End of season interview with Brian Burke

Brian Burke does not sugarcoat his words when asked about the season.

"It's a failure," he says, as we sit inside a circular booth at e11even, the MLSE-owned bistro on York Street. "You don't make the playoffs, it's a failure. There can be no debate in our sport about that.

"There are a lot of positives. But, overall, it's a failure. The season is a failure."

He pronounces "failure" with such staccato force, my first follow-up is: "So what went wrong?

"You have to win games in months that end with 'r,'" he says. "You can't just win games in months that end with a 'y.' October, November, December – those are critical months for us and we did not produce."

The two biggest "culprits," to use his word, were special teams and goaltending.

"But I think the goaltending, obviously, once that solidified, we've had a marvelous record. But our special teams need to improve."

As of today, the Leafs power play is operating at 16.2 per cent, which ranks 21st in the league. Penalty killing, meanwhile, is 77.9 per cent, which ranks 27th.

Why are special teams still so anemic when the roster was revamped over the past two seasons? Could the problem, at least in part, be related to strategic deficiencies?

There is a pause and a familiar scowl.

"I think the easiest thing to do when your special teams struggle is point to the coaches," says Burke. "That's what everyone says, 'Oh, it's coaching.' And yet the Pittsburgh Penguins have not had a Top 5 power play – not even Top 10, I think – in the last two years. So it can't be just personnel. It can't be just coaching. It's a blend."

He shakes his head and glances out the window behind me.

"This has gone beyond discussion. We've got to sort out our special teams. We've got to be better, there's no two ways about it. If our special teams had operated at a better efficiency rate, we'd be in the playoffs."

Okay. Forget the past. What is the plan for this summer? What "missing pieces," a cryptic term that gets tossed around almost daily, sit high atop his list?

"We intend to be active in free agency and we intend to explore trades."

Meaning what, specifically?

"We need to upgrade at center and we need some size," Burke says. "Size. I'd like to have more bite. I think Mike Brown delivered everything we asked him to. I think Colby Armstrong was exactly what we thought we were getting.

"But I think we need some more bite."

With the exception of Joffrey Lupul and Nikolai Kulemin, Burke says, the Top 6 is too small. In fact: "Even our Bottom 6 is small to play the way I like to play."

Leaving truculence aside, I return to the center position and ask if he regrets not getting a top-line player to feed Phil Kessel.

"Do I regret not getting a center? I haven't been offered one at a price that makes sense. I can overpay and get a center. Would I like to have one? Yes. That's different than do I regret not getting one."

The real issue, he says, has been negotiating power.

"What did we have to give up before this spring? We had no firsts. We had no Joe Colborne, no Jake Gardiner. What did we have to offer teams? I could have traded Kulemin for a center. But then we lose a Top 6 forward."

We move to the draft. The Leafs now have two firsts (Boston and Philadelphia) and one second round pick.

"We want to pick at least twice," says Burke. "So if we can package two of those picks to move up, we would do it. But we're not going to package three of them to move up. We want to pick twice."

Burke has engineered some high-profile deals on trade days past, including in 1993 when he moved up to snag Chris Pronger and 1999, when he landed the Sedin twins.

But as he notes ruefully: "Those were six years apart and I haven't got close since."

What about early scouting reports that suggest this isn't a strong draft year?

"It's not a marquee draft year," corrects Burke. "There's no Ovechkin. The year we drafted Pronger, there were like five big name guys. It's not that kind of draft. We like the players that are right where we are picking, right down to 40. We're happy with the grouping. We think there is quality in this draft."

As for possible free agents, he says, it's still premature to speculate about names: "The list of guys who are free agents now is not the list that will be there on July 1."

What he's not looking for this summer is a starting goalie: That job already belongs to James Reimer.

"The kid took the net away from the other two goalies," says Burke. "Every goalie, at some point in his career, has to grab the net. And the other goalies always fight when you try to grab the net. We had three goalies that were in the hunt and one kid grabbed the net this year.

"The issue is going to be who else is here and how else do we surround him and support him. But, yes, I think he's demonstrated the right to come back as the starter."

Where does this leave Jonas Gustavsson?

"We still haven't given up on the Monster at all. We signed him for a reason. We still believe in him. We have to see how things sort themselves out."

Despite not making the playoffs, despite using the F-word, Burke is quick to praise his team's run in 2011.

"It's a strong finish and it's not a phantom finish. It's not a meaningless last dozen games. It's been a six-week marathon. These guys have put together solid efforts, night in and night out, for basically six, seven weeks now. I like that."

"I like the work ethic of this group. I like the leadership of this group. I like our reserve list now, as far as the assets we've added with the first round picks and Colborne and Gardiner. I really feel like we have some real assets in the pipeline."

So are you satisfied with the progress?

"I'm never where I'd like to be at any point,” he says, just as the Eagles' "Peaceful Easy Feeling" strums to life in the speakers above our heads. "I'm not trying to give you an obscure, Zen answer. I'm never happy. We're in a non-playoff spot, I'm not happy. Do I see the progress? Yes. Am I happy with where we are? No. I was born impatient and I'm going to die impatient."

Let's try this again. Are you less unhappy than you were during our December interview?

There is another pause.

"Yes," Burke says, sipping a Diet Coke. "This isn't spin, you know. The general manager can try and spin things when you miss the playoffs. This isn't spin. The first thing I said is, 'It's a failure.' That's the last thing I will say.

"But in between, do I see massive change and improvement? Yes. Do I see cause for optimism? Yes. Do I feel we'll have a lot less work to do this summer than we've had in the past? Yes. Those are all important things."

And so with the last game unfolding Saturday, his message to Leaf fans is simple: "I hope they see the progress like I do. We're going to get there."

PHOTO: VINAY MENON/TORONTO STAR

Comments

[KWood19]

Love when Burke is just straight with his answers. Thanks for posting the interview Vinay

VM Replies: No problem, KWood19.

[nugentmania]

While not a Leafs fan.....I enjoyed your blog this year. As a Montreal supporter, I can honestly say that the playoffs would me much better with Toronto in. Actually, all 6 Canadian teams, and all the Original 6 teams. While not everyone who comments is as welcoming, this is the only daily I read in the only city I want to live in. The TML are the only team in town, so you'll have people who drop in from time to time and comment.....setting off some sort of Troll Security System. I think the best outcome is that its directed me to your other columns.

VM Replies: nugentmania? What? You're a Habs fan? I am gobsmacked. Still, whatever your rooting interests, you are welcome here.

[Alecia]

I almost cried.

VM Replies: What? Why?

[PT88]

Great interview with Burke. He's a no-BS kind of GM, and I've got to respect that. Get a centreman and watch what happens in October. Either way, Burke desrves credit for being a straight-shooter.

[Matt]

Gotta love Burke...great interview Vinay. Looking very forward to next season, with more optimism than I think I've ever had.

[Rooney]

Sounds like BB needed a few martinis and some lemon squares. Now tell us the truth, he didn't really care about talking about the team, did he only agree to meet with you so he could be invited to the ALF B patio party?

VM Replies: No mention of any parties.

[Simon]

I'm not sure how to feel now. We missed the playoffs, again. But management is saying we improved a lot, again. And management is saying its a failure, again. And they seem to be willing to do what needs to be done in the off season, again. My heart is saying that next year is going to be better. My head is kind of skeptical saying we've done this all before. Which one do I listen to?

But then I realize two things: 1) we are still younger than we have ever been. We've got lots of assets in the minors, and we were playing some players that honestly wouldn't have made a top team. The team seemed to really gel at the end, and we've got goaltending that we haven't had since Eddie and Cujo. The chances of moving up seem a little bit better than years past.

and 2) I'm a Leafs fan. Its not a logical profession. If I wanted logic I would stick to what I do all day, physics. So if I want to listen to my heart and not my head when it comes to the Leafs, then there is no problem with that.

Go Leafs Go!

[Geoff Read]

Nugentmania: lurking in the weeds all season long, spying on the enemy. Nicely done sir.

