By HOWARD BERGER
NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. (July 14) – The passion that is said to unite fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs was fully evident in the messages you sent me over the weekend. On Friday, I requested that you e-mail your realistic hopes and expectations for the Leafs in 2008-09, based on the current roster. Or any other Leaf-related item you wished to get off your chest. Not surprisingly, I was inundated with all manner of opinion and emotion. After a spectacular few days with my family here in the “honeymoon capital” of the world, I’ve had a chance to look over your submissions.
Here’s a few of them. I’ll post some more later…
DOUG from Toronto writes: “Thank you Howard for all of the work you do on behalf of us long suffering Leaf fans. I am torn on the [Mats] Sundin issue. He’s my favorite Leaf player and I understand that bringing him back will improve the team next year, but at the same time harm our chances of landing a really good prospect. On the other hand, isn’t it about time a Leafs’ captain finished his career in a blue and white jersey? There’s a long list of captains that finished elsewhere – Dave Keon, Darryl Sittler, Rick Vaive, and now possibly Mats. And not just captains, but other Leaf greats such as Borje Salming, Lanny McDonald and Mike Palmateer. Do you remember how you felt seeing Sittler in the uniform of the hated Flyers? Or, watching Salming in a Red Wings’ jersey? At least it worked out with Lanny winning a Stanley Cup in Calgary. And I did root for Sweden at the [2006] Winter Olympics because I knew Sundin would never win here.”
Doug, I understand exactly where you’re coming from. And, I think many fans of the Leafs would enjoy seeing Sundin retire as a member of the hockey club. But, there is one element that dominated the tenure of every Toronto player you mentioned in your e-mail: Losing. Only Keon won a Cup with the Leafs, but the team was a joke by the time Harold Ballard callously unloaded him in 1975. Sittler, Vaive, Salming, McDonald and Palmateer all performed wonderfully for the Blue & White, and the clubs they skated for had some memorable moments. In each case, however, the Leafs were not good enough to play for the Stanley Cup, and they ultimately fell into disrepair. It was circumstance, rather than lack of performance, that led to the demise of these hockey heroes in Toronto. As it will be for Sundin. Poor Mats has the distinction of being the only Leafs’ captain to miss the playoffs three years in succession. Obviously, most NHLers do not spend their entire careers with the same team, regardless of circumstance. The long-time captains that remain in place almost always have Stanley Cup rings. There’s no chance Steve Yzerman would have gone the route in Detroit had the Red Wings been as horrid as they were early in his playing days. Nick Lidstrom just became the first European-born captain to accept the Cup, and has won four championships in Motown. Joe Sakic has stayed with the Quebec/Colorado franchise all these years, and has twice lifted the Cup since 1996. Scott Stevens skated for middling teams in Washington then won three titles with New Jersey. Going back, Denis Potvin spent his entire career with the New York Islanders and raised the Cup four times. Jean Beliveau, Henri Richard , Yvan Cournoyer and Bob Gainey were Montreal captains that lifted the Cup between 1971 and 1986. All spent their entire playing days with the Canadiens. The last Leafs’ captain to raise the Cup – George Armstrong – did it four times in Toronto between 1962 and 1967. He never played elsewhere. So, winning is the prime factor behind mutual loyalty. Occasionally, the financial status of an owner plays a role in a future hall of famer switching teams, and that’s why neither Wayne Gretzky nor Mark Messier finished their careers in Edmonton after earning a combined nine Stanley Cups with the Oilers. If the Maple Leafs can develop a long-term, winning environment, the club’s best players will become mainstays in our city. Otherwise, the revolving-door will continue.
BRAD from Fredericton, N.B. writes: “All in all, I’m quite happy with the Leafs’ roster going into the ’08-09 season. This is a team that will have to massively overachieve to be in playoff contention and, in my opinion, that’s exactly what the franchise needs right now. The way I see it: If you are not going to be great, you might as well be terrible. I also like that we’ll be able to see the young guys play and it will be a good chance to assess how long the rebuilding process will take. My hope for this season is that the team will be much harder to play against; the younger players will improve during the year, and with any luck the team will lose games to get the first pick in the draft.”
