One Step Forward, Four Back

There are many reasons why the Leafs can't move forward.

One is that this franchise can never resist moving backwards.

They fired Punch Imlach in 1969 because he was running the team into the ground. Then they brought him back a decade later to finish the job.

Carl Brewer walked out on the team in 1965. They brought him back 15 years later at age 41 and he aptly demonstrated he couldn't play anymore.

Wendel Clark was the future when he was drafted in 1985, and no longer the future when he was traded away for Mats Sundin in 1994. Then they brought him back. Twice.

Doug Gilmour brought the last sense of glory to the team with the run to the conference finals in '93 and '94, but by the winter of 1997 was gone for a package of futures - Jason Smith, Alyn McCauley and Steve Sullivan.

Five years later, he was back again, if only for an unbelievably brief time. Then he came back again as an executive.

I could go on. Mike Pelyk, Steve Thomas, Drake Berehowsky, Tie Domi, Bobby Baun, Darby Hendrickson - the list just goes on and on. I mean, last week, they extended an offer to Curtis Joseph to come back for another shot.

It fits a franchise bereft of ideas that the best ones always seem to be familiar ones, usually ones that failed before.

No other team does this, or at least not nearly to this extent.

So of course the Leafs have reached out to Cliff Fletcher.

It's the only hockey executive's name most of these dummies would know.

Come on back, Cliff. All is forgiven. At a time when rebuilding through the draft is the only way to go, why not re-hire the man who coined the phrase, "Draft, schmaft?"

Does nobody remember that in Fletcher's last season the Leafs finished with 68 points and were even worse than they are now? Doesn't anybody remember they didn't even get to use that miserable season to draft high because the No. 4 pick was traded to the New York Islanders, who selected Roberto Luongo?

Going for it now and paying for it later was the m.o. of the last 15 years of Fletcher's career. He traded Brett Hull to get Rob Ramage and Rick Wamsley. And in Phoenix, he was part of the management team that embarked on a disastrous program to bring in faded stars in an attempt to make the Coyotes competitive.

Now, let's be clear. Fletcher is a classy, classy individual who has done more in and for the game that most anybody on the planet. When he was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a builder, he was one of the few you could say actually deserved it.

But hiring him to be the caretaker GM isn't just a case of MLSE being unable to think outside the box. It's that their box is so incredibly small.

It's a desperate attempt to grab on to Fletcher's popularity, still impressive in the city a decade after he left.

Fletcher has oodles of friends in hockey, and so you'll hear tribute after tribute about him, about his knowledge and experience.

What you won't hear is anybody telling you the truth because people respect Fletcher so much.

They won't tell you that they had to get him out of out the Phoenix hockey operation super fast because he was driving Mike Barnett and Wayne Gretzky crazy.

Fletcher was allowed to walk away from that hockey disaster without a mark on him because he is so beloved in the game.

But if he comes back, the gloves will be off again.

I hope Fletcher tells these morons to take a hike. He doesn't deserve this, although you can bet the old energy is coursing through the Silver Fox's bloodstream this morning.

Being a GM in the NHL these days is a young man's game. It takes an incredible amount of dedication and energy and drive. Wanna hire a Fletcher? Then hire his very smart son, Chuck, now an executive in Pittsburgh. This team needs a GM to get to work now, not an interim GM to hand off the job in June or July, thus putting the Leafs behind the eight-ball for next season. Again.

Then again, we all need a good laugh now and then. And watching the Leafs go backwards again is just too funny. Remember when they fired Roger Neilson, then brought him back a couple of days later and wanted him to wear a paper bag over his head.

Hey, Maybe Cliff will wear a paper bag!

But if he won't do it, how about Floyd Smith? Or Pat Burns, yes, that'll work. Or Doug Carpenter, or Gerry McNamara, or John Brophy, or Jim Gregory, or Mike Smith, or. . . . .

