End of the Quinn Era

Weep not for Pat Quinn.

John Ferguson, now there's another story.

In canning Quinn as head coach Thursday morning, Ferguson put himself squarely in the line of fire if next season duplicates the results of the one that just ended.

But for Quinn, it was one heck of a run.

You have to look at this from a historic perspective. In lasting from 1998 right through to the end of the 2005-06 season, with a lockout wiping out one season, Quinn had a longer run than any head coach of the Leafs since Punch Imlach during the glorious, four-Stanley Cup 1960s.

None of the 14 other men who guided the Leafs between Imlach and Quinn lasted nearly as long, and that tells you something about Quinn's ability as a coach and his tenacity as a hockey politician to have outlasted so many personnel and ownership changes within the Leafs organization.

Quinn did it by creating a mix a strong regular season results and moderate playoff success, and by being able to out-muscle Ken Dryden in a drawn out executive tug-of-war that saw Dryden eventually pack it in and head off for federal politics.

As well, he won big with the 2002 Canadian Olympic team and the '04 World Cup squad, and that gave him currency in a city in which he was otherwise unable to end a Stanley Cup drought that stretches back to 1967.

Moreover, he made a great deal of money while doing the job, and even more when he held the GM post, as well.

In the end, Quinn simply ran out of wiggle room and time.

When he lost the GM post to Ferguson in 2003, he was on the clock, and that became even more apparent as he and JFJ failed to negotiate a comfortable working relationship.

Beyond that, every coach is hired to be fired, and Quinn's inability to produce a Cup winner or even a Cup finalist meant that, eventually, the team would have to turn to another coach. Mounting public criticism of team chairman Larry Tanenbaum and president Richard Peddie put added pressure on the team to make a substantial move this season after a promising campaign deteriorated after January.

In essence, Quinn lasted as long as a coach could last without winning. Indeed, Pat Burns only made it from 1992 to 1996, and he had as much success during his time with the Leafs as Quinn had over the past eight years.

Quinn had his shot, and undoubtedly, he'll now get another somewhere else.

Comments

[BRIAN JEFFERIES]

KEEP MOVING UP THE FOOD CHAIN AND DON'T STOP AT FERGUSON

[Dave White]

This has to be the begining of a whole new chapter for the Maple Leafs, new coaches, new management, new philosophy, and new players. Otherwise, it's simply window dressing.

[Peter Smelcer]

Well, here we are at the end of yet another Leaf season filled with speculation and disappointment. As a long term Toronto sports fan, I can only utter a sigh of relief as I remove my feet from my trusty bucket, filled with ice water. This will be the last time (until next season of course)that I'll have to relieve the pain in my tender ankles as a result of jumping on & off the proverbial 'bandwagon'.It sure hurts to be a fan, but self preservation has to 'kick' in at some point in time.
At least we don't have to endure the 'soap opera' days of Harold Ballard.
Good bye Pat, thanks for the memories.
Who's next?

[Peter Smelcer]

Well, here we are at the end of yet another Leaf season filled with speculation and disappointment. As a long term Toronto sports fan, I can only utter a sigh of relief as I remove my feet from my trusty bucket, filled with ice water. This will be the last time (until next season of course) that I'll have to relieve the pain in my tender ankles as a result of jumping on & off the proverbial 'bandwagon'. It sure hurts to be a fan, but self preservation has to 'kick' in at some point in time.
At least we don't have to endure the 'soap opera' days of Harold Ballard.
Good bye Pat, thanks for the memories.
Who's next?

[Jason O'Brien]

Two words: Ted. And Nolan.

[James Archibald]

Had to happen. Love the guy but it is time. Fergie play the kids. Sign a goalie until one of the two rookies pans out and score some goals. You gotta be bad for a few years to be good. Ottawa, Colorado, Detroit just to name a few. But if this doesn't pan out you are next.

