Making a Small Thing Big
Ron Wilson's inability to comprehend he's no longer coaching in San Jose - or Washington, or Anaheim for that matter - continues to confound.
Specifically, after three full seasons with the Leafs, Wilson is still unable to get his head around the fact that Toronto is a huge hockey media market compared to the others in which he once coached, and a market in which small stories can blow up into big ones if not managed effectively. Whether Wilson wants to acknowledge it or not, being able to capably steer the team through media-infested waters is a big part of being the head coach in Toronto.
A perfect example came Wednesday when it was announced by both Wilson and defenceman Cody Franson that Franson would make his Leaf debut on Saturday against Calgary. By doing it that way, what was a one-day story will now turn into a four-day story as the Leaf Nation chews on the issue of putting Franson in the lineup after he was acquired from Nashville during the summer.
The Leafs are still 2-0, and most coaches wouldn't change a winning lineup. Moreover, as big or bigger than Franson's insertion into the Leaf lineup will be the identity of the player that comes out - Wilson didn't say - and that will now become the big debating point until Saturday's game, and probably after.
(ED. NOTE: After a day of reading people ranting and raving about things that weren't even written in this blog, let's set a few things straight. First, I'm a columnist; my job is to write opinion. You can agree or disagree, whatever turns your crank. Second, if you don't understand that in 2011 a big part of any Leaf head coach's job is to deal with the media, you're so out of it I can't help you. Third, the media is the instrument through which fans glean some, if not the majority, of their information. The more they hide, the less you know, and that's true whether you're talking about the Leafs or City Hall. The entire point of this piece was to describe how Wilson turned a small story into a big one. It's what is being talked about everywhere. It didn't have to happen that way. Again, if you can't understand that rather basic point, I really can't help you.)
Expect many to demand that Mike Komisarek be the Leaf taken out. Komisarek is this year's designated whipping boy - he was last year as well - not for his play, really, but for the fact his play doesn't match his salary. It could be Komisarek, and that's probably the sensible move, given that Franson is a right-handed shooting defenceman accustomed to playing the right side, but sending Komisarek to the press box for the first time in his Leaf career would be a huge blow to the veteran's pride.
Now, Komisarek gets to face three days of questioning about it, to which he'll probably have to throw his arms in the air and say, "I have no idea. Ask the coach."
It could also be rookie Jake Gardiner, who had the least to do with Saturday's near-collapse against Ottawa as any Leaf blueliner. Moreover, he plays the left side, which is a bad fit for Franson, or Komisarek, for that matter. If you're going to remove Gardiner, you'd be better off putting Keith Aulie, currently with the Marlies, into the lineup.
Heck, based on Saturday, you could give Luke Schenn the night off. Schenn, for a player now endowed with a big contract and one supposed to be a shut-down, stay-at-home type, was running around as much as anyone against the Senators, including inadvisedly leaving his feet several times in wild attempts to block shots rather than being a steadying influence.
But Schenn's not coming out. He's a golden boy. Wilson might say, as he did on Wednesday, that he's trying to "eliminate that sense of entitlement outside of the room,” but he's the coach who insisted on having Schenn in the NHL as an 18-year-old and preferring to hold him to a different standard than other older defencemen.
No idea, by the way, what the added bit "outside of the room" might mean. Is Wilson saying it's the media who believes there's a sense of entitlement among Leaf players? Or is it his players who feel entitled to play even when they don't deserve to?
So, given the headlines about the "disgruntled" Franson that were on the web by late Wednesday afternoon, this is now the biggest story in Leaf-land, with several more days of speculation and analysis still to come. It may be silly, but the identity of the fifth or sixth defenceman in Toronto is a bigger hockey story across the country that who's on the first line in Dallas, or Nashville or Long Island. That's just the way it is, like who's batting ninth for the Yankees and the identity of the fifth starter.
Again, in the case of Franson, this is a coach allowing a story, one that wouldn't receive nearly the play in many markets around the NHL, to become needlessly significant. Carolina was able to send first round pick Ryan Murphy back to junior on Wednesday without it becoming a big deal. That would have been impossible in Toronto, where everything's a big deal. But Wilson doesn't seem to get that.
All he had to do to effectively work this story was tell Franson on Friday night that he was playing, which would have probably become evident on Saturday in the morning skate, and then it would have had barely a day to percolate. Given the nature of the weekend sports news cycle, Sunday wouldn't have included much coverage of the story and by Monday it would have been superseded by some other story.
Wilson loves to complain about the Toronto media, about the tendency to build mountains out of molehills, about how he can't say anything nice about a player without the media "building a statue" to that player.