Comments

[Father Denis Gray]

Blake's performance this year has been much below expectations but then he was diagnosed with cancer.Some of us have no idea of how such a disclosure affects everything one does. Just take a look at Mario Lemieux's record before and after he experienced that bit of news which sounds very much like a death sentence no matter how optimistic the prognosis .
Toskala is proving to have been a good decision maybe a great decision.
Alternating between Raycroft and Toskala has done nothing but sap the confidence of both goalies. Recently we saw the benefits of going with Toskala as #1 until his injury.Win or lose his performance has been much better than good.

To cut to the chase, The Leafs on paper ought to be in a playoff position. Maurice thought that they would be and so did many others, self included.
Why aren't THEY is the question that isn't being asked.
Instead we have gone into extra innings playing the blame game with a focus restricted to Ferguson and Maurice.

Question:What are the specific constraints under which Ferguson must work that affect his choices? In other words is the team assembled the best he could do under the circumstances or not?

The performance of the team has at times been consistent with its talent level but more often it has functioned below the potential that their talent level indicates. Why is that?

Sundin performs well and consistently and Antropov seems to have reached another plateau. What can be said of the others to explain why for the most part ,the other Leafs are doing so badly?
Sundin is a man of strong character and few words but he does keep saying that it's up to the players. Why don't we all take him seriously and focus on that?

If Maurice needs to be replaced then let's be specific as to why.
What is he doing or not doing well?
Is the system he has introduced too difficult?
Are some of these players simply unwilling or are they unteachable?

This response is too long to be printed but I do hope that the questions I've raised will be addressed if only for my own edification.

[Susan Smith]

Exactly right, Damien! The Leafs will NEVER move forward successfully until they break the habit of returning to the past when the going gets tough and the fans realise they are like protagonists in dysfunctional abusive relationships, always returning for more with the constant hope that this time around it will be better! Dream on!

[Les Couchie]

Damien is right on target. Can't start a new show with old actors.

[Eric]

So what do people want the Leafs to do? If hiring an interim GM to make the Sundin trade would be terrible, what are the alternatives? Stick with JFJ? Get rid of JFJ and make the Sundin trade yourself? Hire somebody permanently- on the fly- and regret it when more qualified candidates become available in the summer? If you're the Leafs, you're stuck between a rock and a hard place. I don't think it's a bad idea at all to hire somebody you know (be it Fletcher or anyone else)- a friend, in other words- to carry out the rest of the year, make the biggest trade in the team's history and walk away with no hard feelings so the team can move on. THAT would be the best alternative of the lot.

People who complain but don't propose a solution have opinions that are generally worthless. You could complain about anything if you wanted to, so why waste your time on it.

[Hockey Fan, therefore by Definition Not a Leaf Fan]

OK, Laffs are dead.

I have realized discussing Laff management changes are like discussing a change in captaincy on the Titanic after it hit the iceberg. Who cares? Damage done, and organization is a mess for quite a forseeable future.

Mr. Cox, any chance of you now focusing this column on REAL hockey teams now. Seems there are 5 other Canadian teams, plus a couple U.S. teams within 5 miles of the Ontario border that you could expend your writing energy on.

I would say that each team has more compelling stories going on rather than wondering who the new management team will be for the Laffs. Rest assured that organization will get worse before it gets better.

[Daran]

There are losers and born Losers. Leafs Have fallen into that Category in the last few years. There are enough idiots In Toronto who are willing to mortgage their house to see them. If I were the MLSE why do anything ?

Hey As long as Toronto have enough suckers , nothing will happen.

I use to love them once upon a time , now i enjoy the laugh they provide me.

You are always correct. But who cares about your opinion.

[smokey]

This is a good point..... Fergy has not done as bad as many of the under achievers....the players are paid market value and they are the ons that need to justify their salaries...The team does show signs that it can compete with the better teams only not consistently. At some point, the Leafs need to support the GM and Coach. Its not fair that so many of the media are so quick to judgement and ridicule.