[43 and Counting]

All I can hope for is that Burke sticks to his guns and his approach and doesn't get forced by MLSE to overspend or over-reach. Wel waited 44 years. I think most fans would gladly wait another 2-3 years provided the team legitimately turns into a perennial playoff contender, not just as a one year wonder.

[Tom]

Brilliant!

There *will* be a ALF-B patio party though, right? :p

VM Replies: Fingers crossed.

[A Leaf Fan in Lotusland]

Nice job, VM. Got the info we all wanted to hear from Burkie. I am absolutely neon green with envy over your opportunity to have lunch with the guy. He's got to be one of the top ten most fascinating characters in the NHL in the last decade.

[A Leaf Fan in Lotusland]

BTW, How the hell did @nugentmania pull that off? I guess there are some well-reasoned Habs fans out there after all...

VM Replies: Quite a revelation, wasn't it?

[Alecia]

@Vinay - because for the first time in a loooooooong time, there is real reason to be hopeful and excited, and it is nice to see that management is seeing it too but also not making any excuses. I am excited. Alright, let the countdown begin...... how many days away are we?

nugentmania - the only city you want to live in? But youre a habs fan? I don't get it.

[jp]

excellent interview and nice read to come home to after a long day at work Vindaloo.Burke is right on the money and I do see the progress made in the last half I also cannot wait until next pre-season starts and we see joe colborne and jake gardiner in the line-up for a few games and a couple other youngsters. I am excited for next year already and so is every true leaf fan I have talked to GOLEAFSGO

[Jon]

Vinay, u magnificent interviewer bastard...ah, that doesnt sound as good ! This is EXACTLY what i like about Burke. It is more than a job to him. He just doesnt want to win...he will do ANYTHING/EVERYTHING to win. You can feel it in his answers...he will not rest until a cup comes to Toronto ! I knew it when MLSE hired him and i know it now...we have the right man running our beloved Leafs !!!

[nugentmania]

Geoff....not so......I just love the Toronto Star. The only difference between Leafs fans and Hab fans is the highs and lows.....Montreal can win 3 games in a row and we'll still be critical. I grew up in Nova Scotia....lots of Hab fans there. And Red Sox fans too.....our US affiliate feeds originally came from Bangor, Maine, then later Boston. After living in Toronto for most of this decade, I went to a game last year and found myself pulling for the Jays.....anywho....not so much a lurker as an occasional poster.....and I'm sincere. I was hoping the Leafs would catch the 8th spot. Truly.

[hoofheartz]

Despite Nugentmania's deceit, he's still pretty cool. How can you not like a guy (you are a guy, right?)who likes the Motor City Madman.

[Ken Baumgartner]

@Ostrich Lover, before you tell us you are a profit you must know that it is I who must be the profit.. The seer. I am the best , I am. Everything Brian Burke said is EXACTLY as I said. It is a failure but the future looks bright. HMMMM. OH HOW GREAT AM I? Say it Ostrich, Ken Baumgartner you are better than I . You must be because it's true.

@Everyone Else. Don't mind me. I don't really feel that way. I just want him to see how stupid it looks. I just want playoff hockey .

[SuperTramp]

Hello Vinay!

As a long time suffering "Toronto" sports fan, with the Leafs at the top of the list, I just want to thank you for the great job you have done with this Blog! I have been a regular reader since around the All Star break. Good reading, humorous comments!

Oh, ASS & Go Leafs Go! :)

VM Replies: I think this is the first time I've thanked a 70s rock band. But thank you, SuperTramp.

[Ken Baumgartner]

BTW BigM. Great interview. It makes me happy that Brian Burke is somewhat perturbed that there is no playoff hockey in Toronto. He is not sugar coating anything and he does not defend the problem in front. at the same time he does see the direction as most everyone else.

VM Replies: I've always found him to be honest and straightforward, Bomber.

[Brian K]

I hope you had the Kobe Meatball or the bacon appetizer at e11even. Those things are evil.

VM Replies: Steak frites, alas.

[nugentmania]

Deceit? lol.......you don't have to be a Leafs fan to pick a fight with OL. And Uncle Ted isn't the only one with the last name Nugent. I use this handle because I like to think of myself less as a person, and more of an experience.

Alecia.....I like to think of myself as an updated version of "Going Down the Road." Although I moved to Toronto from Bermuda.

[loyal he remains]

Thanks for the interview, Vinay. I really enjoy your blog. I think the reason that your encounter with Burke is helpful is exactly the same reason that your blog work is always excellent: you genuinely care about the Leafs and aren't trying to pretend that you have no commitment. Real sympathy for something always allows one to understand it better. So, you aren't trying to make a headline out of some "gotcha" comment from Burke, but attempting to figure out what makes him tick and what he wants to say about past, present and future. Burke can be clear and straightforward with you and you are able to pass on the honest goods to us. Good work.

VM Replies: Thank you, loyal he remains.

[Laura G]

Excellent article and great interview. Burke said it straight-up, as it is. I'm a huge Leafs fan and I'm incredibly proud of what the team has pulled off in the latter half of the season. That being said, they did have a dismal start (I don't even want to talk about November!) and their special teams need (a LOT) of work.

If they can show the kind of heart and determination they've been showing since February and do it for an entire year, then they will clinch a playoff berth next season. Leafs fans have been burned before in the past for being prematurely excited about an improved Leafs team, but even I think it's different this time.

For the first time in years, I'm pumped for the next season. But, as Burke pointed out, there's still much to be done.

[Robert]

One of the things to come from this interview is that Brian agrees. We need a top line centre and at least one other top six guy. (size) I think Burke has done a good job, stocked the larder, brought in some skilled players. Kept the young and coachable to work toward the future. Now I hope he doesn't try to negotiate high end help over the summer. Just stay the course, things are going just fine.
@nugentmania. Love Montreal's hockey team, but Toronto is THE CITY. Well you are half right.

[Boo Who?]

Wow. I don't know if I read Burkie's mind or he reads mine. I'm just happy the connection is there. (His brain isn't as much fun as Tim Brent's though.)
And thank you Burkie. If 'organizational culture' starts at the top, I'm pretty glad to see you sitting up there, because gosh darnit, I just like ya. One day soon, I hope to see a biiiiig smile on that poor tired grumpy-wump face.

[J Scott]

Have a good summer VM.
Although we must spend another summer checking off the calendar days til training camp opens, I can do so with some good feelings. Let's see where the Leafs ended up this year.
Three 30-goal scorers, check
Eliminated from the playoffs on Game #80. Check
Forced some good teams ahead of them to make their putts and look over their shoulders for the last 5 weeks. Check
Stablilized a goaltending situation that quite frankly has looked worse lately than the dog days of the 80s... (poor Allan Bester,) Check

There are some great things happening in Leafland right now and I am excited to be a fan. I think we are a centreman and one more good D-man away from a playoff spot. Here's hoping we can pull something off this summer without giving up too much in the bank. Looking forward to reading this blog next year.

peace out fellow beleafers.

[TheGo2Girl]

I glad he agree that the year was a failure but in the right direction. He now knows what the city needs and what he needs to do to make this team stronger. Good interview. I really must thank you for making me laugh with you wonderful writing through wins and losses.

To a wonderful failing year with a lot of excitement.

[Boo Who?]

Nugentmania is a Habs fan living in Bermuda?
Well then it's a good thing he's so well behaved. I know people who know people.

[Robert]

One other thought. We are apparently in for another year of Ronnie!

[TimB]

nugentmania,a subversive Habs fan from the Ocean Playground???? Damn! I guess if he's O.K. with Deputy Hoof,I'll have to cut him some slack.

[We BeLeaf]

Good piece Vinay!
.
I admire the man for being a straight -shooter, no nonsense type of person that he is. I sit and wait patiently for the off-season activity to commence.