To some degree, he's right. But his inability to effectively navigate the Toronto media market was one of the big questions about him when he arrived here, and the Franson story shows he still lacks the skill to both use the media to create creative and useful competition within his team and to manage stories in such a way as to make them less of a distraction and pain-in-the-butt for his team.
It's amazing how a 2-0 start makes people forget what a terrible coach Wilson is...this guy continues to bungle his way around this team because he knows that the only guy he has to answer to is his ol' buddy Burkie. Pretty much the worst thing that can happen to this team is to re-sign Wilson, but with a good start it probably happens and we get this clown for another 3-4 years! Franson didn't even find out he was a healthy scratch in those 2 games from Mr. Wilson...he found out when he saw it online!! Why shouldn't the coach at least have the guts to explain to a kid why he isn't in the lineup and what he should be working on to get there? But instead, Komisarek continues to get a free pass (the man can't skate with about 85% of players at this level...he's slow, injury prone, take dumb penalties and has basically done nothing in his time in Toronto to prove that he deserve to be here). Gardiner should be playing # 1 dman minutes on the Marlies (especially if Aulie is there - those 2 guys are going to be horses for years to come). And Gunnarsson is okay, but hasn't exactly shot the lights out in general and continues to be a bit soft in his own end.
Franson has a bomb of a shot from the point (and keeps it low and can hit the net once in a while - unlike our good friend Mr Celine Dion Phaneuf who hits the net about 1 of every 10 shots) - for that reason alone, Franson should be in the lineup...the Leaf Powerplay has been awful since McCabe and Kaberle stopped playing together...but Komisarek gets the benefit of the doubt because of his "leadership"? Leading what...the parade to the penalty box? Press Box? Infirmary? Most of you people have probably never even watched Franson play - the kid will be a stud in this league and playing him on his wrong side isn't helping...he's a righty who plays the right side for his entire career...but Wilson puts him on the left side because of Komisarek?? Come on now...talk about setting up the new guy for failure...that's the definition of bad coaching...good coaches put people in position to succeed, not fail in the hopes that Mike Komisarek will emerge. Give your heads a shake.
Posted by: snacker | October 13, 2011 at 01:01 PM
Whatever Wilson does, never sits well with Damien (great writer though).
Wilson indicated Franson will start - not goooood!
Wilson did not indicate Franson will start - not goooood!
What exctly would you like Wilson to do, Damien? Stand on his ears?
Posted by: Nik | October 13, 2011 at 01:03 PM
I get what you're saying, even if it looks like most don't want to face the reality that the media are a powerful force that can spin out of control if it is not manipulated to your advantage. The players will read and listen, regardless what they may say. It is therefore essential to manipulate the media, who have nothing against being manipulated because it makes their job easier to be handed stories, to create the message you want to be out there. But there needs to be something floating this week. That Trenton crap is drivel and nobody pays attention. The third period against the Senators is the logical obsession for the week. Unless a different story is planted...
Posted by: Krakondack | October 13, 2011 at 01:25 PM
Personally, like to see Wilson and Cox on the ice in the corner and see who comes out with the puck. Go Wilson Go
Posted by: Dan | October 13, 2011 at 01:29 PM
What kind of idiot asks the same question 3 days in a row to a player about a possible coaching decision. Oh the reporters that cover the leafs that come up with the most ridiculous questions and stories.
Posted by: Chris | October 13, 2011 at 01:52 PM
Leave the man alone. I think that this story just shows that if you cannot find a story then make one. Mr. Wilson is one of the most successful coaches this league has seen. He has taken a broken team and has turned it around. It has taken so long to fix it because it was that broken. Toront is a huge market town. I guess that gives "the talking heads" the right to take shots whenever they want to. Let the man do his job and you will see results sure enough.
Posted by: davidldls | October 13, 2011 at 02:02 PM
I think its one of Wilsons (and Burkes) strong points. They may be a crusty about it , but since they have been here, Burkie and him have kept most of the media focus and pressure on them and away from the players.
Posted by: Jeff | October 13, 2011 at 02:53 PM
Really, who cares what the coach says to the media? His focus should be on his strategies and play arrangements against apponents, ultamising his player skills to overlap their difficiences, and teaching the boys how to play solid hockey in this day and age. So whay if he's media freindly if he can make a point with his product? If the Leafs suck because they're unprepared the I'll string him up myself. I'll let the product do the talking to me.
Posted by: Mike Hassanally | October 13, 2011 at 02:54 PM
Gotta agree with Damien on this one. Wilson not only handles the media clumsily but with disdain. Let's face it, it's all about the media. The media is where we watch hockey. We hunger for every scrap of info on the team. The media is what makes the Leafs such a big story - what makes Ron Wilson's ludicrously large contract even doable.
