how bout dem leafs
- Thread starter spaminator
- Start date
steve spott, chris dennis, rick st. croix, peter horachek, dave nonis, fired. just them?
yeah, bob mcKenzie called it 'sunday bloody sunday'.
It's all abit phoney. Shanahan set them to intentionally fail so he could get a crack at McDavid. He hired a coach that everyone knew would never stick and would probably make them worse. In fact assured to be worse because three quarters of the team got shipped out. Losing was hardly a surprise. Easy to fire, so now he can propose a clean slate and a bag full of cash to Babcock.
yeah, i'm sure babcock has been in his sights for quite a while. if they get mcDavid, they need to have
a major inquiry into 'whatever' the crime is called.
the players never try to lose, but the management, i'm sure, sit up there and keep their fingers
crossed for a loss, every game for at least the last two months.
disappointed that we didn't finish 1st.
I prefer the old format. eg. last/14th = 1st, 2nd last/13th = 2nd, 3rd last/12th = 3rd, etc.
I prefer the old format. eg. last/14th = 1st, 2nd last/13th = 2nd, 3rd last/12th = 3rd, etc.
Mayan lessons for Leafs
By Mike Strobel, Toronto Sun First posted: Sunday, April 19, 2015 06:54 PM EDT | Updated: Sunday, April 19, 2015 07:01 PM EDT
CHICHEN ITZA, MEXICO - Every citizen of Leafs Nation should visit this sacred city of the ancient Mayans.
But not Dion Phaneuf. No, no, not Dion. In the unlikely event, Captain Phaneuf, that you are reading this, not lining up a putt, please stop now. The punchline is a killer.
Mayan fans were very hard on their team captains.
On the other hand, the Maple Leafs could learn a thing or two about sports motivation among these fabulous ruins.
You need look no farther than the carved stone walls of Chichen Itza’s Great Ball Court. In this stadium, bigger than a CFL field, fans cheered star athletes a millennium ago.
Mayan pelota was brutal, though, come to think of it, so is the brand of hockey practised by our Leafs.
The rubber ball weighed some six pounds and could break bones. Like a volleyball or Hacky Sack, you had to keep it off the ground, but using only your hips, knees and elbows.
To win, you passed the ball to your captain, who tried to deflect it through a stone hoop six metres above the arena floor. Not easy to do. Like Phil Kessel trying to backcheck.
So the game could last days, says guide Manuel, a local Mayan who has never heard of Phil Kessel.
When it ended, the captain was promptly sacrificed to the gods and tossed in a nearby sacred waterhole.
The ball court walls are etched with skulls and scenes of beheading.
The losing captain lost his head, I assume.
“No, no. The winner,” says Manuel the Mayan.
The winner had his head lopped off? What kind of motivation is that? I bet there were lots of scoreless ties.
“Actually, it was an honour to be sacrificed,” says Manuel the Mayan, “a way to the afterlife. The guy was happy about it.”
Delirious. I’m sure.
This puts a wrinkle in my quest to help remotivate the hapless Leafs, which includes this stop at Chichen Itza. I figured a great civilization of history might answer the riddle of the Leafs, which have been in a sort of Mexican standoff since 1967.
But sacrificing a successful captain to the rain god Chaac hardly seems sensible today.
I mean, we can’t just toss Dion into Lake Ontario. I’m sure the NHLPA collective agreement forbids it.
So what to do? The Connor McDavid dream was dashed in Saturday’s draft lottery, so unless Toronto marches out and conquers Edmonton like the Spaniards conquered Montezuma, the Leafs will have to do it the hard way.
Zize and our guys in the sports section can debate line juggling and neutral zone traps. I’m no expert there. But you don’t have to be Sigmund Freud to recognize the Leafs are as much an emotional wreck as a physical or tactical one.
So the Mayans can’t help, after all. Heck, they couldn’t even get Doomsday right.
From the shadow of the Wall of Skulls, I call my life coach Robin H-C, author of Life’s in Session, which is available in that Mecca of motivation, Walmart. Also, Robin has informally advised Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice and, hey, the Jets are in the playoffs.
“There’s no easy answer, but there is an answer,” Robin says of the Leafs. “The brain imprints during heightened emotions, so these guys identify as individuals and as a team based on the past season.
“They have to first diffuse that identity and put it into context before they can rebuild.