[A-Mar]

I'd like to see what Ferguson pulls off with his own men and his own player choices in place before I go so far as to fire him... in addition Ferguson's supposed big thing is the draft and I'd like to see if he can actually help in an area where the Leafs have traditionally not been up to par. I want to see if we can pull another Brad Boyes or Alex Steen rather than a Luca Cereda or Jeff Ware

[Mike Ritchie]

No one should find any of the events that has transpired the least bit surprising. At the beginning of the season, it was though that the Leafs would be only good to enough to fight for the last playoff spot. It was felt that likely JFJr would want to name his own coach eventually. It was felt that JFJr would likely be given another year to prove his worth. It was felt that MLSE would make even more money this year than ever.

Behold they have come to pass. Verily such it shall be.

[Richard Coutts]

Now, I believe that a true evaluation of Ferguson's abilities, or lack therefof, as a GM can commence. As for Quinn, it was an entertaining ride, but its time to move on to a team more veteran than the Leafs will be next year. Truly, I think the opportunity to replace Rick Ley is the biggest win in this scenario.

And please, lets stop holding all current TML staff accountable for what took place in the 70's, 80's and the 90's. This drought doesn't change the odds of winning a cup currently, especially given the woeful draft record for many of those years. I believe that fan and media pressure often contribute to hasty moves that sometimes benefit the here and now and never the future. You build through the draft, make a few good trades and sign several key free agents here and there, who are frequently not the stars. Many teams such as Detroit, Calgary, Tampa, Ottawa, Buffalo, Carolina, etc. have been successful this way.

[Daver]

Well all is right in the world, the Leafs are packing, the Habs a preparing, and Leaf fans are all sitting around debating what went wrong. Well boys, take a look down the 401 and see how its done. After 1993, Rejean Houle began his tirade which resulted in the distruction of not only the on ice team, but also the farm system. It's taken the Habs several years to rebuild, but alas the patience is paying off. This team, although not a cup contender, is the foundation for the future. There are several young players like Ryder, Komaserik and Higgins to name just a few who are going to be around for a long time and are getting playoff experience. Gone are the days of the NHL dynasty, but my money is on Montreal to bring the cup back to CANADA. Remember they are still the last CANADIAN team to win Lord Stanleys gift. Oh and by the way, it's 24 cups, not 23. Just because they won the first one before the NHL was formed doesn't mean it doesn't count. And yes, it's only 11 cups for the Leafs, you can't count cups wins from other Toronto teams, because if that's the case, then Montreal has won 45 cups.

[Tim O'Neill]

Ferguson is an upstart neophyte lawyer who
obviously knows nothing about managing
a hockey team.

It is very sad that Ferguson made public
his hatred of Quinn over the past years.

Now Ferguson gets his way.

If he continues his past record, he will
continue to acquire, sign, and overpay players like Allison, Lindros, O'Neill,
and Belfour. And he will let good players
like Roberts, Niewendyk, and Joseph get away.

It is absolutely an insult to Mr. Quinn that
he is being treated like this.

Quite simply, Ferguson views Mr. Quinn as an old man whom modern hockey has passed by.

And that, fans, is a wrong and very sickening
point of view for him to have.

It is an insult to Mr. Quinn that they stuck
him in the position of being the coach
that the GM hated from the beginning.

Mr. Quinn showed his true stripes by
getting the maximum this year from the
team assembled by Ferguson, which had
too many injuries and too many deadwood
players.

[Karina]

The only benefit to watching those ever-so-painful Harold Ballard spots on sportsnet is to realize that, however much we want to complain about what's been going on now, it's really only now we are recovering from those years. Sure, we don't have a lot of young kids, but our drafting is getting better. Quinn's time ahd come, we'll see what JFJr can really do now, but I don't expect anything spectacular in the next 2-3 years. Just a little hope would be nice.

And let's not forget who actually drafted Matt Stajan, Alex Steen, Carlo Colaiacovo - Quinn. He started us on this new path, despite all the griping of his fondness for veterens, and if JFJr can build on that, we have a future.

[Rick Subtelny]

I think the wrong man got canned. The idiots at the top should have been fired before Quinn. If you look at the teams that he had to work with, I think Quinn did a fantastic job.
I wish Pat all the luck in the world and I know he won't be unemployed very long.

