This Sorry Season

Sorry, I don't understand what they're saying sorry for.

Which also means I don't believe MLSE is sorry about anything, and its hard to be believe anyone would take this corporate press release as something either meaningful or necessary. That it was delivered not in person but rather by type underscores the reality that it means little. Actually, less than little.

Still, sorry for what? Not winning enough NHL games this season? Well, presumably another 28 teams will soon be issuing similar apologies, for only one will actually have won enough games when its all over.

Are the Leafs saying they didn't try, or that there was some kind of mole buried deep in the organization who sabotaged their best intentions? Were there laws broken, innocents abused or victimized?

To me, an apology like that offered today in full newspaper expression was something that was necessary after the sex scandal was totally unveiled at Maple Leaf Gardens. It would be necessary if someone deliberately misled customers into purchasing tickets or diverted funds from a charitable effort to their own pockets, or if, like the Boston Red Sox, it was discovered a cabal of veterans was gorging itself on junk food and cheap booze between periods of important games.

Just don't see what the Leafs have to be sorry about.

These are the facts, folks. A large group of well-meaning, well-paid, well-intentioned hockey people spared no expense in organizing and training a team for the 2011-12 season, a very young team that most industry observers believed was destined to miss the Stanley Cup playoffs because it lacked both sufficient talent at key positions and experience and because teams at this stage of development generally don't make the playoffs.

Most analysts acknowledged that the nature of the NHL salary cap system has squeezed the free agent market, so the team assembled by Brian Burke and Co. really relied (hoped?) more on the improvement of individual young players than others acquired over the months of July and August.

From October to mid-February, this team was good enough to secure one of the eight playoff positions in the Eastern Conference. From mid-February to early April, it slumped horribly, lost key players to injury, made a coaching change in an attempt to reverse the flow but ultimately was one of the worst teams in the league over the final crucial weeks.

Were there, and have there been, miscalculations and investments made in individual players that proved faulty? Absolutely. That's pretty bloody obvious, wouldn't you say?

But unless Larry Tanenbaum is saying those decisions were deliberately made in order to make it impossible for the team to prosper, its very difficult to understand what this apology is for. Unless he's saying the front office knew Ron Wilson would steer the team into a ditch and retained him as head coach anyway, or reveals an internal memo warning that James Reimer would be unable to stay healthy the entire season, what does sorry mean? Truth is, he's saying he and MLSE believe in the plan, which means they actually don't believe at all there was any flaw in their thinking.

Is it for not winning the Stanley Cup since 1967? Well, Tanenbaum and those that own the team can hardly take responsibility for all of that. For missing the post-season since 2004? Sure, except they've overhauled the team and management in the intervening years, ostensibly to try and produce a more successful squad, and they did so while being told it would take years to get back on a winning track.

See, MLSE is mixing up the need for an explanation with an apology. They don't need to say sorry. They need to honestly articulate that what went wrong.

And they're never, ever going to do that. Apologizing is much, much easier.

There's no chance there will be a detailed explanation as to why Wilson failed as head coach, or a step-by-step presentation by goalie guru Francois Allaire on why Reimer and Jonas Gustavsson couldn't stop enough pucks.

That stuff is top secret, folks.

There's no chance Burke or Randy Carlyle are going to give a truthful assessment of the leadership abilities of Dion Phaneuf, or tell you why Phil Kessel can be such an effective attacker but so mediocre or weak in other elements of the game, or tell you which players didn't get along or which weren't in good enough physical condition to compete.

Understand, sorry is just way to avoid having to explain. That's what your 13-year-old is hoping for when he breaks a basement window and quickly apologizes, and why he gets such a pained look on his face when you say, "Well, what were you thinking?"

If I were a Leaf fan, I'd be offended by this corporate missive disguised as sincerity. The only thing Tanenbaum should be sorry about is paying a PR flack or consultant to come up with this pointless corporate strategy. Don't tell me you're sorry. Offer me a refund. Or tell me how it went wrong in meaningful detail and what organizational and personnel changes you're going to make to deal with the problem. 

"We failed, and I apologize for years of consistently putting the needs of our shareholders ahead of our hockey fans. Today, because of that, I want to announce the following organizational decisions effective immediately and a reduction in ticket prices of 25 per cent across the board for next season. . . . . "

But the fans didn't hear that from Tanenbaum, did they?

The rest is just wasting time. And trees.