“But you can’t have a breakthrough without a breakdown, so they’re actually in a good position to create something new — as long as they can leave this season in the past.
“Cracking the whip won’t work. They already are acutely aware of their shortcomings as a team.”
I should hope so.
“So they need to reach out for their strengths and for their connectivity with each other.”
What about Captain Phaneuf? Now that an offering to the rain god is ruled out.
“Dion is operating from fear and obviously it’s not working. He needs to shift his motivation to love, to connect with the passion that got him into the game in the first place, to forget about the fans and the pressure and the management.”
Thanks, coach. I hope he listens.
If not, maybe we can trade him to the Aztecs.
Strobel’s column usually runs Monday to Thursday. Hear him Tuesday and Thursday mornings on 94.9 The Rock FM.
(TIM PECKHAM, Toronto Sun Graphics)
Mayan lessons for Leafs | STROBEL | Home | Toronto Sun
CHICHEN ITZA, MEXICO - Every citizen of Leafs Nation should visit this sacred city of the ancient Mayans.
But not Dion Phaneuf. No, no, not Dion. In the unlikely event, Captain Phaneuf, that you are reading this, not lining up a putt, please stop now. The punchline is a killer.
Mayan fans were very hard on their team captains.
On the other hand, the Maple Leafs could learn a thing or two about sports motivation among these fabulous ruins.
You need look no farther than the carved stone walls of Chichen Itza’s Great Ball Court. In this stadium, bigger than a CFL field, fans cheered star athletes a millennium ago.
Mayan pelota was brutal, though, come to think of it, so is the brand of hockey practised by our Leafs.
The rubber ball weighed some six pounds and could break bones. Like a volleyball or Hacky Sack, you had to keep it off the ground, but using only your hips, knees and elbows.
To win, you passed the ball to your captain, who tried to deflect it through a stone hoop six metres above the arena floor. Not easy to do. Like Phil Kessel trying to backcheck.
So the game could last days, says guide Manuel, a local Mayan who has never heard of Phil Kessel.
When it ended, the captain was promptly sacrificed to the gods and tossed in a nearby sacred waterhole.
The ball court walls are etched with skulls and scenes of beheading.
The losing captain lost his head, I assume.
“No, no. The winner,” says Manuel the Mayan.
The winner had his head lopped off? What kind of motivation is that? I bet there were lots of scoreless ties.
“Actually, it was an honour to be sacrificed,” says Manuel the Mayan, “a way to the afterlife. The guy was happy about it.”
Delirious. I’m sure.
This puts a wrinkle in my quest to help remotivate the hapless Leafs, which includes this stop at Chichen Itza. I figured a great civilization of history might answer the riddle of the Leafs, which have been in a sort of Mexican standoff since 1967.
But sacrificing a successful captain to the rain god Chaac hardly seems sensible today.
I mean, we can’t just toss Dion into Lake Ontario. I’m sure the NHLPA collective agreement forbids it.
So what to do? The Connor McDavid dream was dashed in Saturday’s draft lottery, so unless Toronto marches out and conquers Edmonton like the Spaniards conquered Montezuma, the Leafs will have to do it the hard way.
Zize and our guys in the sports section can debate line juggling and neutral zone traps. I’m no expert there. But you don’t have to be Sigmund Freud to recognize the Leafs are as much an emotional wreck as a physical or tactical one.
So the Mayans can’t help, after all. Heck, they couldn’t even get Doomsday right.
From the shadow of the Wall of Skulls, I call my life coach Robin H-C, author of Life’s in Session, which is available in that Mecca of motivation, Walmart. Also, Robin has informally advised Winnipeg coach Paul Maurice and, hey, the Jets are in the playoffs.
“There’s no easy answer, but there is an answer,” Robin says of the Leafs. “The brain imprints during heightened emotions, so these guys identify as individuals and as a team based on the past season.
“They have to first diffuse that identity and put it into context before they can rebuild.
“But you can’t have a breakthrough without a breakdown, so they’re actually in a good position to create something new — as long as they can leave this season in the past.
“Cracking the whip won’t work. They already are acutely aware of their shortcomings as a team.”
I should hope so.
“So they need to reach out for their strengths and for their connectivity with each other.”
What about Captain Phaneuf? Now that an offering to the rain god is ruled out.
