Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - A 2000, Milstein da Gluckstern sun sayar da ƙungiyar ga masu gudanarwa na Computer Associates Charles Wang da Sanjay Kumar. Sayarwar ta kai dala miliyan 187.5 ($ miliyan a cikin dala) kuma ta ba magoya baya fatan ƙungiyar ta juya rashin nasarar ta. Sabbin masu mallakar sun ba Milbury damar kashe kuɗi da saka hannun jari a cikin 'yan wasa masu kyauta. Ƙoƙarinsa na farko bai zama sananne ba tare da magoya baya, kamar yadda ya yi musayar 'yan wasan tauraron nan gaba Roberto Luongo da Olli Jokinen zuwa Florida Panthers don Oleg Kvasha da Mark Parrish. Milbury sai ya kara mamakin duniyar hockey lokacin da ya dauki Rick DiPietro tare da zabin farko a cikin 2000 draft
, a gaban yarjejeniya ta zabi Dany Heatley da Marian Gaborik. 'Yan jarida da magoya baya sun rikice kuma sun fusata da motsi, wanda Milbury ya yarda da shi, yana cewa, "Kamar yadda wannan zai iya zama haɗari, muna tunanin Mad Mike yana da wani abu da yake faruwa a gare shi". Kafa rikodin yanke shawara mai rikitarwa, Milbury ya riƙe sunan "Mad Mike" na shekaru masu zuwa. Ya ci gaba da kasancewa da tabbacin cewa motsin sa ya inganta ƙungiyar nan da nan, wanda raunin nasarar nasarar da ya samu a wannan shekarar ya kasance a gaban kakar wasa ta farko kawai. Wasannin tawagar da ba a yi wahayi ba ya sa Milbury ya kori babban koci kuma tsohon dan wasa Butch Goring. Magoya baya sun nuna rashin jin daɗin su na Goring da ke faɗuwa maimakon Milbury, wanda ya ƙara taɓarɓarewa lokacin da Milbury ya wuce kan hayar Ted Nolan a matsayin magajin Goring; A maimakon haka, an ɗauki mai taimakawa mai horar da Boston Bruins Peter Laviolette.