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

[Keen]

I don't think it's age or injuries which derailed this team, it simply isn't good enough. Not all young players become good players - sometimes they age and stay mediocre. The Lupol injury occurred after the team was done, it didn't affect the loss of a playoff spot. Compared to the other teams in the NHL, Toronto had a fairly healthy season. Montreal was more compromised by injury than Toronto. I can't take any hope in these players improving to the point of this team being a Cup contender - others may settle for a playoff berth, but I'm only interested in deep runs in the playoffs.

[ajp1946]

It makes good press to say they are sorry as a prelude to hiking ticket prices for next season. The fans should be the ones who are sorry forking out $500 for a pair of seats to watch a bunch of over-paid millionaires pretend to be competitive.
Saying you are sorry only counts if you are committed to doing something about the problem and get it fixed. Does anyone really believe things will be different next year? I give the Leafs less than a 50% chance of making next year's playoffs. This team lacks toughness, a tradition of winning, discipline and leadership. Anyone who thinks a bit of player shuffling and one or two free agent acquisitions in the summer are going to change that is dreaming.

[Peetz]

Offer a refund! They are not THAT SORRY!

[koho]

An explanation of what went wrong would require a pointed finger or two. We all know that in this, the age of everybody wins and empowered children there is absolutely no blame laying and sadly no responsibilty. If someone actually did give an explanation, the media led LeafLanders would lose their collective minds over "throwing somebody under the bus" which became a well practised mantra and anti-Wilson rallying cry the last few years. So it's best to just say "so sorry Charlie" and realize that maybe the tuna never tasted that good in the first place. The Leafs needs are the same now as when they entered the season, nothing changed in that regard.

[Upset Fan]

Wow. It's like you took the words out of my mouth this morning. Very well said!!

[Rahmat]

I am100% agree with your comments.
The MLSE knows that the Leafs fan will buy the tickets even if they put school hockey players on the ice.
They care about thier money, not for the Leafs fan.
After 22 years I lost my hopes, and I am saying tearful good by to Toronto Maple Leafs.

I am no more fan of Toronto Maple Leaf.

[Faraz from Toronto]

exacto facto! why Phaneuf has failed to be the much publicized truculence filled belligerent vocal leader he was billed to be before he got the C (filling into Sundin's boots? yeah right)....why has Kadri been brought up and demoted without fail every flippin' time...it can't be just give-aways or else we would have seen Grabo, Schenn and Gardiner playing more often in the Marlies or would have seen Phaneuf benched every time he was responsible for letting a diminutive player from Montreal score (and injure his goalie)...why did Wilson's fate take such a horrible u-turn (comfortably in the playoffs in January - out in February) why the so-called high and mighty GM (who is the uncontested face of the Leafs - which is a shame) persists with Francois Allaire when he helps Reimer and Gustavsson become orthodox goalies (great idea only it will take a decade to unlearn what they are good at and then learn another style altogether) why Nash did not come to Toronto, why Turco (availble off of waivers) was not picked up to bring some experience into the room....all of these will never get answered and a bogus media stunt will ensue in 5 mins to scam the Leafs nation ....it will be a marketing effort to campaign with false promises, fake portrayal of remorse ending it with zealous promises for next season...it is just a show - I am sure the other teams are laughing at us now if not already.

[Chilko]

I saw a tv interview yesterday where SS(that guy from the other newspaper)said "The leafs would never apologize for this season and they should." or words to that affect.
Damien, says they don't need to apologize to fans.
Once again the leafs in this town, dammed if they do dammed if they don't.
The criticism comes from all angles and from the press, all negative, it's not new.

[commonsense81]

Damien - this is your best blog post ever. Simply stating the facts and putting it bluntly as to what happened. The October to February run raised expectations, the slump killed all aspirations. If the Leafs had played .500 all season and been in 10th/11th spot, would there be this much outrage? No, everyone would say that the team was playing to their standards, Kessel was having a breakout season and Lupul/Gardiner were showing Burke his saviness in trading.

[RealRobFord]

I can't believe I am saying this, but Cox is correct. I want an explanation, not an apology!!!

This is making me more angry than anything. They say accountability is a pillar of the organization. Oh ya? So who's been accountable so far? Just Wilson. And that was only because the fans spoke out. WHAT A JOKE!

[StephenB]

It's a PR move designed to acknowledge the deep disappointment among fans over the team's collapse in the last couple of months. The "apology" is kind of bogus but doesn't really deserved to be attacked quite so strongly.

[Jay]

They are not sorry to send my invoice for next years tickets ALREADY. The team lacks skill. They say they are sorry, otherwise they have to admit their "plan" failed

[John abbott]

Couldn't agree with you more Damien! When do you think they will announce the ticket price increase for next season to show how sorry they really are.....