“Dion is operating from fear and obviously it’s not working. He needs to shift his motivation to love, to connect with the passion that got him into the game in the first place, to forget about the fans and the pressure and the management.”
Thanks, coach. I hope he listens.
If not, maybe we can trade him to the Aztecs.
Strobel’s column usually runs Monday to Thursday. Hear him Tuesday and Thursday mornings on 94.9 The Rock FM.
(TIM PECKHAM, Toronto Sun Graphics)
Mayan lessons for Leafs | STROBEL | Home | Toronto Sun
Maple Leafs' former GM Dave Nonis looks back at time with team in first interview after firing
By Steve Simmons, Toronto Sun First posted: Friday, April 24, 2015 12:05 AM EDT | Updated: Friday, April 24, 2015 12:21 AM EDT
The meeting was called for early Sunday, the morning after the NHL regular season had ended. At first, Dave Nonis thought nothing of it — he thought it would be a continuation of his Saturday conversation with Brendan Shanahan. At first, he figured it would be business as usual.
“A part of me thought we were going to move on to the next phase of our plan. That was my first thought, but a part of me knew it was coming,” said Nonis in his first interview since being fired as general manager of the Maple Leafs, an almost hour-long conversation with the Sun.
The meeting was brief and professional.
“He told me he was making a change. I pretty much knew what he was thinking ... I understand the reasons behind it. I’m not mad at Brendan. He’s still a friend of mine. But still, I was disappointed.
“There’s no hard feelings or ill will. I understand why he decided to make the change. I was hoping it wouldn’t happen. I thought we got along very well throughout the year. But I’ve been in the game a long time. I understand why you do this.”
More than once, he called it the dream job, being GM of the Maple Leafs in the most intense, chaotic, suffocating, reactive market in all of hockey. He was a quiet man in a noisy place and he liked being in the background. But none of this past season seemed much like a dream at all.
“When you’re the manager of a team, you wake up every single day and your first thought is: ‘How can I make my team better today?’ It can consume you. You’re not thinking about the house, or whether it’s your wife’s birthday or anything else going on in your life. It’s ‘How I can make this team better?’
“And when things aren’t going well, that’s all you think about. Personally, it does affect you. It affects you physically. It affects you mentally. It’s not healthy, necessarily. The tradeoffs come when you have success. That’s the profession we’re in. It’s like a drug. It takes over your life. You live for that success and it’s the reason we’re in this.”
Nonis didn’t realize how drained he was, how hard he worked over the final two months of the season, how much time was spent working until after he was let go. He went to the Bahamas for a week on vacation. He entertained a lot of phone calls and text messages from friends and colleagues in the industry. Mostly, he’s kept to himself, outside Toronto, at home in New Hampshire with his family.
“We went away for one week,” he said. “I probably should have gone for longer.”
What he doesn’t have to worry about is getting paid. He has three years remaining on his contract with the Leafs. He was handsomely compensated, as all GMs in hockey are. He has somewhere in the neighbourhood of $6 million still coming to him.
He wishes that the victims of Bloody Sunday — the scouts, front office people, Leafs friends — were as well taken care of as he will be.
“You never want to see people lose their jobs,” he said. “A number of those people were not in high-paying positions and they need to work. I feel for them and wish it had gone differently for them. I know there’s some good hockey people and they’ll find positions elsewhere. You know when you sign a contract to work for an NHL team that (getting fired) is a possibility. But when it’s friends and colleagues and people who worked for you, that hurts.
“I’ve always prided myself as a manager and having relationships with the people who worked for me. I thought it was important to know what they did, what their kids did, what their wives were interested in. That kind of thing. That’s what makes our business special. There’s a lot of people I’d call family — they’re friends of mine and will remain friends of mine.”
So who does Nonis blame for the demise of his hockey club? Not any one person. Not himself. Not his staff. Not the coaches. Not the players. That may be part of why he is no longer with the club.
“It’s a combination of everything,” said Nonis. “I wish I could pinpoint all the reasons of what went wrong. I know people put the collapses together. But I don’t. The last three were different. There’s a lot of blame to go around. But I still don’t think this is a bottom-four roster. There are a lot of assets here. And with the draft picks we’ve accumulated, hopefully a lot of assets going forward.”
The signings that mark Nonis’ stint as general manager were the long-term deals given to Phil Kessel and captain Dion Phaneuf. They have proven over time to be Leafs albatrosses.