You are typical, Brad, of the numerous Leaf fans hoping for the club to play well – and fail often – next season. That may sound like a contradiction, but it could be prophetic. If Ron Wilson inspires the Leafs to perform competitively most nights, I think it will appease a large segment of the fan base, even when the club falls short. I’m sure every Leafs’ supporter is sick and tired of the embarrassing romps by opposition teams at the Air Canada Centre in recent years. Last season, alone, the Leafs were beaten by four goals or more on eight occasions. That’s one-fifth of the home schedule. Included, was an 8-0 loss to Florida; 7-1 pastings by Washington and Carolina, and an 8-2 spanking by a very average Ottawa team at the end of the season. On another night, the Leafs were outscored 5-1 by Chicago in the third period of a 6-4 loss. Away from the ACC, who can forget the back-to-back humiliations at Anaheim and Los Angeles in January that spelled the end for GM John Ferguson? In 2006-07, the Leafs lost home games 7-3 to Florida; 6-1 to Vancouver; 6-1 to Buffalo, and 6-2 to Ottawa. In my opinion, this was Paul Maurice’s biggest failing. He did not have anything close to a championship roster, but neither could he prevent the Leafs from essentially quitting in front of their die-hard supporters. Wilson must find a way to eliminate this from happening, even when the club is fairing poorly in the standings. And, that could be often next season. One other item, Brad: If you’ve listened to me on the radio, and/or read my blogs, you’ll know that I will not use the term “rebuild” when referring to the Leafs. Such a word gives the club way too much credit, as it suggests something was actually “built” in recent years. The current form of structuring bares many similarities to that of an expansion team. And, it indicates just how awful the Leafs have frequently been since 1967.
CHRIS from Toronto writes: “I’ve been on the Leafs’ season ticket wait-list since the late-1990s. A group of us decided to see if we could get tickets when the Leafs announced their merger with the Raptors. We figured with the extra seats coming available at the ACC, we might just have a shot. Well, we didn’t make it, and I’ve been on the list ever since. Last fall, I received an e-mail from MLSE asking if I would confirm my interest in remaining on the list, which I did. A month or so later, they sent me a message saying I’m still on, and somewhere around the low 300s [in priority]. Not bad, I suppose, for a 10-year wait. LOL!”
You can likely predict where I’m going with this response, Chris. At its most basic, the people that have owned and operated the Maple Leafs in the past 40 years have done so without concerns about supply and demand. Businesses are contingent on these two variables. When the latter far outweighs the former, accepted practices no longer apply. To wit: If the Leafs operated a grocery store in the same manner as the hockey club all of these years, that store would have gone belly-up within a few months. But, given that many more people wish to attend games than there are tickets available, the Leafs’ owners can perpetrate any sort of misdeed with immunity. They can raise ticket prices at will across the board; gouge long-time subscribers with seat licenses, and provide a lousy on-ice product. All of which have become common in recent years. Interest in the Blue & White often exceeds all bounds of reason. The acquisition of Ryan Hollweg from the New York Rangers is a timely, classic example. There are few players in the NHL quite as marginal as Hollweg, who can fight but do little else. As we speak, though, he is the subject of intense scrutiny and analysis on numerous hockey Internet sites. Rabid debating of the Hollweg deal will continue for days. It’s the kind of ravenous overkill that Leafs Nation is known for. I had an off-the-cuff discussion last season with a person that works for Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment. We started talking about the number of Leaf supporters in the Toronto area, and this person estimated that roughly 400,000 fans would attend every NHL game if the Air Canada Centre were big enough. That’s the sort of ticket demand there is in our city. Given that 381,000 of these folks can’t get into the arena each night, it’s easy to understand [if not appreciate] why the Leafs have long gotten away with murder. Of course, it doesn’t have to be this way. There are numerous recent examples of professional sports teams that have rewarded their sold-out audiences with a winning product. The New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Detroit Red Wings immediately come to mind. So, stay on the Maple Leafs’ wait-list, if you so desire, Chris. Just know that as soon as you drop your name, it will be filled, within seconds, by another season-ticket hopeful willing to hang on for as long as you have.