[Wade]

Jeezus, Vinay. I imagine that wasn't an easy interview. Well done. Great job of getting his demeanour across. I know he's been accused of being a bit of a blowhard, but the dude can impress. I'd say he deserves our confidence, yes?

[nugentmania]

Live(d) in Bermuda....past tense.......and this summer I am moving to Los Angeles. Maybe you know people who know people there.

[Brian]

Burke's attitude toward missing the playoffs hasn't changed since last year, and the year before that. What settles my frenzied heart this time around is to see that his players' feelings are very obviously closely matching his.

With Mr. Burke at the helm, I can wait for July 1, 2011 and 2012, for the "missing pieces" to be added. I'm in it for the long haul.

[TimB]

@Robert.I liked the Burke interview but I still can not believe he will be objective when dealing with Ronnie.

[pinot grigio]

So that's what he said. Does it make sense? If you have 4 draft picks in the first three rounds and you want to trade up while still picking twice you actually can package three of those picks Brian. Do the math, it's not too difficult. You now have one higher pick and still one of the picks you entered the draft with. In addition, you can bundle a draft pick (or two) with one or more players. Or you can give up only players to get a draft pick because that is how you got most of the ones you hold right now. The reason the cupboard was bare is because you traded away two first draft picks and a second round one.
What did he not say? The coaching has been miserable. Coaching means making the best of your resources and I see no evidence of that. Maybe Bylsma's team doesn't shine on the pp but he has a Cup and he has kept his team highly competitive in spite of the absence his two very best players. That is a little different from Wilson's results.
I believe he is setting us up for getting rid of MacArthur. Too small. Not sufficiently truculent. That's right Brian, let's get a few more Komisarik-type players. Big, belligerent but stupid.
When he uses the word failure, what is he really talking about? His choice of players and coaches? What else can it be, he is the GM. He can't be talking about the ice making equipment or the usherettes?
Vinay, I think it is wonderful you get to interview a guy like that but I am sure if you would have pressed him on the accountability issue with regard to Wilson, the interview would have ended in a hurry.
My opinion that he is full of hot air does not change. This is the third time a season ends while he is in charge and he has not yet beat out the Hurricanes, or the Sabres or the Rangers. And all he has to say is that the work that needs to be done this summer is less demanding than previous summers?

[SuperTramp]

70's rock band? You kidding me? (I jest!)

It was a coin toss between Supertramp & Bruce Springsteen! Never got to see Supertramp live but Bruce in 78 at the Gardens & again in 84 at the CNE rocked! Best live shows EVER but the memories of blasting Supertramp while out boating rank right up there!

GO LEAFS GO! Beat those Habs Saturday night!

Great interview BTW!

[Boo Who?]

Actually nugentmania, I do! Geez, it IS a fortunate thing I'm feeling so magnanimous lately.

@ pinot - I have a sad feeling we may've seen the last of Clarke myself. He's been awfully quiet since the deadline. Used to be all over the post-game interview circuit and the scoreboard. Now it seems both have fallen off. Or maybe, as ALFiL suggested during our board meeting, it's a good thing he's gone 'quiet', so that we can sign him for cheap. I think the guy wants to be a Leaf and he doesn't seem like the type to ask for the moon. Can I keep him Burkie? Huh, can I??

[Wandering Penguin]

Well, thank God pinot beat me to it because I was about to piss in everyone's corn flakes again. I caught the same math error you did, pinot, and it actually made me scoff out loud. I also loved when he pointed at the Penguins' PP and said "it can't be just personnel" and then caught himself and said "it [also] can't be just coaching". If the Pens' PP this year is not top 5, perhaps it has something to do with missing Crosby and Malkin for about a third of the year? And yet there they are, hanging around the top 3 teams until the end of the year. I'd take an 11th-place PP and a top-4 finish any day of the damn year.

But the best part for me was how the interview opened: "You don't make the playoffs, it's a failure. There can be no debate in our sport about that." I wonder where that affirmation was back near the trade deadline when he took Steve Simmons apart for pestering him repeatedly about the playoffs. I know most of us remember that: Burke said he absolutely did not want to make the playoffs in 8th place if they were going to be swept in 4 games. So would that have been a "failure" or a "success", Brian? Because I am confused: if not making the playoffs is a "failure" and making the playoffs in a low spot if you aren't expected to advance is something to be avoided....then where is the line being drawn? If it's top-4 with a chance to contend, then there had better be some HUGE free-agent signings this summer. If not, then maybe it's time to listen to the real fans, the ones who DON'T share elevator rides with you up to the rare air of the ACC's upper levels...WE WANT A PLAYOFF APPEARANCE. It would most certainly not have mortgaged the future of your team irreparably to have made a couple of tweaks on D at the deadline to give the lads a shot at 8th. You hamstrung them with holes all over the lineup and they were fighting a doomed battle. And your BFF situation with Wrong Wilson is just never going to end well because you STILL can't see anything wrong with the way he coaches, even after you had to step in and get him talking to your number-one franchise guy.

So it's nice he was so "honest" and "blunt" but at the end of the day, he really didn't say anything new or encouraging. I agree with pinot: he's setting us up for not re-signing our TOP POINT GETTER next season. And I don't see how this team can get any more "bite" unless it jettisons a bunch of actual talent. I think they outhit and outworked virtually everyone they played the past two months except maybe Detroit, a perennial Cup favourite. Sure, I'd love to be as strong as them...but in the meantime let's at least play in May before I die.

Not too much to ask, in my opinion.

VM Replies: Sorry, I was away from my primary work station, which means I can't reply.
Back now.
The way those paragraphs are structured is entirely my fault. He probably meant the two firsts and one second and I inaccurately included the third.
You notice he's not quoted in the set-up graph. I added that so people had context for the picks quote. But all he said to me before the quote was "Boston, Philly and ours" -- so it's my error for assuming Philly referred to both Philly picks and not just the 1st round Philly pick.
My bad.
I have gone back into the post to fix.

[Wandering Penguin]

My manners have completely gone out the window here. Thanks for the post, Vinay. It was still very interesting to read. I just ...well, for me the proof is in the pudding from here on in.

[Rooney]

@Pinot, there you go being rational, intelligent and perceptive with your comments, again. Just when I was making myself comfortable about being on the fence about Wilson. He has another year on his contract, he is probably not going to be let go this summer. He will continue to do things his way. I know many here do not support Wilson, but do all the anti-Wilson Leaf Fans think there is no way that this team can win with him as the coach (no matter who BB puts on the ice)? Losing next year and missing the post season is not an option. I very proud of this team for its work effort in 2011 but if the consensus of the smart ALF B Leaf Fans is that we can't win again with this guy behind the bench, that will cause me some stress. I do not expect people to suddenly like him or support him but can this team continue to win with him like it did in 2011? If the quality of team improves before next season (and his contract is hopefully not renewed so he is basically a lame duck), am I kidding myself to think we make the playoffs no matter who is behind the bench? I am trying to be critical but I can't believe he will cause failure regardless of what BB does to add to the team but is that what the anti-Wilson Leaf Fans honestly believe?

[missideb]

@ Vinay - Great interview!

@Boo - I also wonder about Mac. Like to see him back but I don't believe he should be paid more money than Kulie and Grabo. IMO he is not the engine that fuels that line.

[missideb]

Was out and about today. Had the radio on 640. just speculation, I believe at this point, but there are rumblings of a possible summer contract extension for Wilson

[Wandering Penguin]

Ah. Thanks for the clarification, Vinay.

I stick by the rest, though. I know he didn't have a LOT to work with when he got here but he's still managed to set and increase more than once the record fror most consecutive years the Leafs have missed the playoffs. So for him to keep saying missing the playoffs is a "failure" and then not work his ass off to make the playoffs when they were that close is a bit of a bait-and-switch to me. I want to like his approach to all of this, but then he goes and blusters about how it kills him to miss the playoffs and, well....you've missed them several times, Brian. DO something about it!

[Boo Who?]