[Braco]

You are an IDIOT Burke.Give people refund for the previus season and return your salary and IDIOTS that you hired for every year TEAM didn't make play-off!
Did I mention that Burke is an IDIOT paid 3mill a year.In every soccer country in the world this kind of manager should be forced out with his goons and shoot dead on the spot!
Don't worry he got reward, HHOF elected Burke IDIOT instead of Holland, best manager in hockey,to the election committiee.What a bunch of IDIOTS they are!

[Kentski]

Instead of an apology, how about a discount on playoff tickets...oh, wait, that won't work, will it?

[PARATROOPER]

Have to agree, don't say sorry just do your job.

[Bruce Miller]

Agree with you Cox they didn't need to try to make it such an event by saying sorry. They are obviously not sorry for making all the money they did. They shouldn't have trivalized they way they did, but I see you got yours in with the "saving trees" comment. Not required, no-brainer comment that puts hard working Canadians out of jobs so you can say your a greenie or a pseudo greenie, what ever.

[Gary A]

apparently whatever the Leafs say the media will never ever be satisfied..i am with Burke i don't wanna just make the playoffs and get run out in the 1st round..i wanna win a few rounds...with Carlyle here now i see this team being a lot better defensively and much tougher team to play against..lets face it this team was way to small upfront.

i still have faith in Burke but my faith will quickly fade if they don't make a few major moves this off season

[Roogsy]

So apologies are only offered when the damage is intentional but if it's unintentional apologies are not in order? What's wrong with you Cox?

[Andrew]

You know, as strange as this sounds, I wasn't that upset about the Leafs not making the playoffs this year. It was pretty obvious before the season that, due to a young and untested core, it was going to be a struggle. However in the final tally, they were better than the season before, on the whole they played entertaining hockey - there was progress. But the firing of Wilson, the apology...all that annoys me more than the collapse. Because it's indicative to me of an organization that is panicking, that is desperate to cover their asses, that seems more concerned about being reactive than picking a direction and sticking to it. Which is what the Leafs seem to have always done, even in the relatively successful years, and that's why they never seem to really make any headway. If MLSE's corporate ethos is more about short term PR moves than long term building, then things never will change while they are in charge, and the Leafs will never be a real contender.

[shane harvey]

I didnt feel to bad about my team losing a playoff spot again this year. But this letter has an embarressment factor in it. I was a loyal leaf fan for 46 years, now I just dont know if I can display my leaf banners anymore. What is wrong with the ownership, its hockey, our canadian pastime. Why did we have to be embarrassed more than we already were.

[Paul P]

Until the Leaf ownership shows in some tangible way that they are sorry and are prepared to put their money where their mouth is ....this pathetic attempt to appease the many abused fans is worth nothing.

I have spent many thousands of dollars on tickets over the years only to watch a mismanaged sports team become the laughing stock of the league. To hear new coach Carlyle comment that the players don't work hard in practice and require more conditioning makes me wonder how Tannabaum and his cronies have hoodwinked us all!

Its time that the fans forced management to get serious.....boycott some games and management will get serious!

[Mike]

Well said Mr. Cox.

If MLSE wanted to truly apologize for something they did this year, why not start with apologizing to the paying customer for jacking the prices of food and drink into the stratosphere while we watched the Leafs implode.

A small Tim Horton's coffee costs $1.59 ish at the ACC. $1.40 everywhere else in Canada, but not at the Bay Street Bank. A minor thing sure, but very telling when it comes to why this organization exists. To paraphrase Winston Churchill:

"Never before in the field of sporting endeavour, have so many paid so much for so long and received so little in return."

[bri]

"Sure, except they've overhauled the team and management in the intervening years, ostensibly to try and produce a more successful squad."

This is a silly statement. Tannebaum the idiot inherited a terrific team lead by a first rate GM, Pat Quinn. In the stupidest move in leaf history was to fire Quinn and hire JFJ. Now only the dumbest of the dumb, believe in replacing a successful manager with a Greenhorn. This is just a fact.

[Steve C.]

Since you aren't a Leaf fan ("if I were a Leaf fan...". whatever.), perhaps you are in no position to be telling us how we think we should be treated. I can't help thinking that if the Habs were to have come out first with an apology to their fans it would be trumpeted to the skies how FIRST CLASS they are as an organization blah blah blah........and therefore how disrespectful the Leafs are because they didn't. An apology is mostly meaningless - we all understand that, but given that we won't be learning any of the 'top secrets' or getting any ticket pricing decrease, it is not quite the least they could do.