ways are nervous about being shut out.
Perhaps the owners want to be saved from their free-spending ways.
The Penguins' free-spending ways of the early 1990s came at a high price, however.
The issue was his free-spending ways when it came to handing out bonuses for himself and members of the company's managing board.
For now, there is a price to pay for the free-spending ways.
Though Smith initially declines to participate, his wife's free-spending ways make him finally take part in the operation.
With new corporate ownership giving closer scrutiny to Smith's free-spending ways, this could be difficult.