@ WP - I don't think you're wrong in assuming we're hearing a bit of a party line here. We're reading exactly what BB wants us to read. He's no dummy, and he knows what needs to be said. But what's interesting about this guy is that while he may be slick and full of bluster, there appears to be real substance behind it.

I don't think we're getting the full story here at all. I recall being equally horrified and angered about his remarks near the deadline and thinking he'd just written the season off.

What was interesting to me was learning that the players saw things entirely differently. One of them, can't recall who (maybe my buddy Timmay?) took to his twitter not long after the deadline passed to state he was glad that management believed they had the horses they need and that they were fit for the race. I'm paraphrasing obviously, but my point is that while he must have seen/heard about the same interview we did, his take was markedly different - almost opposite to ours.

Which says to me that the messages the fans get, and the messages the team gets are not the same. Doesn't mean either message is any less sincere or well-intentioned, just that someone very savvy is pulling the strings. We're on a 'need-to-know' basis here, I think. At least that's my take.

[Wandering Penguin]

@Rooney: I don't believe that a bad coach can never win in spite of himself. If the Leafs were President's Trophy winners this year even with Wrong on the bench I wouldn't be nearly as upset with him. But when we can't even make the playoffs and I can point to 10-15 games where I happen to think Wilson has been the difference, it makes me angry. I don't think he's a good coach and he causes me immeasurable stress when I see him simply not react to anything that is going on on the ice. Or react, but not in an intelligent way. He started to finally call time outs in the past couple of weeks. Did he think the games in November and December were exhibition games? Where were the coaching manouevres then?

So to answer your question: I don't believe they CANNOT win with Wilson, but I do believe it makes it a LOT harder and why would we want to do that? He had a far better team in San Jose and they consistently underachieved until he finally "called out" Patrick Marleau for one thing or another. I would take Marleau on my team in a heartbeat. I have no idea how ANY coach could have a problem with him. But Wrong found a way.

I think he's the worst bench boss in the league and I don't like him making the decisions in the important games. I think if he were running, say, the Canucks they would lose in the first round.

That's my opinion and he is doing nothing to change it. Hope that helped.

[Glenburnie]

Burke gets the biggest 'F'. After all, he built this team over the last 2 1/2 years. Other GMs ( i.e. Stevie Y) have had much better results much more quickly. The Leaf list of Burke miscues is lengthy, including: Beauchemin (already traded), Kessel (for three premium draft picks), Komisarek, Bozak, Hanson, Primeau, Wallin, Phaneuf, Lebda, Kadri ( his one and only first pick), Giguere, Gustavsson, Orr, Versteeg (traded within months), etc. The fact is that the best Leafs are the ones Burke had nothing to do with signing or drafting: Grabovski, Kulemin, Schenn, Gunnarsson, and Reimer. Speaking of Reimer, he was in the Leafs system right under his nose for over two years before Burke and his so-called brain trust of Nonis and Poulin gave him a chance. And that was only because both Giguere and Gustavsson were injured, not because the three Leaf front-office stooges suddenly developed an ability to spot talent. MaCarthur stands as the single Burke-caused success to date, and Burke inexplicably chose to nickel-and-dime him of all players and risks losing him to free-agency next year. Given his poor talent evelauation skills and his penchant for signing marginal NHLers and unproven NCAA grads to inflated/multi-year contracts, I seriously doubt that Burke will get the Leafs into the playoffs within the confines of his bloated five-year contract.

[jt]

Well, at least he's honest.

Great interview!

[Browner_Than_Mike_Brown]

Well I hope I don't seem like the 90s movie "Sliver" which starred Sharon Stone after she got big after her "other" movie. What I mean is I've been watching all of you this whole time. I've only made a post or 2 because I usually read this blog when I'm at work, and cheering on the Leafs could be viewed as "unproductive" on company time.

But I've read every blog since like the Allstar break along with comments (you contributers are part of the whole appeal!), and I discovered Vinay awhile back from one of his pop culture articles. Anyhow dude, Venon, you are a unique voice to sports writing in general, and others have said it more eloquent than I can. I was going to email you this image I made of you as a tribute to be featured on your final blog of the year (on Saturday?) Anyhow I just wanted to post it here now in case I'm plastered on Saturday (some of my best friends and enemies are Habs fans).

Um, to explain the image...you always come off as a philosopher, and I wanted to depict you waxing poetic under a tree composed of "Maple Leafs". It was a rough Thursday and I had a few gins on an empty stomach so forgive me if it seems a little psychadelic. But seriously, props dude. Intentional or not you've introduced a type of documentary that celebrates things whether they live up to their hype or not and for that I salute you with this work. Peace buddy.
-Browner Than Mike Brown

Image:
http://i.imgur.com/kxyWh.jpg

VM Replies: Honestly? That's one of the nicest things anybody has done for me. Thank you, sir.

[Wandering Penguin]

Intersting thoughts, miss boo. I'm going to chew on them for a while. It's not really Burke I am angry with, after all. We've spun our wheels as a franchise for about 15 years, simply buying up the best free agents around in the offseason or trading for them at the deadline. Since the lockout we can no longer do that and we had no "back-up" plan. Burkie had a lot of work to do. A lot. And whatever else I might think of the man, he hasn't wavered from his "plan", whatever that happens to be.

But Wilson has to go. And ultimately Burke's fierce loyalty is going to have to be tested. If Wilson gets a contract extension this summer, Burke will have taken a giant step back in my estimation. We missed the playoffs. Again, Burke himself says that's a "failure" and we had to win in the middle of the season. So either Wilson is to blame or Burke is. They can't both be assets and if Wilson is praised for the "resurgence" then Burke should step down, in my opnion.

[Duncboy]

Nugentmania lived in Bermuda? I live in Bermuda. Love the Leafs, and appreciate Vinay's efforts, the Leafs' efforts and Burke's honesty....what'd you do in Bermuda, Nugentmania?

[hoofheartz]

Glenburnie - re the Kessel trade, let it go. Even Cox knows it's probably going to take 5 years to evaluate that one properly and besides, isn't Kessel one of only a handful players to score 30 goals in each of the last 3 seasons. Admittedly, I haven't always been a Phaneuf fan since he arrived but he has played very well as part of the run for the playoffs. I like Bozak, but only as a 3rd line centre and on the PK and Kadri at least deserves a chance. He played pretty well after he was called up. The other ones you mentioned as Burke deals, (except McArthur) you're entirely correct - junk.

[Robert]

@wp Yes. There have been so many times this season when a 'coach' would have made moves to try and win. I am not an NHL coach, nor will I ever be - but I have coached serious hockey, and have an advanced CHA level.
I just do not believe Wilson is a good coach. Period! If you read some of the books written by people who played for Scotty Bowman, they will tell you they didn't understand him, but, they played for him! Now, fairly, Scotty inherited several cup ready teams. Including two that had won the cup the year before he came on board as head coach. But, his teams came through. Was that the dressing room talking or the coach.
I believe the Toronto kids this year decided, finally, they had it together. There is nothing different in the Leaf play this season from September to March, except in March they played with desire. No better break out, no better back checking system, no better ------ and certainly no PP.
I dislike Wilson - his smugness really bothers me - it speaks to me of a man who really believes, I am Ron Wilson. THAT IS ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW!
I hope Burke gets his centre and one large fast winger.

[nugentmania]

Duncboy.......I was in hotel management for about 13 years, and my work brought be to all sorts of places. Banff, Ireland, the Caymans and yes, Bermuda. I was a manager at the Southampton Princess, the pink hotel on the hill. Lived in Warwick, on Dunscombe Road....just up from PawPaw's. There is a little cottage colony called Faraway.....most ex-pat Fairmont managers live there. I miss a lot about the Island, but I moved to Toronto...for a girl....*insert kick in the balls here*

Let hotels a while back to pursue a career as a comedy writer. Hence the reason why I come to this blog.........*insert group hug here*

[TimB]

@Browner Than Mike Brown. Like the picture of VM.I love the subtle smart ass smirk.Hope that's what you were going for.Into my screensaver file it goes.