[Rob Mackay]

Thanks Pat for the many ups and downs during your reign as coach and GM. Your dedication to the Maple Leafs cannot be questioned. On many occasions you have had me jumping around my basement in front of the TV. Wish you well

[Ido Visentin]

Strange that just as the era of run and gun hockey begins, a coach, who was a proponent of that type of game from the first day he stepped into town, is released from his duties. This town, and the reporters especially will miss Pat Quinn.

[Will Ashworth]

Why do have a GM in a hockey town earning one-tenth the salary of the basketball GM? It makes no sense.

MLSE doesn't care one bit about the hockey fans in this town or they'd hire a real GM. Someone who'll make a real difference.

I'll be the first to give Ferguson credit if he turns this team around but 39 years of falling short says he won't.

[Pete]

...And Quinn traded Brad Boyes. How did that help?

[Jeff Green]

Karina - I wouldn't tout Colaiacovo as a success story just yet. Quinn is also the guy who thought that Steve Sullivan and Jason Smith weren't good enough to play for us, losing Sullivan on waivers and Smith for a mid-round draft pick. Quinn is the guy who traded Alyn McCauley, Brad Boyes (who had a superb season in Boston), and the first-round draft pick that became Mark Stuart to get a creaky Owen Nolan. Amazing - guys leave Toronto and suddenly are terrific players. Freddie Modin couldn't play for us, so Quinn traded him for Cory Cross and a 7th rounder. A few years later and he's a Top-Six forward and alternate captain of the Stanley Cup champs.

Can you name anyone who was brought in from another organization, either by Quinn or JFJ, that became a better player under Quinn's "tutelage"? Chad Kilger and Darcy Tucker. Anyone else? McCabe was a good player before he got here that matured naturally with age. Maybe Maurice will be the guy to develop guys like Steen, Wellwood, Earl, Williams, Harrison, White, Bell, Sagat and the rest of our middling cup of prospects.

[Borat]

Firing Pat Quinn will prove to be an awful move. Not only did Quinn lead the Leafs to a fairly decent record this year, he has managed to this this with all the under achieving team which JFJ has assembled. This team lost almost all of the players JFJ has signed due to injuries(Allison, Lindros, Khavanov..) just to name a few, and have done better since then. Allison is a liablitiy in the new NHL, and he has proven that he has the speed of a turtle, and makes guys around him even slower. The Leafs need to play Aubin in net, since he has proven to be a great goalie in this league. The Leafs will be fine next year, if they just add a few more forwards that can take some pressure of Sundin. They almost made it this year, just a few points out.. And the blame needs to go on the horrendous goaltending that was provided earlier in the year. You can't really blame a coach for the teams struggles, since he is not the one that is actually playing the game. It is JFJ's fault that this mess started, and it's time to fire him as well, and bring in Sutter to be GM , as well as coach.

[Sudhir]

You gotta be kidding me... a coach making 1.5 million bucks a year (or around that figure) and no Stanley Cups?

WELL DONE JFJ!!!

A successful team like Colorado has dumped enough coaches even right before the playoffs AND THEY HAVE THE RINGS!!! The last time we got one was 67, this was a great move, they should try out Maurice and see how things pan out.

Ferguson may have guessed wrong in off-season but they were low-risk deals... he hasn't done anything wrong, really aside from give in to Pat Quinn's wishes and acquire Owen Nolan for McCauley, Boyes, and 1st rounder (Mark Stuart) which seemed like an okay deal at the time... the second mistake was signing Ed Belfour... but then again, who else could he have signed? And Belfour gave us no indication that he would have such a bad season from his previous play. This was just the case of bad luck.

