 The configuration left a portion of one end of the upper deck hanging "over" the boards and ice, obscuring almost a third of the rink and one goal from several sections.As a result, listed capacity had to be cut down from over 18,000 seats to just over 16,000 – the second-smallest in the league at the time – after the first season.Richard Burke bought-out Steven Gluckstern in 1998, but was unable to attract more investors to alleviate the team's financial woes (see below).