[Boo Who?]

@ WP - I think you nailed it with this talk of 'sticking to the plan'. I don't know nothing 'bout no hockey 'cept what's fit for a young gal to know, but I know people pretty well. My sense about this season is that a lot of problems on the ice were a reflection of behind the scenes politics.

My best guess?
Burkie and Willy get on for a reason - stubborn as mules and 'stay the course' types that fancy themselves to be visionaries. Old school approaches to leadership, which probably worked like a charm when they were coming up through the ranks and people just asked 'how high' when you told them to jump. But then they got saddled with a bunch of 20-somethings who had no clue how to react to when faced with such inflexibity and opacity. And some fence-sitters that got in their way.

I think moe might have been on the money when he said they were forced to re-think their entire approach to dealing with these players and probably a lot of it had to do with adjusting the perceived balance of power. Our boys have no issues with accountability, but they want to be given a bit of 'ownership' as well.

I see some small signs that Willy-Nilly's crustiness is falling away. I think he had a eureka moment (or a nervous breakdown - little from column A, little from column B?) somewhere down the line, and has allowed himself to admit he's human. At least I hope so. Because the Leafs players seem to love love love having a smiley, happy face around and they aim to please. Pleasers are needy little bastards that need pats on the head and encouragment from somewhere.

Managing people is a huge pain in the tookus, and I can only imagine that young athletes are about as neurotic and volatile as they come, which probably makes a guy like Wilson recoil in horror. I think we're almost lucky Burkie is around to slap some sense into him, because there are probably a very few that make him sit up and pay attention.

Wheeeeeeeeee, speculating about boy drama is fun!!

So many Leafers in Bermy! Who knew

[A Leaf Fan in Lotusland]

I think it's entirely logical for both of Burke's statements to be true: that he's not willing to spend irrationally at the trade deadline just to get blown out in the first round AND he sees missing the playoffs as a failure. Would your opinion of him be more positive if he'd traded away part of this team's (finally) bright future for a middling veteran and still missed the playoffs? I think not.
.
I'm not a huge fan of Wilson, but neither am I as harsh a critic as some of you hosers. I doubt Dan Bylsma could've squeezed that much more out of this bunch.
.
Ron Wilson will absolutely get a contract extension this off-season, but it has nothing to do with being Burke's BFF. It's to eliminate the inevitable perception of Wilson entering next season as a "lame duck coach". What they pay him is chump change compared to the players. If he underperforms, they'll still fire him before Christmas and buy out his contract, but if they don't extend him now, none of the players will listen to him next season.
.
@glenburnie: Gimme a break. Stevie Y hit the ground running with Tampa. Put Lecavailer, Stamkos, and St. Louis in Leafs jerseys and then judge Burke's tenure here.

[missideb]

@Boo - I agree with you, with regards to Burke. I have also noticed that his acquisitions usually come right out of left field. Nobody really knows who he is after until they're a Leaf. That is why I really don't think Richards is coming to Toronto. I think it will be a younger player, someone not quite on the radar. Someone from a team that has centre depth and/or cap issues. Statsny, Oshie, Berglund, Weiss, Pavelski?

[pinot grigio]

I should have mentioned that I take great pride in the achievements of the team the last couple of months. All of sudden this bunch of undersized peace-loving twits was able to beat teams loaded with big, burly bastards (Boston, Philadelphia, Anaheim, San Jose etc). They did it in spite of having a socially challenged coach (you should hear how he is evaluated in the Washington region), in spite of a lack of size and a lack of truculence. They did it because they cared. To me, the entire Grabo line was the catalyst; they came to play every game, even in months that end in an 'r'. That line combined made about the same salary as Herr Kessel does all by himself. They scored 80 goals, he scored 31. And 80 goals is a heck of a good output for a second line. Robert once commented that the team needs more than a center to construct a 1st line and I believe he is right. If nothing else, Kessel needs to take up some serious bodybuilding and develop a taste for the blue paint.
I think BB is play acting when he acts hurt. As long as he maintains Wilson I am convinced that deep down he does not give a fig. He knows how easily Leaf fans will tear up and forgive him when he shows his contrite side.

[Rooney]

Thank you, as usual, WP. I know it will be harder but since BB says he is staying I am trying to live with that fact. The team can obviously win but the special teams need help, no doubt about it. Strong goaltending has to aid the PK over a whole year and a top scoring centre has to be able to aid the PP. I am interested to see if BB gives him an extension (which I would even say has not been earned) or if he makes him a lame duck coach. I have to say if BB does not give him an extension, he is definitely putting the team ahead of their relationship. I turn 40 in 2012 and have a very young family so if this team does not actually meet expectations next year, I will probably be forced to reconsider my $$$ and time commitments (for the first time in my life). Until then, I am supporting my team the only way I know how, with a somewhat irrational beLEAF and a strong cheering voice, GO LEAFS GO!!!

[A Leaf Fan in Lotusland]

@Robert: I agree with you that Wilson comes across as a smug sonofabitch. That said, you can't hold Bowman up as the holy grail and then rhetorically ask if it was "the dressing room or the coach?" that got his teams to the promised land. If that's the case, you've proved the opposite of what you'd hoped. If you can't be sure that Bowman had anything to do with his Cup wins, who's to say that Wilson wasn't the one who inspired his players to play with desire in 2011?
.
Again, I'm no huge fan of Wilson myself. I'm just lobbying to give the guy until Christmas to do something with the fruits of Burke's summer labour.

[Browner_Than_Mike_Brown]

Thanks TimB.

I would have liked to attribute Vinay's grin as a smirk, however I was working with his low-res pic from one of his other articles. I mean I don't want to go into a whole "Mona-Lisa" thing in evaluating his expression but does he smile to tempt the possibility of reaching the playoffs or is it a satisfied man content in eating his lemon squares without the need to write a deadline blog post for a game that occurs in a month that doesn't end in "r"? I believe it is the former, and we will be roaring into an amazing blog season next year!

[A Leaf Fan in Lotusland]

@missideb: I like the way you think. You're bang on with the type of deals Burke pulls. Statsny's at $6.6 mil for only 54 points, though, and TJ Oshie would probably crash and burn in some nightclub (or several) before the end of training camp. Berglund, Weiss, Pavelski? Yes please. But really, I'm hoping it's Zach Parise.

[leafland'r]

Making the Grade
I don't think the TEAM should get an F. It is more like the orgainization gets an F in not making their dictated GOAL of reaching the playoffs.
Within the framework of the total league the TEAM went from a D to a C..
Singularly as the 2010-11 Toronto Maple Leafs TEAM they went from a D+ to a B+ by the end of the season.
All things considered and combined the Leaf TEAM deserves a final score of B.
Confusing, huh.

[23Surreal]

glad that BB realizes we still need A LOT of improvement.

[Farrukh I]

Awsome interview. What i loved about the interview more than anything is that Burke gave his vote of confidence to Reimer. Riems is going to be a big part of this team, I can feel it. But man, if I had a pissed off Burke across the table, like you did, I'd be scared. How do you do it Vman? I can't beleive im not going to have my usual leafs "fix' but Im definitely looking forward to watching the playoffs. Who are you all cheering? Im going with Vancouver

[Matt Taylor]

I've never really said anything on this topic, but all of this harping on Wilson is pretty dumb. One of the biggest complaints that any Leafs fan has is the dreaded blue and white disease, players that seem to believe that the fact that they play in Toronto get an often undeserved sense of entitlement. The causes may be varied (having won a cup the previous year in the case of Versteeg or getting praise deserved for someone far above their talent level in the case of most other players) Stop and think about this, for the second cause of blue and white disease, how as a coach do you address this? I think Wilson has it right in that he is gruff with a media that tends to build players up to be legends for a good performance in a couple games. Half the battle is trying to tamp down the easily inflatable egos of a professional athelete.