That’s the public view and the media view. Nonis doesn’t share that opinion.
“When we signed Phil, and I don’t have the numbers in front of me, I think he was the third-highest scoring player over a three-year period,” he said.
But what about his lack of leadership, his conditioning, his quit?
“I don’t think they have to move Phil Kessel,” said Nonis. “You only move him if you decide the return is worth it. If you don’t get value for him, you’re only hurting your team. I believe the baggage that comes with Phil is overblown. Are there things he has to change? Absolutely. But I can assure you of this: Whatever team wins the Stanley Cup this year will have a Phil Kessel in the lineup. I can guarantee that.
“Does he have things to work on? Yes. But he has something other players don’t have. He does have pride and he does want to win. He has to learn to focus some of those characteristics and do a better job. But he’s not a player they have to move.”
Nonis’ view of Kessel might have cost him his job. He has a similar view of captain Phaneuf.
“I could have traded Dion at the deadline. We had a deal, it wasn’t a great one, but it was a deal. I look at Phil and Dion and I still think they’re elite, upper-end players. They both could be traded, but it’s not like the Leafs are stuck with them if they’re back. I think they can come back and help them.”
At least five NHL teams expressed interest in Phaneuf at the trade deadline. “A lot of teams like him,” said Nonis. There has been less interest in Kessel.
And a lot of teams look at the Toronto situation and think it’s impossible.
Impossible to win.
Impossible to deal with the demands of media.
Impossible to deal with a divided ownership group.
Again, Nonis sees things differently. And despite how it ended, he calls his time in Toronto a mostly positive experience.
“People talk about the fans. It’s pretty hard to understand the level of commitment from the fans. The loyalty and interest in unmatched anywhere. And from an ownership standpoint, everything was exceptional. I know people don’t believe this, but the owners want to win. Larry Tanenbaum is one of the most supportive and generous owners I’ve ever met. As an owner and as a friend, it’s something I’ll never forget.
“I believe the team can win in Toronto. It’s just going to take some patience and some time. To say you can’t win in Toronto because of the media is an excuse. If the Boston Red Sox can win in Boston and the New York Yankees can win in New York, why can’t the Toronto Maple Leafs win in Toronto?”
Nonis won’t go over the many moves he made as general manager, but says he made far more good ones than bad. He is particularly proud of the deals that sent Cody Franson, Mike Santorelli, Daniel Winnik and Olli Jokinen packing around the trade deadline in exchange for draft picks and prospects.
“We had 13 picks going in, we now have 18,” he said. “We put in the first phase of our plan and I think we executed it well.”
He didn’t think that kind of execution would end up with him not being party to the next phase of the plan.
If he knows who the next general manager or coach of the Leafs is going to be, he isn’t saying. And he said no determination was made on which player the Leafs will select with the fourth pick in the June draft.
“None of that is my decision any more,” said Nonis. “There are some good hockey people there. Brendan has strong opinions on how he wants his team to play. Mark Hunter was a great addition. The young guys (Kyle Dubas and Brandon Pridham) are tremendously hard-working and smart, getting better every day. The next GM has a real good staff around him.”
So what’s next for Nonis?
“I’m not good at sitting around,” he said. “I want to get back in the game as quickly as possible. That’s the plan.”
His next move is changing the message on the cellphone-answering machine.
“This is Dave Nonis of the Toronto Maple Leafs,” it says.
“Yeah, I’ve kind of avoided doing that,” Nonis says. “I guess I’ll do it tomorrow. I need something to do tomorrow.”
Maple Leafs' former GM Dave Nonis looks back at time with team in first intervie
By Steve Simmons, Toronto Sun First posted: Friday, April 24, 2015 12:05 AM EDT | Updated: Friday, April 24, 2015 12:21 AM EDT
The meeting was called for early Sunday, the morning after the NHL regular season had ended. At first, Dave Nonis thought nothing of it — he thought it would be a continuation of his Saturday conversation with Brendan Shanahan. At first, he figured it would be business as usual.
“A part of me thought we were going to move on to the next phase of our plan. That was my first thought, but a part of me knew it was coming,” said Nonis in his first interview since being fired as general manager of the Maple Leafs, an almost hour-long conversation with the Sun.
The meeting was brief and professional.
