Golfing already?!

Yet another season passes, and yet another early trip to the 18 holes. The Leafs have failed to make the playoffs, yet again. But who do you blame? Well,the problems are far beyond the dreadful performance on ice. The Toronto Maple Leafs have essentially the strongest fan base in the league, and their lack of ownership only allows upper management to do whatever they wish. The Toronto Maple Leafs have absolutely no motivation for victory, and that’s why they will continue not to win until something changes.

The problems start much earlier than the current era of shoddy play. Soon after the last Cup win in 1967, Harold Ballard basically took control of the team. Many consider Ballard the start of the horrendous downfall of the Maple Leafs. He was cheap, and often allowed good, trademark players to walk away from Toronto instead of compromising and renegotiating contracts. Ballard was also notorious for his dislike of European players, despite drafting Swedish superstar, Borje Salming, and made Toronto one of the first teams to do so. His hatred of Russian players was well-known and this bias towards both European and Russian players would be a stand instilled in the franchise for decades later. It wasn’t until 1991 that the ownership changed hands, but this time it wasn’t to one individual person, a move that had only sunk the team even further in mediocrity. Currently, the Toronto Maple Leafs are part of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment Ltd, a company owned mostly by the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, and other various shareholders. The two men who are renowned for their involvement in major Leafs’ related moves are Richard Peddie and Larry Tanenbaum, neither of which who have made any legitimate contributions to the progress of the team. As they often allow personal matters to be more important than the good of the team, the two have become the butt of many jokes. Their focus on the ridiculously triumphant financial aspect of the team has blinded them from the horrendous performance that is showcased on ice every night the Leafs play. With such selfishness and dysfunction embedded into the franchise from an early start, it’s no wonder the Leafs haven’t been successful on ice for decades.

Continuing from the top, let’s consider the General Manager, or GM, who is the one responsible for bringing the players and coaches together, and fundamentally, putting the team together. Starting from the early nineties, the Leafs have debatably had only one successful GM, Pat Quinn. While both coaching and managing the team, Quinn had brought the team to multiple consecutive playoff runs, most notably in 2002 when the team made it all the way to the Conference Finals. So why isn’t such a great coach and GM in charge of the team today? Well, after failing to make the playoffs in 2006, the new GM, John Ferguson Jr., relieved Quinn of his coaching duties. Many believe he had a personal falling out with Ferguson, and given the history of the team, that’s not hard to believe. Of course, good ol’ Tanenbaum and Peddie backed the young and inexperienced Ferguson on his decision to fire the second victorious coach in the team’s history. Smart move. Well, after Ferguson sent Quinn packing out of town, he really did help accelerate the team’s mediocrity. The Leafs have yet to make the playoffs since Quinn’s departure, and each season since, have ended up progressively lower in the standings.

It can be argued that under Ferguson’s reign as General Manager, the Leafs had made some of the worst trades, contracts and free agency signings. You can only wonder where to begin with the horrible decisions he made. Well, there were the multiple years, multi-million dollar contracts he handed to undeserving players on a silver platter who weren’t worth even a fraction of what he offered them. Of course these players who were not superstars, such as Jason Blake, Ed Belfour, and Tie Domi for example, would sign them in a second. They were given more money and more job security with the Leafs than any other team would even begin to offer. And of course, we can’t forget the infamous “no trade clause” that would ruin any opportunity any future GM would have to trade players. Essentially, a “no trade clause” is way for a player to have a say on whether or not he wants to be traded. At one point in the 2007-2008 season, there were five main players with “no trade clauses”, all of which who would’ve been ideal bargaining chips before the trade deadline. A few key trades before the deadline might have completely changed the face of the team, but then GM Cliff Fletcher had no say in the matter, as dear Ferguson had already done the damage.

The current state of affairs in Toronto is no better than it used to be. Sitting as GM is Brian Burke, an American whose dislike of European players is not a secret. It is reminiscent of the values that lovable Harold Ballard instilled decades before. And who else but Burke’s good friend and American Olympic team peer, Ron Wilson, to coach the team? The favouritism is not well hidden in the franchise, and it becomes a distraction from the constant losing. The two have been vocal about their intentions on improving the team and making the Leafs a playoff contender, and yet, nothing’s changed for the better. The Leafs have only sunken lower in the standings, the team torn apart and the iconic captain Mats Sundin sent out of town. It seems the two, Burke and Wilson, keep their personal intentions a priority. There are no worries to win, unless their own jobs are at risk, therefore never pushing the team to victory.