Secondly, the special teams issue. Having a goalie that can stop a puck is half the battle on the PK, ideally having guys like Armstrong and Brown healthy all year is a factor, and allowing guys like Bozak and Kadri continue to develop their defensive skills is the final factor necessary to improve the PK. Defense is notorious for being the hardest thing to train in a young player, especially on the PK in the NHL where your trying to stop guys like Stamkos and Ovechkin from scoring. Coaching is important, but seriously, in terms of actual strategy there are only a few limited strategies on a PK (Tight box, aggressive box, diamond, and a few minor iterations of those 3).

With the PP, the core reason that it is less successful than most others in the league is that we lack the thing we most definitely need... a top center. Look around the league, Crosby/Malkin, Backstrom, Zetterberg/Datsyuk, Stamkos/St. Louis, Staal, Plekanec, Sedin, Perry/Getzlaf, and the list goes on. Grabovski is good, but I don't think anyone would mistake him or Bozak as a guy that belongs in that list (he's close, but not quite). Coaching is obviously more important on the PP, but I strongly argue that Wilson (who has how many wins again?) should be given the opportunity to try his hand at improving the PP with a center (assuming Burke can find one, they don't grow on trees)

[Geoff Read]

McCarthur's probably gone... which seems like a dumb mistake, but then, I thought it was a dumb mistake not to keep Dominic Moore and Burke was proved right on that one. The difference is that McCarthur's career has been on a fairly consistent upward trajectory whereas Moore was basically a third-line centre who over-achieved for one year.

[maxwelledison]

Hmmm,

... Somebody turn the buses around?
Massive PC meltdown, perhaps?

ALF B strike?
Nation-wide lemon square abuse?

This is creepy way-too-quiet.

[gettingcozywithsarkozy]

I like these candid interviews; no sugar-coating or beating around the bush. I completely agree, while our defense is monstrous in size, our forwards lack the size to keep up with some of the other teams in the league.
.
Good stuff VM, how do you score these interviews with BB? Me thinks at this point of the season he'd rather just escape it all and get away from the media. Then again, you aren't just the "typical" media!

[Wandering Penguin]

@Matt Taylor: this is a recording. Wrong Wilson is a TERRIBLE BENCH COACH. It is that upon which I base my opinion of how good a coach I think he is and because of that I think he is a LOUSY coach. He has 619 wins in his coaching career. He also has 616 losses. Not a stellar record. I think if you are in the NHL in a coaching capacity for 17 seasons, ordinarily you would have more wins than that. But for some reason (*cough cough Burke cough cough*) he manages to hang on forever in the NHL where many other better men have disappeared into the wilderness. And for four seasons he "ran" a San Jose club that, in my opinion, of course, should have won at least one Cup and probably more than that, but they bombed out in the playoffs every year. I don't like Wilson as a coach and I never have. Up close, because I get to see him every day, I realize now WHY I never liked him and it has nothing really to do with his smug countenance or his gruff demeanour - truth be told, I actually think he is a good coach to interview because he always gives an honest answer. The trouble is, his honest answers have a way of slagging his young charges in public and that's always counter-productive.

The "core reason" the Leafs' PP SUCKS has extremely little to do with the centreman he puts out there (but seriously, if you have a 30-goal centre on your bench why on EARTH do you keep "normal" lines together for the PP when it's CLEARLY not working?) and a great deal more to do with the fact that all five players on the PP stand in a sort of pentagon shape. There isn't a single player standing in front of the goalie for 95% of every power play and if you can't get the guys you do use to stand there, then find someone else on the team who will and KEEP HIM OUT THERE. I don't care if it's Rosehill, Brent, Aulie, SOMEBODY on their roster will take that punishment or Burke has done a worse job than he thinks of putting this team together. It's not that our PP isn't top-5, it's that it's BOTTTOM-5. That just doesn't make sense, year in and year out. There are plenty of other players to try on this team; if you can't score on 15 consecutive PPs then TRY SOMETHING ELSE. And no, that something else should NEVER include Tim Brent on the point.

But it's the awful, ridiculous, ice-level decisions he makes that kill me. You have a terrible defenceman in Lebda that spends most of the year in the press box and when you have to start playing him after the trades you pair him with your SECOND-worst defenceman? And then you wonder why they get scored on? You inexplicably leave Phil Kessel on your bench for FOUR shootout rounds against New Jersey the other night? You bench Reimer for a game against Florida when we really, REALLY needed a win and then you let him play back-to-back games after you're ELIMINATED? You have your fourth line out and the other team ices the puck ... and you LEAVE them out there? And on and on and on and on....

Sorry you think that's "dumb" but nothing he has done in his tenure in Toronto has even come CLOSE to changing my opinion of him. He is at the absolute best a mediocre coach and I don't think he's even THAT good.

He doesn't deserve any more of a chance than he already has had. If this team doesn't improve drastically next year - even just another birthday should make most of this team better by default - then he really, REALLY needs to be fired. As it is, I'd prefer him to move "upstairs" this spring and let the Leafs bring in somebody hungrier.

[Pyramid Power]

Called the season a failure. Good for you Burkie. That is what it was.
"Culprits" were the special teams and goalkeeping. Burkie bristled about the coaching. That bothers me.
Loyalty only goes so far Brian. This is a bloody business you are running with tens of millions of fans around the world hoping for better days.

Anyway, great stuff Vinay. Surprised he SEEMS to be committed to Reimer as our starter next year. Very surprised. I think we can read between the lines that the likes of Brent, Crabb, Boyce, Sjostrom etc..... will be gone from our bottom two lines as he wants to see them bigger and better. Hope he keeps Rockhill I mean Rosehill though.

Will now also eagerly await what transpires this off-season beginning on Canada Day. Make us better Burkie, Nonis, Poulin and our whole scouting staff.

[Princess Mononoke]

Hey! Good morning all, fantastic article by VM today on how to wean the Leafs fan!
Sadly, my hubby will be weaned, just as he was last year, by having to watch the Habs thru the playoffs and spending all his curmudgeony bitter energy telling me that my Habs are "only going to play an extra 4 games anyway" and they're getting swept in the first round regardless and so on and so forth.
And just like last year, I will sweetly say, "We'll see!" and watch another big beautiful month of playoff hockey (I hope!) while he gets wrapped up in his missed episodes of Nurse Jackie and Breaking Bad on non-hockey nights.

I know you guys won't be rooting for the Habs (oh well...) but you should watch some playoff action, just for the calibre of hockey, the heroics, the great goaltending. Your hearts won't be in it, I know, and you'll feel melancholy, but in a way, you get to appreciate the sport even more when you have no emotional stake in the outcome and you're not chewing the couch and praying to Sumerian deities for a goal, any ugly crazy goal...
I usually watch the playoffs till the very end, even once my Habs are out, and I find I appreciate the subleties of hockey much more when I can watch from the detached perspective of a non-fan.
Of course, if some of you are brave/reckless enough to join our crazy bandwagon of rioting joy, jump aboard! Everyone's welcome!

[Robert]

@ALFIL: Sorry to mislead you. The comparison I meant to make is that Bowman was at least as distant as Ronnie. Bowman's cups were won by the team in spite of Bowman. If you follow Scottie's career, you will see that with the exception of Detroit, each team he coached was a cup winner or contender when he came in, and in total disarray when he left. But, Scottie did have some ideas and they were apparent on the ice. The Left Wing Lock, etc. (I think stolen from Sweden)
I believe it was the Leaf dressing room that finally got it together, Phaneuf being more accountable, Kessel's response etc. that made this team come around. The PP and other things are symptomatic to me, of a poorly coached team. Often in tight games, or heaven forbid, the playoffs, the power play can be the game changer. Toronto does not have one. Who to blame?

[Wandering Penguin]

@Princess Mononoke: I'll definitely be watching some playoff hockey, but I do love Breaking Bad. It would be a tough call except I'm all caught up on Breaking Bad and new episodes won't be out until July. Looks like I'll be "stuck" watching some hockey. I guess how much hockey I watch will depend on who advances. For example: Canucks-Flyers final? I wouldn't watch at gunpoint.