[Andrew Pamensky--Jerusalem, Israel]

The real blame for this whole mess is us -- The fans, we pay to watch the leafs even when they are getting blown out every night. Why did the Raptors get overhauled? Nobody paid to see such a lousy team. True, that leafs have stockholders who buy most of their tickets and ownership with a 22 percent profit margin on team ranked 28th and still falling worrying about losing money. Look at the knicks their fans protest, Yankee fans are at the centre of the baseball world--they wouldn't pay to see them if they stuck. Duo for Montreal candiens!!!!!! If we the fan buoy cotted the rest of the season meaning not showing up to the games, cancelling leafs Tv, not buying leafs products and creating such a media embarishment--Somebody would notice!!!! Believe me, commioner Bettman knows the Leaf's fiance most of his revenue sharing and if that was effected--he may step in!!! The season is lost, if anyone thinks we are going to draft Stamkos or anyother quality prospect you are dreaming. There are three things the leafs are known for: 1. drafting lousy. 2. trading away picks. 3. When they do draft well--(like Tuukah Rask) trade them away also!!! So why not take a stand now for once--Fans--lets finally stick it to the owners--go sentors go!!!!! go Habs go!! Maybe one day we can finally say Go leafs go!!!! Lets make them choose the best canidate.

What do you think Damion?

[FRT]

Hey Damien...I'm surprised that the egg-heads at MLSE haven't mentioned bringing George "The Chief" Armstrong back behind the bench! Maybe they can even coax Davey Keon to manage the team. Hell...it only took 30 plus years before they got him to return to Toronto for a game! What a complete JOKE! Of all of the bone-head decisions this team has made...bringing Cliff "Geriatric" Fletcher back IS NOT THE ANSWER. They don't even write comedy's like this in Hollywood! Who in hell is running this team, Cheech & Chong…??

[bbarky]

Damien,
the problem with the Leafs is upper management....Peddie/Tannenbaum et al......with them in place, only the names will change. Toronto Leafs fans are destined to be given a minor league team for upper NHL prices......only in Toronto can they get away with it!

[Paul F]

Hockey Fan, therefore by Definition Not a Leaf Fan: You do realize that Cox writes/works for the TORONTO Star and not the OTTAWA Sun or the BUFFALO Bulletin. Do you think maybe thats the reason he writes about the TORONTO Maple Leafs? Hmmmm?

[Mr. Coyle]

Can we Fix it ?... Yes we Can !

1. Tell JFJ he's done
2. Hire Scotty as Pres / Temp GM (complete hockey control)
3. Announce that the Leafs are rebuilding and start taking offers on Sundin, Tucker, Blake, MaCabe, Raycroft, Kabina and Gill.
4. Load up on prospects and draft picks for 2009 10 and 11
5. Target young stars for possible signing (Spezza, Richards, Nash, etc...)
6. Let Scotty find a new GM and assess Maurice
7. Use the draft to rebuild
8. Prepare for Cup Parade in 2015-16

Insane = Doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results ! 40 years is enough.

[Bob]

... My dad has been dead for 30 years now. A true blue Leaf fan.
I now know why he insisted he be buried face down. He
couldn't bare to watch.

[J. Stewart, Vancouver BC]

Does MLSE only have 3 cards in their highly inbred Rolodex? This is embarrassing. Almost as embarrassing as the short sighted and condescending quote from Cliff Fletcher, "But the one thing about Toronto, there's nothing three consecutive wins wouldn't cure." It's way too late Mr. Fletcher and it's text book Toronto problem solving, give the loyal blue & white nation a 3 game pacifier and hope it all goes away.
Toronto deserves better, but as long as MLSE keeps making money hand over fist, there is no impetus for real change.

[Jack]

"Mr. Cox, any chance of you now focusing this column on REAL hockey teams now. Seems there are 5 other Canadian teams, plus a couple U.S. teams within 5 miles of the Ontario border that you could expend your writing energy on."

Eric, hello! Damien write for the "Toronto" Star. Those other places have their own newspapers.