Not only do the Toronto Maple Leafs have absolutely no pressure to win from their management, but they are not being pushed by their fans either. In a metropolitan area of 5.5 million people, the Leafs are the heart of the city. They get such a large percentage of publicity in the local media, you’d think the Leafs were the only sports team Toronto had to offer. Even if they win or lose, they’re usually the first story in the sports section of the news. But why is there so much attention on an obviously hopeless team? Simply put, it’s for the fans. As mentioned before, the Leafs have basically the biggest and strongest fan bases in the league. Up until 1999, when the Leafs were in Maple Leafs Garden, they had sold out every single game since 1946. Yet, only 5% of Leafs fans will actually go to a home game in their lifetime. Many fans that can’t get a hold of home tickets will often make the drive to Buffalo, Ottawa or even Montreal to catch a Leafs’ game. It is insane the dedication fans show for a losing team. But the issue with the tickets doesn’t rest there. No, the Leafs have created yet another mess, this time in the organization and distribution with season holder tickets. The Air Canada Centre holds roughly 22,000 fans and yet, there are still over 2,500 names on a waiting list for tickets. It’s estimated that potential ticket holders have to wait on the list for twenty years for the opportunity to purchase the rights to the seats, and then buy the actual game tickets. Who needs to win when you’re guaranteed ticket sales for the next twenty years? And of course, corporate Toronto does not help. On any given week night, the chances of seeing people in the lower bowl seats are quite slim. Not surprisingly, those seats are always paid for.

With the Leafs’ seemingly unlimited amount of fans, it might make sense to bring another team to southern Ontario. The state of New York has three teams – the New York Rangers, the New York Islanders and the Buffalo Sabres. But of course, there’s another setback. The NHL is very adamant on not creating another team in southern Ontario. When the league focuses on newer, especially American, teams to win, they generate a new interest in the sport, which often proves to be a goldmine in the higher populated American cities. The league has no reasons to intervene in Toronto’s horrible losing skid. The Leafs are financially the most successful team in the NHL in 2009, they were worth an estimated $470 million USD, $60 million more than the second place New York Rangers. Why would the league allow the formation of a new team near Toronto that might jeopardize the stable financial foundation the Leafs rest on? What else could matter but the almighty dollar? Not winning, that’s for sure.

So is there any hope for such an internally damaged franchise? There are a few solutions that are improbable, but if they were considered, they might be the only measures left to take. By some miracle, if MLSE would be bought by an individual, it might make a world of difference. A single owner would provide the absent pressure the Leafs need to win, and perhaps, they might imitate the privately owned Detroit Red Wings, who have won the Stanley Cup four times in the last fifteen years. A new owner should also throw out the season holder ticket system and start new, expanding the fan base even more, if it could be increased at all. If there is no miracle, and no saviour to buy the team all by his or herself, then perhaps the Leafs might benefit from a new set of leaders in upper management. Maybe then they wouldn’t hand out absurd contracts with those goddamn “no trade clauses”. Along with better thought out trades, the Leafs should definitely consider actually listening to their scouting team. Far too many times have the Leafs traded away potential superstar prospects with nothing to show for it but another tick in the loss column. Focusing away from the team, a loss of fans would provide some much needed desire to win. There are two ways to achieve this. Either those crazy, diehard fans unite and boycott the team, or the NHL allows the formation of a second team in southern Ontario, giving local hockey fanatics another team to cheer for. There are so many intricate reasons as to why the Leafs are in such a horrendous position, but only a few ways to make them an on-ice success. Maybe if they tried to use any sort of solution besides the current method of destroying a team to “rebuild” then perhaps, Toronto hockey fans might actually have a reason to proudly don the blue and white.

Last night, the Leafs played host to the Atlanta Thrashers. Now, the Leafs have been on a roll as of late, winning 9 of their last 13 coming into the game. Surprisingly, many of those had been overtime or shootout wins.

FLASHBACK: Last season at the trade deadline the Toronto Maple Leafs sent their best player at the time (I'm going by stats, not just personal opinion) to the New York Rangers for a draft pick. Free agency opened up in July, and dear Nik was sent from the Big Apple to Atlanta.

Well, last night, the Leafs were mathematically still in the race for a playoff spot, but had to win every single one of their last six games, and hope that the hockey gods would help them out. Hey Toronto, remember karma ? Yeah, it's a bitch.


Courtesy Google Images

Nik Antropov was the third star of the game, leading Atlanta to a 3-2 victory, with the game winning goal under his name. He also eliminated his former team from any playoff contention, and definitely disproved any bitter Toronto fans, you know, the ones who booed him even as a Leaf.

Well, I guess Toronto should've learned a lesson. My point's been proven again, as the Leafs should not have sent him out of town.

First Post

Well, I've been told that I'm quite a passionate Leafs' fan, to say the least, and that I'd make a good sports blogger. So I figure, what the hell? Why not give it a shot, right?

So where to begin? It's nearing the end of the 09/10 NHL season, and it feels absolutely awful to be a Leafs' fan. They're dead last in the Eastern Conference, and things might not look so grim if they were contenders for that number one draft pick. But hey, guess who's got their lucky hands on their picks? Boston, and why is that dear sports fans? Yet another trade from those lovable folks in Leafs' management to rebuild the team while, guess what, trading away draft picks.

How do I feel? Well, I think I made it pretty clear. I'm not a fan of the American, Euro-phobics in charge, mostly Burke and Wilson. I think letting Pat Quinn go as both GM and Head Coach was one of the stupidest decisions they've made so far, as well as letting the inexperienced, and quite naive, John Ferguson Junior run the team. Going this long without a captain can only destroy a team's unity and relationships in the locker room. Who do they possibly turn to for leadership? Beats me.

Anyways, this is just a starter. Expect lots of rants, naive hopefulness, and pleas to get Nik Antropov back on the team. (What can I say? I love the guy!)

Cheers fellow hockey fanatics.