[Pat Landry]

Ownership accountable to shareholders = perennial loser. Leafs with the resources they have should be contending for the Cup every year, not satisfied with almost making the playoffs year after year after year... Yankees, albeit there is no salary cap in baseball, put together a team with one goal every year, and that is to win it all. The Toronto Maple Leafs, the most valuable franchise in the league, should be on that same page, but with the current ownership it will never happen.

[A True Leafs Fan]

@Princess Mononoke

I also watch the playoffs regardless of if the leafs are in it or not. Last year I picked San Jose as the team I wanted to win... not because I dont want any other canadian team to win it other than toronto, but because San Jose's line up was loaded with canadian superstars. there were 18 canadian players on the san jose line up last year. marleau, heatly and thronton was one of the best lines in the leauge. not mention vlassic, boyes and clowe. and an assortment of ex leafs, mayers, wallin, wellwood and white. this year I think I will be rooting for vancouver. I just want the cup to be in canada for once. I want to see luongo hold that glorious chalice above his head in a city that absolutley loves him. vancouver was always my second favourite team as a kid with Messier, and still my all time favourite player...even more than colton orr(well maybe 50/50) Pavel Bure... this should be a good post season to watch we have got alot of competitive teams in it. and i am sure that the final will be one for the books. I'm thinking Canucks Vs Caps.

[Peter]

@PAt Landry, can you explain to me how the Yankees are relevant? with a nearly 300 mil payroll? what does it matter how much resource a team has if they "only" able to pend as much as every other team?
the Leafs success or failure has nothing to do with ownership or money. incase you haven't noticed, the play-offs are pure profit, so saying that MLSE is not interested in them is stupid and rather old.

[Wandering Penguin]

Amen, Peter.

[Michael C. Nemirsky]

Good morning, VM, and all of leaf nation. Have spent the last hour reading the mostly intelligent comments from my devoted compatriots. Firstly, Ron Wilson, I think he will be back in the fall, but, on a very, very short leash. If we show any signs of struggle or disharmony in the "r" months, he will be dismissed. The sensible solution, why not hire some new assistant coaches? I believe Dougie Gilmour would be the perfect fit. Well liked by not only the fabulous fans of Toronto, but the media and the players. If Wilson falters, in moves Gilmour. Can't see anything other than win win. Secondly, I know this is gonna piss some of you off, but, MacArthur cannot and does not deserve more money than either Grabovski or Kulemin. Down the final stretch, he did play OK, but, man he missed a lot of chances to bury pucks! Thirdly, a first line center, that has to be the # 1 priority going forward. Tyler Bozak is a great PK and hard working, well liked and coachable player. But, at this time in his career, he is a third line center, no more, no less.

[Robert Bates]

Good job all year VM. Interesting to hear the Leafs fans perspective. That said, I still think Burke and Wilson are the failures. Fire them right now - bring in some Canadians that know how to put a team together. Take stock - 1/2 your lineup are American league quality players. No one of consequense in your farm system. The whole concept of truclence is a wrong one for hockey.
Notice Canadiens always make the playoffs and do well -- why??? Skilled players -- if you want to improve go get some skill SKILL, that's right SKILL

[Matt Taylor]

@ Wandering Penguin: That was essentially my first point, Ron Wilson is honest. Yes that may hurt some players feelings, which is obviously the downside, but I place a high value on the fact that his honest answers have kept players on team from equating the adoration of the masses as success. I think he, like me, sees that as one of a number of factors that hurts player development in Toronto (obviously too soon to tell with Kadri, but with in months of being drafted he was already being hailed as the savior...)

It's a small point, but you've also mis-quoted Ron Wilson's record, he has 619 wins, 559 losses, 101 ties, and 82 overtime losses. 619-559 is actually a pretty freakin' good record for a coach if you ask me, especially considering he was given the expansion Ducks (and we all know how good expansion teams tend to be in their first few seasons). For comparison, look at the late Pat Burns (501-353-151-14) and Pat Quinn (684-528-154-34). Really the only modern coach that had a winning percentage much better than that over the course of a 1,000+ game career was Scotty Bowman, and I'd argue he was given a few better teams.

With the PP, have you watched any games earlier in the year? At various points in the season Wilson has tried countless PP iterations (Versteeg at the point, caputi in front of the net, Brent at the point, Kessel with Grabovski and Kulemin). I agree that he should try Rosehill on the PP in front of the net, but I understand his reluctance to put a guy who probably lacks the discipline to put up with the abuse you receive in front of the net (see: Tomas Holmstrom). Over the course of the year forwards that have been on a power play include Crabb, Kessel, Grabovski, Kadri, Bozak, Kulemin, Macarthur, Brent, Versteeg, Armstrong, Caputi, and Lupul. Hell, I'm probably forgetting a couple people.

Wilson isn't the world's most likable person by any stretch of the imagination, but let's not pretend that he's not a very good coach. (By the way how'd that young coach thing turn out in Ottawa?)

[Billy]

@WP - Amen. Couldn't agree with you more.

Now - Vin - How'd the meeting go this morning? Are we coming back next year, or do I have to set up your personal blog to keep this going? (Then, of course, you could reap the benefits of ad revs).

[We BeLeaf]

@ MC Nemirsky,
.
Well said and I agree in general, however I think that Kirk Muller would be the best candidate for the job. If not him, then maybe Barry Trotz out of Nashville. I have mentioned this before as well as others, but it seems like Acton, and Zettler are never discussed and summarily passed over when it comes to promotion from within. Furthermore, how can someone not recommend Dallas Eakins for the position of head coach? Half the team are Marlies players so it has say something about how well he has groomed them for the Leafs, or does it make more sense to leave him on the farm to continue what he's doing?
.
Cheers,

[Leaf Fan in Lotusland]

@Robert Bates: Kind of early to be drinking, isn't it?

[Alecia]

Soooo.....whats the status on the blog?

[Peter]

Hey Bates, are you still playing your broken records? isn't half of the so called skilled players on your Habs are American or European? and Burke doesn't know how to put a team together? wow! so what about the Canucks? and Anaheim?
and AHL players? where did the Habs players come from? and are they always make the palyoffs? lol you should check your facts first.
do you know who is in the Leafs farm system? did you happen to check the OHL playoff last night? tell me, who scored Owen Sound's winning goal? just for an example.
skill? how about three 30 goalscorers? is that enough skill for you?
now go back and ask your daddy for something alse to say, this is getting BORING.

[TPiddy]

I've actually been hoping for Burke to deal MacArthur as I just don't see him fitting in here long term. I'd love to see Lupul with Grabovski and Kulemin, but lately the chemsitry between Lupul and Kessel is undeniable.

I'm also getting kind of suspicious that Burke is preparing to trade away a top prospect or two, hence the signing of McKegg to a contract. Could it be Kadri or Colborne that's shipped out? Then again, With Kadri likely remaining with the Leafs and Zigomanis not being re-signed there would be a spot for McKegg on the Marlies.

However, with Blacker, D'Amigo, Ryan, Gardiner and Frattin all out of junior eligibility, one would expect all of them to suit up for the Marlies next season, meaning we're going to have to ship some underperforming bodies out (Hanson perhaps?).

This off-season will prove to be very intriguing indeed.

[Wandering Penguin]

@Matt Taylor: thanks for asking, but yes, I watched games "earlier in the year". I have watched games early, late and in the middle for 44 years. I have seen some truly horrible coaches here (and elsewhere) and Wrong Wilson is not as bad as John Brophy or Mike Nykolyuk or myriad other coaches, but he is not a GOOD coach. I am fully aware of his record, but I am sick of people pointing at 600 wins as some kind of fantastic achievement. 600 wins divided by 17 seasons is 35 wins per year. His "winning percentage" (points per game) is .533 which, over an 82-game schedule, will produce fewer than 88 points - WHICH WOULDN'T MAKE THE PLAYOFFS. So go ahead, point out his 600 wins and completely ignore the fact that an "average" Wrong Wilson season would put his team in about 10th place in the East and much lower in the West (where he has done MOST of his coaching).