I think the Leafs will continue to disappoint and stay the course. They aren't going to fire Peddie when he's made the organization so much money and has grown it to the level it's at. Firing JFJ doesn't remove Peddie the meddler from the equation. A hockey man who is autonomous in all things (obviously reporting on budget concerns, but not sporting decisions, to the board) is what's needed here. Like Colangelo. Like Bowman wanted and wasn't given.

JFJ has been hung out to dry and was Peddie's fall guy from the start. If the fans keep on going to games and buying the merchandise and buying from the Leaf's sponsors, then ML$E is never going to change their MO.

If we stop watching LeafsTV and stop shopping at their sponsors and stop buying their merch and stop buying food/beer at the games... then they'll notice.

The Leafs are a cash cow for ML$E, Esso, Canadian Tire, McDonalds, Molson and so many other companies. The only way to make change is to hit 'em where it hurts Leafs lovers... in the bank account.

[Gerhard]

Returning to the past is a huge problem for the Leafs and their fans. In too many fans minds there is this bizarre belief that somehow their failure to advance beyond the conference finals since Expo 67 is due to an anti-Leafs bias in the NHL. There are so many of these folks phoning sports radio that some hosts have begun to cut the callers off at the first hint of the persecution complex coming through. It truly boggles the mind that so many fans yearn for times and players that were too often only average and fell compelled to look for outside reasons for their failure.

Fletcher is the perfect GM for Leafs fans because he maintains the fiction that a Stanley Cup is simply a matter of trading picks and youth for experience. In his mind the team is always a trade or two away from being a challenger, even if they ended the previous season well out of the playoffs. How many aging vets were brought in at the deadline in return for a piece of the future?

The value some fans place on players is astounding, and one can be guaranteed that if an average player becomes a Leaf he will be promoted as a 2nd liner or even a linemate for Sundin. When Raycroft was picked up from the Bruins there was a poll in a Leafs fan forum and Raycroft was rated the better goalie than Luongo! When I reminded some posters about that they were all unrepentant and said it was about potential! This is not an isolated case, there have been very earnest posts on how Sundin in better than Lecavalier; how McCabe deserved the Norris in 06 and that snub is why he has slipped; and that if the Leafs had Aubin or Joseph in goal this season would be great because the Leafs have one of the best offences in the league.

The last 40 years have not been good for the Leafs and until fans and club stop being nostalgic for this morning's breakfast they will continue to be disappointed.

[Brad Mitchell]

Yes, Damien hits the nail on the head here. Excellent writeup.
However, the real question is... would Fletcher be an improvement over JFJ ?
The answer is an emphatic YES !!!!!

[D Peers]

What's the point of caring really; Damien has summed it up best. Forty-one years. Nothing's going to change. Never has. Never will. If they do win a Stanley Cup sometime in the next 10 years it will be a fluke, hot goaltender or something. It won't be because they have built a strong organization that reached an inevitable goal.

[Jasonian]

Anyone else remember George Armstrong behind the bench? Those were the days...

[TT]

Any body is better than what the Leafs have right now, and remember this is just a stop gap solution, not the permanent one. I guess you still think JFJ makes a good deal regarding Antropov.

[Leo Sanchez]

Please don't insult Cheech and Chong by comparing them with the Leafs management.

[Barb]

Thanks again Damien! I look forward to reading your columns and blog - always brightens my day and I am always guaranteed some good humour with your always reliable dose of reality. You are a breath of fresh air to the Toronto sports scene - keep up the good work!

[JDW]

How about some pyramids? Red Kelly anyone.

[Todd]

The leafs have one good option: fire Pettie, make Bowman president and gm, and do it now. Bowman will then do all the thinking and blow the team up and recreate a winner. But that won't happen. As long as the ownership structure remains in place the Leafs will remain losers, and the worst kind, the kind that doesn't realize or care how pathetic it is.

[chris]

Would it not suprise anyone to see the Leafs replace JFJ with Tie Domi?