Posted by: Moe Green | October 13, 2011 at 03:11 PM
Mr Cox, I have great respect for you but this is not a newsworthy item in the least and with this latest piece, you are trumpeting the same pseudo-journalistic nonsense that runs rampant in this city. Ron Wilson handles the bloated and over-populated Toronto sports media perfectly in my view and I wish all coaches and managers in all sports treated the media like Wilson and Burke do. It amazes me how many people seem oblivious to the fact that sports journalism coverage of a team actually has a very limited scope, conceptually speaking. The team won, the team lost, this guy is injured, that guy got traded, here is the starting lineup, here are the current standings, here is the team schedule...THE END.
There is only so much information to report on and publish and unfortunately, perhaps in an effort to cater to a writing quota, we get all kinds of useless "stories" that are not really newsworthy stories at all. As an example, the relentless media insanity that was covering Mats Sundin's decision on whether or not he was going to come back for one more season was completely asinine and should never be affirmed as a necessary (or even respectable) act of journalism, regardless of which team, sport, city or country it may be in.
Posted by: Tony K. | October 13, 2011 at 03:27 PM
The media in Toronto enjoy causing a frenzy because there is a market for it.....This need to fill 24 hours of news has come to roost...Because in a off week what can the reporters write about???? Nothing, so they begin to make up stories and exaggerate others.
Honestly, who cares what Franson has to say...He didn't have a good camp, and was beat out by players who the coach felt played better. I think this should have started a long time ago....Can you imagine if Quinn had implemented this type of coaching how much better those teams would have been??
Only in Toronto and its media is accountability a bad thing. Franson, suck it up, play hard and you will keep your spot. If not you will be right back sitting on the sidelines. I like Franson, but this whining two games into the season is a knock against him.
Posted by: Nik Cooloman | October 13, 2011 at 03:56 PM
Could'nt disagree more, Bubba. In fact, here are the 5 things Toronto "Fans" need to understand; things the media would tell you if most of them weren't scared of disagreeing with popular opinion (an opinion that is seldom, if ever, nuanced enough to be correct):
1. Ron Wilson is a great coach.
2. Mike Komiserik has turned it around. Going back 20 from the end of last year, he has been his solid dependable self.
3. Luke Schenn is 21. He is playing Shutdown Defensemen, the hardest position for a young player to learn, and also the least glamorous b/c you never notice them -hits aside- unless they screw up. He will have horendous games, but he is a star on the rise. To even float the idea of benching him is just dumb.
4. The number one line is whatever line Phil Kessel is on. To call the Grabovski line the number one line is a joke, It also fails to account for the fact that a high percentage of points garnered by that line was because Phil faces the Charas, Keiths , Lidstoms and Prongers on a shift to shift basis.
5. Nazem Kadri is the Leafs number one prospect, and a future elite player.
Bonus Fact: Phil Kessel, playing with no centre, no line mates of his quality, playing in a city that dumps on him and constantly questions his aquisition, playing in the pressure packed city of Toronto, againt the oppositions top shut down lines and being the only player teams need to focus on, coming back off testicular cancer and a career threatening shoulder injury, he still scored 60+ goals in the last two years. People say he isnt consistant - I say 3 straight thirty goal years belies your argument. People say he hes lazy; I ask, how much defence are other thirty goal wingers playing? He comes back harder and faster than anyone gives him credit for. He digs. Hes a leader on the team and a charismatic guy that people just like. There are few better players in the league or world. Toronto fans have been given a gift, and all they do is complain about it. Phil Kessel will score fifty goals and bring a cup to Toronto. MARK MY WORDS.
And if Phil ever feels bad, he should just ask around about how you gentlemen treated Mats Sundin.
Posted by: Ostrich Lover | October 13, 2011 at 04:06 PM
So what, you think by now Komisarek is going to still care about or be affected by what is being written about him by the Toronto hockey reporters this season? They have flayed him from day one and have written nothing but negative stories about how he's not worth his salary, how he's underachieved, how he should be placed on waivers, blah, blah, blah. I don't think the reporters in this town can find anything novel to add to the already existing body of negative press he's gotten since his arrival and I'm sure the poor sap is by now inured to speculation that he'll be the odd man out this Saturday. On the other hand for Franson, he gets a chance to get some attention. So what's the big deal with Wilson blabbing about the impending lineup change? Once again, a Toronto reporter takes a miniscule bit of info and pumps it up into a "breaking news" headline. No wonder Wilson can't stand you guys!