My point is, as it has always been, that Wrong Wilson is a very bad bench coach. I don't care about the PP struggles - well, I do, but I'm willing to ignore them for the sake of my argument - but I have watched him behind the bench in Toronto for over 320 games now and I think that's plenty of time to form an adequate assessment of his "talents". He is a lousy, counter-productive, deer-in-the-headlights kind of bench coach and some of his ice-level decisions are positively mind-boggling.

Now, I have made that point several times in this and other threads, but I notice you're not disputing it. Would you like to take a run at that assessment? Show me cases of where he's done even an ACCEPTABLE job behind the bench. I'd love to hear of them.

You can have any opinion you want of Wrong Wilson's coaching career and current work with the Leafs but mine is that he is no better than mediocre (17 years don't lie) and I don't really like to hear that my disgust with Wilson is "dumb".

[Wandering Penguin]

Oh, and Matt, since you asked: most of my Sens fan friends are THRILLED with Clouston's work with the Sens this year. They have far less talent at the NHL level RIGHT NOW than the Leafs do and yet they're still managing to win late in the season - like they did last night. I haven't enough data to form an opinion of him myself, but I think he's working out just fine. Certainly their PK is looking pretty good and you know there's no way that that can come down to the goalie, as you opined in your first post, since their goalies have really not been very good this year until quite recently.

[TPiddy]

@Robert Bates - The Habs only made the playoffs this year due to Carey Price. He's having an MVP type season and without him you're not even in the playoff discussion. Skill? give me a break. Your leading scorer would be 5th on the Leafs.

[Geoff Read]

Not to change the subject, but since we've discussed similar topics before: what did people think of the Torres suspension? I think it's about right... but the problem of course is that once again the NHL can rightly be accused of applying different standards to different players. There is no consistency. Todd Bertuzzi gets nothing for a clear elbow to the head, but Torres gets four games for a body check gone wrong where he hits the opposing player in the head because that player is bent over and in a vulnerable position. To me, if anything, Bertuzzi deserved more games than Torres, and yet Torres gets four games and Bertuzzi gets nothing. It just doesn't make any sense. Again: I have no problem with four games for Torres... but if that hit is worth four games, why are so many similar or worse hits apparently worth nothing?

A good example of the NHL's inconsistency occurred last night in the Senators/Habs game as well. I'm sure anyone who watched the game, by the way, (hello Sensi-Bill) will agree was one of the worst games of the season - it was just dreadful to watch. At any rate - Lessard drilled Tom Pyatt from behind and rightfully got tossed from the game. About two minutes later, however, Andrei Kostitsyn hit a Senator (I can't remember whom - I'd never heard of about 1/2 the Senators' roster to be honest) from the side and partially from behind and got no penalty. Now, Kostitsyn's hit wasn't as bad as Lessard's, but it was definitely in that grey area between what's allowed and what isn't, and it did strike me as pretty weird that Lessard's hit was deemed worthy of a five minute major and game ejection while Kostitsyn's was apparently thought to be a clean check. Surely, if Lessard's hit was 5 minutes and an ejection Kostitsyn's was at least a 2 minute minor. Again: no consistency. The NHL really has to get all this stuff - hitting from behind, headshots etc. - figured out in this offseason. They have to figure out what their rules are and how they're going to be interpreted, and they have to try to apply those rules to everyone, regardless of who they play for or what kind of player they're thought to be.

[Wandering Penguin]

Here's an interesting stat about the 600-win club: 8 coaches in NHL history have reached 600 wins - Arbour, Bowman, Irvin, Keenan, Lemaire, B. Murray, Quinn and Wilson. Of those 8 coaches, who do you suppose is the ONLY ONE with a career winning percentage of under .550?

And I'm not sure why Pat Burns was tossed out there earlier, but his career winning percentage was .556. And Bowman's, while we're on the subject, was an absolutely ridiculous .657. Amazing.

[We BeLeaf]

@ Wandering Penguin,
.
Excellent analysis as usual sir. I know it's off topic to the Leafs, but something that bears mention regarding the Sens and Clouston is on paper at the beginning of the year, it was said they have the team to go far into the playoffs. After injuries, trades, and the overall lousy play they were left with a depleted roster full of cast offs and minor-leaguers. Now Clouston has a better goalie in Anderson and the team is gelling under his system which some say perhaps he's the type of person who can only coach certain players of this calibre.
.
Maybe Wilson falls under that category as well.
.
Cheers,

[We BeLeaf]

@ TPiddy,
.
Not to mention that the Leafs have improved by 11 points so far, whereas the Habs only 6. Without Carrie Price, the Habs are at best, a good AHL team.

[Rooney]

Hey VM, you were born south of the border, correct? You should be fired, let the Star bring in some douchebag that was born in Canada like I was...I have to say I grow tired of anti-American or anti-any country sentiment. @Robert Bates, you need to stop cheering for the Habs and cheer for the Bruins since they have more Canadian players than your Habs, whose futility might be half as long as the Leafs but is still far too long to be acceptable for an organization with its history. Your joy in accepting that futility demonstrates why your opinion is meaningless. Grow up and stop being such big IT.

[Geoff Read]

@TPiddy and others jumping all over Robert Bates....
It's fair to say that the gap in skill between the Leafs and Habs closed significantly in the past year. But in addition to getting stellar goaltending all season, there are two other differences that set Montreal apart from Toronto. One: skill down the middle. Even with Gomez's horrendous season, surely no one would trade Montreal's pint-sized trio of Plekanec, Gomez and Desharnais for Grabovski, Bozak and... Brent or whoever is the third-line centre. Grabovski is the only one of the Leafs' trio who stacks up to the skill-level of Montreal's top-three centres. Two: organizational depth. I think even the most die-hard Hab-hater would have to admit that given Montreal lost its best defenseman for the entire season (Markov) and its best defensive defenseman (Gorges) for most of it as well as significant time from other key players (Cammalleri, Spacek, Pacioretty) and some time from yet others (Plekanec, Gill, Halpern etc.), the fact the Habs are going to make the playoffs is pretty impressive. Yes Carey Price was the biggest reason for this, but the emergence of young players was also crucial. It's difficult to imagine that the Leafs - a team that missed the playoffs with a relatively injury-free campaign (with the exception of Phaneuf's being out for 5-6 weeks), could have weathered a similar storm of injuries with comparable success.

[Wandering Penguin]

@We BeLeaf: Thanks for the compliment! As I said, I'm not sure myself about Clouston - I just know any friends I have that are Sens fans still seem sold on him.

But I must quibble with one point: I didn't see a lot of reports pre-season that said the Sens would go far this year, even before the injuries took a toll. Not saying they didn't exist, but it's not the way I felt about them, that's for sure. Personally, I have said since the beginning of the season that I thought the Leafs would finish ahead of the Sens and it was possible that neither team would make the playoffs. I was hoping I was wrong on one of those counts, for sure. I didn't really see them as being a talent-laden squad and the inexplicable signing of Kovalev just blew me away.

I missed your point about Wilson, though. Sorry. What kind of player can he coach?

[Wandering Penguin]

One last post about the 600-win club (because I still have that tab open).

Wrong Wilson is 6th all-time in games coached (current active leader), which is why - more than ANY other reason - he has 600 wins. And of those 8 coaches with 600 regular-season wins, he is the only one not in the top-15 in playoff wins or even playoff games coached, for that matter - and he's not particularly close, either.

And since Burke has made it abundantly clear that, while he considers missing the playoffs to be a failure, he has NO interest in squeaking in and losing then it would seem to be perfectly clear that Wilson is the WRONG coach for this team at this time, no matter what you may think of his "record". I doubt that he was ever the right coach for this kind of team, but that's not really the point. Right now, they need someone else.