GAGAN from Brampton, Ont. writes: “Hey, Mr. Berger, this piece isn’t directed at you but I want everyone to know how I feel. I’ve started to get quite annoyed with the Toronto hockey media the past few weeks because I continue to read the same things – printed in the paper and posted online – every day and every week. Okay, so Niklas Hagman, Jeff Finger and Curtis Joseph are not going to get the Leafs into the playoffs next season. But, what’s the big deal if the club tries to ice a competitive product? I’m no expert on this matter, but I’m pretty sure when you’ve been a professional hockey player for a number of years, it’s not in you to lose. Athletes are natural competitors. The same can be said about team management. There’s no way Cliff Fletcher is tanking next season, to the dismay of some in the Toronto media. As much as they try to hide it, it’s clearly evident that these writers have their own agendas. Who knows, maybe they are all Leaf fans at heart and want their chance to be GM for a day. Pretty much any media person that disagrees with the Hagman, Finger and Joseph signings wants the Leafs to re-build for 3-5 seasons, and to tank the 2008-09 campaign for a chance to draft John Tavares. Meanwhile there are others that think they know it all but they evidently do not. I’m talking about you, Sean McCormick. Your latest blog on Sportsnet.ca suggests the Leafs should have gone after talents such as Marian Hossa, Jaromir Jagr, Brian Campbell or Corey Perry. I hope you know the team you cheer for [Edmonton] put together a monstrous package for Hossa, only to be turned down. Is this the Jagr of 1991-92? I would doubt that McCormick has never seen Hagman play. He has it all wrong. These signings show that the Leafs want to be competitive in the years ahead and are not even considering the ‘tank’ word. The losing mentality that has plagued Toronto for the past few seasons is finally being kicked to the curb. It’s the fans of the Maple Leafs that get criticized – deservedly so sometimes – for not giving the players enough of a chance in this NHL-crazed market. So, now I’m firing back. How about some of you in the media letting this situation play itself out? Let’s see how the Leafs fare in the first 20 games. Yeah, I’m pointing at you.”
Wow, Gagan, that’s an impressive rant. There has long been a feeling among the most passionate supporters of the Maple Leafs that the hockey media in Toronto somehow affects performance. It’s a classic, popular method for disappointed fans to divert frustration from the source – in this case, an entertainment/sports monolith that is characteristically incompetent. You have no power to influence the people that actually make decisions about the Leafs, for you continue to not only accept a bad team, but to thoroughly embrace it in ways that gorge the bottom line. Every jersey you buy; every ticket that is printed; every time you turn on the TV to watch the Leafs play, is another endorsement of the product – no matter how inept it is, or to what degree it torments you. This routine acquiescence allows the money moguls at MLSE to laugh, uproariously, all the way to the bank. So, why not turn to the media? It’s the closest you can get to the root of the problem. But, remember, the sports medium in a particular city is only as influential as it’s allowed to be. In New York, the media capital of the world, every paper could put three reporters on the Red Bull soccer beat, and it wouldn’t cause a ripple. Sports fans in the Big Apple want to read about the Yankees and Giants. The Miami and Fort Lauderdale papers could load up on columnists and reporters covering the NHL Panthers, and the people would yawn. It is Dolphins news they want, no matter how lousy the football team. Similarly, in Toronto, there is no limit to the scope of hockey coverage – electronic or print. Every word that is spoken or written about the Leafs is voraciously perused, analyzed… and taken to heart. A story or blog isn’t public domain for two minutes before it is posted somewhere and debated. More importantly, the status of a particular media figure increases with the critical tone of reporting. Leaf fanatics constantly bitch about the likes of Damien Cox and Steve Simmons, only to make them the most widely-read columnists in the city. My FAN-590 colleague, Bob McCown, isn’t the host of the No. 1-ranked sports-radio show in the country because he ignores the Maple Leafs. No person on the air so blatantly reminds listeners how abysmal the hockey club is, or how “stupid” its fans are. You folks hate his guts for bearing the truth, but you can’t get enough of him – he so adroitly pushes your buttons. The same Leaf zealots that call me a rotten bastard in e-mails are the first to wonder where my blog is if I skip a day. So, if it’s true that the consistently lousy performance of the Leafs is partly due to “negative” media coverage, it is that way solely because of the demand for such material. A demand that is insatiable and endless.
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Make me G.M. and I gaurantee a cup in 5 years.
- dinoI don’t want Sundin back all do he again is bring us up to between 9-12th place like he usually does and another lousy pick. I want Tavares and this crap about losing breeds losing look at all the good young teams who are good they were at rock bottom for years did it stop Pittsburg from making the finals? Did it stop Anahaim from winning cup etc etc.? The only way this team will ever win is by finishing at bottom. And regarding the not so great Sundin why is he not getting any blame for Blake not scoring he’s a guy whos come off more than 4 years of 20 goal scoring put him with Sundin 15. A real playmaker ( Thorton Jagr Sacik ETCCC.. gives there wingers passes that are great scoring chances most of Blakes chances from Sundin were nopt great scoring chances he should take alot of the blame. Also this is basically the same team as the last three years and most players had off seasons (Tucker Poni Kabrle yet Sundin had a decent season so why didnt he have the same type of season the previous two years I thought there not good enough so why a good season last year. The answer he’s been underachieving for the past 10 years look at the real superstars they have good seasons regardless who they play with (Crosby’s first season Kovalchuck’s first season) Bye Bye Sundin don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
- Willy BergmanIm pretty sure that the fans are addicted to the maple leafs the same way a drunk is addicted to the bottle. It just seems as though we can never get to the bottom.