Posted by: Peter Panzerotti | October 13, 2011 at 04:26 PM
Sorry Damian, you can't have it both ways. On one hand you blast Wilson for giving lineup information days before the game. On the other, if he didn't say if/when Franson plays next, you'd blast him for that. Then, YOU create some rather useless storyline about it all. Why not write about the fact that among all defensemen, there's barely one with more than 3 full years at TML, and on average (I'm guessing), it's less than a full season. Why not write about the great potential depth of the blue line. Why not write about how important it is early in the season to keep the hunger alive and not sideline a worthy player for no good reason for too long. Why not focus on these matters, instead of how poorly you feel you've been treated. I sure think Wilson's focus is on managing his lineup and certainly not what you may think. Case in point, you've got 8 guys absolutely frantic to play and play hard defense...when's the last time you saw that in TO?
Posted by: Greg Weames | October 13, 2011 at 06:22 PM
Ostrich, you really need to stop taking those hallucinogenics. Wilson can't teach a power play or penalty kill. Your dead in today's NHL without both. Komiserik isn't as bad as last year but he's still number 7 on the depth chart. Schenn is standing in front of his net after way too many goals. Kessel shows up to be the number one goal scorers (nothing more) every 5th game or so. Grabovski plays strong, tough hockey every game. Kadri will be a good AHL player. By the way, we've marked your words (Pat Quinn's son) for a while and we're still waiting for you to get something right!
Posted by: spec3 | October 13, 2011 at 06:53 PM
Wilson is the professional coach. Your radio partner is bloating your head about the importance of the media in Toronto. Facts are that every year the media pick a person to get rid of. This year it is Wilson I suspect so you will spend the rest of the year trying to do that. No team plays the players for 80 games for many reasons. I am glad they have some depth and hope they are successful. Mr. Cox, your advice to the sports teams over the last so many years has not produced any winners. It is not Wilson's fault. I guess the media should be happy we fans have no way to get rid of media. Don Cherry is the hockey guy you should be going after this year.
Posted by: david cohen | October 13, 2011 at 07:50 PM
Last Year: Leafs 4-0 to start the season. Then Wilson inserts Lebda in place of Gunnarson. The season fell apart right then and there. There are many many reasons why you do NOT 'mess' with a winning streak. It is not a cliche.
Damien, I disagree with most of your perspectives on hockey matters but when it comes to Wilson I think you are right on target. (and I'm actually quite shocked at all the people here who seem to defend him). An intrusive, oppressive media comes part and parcel with being the center of a given sport's universe...it is in many ways WHY it becomes the center; It's so strange that this market has seem to forgotten that. Keep the pressure on him Damien, I love it.
Posted by: Steve C. | October 13, 2011 at 11:55 PM
Damien, I agree with you completely on this one. I've never felt comfortable with Wilson as the Leafs' coach, though not just for his mishandling of the media. The other reasons for my dis-ease are grist for another mill.
Posted by: LeafManInRoch | October 14, 2011 at 07:07 AM
Gardiner's the one who should come out and in fact be playing for the Marlies. He's not being used to kill penalties. And we saw at one point last Saturday when the Leafs were killing a penalty with two of their defencemen in the box themselves. Schenn had to play the entire penalty kill, didn't he? Wilson is tying his own hands by keeping Gardiner in the lineup now. Let him learn more of the game.
Posted by: Jeff W. | October 14, 2011 at 07:24 AM
Obviously you have a burr under your saddle for Wilson but let that burr be relevant to the on-ice game. Who cares if Wilson makes a gaffe or sits out a possilbe talent such as Franson. As for Franson...he would be better to kick a can than verbalize his emotions to a willing press. You can bet that his team mates weren't impressed with his woe is me expletives to the press.
Posted by: Terry White | October 14, 2011 at 09:24 AM
And now we get the "Why wasn't Franson playing story" from Mr. Feschuck. I've got nothing against the stories one way or the other--but I still don't see why Wilson should be called out for poor media management.He made a decision and the media spins it (your column is "the Spin" after all). So what? In Leaf land everything is a BIG story. I just don't really get your argument that Wilson made it bigger when the media was intending to make it a big issue either way.
Posted by: David | October 14, 2011 at 01:06 PM
Give Wilson a break i say and not rant on him.The players are pro players they know all to well what is exspected of them.Here is how i break the season down and that is into 10 game lots.Last year they were as follows 5/10,3/10,4/10 and 3/10 which acounted for a measly 27 points the thre extra were overtime losses
They have to improve way much better then that to have a chance at making the playoffs.So unless they can come up with 48 points by years end they can kiss this season goodbye.Remember the three months that end with the letter R.October,November and December these are the most critical of months that they have to perform better then the last four seasons.
30 points 10/11 no play offs
37 points 09/10 no play offs
30 points 08/09 no play offs
32 points 07/08 no play offs
Posted by: don walton | October 18, 2011 at 03:32 PM