Then JFJ took on a few low-risk signings... Lindros, Allison, O'Neill to relatively cheap contracts (the first two for 1 year, the other guy O'Neill for 2)... with the other aging AGING vets like Tie Domi (who aren't playing like they used) nearing the end of their contracts, he is left with a lot of dough to land a supreme talent like Patrick Elias for Mats Sundin and if he can't sign Bryan McCabe, he could get someone for a deal like Pavol Kubina who is on Tampa right now (who played awesome with Kaberle in the lock-out season in Europe). JFJ has a plan, and it is ultimately the coach that has to put together decent lines and not keep going with guys who just don't get it like Aki Berg and Wade Belak, AMONG OTHERS at the beginning and mid parts of the season... I say beginning and mid because Berg and Belak improved during the last 15 games of the season but too late.

Now is the time to phase in the talented youth that we have. Paul Maurice has done a great job at prepping them up to perform decently at the NHL level upon becoming called up, now bring Maurice up to further that development.

He was the one that bred the baby Staal, Cole, and Williams. Imagine what he can do for Steen, Stajan, Wellwood?

With that in mind, guys like Steen, Stajan, Wellwood would get more ice time under a coach that isn't afraid to use his youth not when there are injuries but when there are NO injuries to the team. He's going to be a breath of fresh air and I welcome that dude for sure as head coach.

Quinn was good for the first 4 seasons, then he just had this liking to dump prospects for players that were nearing the end of their careers (when he was GM)!

JFJ is in a very good position to get someone strong like Elias and possibly re-sign McCabe / sign FA Kubina and let the youth take over. (Note I haven't mentioned SIGN REDDEN OR SIGN CHARA OR SIGN JOVOCOP like some people.... Redden and Chara will likely demand as much money as McCabe wants... leaving us with less to address first line winger for Sundin... plus Jovo is injury prone!)

So JFJ shouldn't be canned. It was right that Quinn went. No coach in the NHL right now is with their team for 7 years with no Cup, let alone no Finals appearances.

But if JFJ signs someone like Keith Tkachuk who is injury-prone and old, he really did not learn his lesson this season and should go after next season because we need speed... we have enough grind em down players... we need speed speed SPEED and skill with the puck! Steen and Stajan will only get stronger and better as Stajan showed recently... he isn't getting knocked off the puck as before.. he's getting stronger...

The future looks bright for the Leafs.... lets hope they take advantage of it now.

[wayne biggs]

Lets get one thing straight here..Pat Quinn isnt so "Mighty". Heres a guy that had 60-80 million per season at his disposal as a GM and as a coach and COULDN'T get it done!I watched Quinn's teams and totally depend on outstanding goaltending.I mean, if it wasnt for Curtis Joeseph and the earlier version of Eddie standing on their heads, Quinn wouldnt have that "gawdy" win record he has. His teams were horrendous defensively.If it wasnt for all the injuries this year ,we wouldve been 20 points out of a playoff spot, the call-ups saved his bacon big time.Bye Bye Pat Quinn and thanks for the biggest con job in Leaf history!

[RB]

Are you happy now Damien?

After all, you have been calling for Quinn's head for years.

[John McIlroy]

Pat Quinn needed to go. Ferguson did too.

Late season injuries to Belfour, Allison, and Khavanov were the only things standing between the Leafs and a disastrous sub-500 finish.

Not a good sign when the GM and coach are saved by injuries.

Let's face it, the whole Pat Quinn strategy is to ice aging veterans and a spectacular goalie.

I can give Damien two reasons why Quinn lasted longer than most recent Leaf coaches: Ed Belfour and Curtis Joseph.

Put a 1999 era Curtis Joseph in the Leaf net, or a 2004 era Ed Belfour and the Leafs would have finished with 100 points and won a round in the playoffs.

This firing is a long time coming. Pat Quinn has insisted on playing Hogland, Reichel, Renberg, Klee, Domi, and Berg even when they had promising rookies to call up, and for that, he deserves to lose his job.

John Ferguson should go all out to hire Ken Hitchcock or Bob Gainey... Maurice is just a younger Pat Quinn.

[Jason]

Complain, Complain, Complain. That is all we can do. We aren't in the playoffs and probably won't be next year.

[geo_thayer@hotmail.com]

when fergie talks about money he will have left over to spend this year, i sure hope it works out for him, personally i think they made a huge mistake and fergie should be the one the block, hes not management material