- Matt RobertsWe can never get enough yet, deep down we just want to finally win a cup so we can stop drinking for a while.
Howard,
There’s a big difference between Bob McCown (who tells it like it is) and Cox and Simmons. Cox, in particular, sits in front of his computer thinking “What horrible thing can I say about the Leafs today?” and “Maybe if I take a unique point of view (regardless of whether I believe it), everyone will think I’m smart?”. His article re: Mats Sundin a couple of days ago is a perfect example. The hockey scene was quiet for a couple of days, so Cox decided to write an article just for the sake of writing an article. It was simply an editorial piece and completely lacked any insight.
You’re right about one thing - Leaf fans read their articles. But it’s not because of the quality of writing. It’s simply a case of loving to hate two morons who think they know it all when they really have nothing worthwhile to say.
I’ll take you and Bobcat over the two stooges any day of the week.
- sbThere is one scenario everyone overlooks. That is that Stajan, Steen, Tlusty, and Stralman turn into stars with the extra resposibility, Ponikarovsky stands in front of the net and the Leafs challange for the Cup. The reason that is absolutely rediculous. JFJ wanted Stajan and Steen to get more ice, so gone is Quinn,Roberts,Niewendyk,Lindros,Nolan,and Allison. He was rewarded (despite a 60% increase in ice time for Stajan) with no more production, less wins, and no Job. Now its happening again, Gone is Tucker,Sundin,(Mccabe) and what makes anyone think this time it will work. Well nobody does that’s why were hoping for Tavares. What should have been done is these kids with not enough talent should have been dealt to a GM who still believes in the upside of these average hockey players. Maybe that would have happened if they carried no trade clauses, but no were stuck with them. Trade or buyout the best players because we can’t not because it would improve the team.Somebody needs to tell Ponikarovsky to draw the line in the sand and dare Fletcher to try and trade him ( oh sorry he is afraid of the preschoolers in the sand box so that can’t happen.Hope I’mwrong but if not look forward to writing the stats Stajan no goals in 8 games no points in 12… of course this streak will start right after a 3 point night and the believers get suckered again
- MikeThanks for answering my email Howard. Since the Leafs don’t retire the numbers of Leaf greats i’ve come up with an idea that i think would be a fitting tribute to the greats. On the shoulder of say Matt Stajan place a small Leaf crest with the #14 inside it and Keon above the Leaf. This way fans around the league will see the names of Leaf greats. For #27 Sittler on one side and Mahovlich on the other. As it is now only people in the ACC see the banners honoring our greatest Leafs. What do you think? Howard enjoy your summer. DJ
- Doug Jarviei say we give dino a chance
- pass_the_kegMake me a GM and I guarantee a cup in 4 years
- Jarodi think you’d at least have to know how to spell guarantee to be in any front office dino
- vinceWhy don’t the Buds just spend through the roof on free agents and ignore the salary cap. When the league tries to impose a fine, just ignore it. The Buds have the most fans in the league and should start throwing their weight around. I’m only half joking.
- Blue & WhiteI am a Leaf observer, not a fanatic or a fan or even a follower. In my childhood during the 80s I was a Leaf fan thinking it was simply bad luck the Leafs finished poorly or average year after year after year.
Now as an adult, I have my priorities and I follow the Leafs moves to gauge whether or not they are doing the right thing rather than doing PR or smokescreen types of moves. And clearly the “free” ticket giveaway is another lame corporate move disguised as giving back to the fans. This free ticket giveaway is almost as stupid as the Tie Domi 1000 game celebration or waiving Steve Sullivan.
- HeatonI was listening to the fan 590 this morning and all I heard was how great MLSE was for hosting a free preseason game. I almost vomitted all over my car. When your starting first line centre is Nik Antropov, maybe all your home games should be free of charge. What a joke!
- Pierowhat a joke howard. i can’t believe leaf fans are falling for this. they are actually making an anouncement for a free exhebition game. what a joke mlse is. all leafs games shoulb be free for the crap the have been putting on the ice for the last 3 decades.