“He told me he was making a change. I pretty much knew what he was thinking ... I understand the reasons behind it. I’m not mad at Brendan. He’s still a friend of mine. But still, I was disappointed.
“There’s no hard feelings or ill will. I understand why he decided to make the change. I was hoping it wouldn’t happen. I thought we got along very well throughout the year. But I’ve been in the game a long time. I understand why you do this.”
More than once, he called it the dream job, being GM of the Maple Leafs in the most intense, chaotic, suffocating, reactive market in all of hockey. He was a quiet man in a noisy place and he liked being in the background. But none of this past season seemed much like a dream at all.
“When you’re the manager of a team, you wake up every single day and your first thought is: ‘How can I make my team better today?’ It can consume you. You’re not thinking about the house, or whether it’s your wife’s birthday or anything else going on in your life. It’s ‘How I can make this team better?’
“And when things aren’t going well, that’s all you think about. Personally, it does affect you. It affects you physically. It affects you mentally. It’s not healthy, necessarily. The tradeoffs come when you have success. That’s the profession we’re in. It’s like a drug. It takes over your life. You live for that success and it’s the reason we’re in this.”
Nonis didn’t realize how drained he was, how hard he worked over the final two months of the season, how much time was spent working until after he was let go. He went to the Bahamas for a week on vacation. He entertained a lot of phone calls and text messages from friends and colleagues in the industry. Mostly, he’s kept to himself, outside Toronto, at home in New Hampshire with his family.
“We went away for one week,” he said. “I probably should have gone for longer.”
What he doesn’t have to worry about is getting paid. He has three years remaining on his contract with the Leafs. He was handsomely compensated, as all GMs in hockey are. He has somewhere in the neighbourhood of $6 million still coming to him.
He wishes that the victims of Bloody Sunday — the scouts, front office people, Leafs friends — were as well taken care of as he will be.
“You never want to see people lose their jobs,” he said. “A number of those people were not in high-paying positions and they need to work. I feel for them and wish it had gone differently for them. I know there’s some good hockey people and they’ll find positions elsewhere. You know when you sign a contract to work for an NHL team that (getting fired) is a possibility. But when it’s friends and colleagues and people who worked for you, that hurts.
“I’ve always prided myself as a manager and having relationships with the people who worked for me. I thought it was important to know what they did, what their kids did, what their wives were interested in. That kind of thing. That’s what makes our business special. There’s a lot of people I’d call family — they’re friends of mine and will remain friends of mine.”
So who does Nonis blame for the demise of his hockey club? Not any one person. Not himself. Not his staff. Not the coaches. Not the players. That may be part of why he is no longer with the club.
“It’s a combination of everything,” said Nonis. “I wish I could pinpoint all the reasons of what went wrong. I know people put the collapses together. But I don’t. The last three were different. There’s a lot of blame to go around. But I still don’t think this is a bottom-four roster. There are a lot of assets here. And with the draft picks we’ve accumulated, hopefully a lot of assets going forward.”
The signings that mark Nonis’ stint as general manager were the long-term deals given to Phil Kessel and captain Dion Phaneuf. They have proven over time to be Leafs albatrosses.
That’s the public view and the media view. Nonis doesn’t share that opinion.
“When we signed Phil, and I don’t have the numbers in front of me, I think he was the third-highest scoring player over a three-year period,” he said.
But what about his lack of leadership, his conditioning, his quit?
“I don’t think they have to move Phil Kessel,” said Nonis. “You only move him if you decide the return is worth it. If you don’t get value for him, you’re only hurting your team. I believe the baggage that comes with Phil is overblown. Are there things he has to change? Absolutely. But I can assure you of this: Whatever team wins the Stanley Cup this year will have a Phil Kessel in the lineup. I can guarantee that.
“Does he have things to work on? Yes. But he has something other players don’t have. He does have pride and he does want to win. He has to learn to focus some of those characteristics and do a better job. But he’s not a player they have to move.”
Nonis’ view of Kessel might have cost him his job. He has a similar view of captain Phaneuf.
“I could have traded Dion at the deadline. We had a deal, it wasn’t a great one, but it was a deal. I look at Phil and Dion and I still think they’re elite, upper-end players. They both could be traded, but it’s not like the Leafs are stuck with them if they’re back. I think they can come back and help them.”
At least five NHL teams expressed interest in Phaneuf at the trade deadline. “A lot of teams like him,” said Nonis. There has been less interest in Kessel.