- dannyI can accept a losing team. Only one team wins the cup each year. I would still be a passionate fan. But I lost my passion when JFJ tried to sell the fans a load of goods when he signed Andrew Raycroft, who was a long shot at best, and told everyone he was going to be the new number one goalie. At the time, Raycroft had been relegated to third on the depth chart on another non-playoff team. At best, we had three number 2 goalies.
And that’s when I saw it was just smoke and mirrors. I may still be in LIKE with the Leafs, but my passion is gone.
- USELESS MANIf a team is over the salary cap without reason (I.E. Long Term Injury Reserve) there isn’t just fines. There are games to forfeit. So spending like the Yankees won’t let you win.
- Johnny GGet some rest, Howard . . .
- KmanGreat year, thanks.
“Make me the GM and I’ll get you a cup in . . . ” BLAH BLAH BLAH. I’m a leaf fan but I also know that 90% of leaf fans have no clue on how to run the team. Everyone is always negative when they suck and then everyone is so positive when they win. This team hasn’t even hit the ice yet. So many new faces, and things take time.
And for all you idiots you think you can win a cup by being the GM. Get a grip. There is a cap, and there is rules. WAKE UP
- THoward I hope that the fans sincerely understand that in order to get better the team (and the fans ) must suffer. Just look at Pittsburg over the last 4 years and others too.
It’s the sports writers who annoy me. Many seem to relish the reputation about Toronto being a difficult place to play because of the press and they seem to go out of their way to prove it. Others (especially in the Star) hardly gave Fletcher 24 hours before the knives came out. Others spend their time “defending the right” of the sports people to write all the negativeism that they do.
In closing I don’t think it is the fans who will object to the Leafs having a growing season, but I think that most of the sports writers who claim to “know” what the fans want who will be unable to cope with it.
D.C.
- donald cooperMy wife says they can’t hear me when I yell at the TV, but apparently she’s wrong. For 2 years I yelled we need somebody who knows how to kill penalties enter Mayers and Hagman.My other favorite was who is our shut down pair on defense.Enter Schenn,Finger, and Frogren.One thing will happen that we can take to the bank this year. The Leafs will not be blown out at home this year and with Cujo like saves from Toskala the playoffs will be a possibility Thanks to Ron Wilson, better penalty kill and generaly just being hard to play against. We could also lose every game 2-1 but one goal losses are a powerplay goal away from a 1 goal win
- MikeIt’s nice to finally see some people who are fed up with this organization. I’ve stopped being a hardcore fan for a while. I still have a place for them should they smarten up but untill then i’ll watch Crosby, Ovechkin or the Wings untill MLSE can get serious about putting a product on the ice that fans can be proud of.
- DilsonI thouhgt they were going in the right direction untill I heard that Jeff Finger signed for a ridiculous contract. You can’t win in a cap league paying top dollar to mediocre players for long term deals. I heard of no other team offering close to the amount so why did it have to be Flethcer. If they bring back Sundin that will be the cherry on top, further proving that they do not know how to REBUILD. I like Sundin, but he hasn’t brought the leafs a cup. It’s time to move on and try and draft someone like John Tavares whom by all accounts is a franchise player.
When the objectives of Gary Bettman’s (and the owners) became obvious four years ago, it was obvious the Leafs were headed for mediocrity. Post lockout, teams that flourished were poor ones that had sand-bagged loads of draft picks and built teams w/o free agency unlike the rich teams. So I ask you, the fans, MLSE, the media collectively, and you Mr.Berger, why have we sacrificed 2 GM’s, a coach, and whatever else in the blame-game when realistically this is just a result of the lockout. The Leafs were ill-prepared for the new NHL (economics AND new rules to boot). How could they have known to turn the draft schmaft philophy into a must draft one? How could they have known that the clutch and grab team they had built would no longer be tolerated? Although it may sound like I’m blaming Bettman and the NHL for the Leafs demise I’m not. I’m merely suggesting that all of you take a chill pill and allow the Leafs to build in the new climate. Patience people. Patience. Just enjoy the game of hockey and stop getting all sucky.
- vinceLeafs Suck!…Antropov..the slowest guy on the team ..is our starting centre..does flatcher think he’s a next coming of Joe’s(sakic,thorton)..after 2-5 yrs in NHL..you can not continue to think a player has upside!! Bringing sundin back will mean another 11th finish!…whts the difference finishing last (Tampa) look at their team this year…Whn is this franchaise going to learn..that finishing last for once isn’t sooooo bad after all…Old boned flather is no good!
- DavidHowie, I love to hate you, listening to you rip on Tucker all year nearly killed me, but it is obvious you show a passion for the Leafs so I guess your ok! Anyways, I am not sure I am seeing eye to eye with all those who suggest we should tank in chances of lucking out and getting Tavares.
Take a look at our D
Kaberle, Kubina
Stralman, Frogren
White, Finger
Schenn, McCabe, Colaiacovo
Our first 2 D lines are National team D lines (Czech and Sweden) and with the likes of Schenn and with a more defensive approach from coach Ron Wilson and Toskala’s second full season as starter we could see a much more aggressive approach to play in our own end.
However, we run into problems with
Poni, Antropov, Blake
Tlusty, Steen, Bell
Hagman, Stajan, Mayers
Moore, Grabovski, Deveraux
with a few extras like Hollweg, Earl, Boyce and Williams. Some players were given more ice time last year and didn’t flourish as had hoped (Stajan and perhaps Steen).
What I see right now is a defensive team with 1-2 assets to divert from defense to offense (perhaps Carlo, or Bryan sadly I like both quite a bit, especially since Carlo is from Toronto like me).
As it looks right now with such a stellar D, and superb goaltending, I feel this team is to well built to not contend for a playoff spot. With the added grit and defensive defensmen, they will finish around 20-26 spot again and will miss out on Tavares with this current lineup.
I would give anything to be in Cliff Fletcher’s spot right now. Their are two things left for him to do. Gain an offensive asset for a defensive one and then pursue the greatest Leaf I have known (I’m 23…give me a break) and the captain of this franchise and make a run for the playoffs. Yes, I said playoffs.
- Tommycome on lets be serious…. the leafs are going to suck this year. there is no other way to put it.. first of all i dont understand why they choose to move forward with their young talent. come on stajan, steen, and all those other guys are not what u want to build ur team around. u want to build ur team around young proven players who are going to excell in the futur and we need at least one futur superstar or just a very very good player. we dont have that. we dont even have the pieces that will allow us to get better quicker in the futur. us fans will wait if this is a 3-4 year project but if u dont start out with a promising young group of players the time frame will increase and we may have to rebuild again??????? teams like tampa… chichago… washington are teams to be excited about but the leafs??? ummm … its puzzling to say the least. i just hope detroit scores less than 6 goals in thier opener against the leafs.. at least we have toskala who is okay? BLOW UP THE TEAM(if im not mistaken tavares is in the up and coming draft?? at least we will get something out of being last place..
- YoungJayFanVince I agree. The only blame is the short and long history of unloading of draft picks, and prospects for the present. We all bought into this as we thought the Wesleys, Nolans, blah blah blahs. They came and went along with first and second round exits. Now the cupboard is bare and the rebuilding is 2 or 3 years behind. I am ready for some young kids to do it for a couple years. Remeber the hound line? Thats all we had for a couple years. I just hope Mats wants to hold on for a year or two.
- rnkfxrHey Vince, the Leafs one way ticket to crap-dom has nothing to do with the lockout and the NHL’s master plan of having poor teams with loads of draft picks flourish. That voyage started 4 decades ago and may not have ended yet. The Detroit Red Wings are not a poor team that sand-bagged loads of draft picks and yet are successful year after year. It’s about good management and especially, good drafting. The Leafs have had lousy combinations of both for as long as I can remember. Anaheim and Detroit both won cups with 2 totally different styles of hockey. There’s more than one way to win a cup. Having said that, only a moronic group of misfits would think that it can be done by building a team around clutching and grabbing, wimps (Pony), slow skaters, has beens, and bad goaltending. That, with a few exceptions in the early 90’s, is your Toronto Maple Leafs over the last at least 30 years. Time doesn’t win Stanley Cups, obviously it’s been 40+ years for God Sakes. It’s good decisions that lead to good teams that lead to Stanley Cups.
- PaulMy 2 cents.
Vince u are totally wrong. U are the one getting all sucky and u too are a frustrated leafs fan who is trying to find any reasonable excuse that u try to factor in as a part of the leafs dismal performance. It’s okay to do this but u are taking the whole lockout issue to a way more drastic level. The leafs could not win a Cup with the great players they had pre lockout and could not win after. Obviouly thier lack of performance is due to poor management. Come on lets be honest. Toronoto’s top line is any other teams 3rd 4th line witht he exception of a couple of other bad teams.
- JaysFanleafs suck….they want to bring sundin back, for what mentor our youth? give me a break, here s a guy who has no ambition of winning a cup, keep him away from the little youth we have
- vinmanBlah, blah, blah, blah.
- Jim