And a lot of teams look at the Toronto situation and think it’s impossible.
Impossible to win.
Impossible to deal with the demands of media.
Impossible to deal with a divided ownership group.
Again, Nonis sees things differently. And despite how it ended, he calls his time in Toronto a mostly positive experience.
“People talk about the fans. It’s pretty hard to understand the level of commitment from the fans. The loyalty and interest in unmatched anywhere. And from an ownership standpoint, everything was exceptional. I know people don’t believe this, but the owners want to win. Larry Tanenbaum is one of the most supportive and generous owners I’ve ever met. As an owner and as a friend, it’s something I’ll never forget.
“I believe the team can win in Toronto. It’s just going to take some patience and some time. To say you can’t win in Toronto because of the media is an excuse. If the Boston Red Sox can win in Boston and the New York Yankees can win in New York, why can’t the Toronto Maple Leafs win in Toronto?”
Nonis won’t go over the many moves he made as general manager, but says he made far more good ones than bad. He is particularly proud of the deals that sent Cody Franson, Mike Santorelli, Daniel Winnik and Olli Jokinen packing around the trade deadline in exchange for draft picks and prospects.
“We had 13 picks going in, we now have 18,” he said. “We put in the first phase of our plan and I think we executed it well.”
He didn’t think that kind of execution would end up with him not being party to the next phase of the plan.
If he knows who the next general manager or coach of the Leafs is going to be, he isn’t saying. And he said no determination was made on which player the Leafs will select with the fourth pick in the June draft.
“None of that is my decision any more,” said Nonis. “There are some good hockey people there. Brendan has strong opinions on how he wants his team to play. Mark Hunter was a great addition. The young guys (Kyle Dubas and Brandon Pridham) are tremendously hard-working and smart, getting better every day. The next GM has a real good staff around him.”
So what’s next for Nonis?
“I’m not good at sitting around,” he said. “I want to get back in the game as quickly as possible. That’s the plan.”
His next move is changing the message on the cellphone-answering machine.
“This is Dave Nonis of the Toronto Maple Leafs,” it says.
“Yeah, I’ve kind of avoided doing that,” Nonis says. “I guess I’ll do it tomorrow. I need something to do tomorrow.”
Maple Leafs' former GM Dave Nonis looks back at time with team in first intervie
Steve Simmons exclusive interview with Dave Nonis
Sports columnist Steve Simmons shares some of the details of his exclusive interview with Dave Nonis,fired General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs
April 24, 2015 13:50
From Toronto Sun
Steve Simmons exclusive interview with Dave Nonis : Featured TOR : Videos
Sports columnist Steve Simmons shares some of the details of his exclusive interview with Dave Nonis,fired General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs
April 24, 2015 13:50
From Toronto Sun
Steve Simmons exclusive interview with Dave Nonis : Featured TOR : Videos
And it worked. Will be watching much more of the Leafs now that Mike is behind the bench.
All the talk, all day has mainly been about the hiring of Mike Babcock by the Leafs.................and I am loving every minute of it. I have long been an admirer of Mike's. Having been raised in Saskatchewan all ready gave him a special place in my pantheon of heroes. I can't be happier that he is back in Canada where, IMHO, he rightly belongs. To have him paired with Shanahan again is yet another plus for the Leafs - history has shown they work well together.
There is much talk about the ax falling on many of the players. Dave Naylor made a good point when addressing that question. There are actually many good solid players on the team and they are not that old. Look at how many games the team did win this year as opposed to last.
Mike Babcock took a bunch of NHL superstars with agenda's of their own and made them into a Gold Medal team, twice. Anyone who did not buy into his defensive strategy sat on the bench. The majority bought in and we all know what happened. If anyone can change the fortunes of both the players and the organization and thereby earn the continued devotion of their fans, it is Mike Babcock. I am so happy for you Spam and all the Leaf fans.
The idiots from Buffalo's media really pissed me off at the press conference today. One AH actually accused him of lying to the Sabres. The reporter only made himself look stupid.
There is much talk about the ax falling on many of the players. Dave Naylor made a good point when addressing that question. There are actually many good solid players on the team and they are not that old. Look at how many games the team did win this year as opposed to last.
Mike Babcock took a bunch of NHL superstars with agenda's of their own and made them into a Gold Medal team, twice. Anyone who did not buy into his defensive strategy sat on the bench. The majority bought in and we all know what happened. If anyone can change the fortunes of both the players and the organization and thereby earn the continued devotion of their fans, it is Mike Babcock. I am so happy for you Spam and all the Leaf fans.
The idiots from Buffalo's media really pissed me off at the press conference today. One AH actually accused him of lying to the Sabres. The reporter only made himself look stupid.
BFD.
Once a Clown Show always a Clown Show he's a millionaire 50 times over with a heavily front loaded contract now he can do exactly what he wants when he wants and fans Be Damned.
He's a good coach who's just made coaches throughout the league that much happier but Leaf fans are still a bunch of pathetic patsies-it was ever thus.
Perhaps a little too much credence given to Olympic wins. McLellan just completed a helluva job himself on the Worlds. Before Babcock, Pat Quinn. Winning on Team Canada is an expectation. Having the best talent pool, anything short of winning is failure. He won't be icing the same team with the Leafs. The jury is still out on Shanahan as well. So far he has been handed cozy NHL jobs and not proven much. He talks a good story but results = 0. Time will tell, but you don't win anything at a news conference. That's why they play the games.
Former Maple Leafs defenceman Gus Mortson dies
By Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun First posted: Saturday, August 08, 2015 06:34 PM EDT | Updated: Saturday, August 08, 2015 07:52 PM EDT
TORONTO - Four-time Stanley Cup winner Gus Mortson, called one of the meanest, but most effective Maple Leaf defencemen in team history, died peacefully on Saturday in Timmins, Ont., at age 90.
Part of a pairing known as the Gold Dust Twins with Jim Thomson in the late 1940s, he loved to hit, especially in the corners, putting fear into the opposition. He could also carry the puck, earning 91 points in 371 games as a Leaf.
Mortson, an eight-time NHL all-star, and Thomson were a big reason for three straight Toronto Cups between 1947-49. In the ‘47 final against Montreal, Mortson played one game with torn wrist ligaments after scoring the night’s first goal. He also had a winning goal against Detroit in the following year’s championship series.
Born in New Liskeard, Ont., he was nicknamed Old Hardrock and twice led the NHL in penalty minutes. After being part of the ‘51 Cup, the one time St. Michael’s College star was traded to Chicago, playing six more NHL seasons, not retiring until 1967. Post-hockey, he did well in his own food and beverage business and was a stockbroker.
Mortson was ranked 53rd by a panel in a book on the Top 100 Leafs, behind Eddie Shack and ahead of Tomas Kaberle.
It’s expected he’ll be honoured at a Leaf home game in the coming season.
Gus Mortson (Supplied photo)
Former Maple Leafs defenceman Gus Mortson dies | MAPLE LEAFS | Toronto Maple Lea
By Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun First posted: Saturday, August 08, 2015 06:34 PM EDT | Updated: Saturday, August 08, 2015 07:52 PM EDT
TORONTO - Four-time Stanley Cup winner Gus Mortson, called one of the meanest, but most effective Maple Leaf defencemen in team history, died peacefully on Saturday in Timmins, Ont., at age 90.
Part of a pairing known as the Gold Dust Twins with Jim Thomson in the late 1940s, he loved to hit, especially in the corners, putting fear into the opposition. He could also carry the puck, earning 91 points in 371 games as a Leaf.
Mortson, an eight-time NHL all-star, and Thomson were a big reason for three straight Toronto Cups between 1947-49. In the ‘47 final against Montreal, Mortson played one game with torn wrist ligaments after scoring the night’s first goal. He also had a winning goal against Detroit in the following year’s championship series.
Born in New Liskeard, Ont., he was nicknamed Old Hardrock and twice led the NHL in penalty minutes. After being part of the ‘51 Cup, the one time St. Michael’s College star was traded to Chicago, playing six more NHL seasons, not retiring until 1967. Post-hockey, he did well in his own food and beverage business and was a stockbroker.
Mortson was ranked 53rd by a panel in a book on the Top 100 Leafs, behind Eddie Shack and ahead of Tomas Kaberle.
It’s expected he’ll be honoured at a Leaf home game in the coming season.
Gus Mortson (Supplied photo)
Former Maple Leafs defenceman Gus Mortson dies | MAPLE LEAFS | Toronto Maple Lea