Credit the Maple Leafs for not taking the easy way out the door that Richard Peddie has opened for them by throwing his general manager under the bus.
For putting together such a masterful hockey team, Peddie should be giving John Ferguson Jr. foot rubs.
Not yet, anyway.
The players were given the opportunity to shrug their shoulders and blame strictly the GM for what ails this team, since upper management seems to have done so officially with its shabby public treatment of John Ferguson Jr.
"Not our fault," the players can say if they choose to look the other way while shaving.
No they can't! This ain't basketball. No one on this team is Kobe Bryant. The players can't blame the GM because Fergie's screw up was putting all these guys on a team and expecting them to win hockey games."Fire the GM," said Pavel Kubina yesterday after a predictable shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens. "Any idiot who signs me to score points for their hockey team is obviously unqualified for their job."
They earned the benefit of the doubt last night against the Montreal Canadiens. They lost 4-3 in one of those damnable (especially for them) shootouts. It was the energizing cap to a drab kind of game, but one that got to extra time only because Montreal has a power play that works and Toronto, these days, doesn't.
The effort was there for the Leafs, but Carey Price, a confident-looking youngster, was there in the Montreal nets, which was the difference.
You're basically saying that any goalie in or near the league can stop our offense.
Still, it's now eight wins in 25 games, a performance that won't cool off either customers or chroniclers. None of this unpleasantness will go away until the players and coach Paul Maurice get the job done at ice level, starting tomorrow in Atlanta and beyond.
The Leafs, as usual, said the management whirlwind didn't blow into the dressing room.
"As players, we're the people who control what's going on, on the ice," said Mats Sundin, who fanned the flames of hope with a game-tying goal, his 400th as a Leaf, with 18 seconds remaining in regulation time. "We can't blame anyone, coaches or management, for how we're doing. We have to take our responsibilities as players and we have to get better."
Unfortunately y'all are old and/or lack talent. You could play better, yes, but you probably won't.
The Leafs GM, as everyone knows, is getting stick from both above and below and that isn't right. His superiors seem to lack the spine and/or the decency to either fire him and move forward, or shut up, stand back and let the man go about his job. Their job is to do one or the other, not to dump on Ferguson with this talk about mistakes and mentors.
I agree. Fire him or shut up.
Below Ferguson, the players – a lot of whom Ferguson made very wealthy – are not playing worth a damn from night to night. When do they step it up and start earning their money?
When does Jason Blake, to single out one of many underachievers, score again? He had 40 last season, but is stuck on two here and was the final Leaf stopped by Price in the shootout. He could have had two or three last night alone and went hard to the net to help set up Sundin's tying goal. So at least he's giving himself chances. But the clock is ticking, on their ever-shortening playoff chances, on everyone.
They never earn their money because John Ferguson, with the blessing of whoever contributes to the Maple Leafs way of doing business, gave them too much goddamn money.
No sports franchise escapes having dirty laundry aired now and then, but where's the damage control? The Leafs undercut their GM in the summer by actively interviewing "mentor" help they felt he needed. Bad idea, as is the apparent split on the board of directors, with Larry Tanenbaum's side constantly leaking details of his displeasure. How did all these guys get rich running their shops like this?
Couldn't agree more. MLSE lacks business sense or maybe just foresight. They are ultimately responsible for the downfall of this team. Tanenbaum should fire Peddie. Or Peddie should fire Tanenbaum. Or some retired teachers should fire everyone.
Tanenbaum, remember, wants to participate in bringing an NFL team here. Won't the NFL look beyond revenues and brand-marketing expertise, see one of the NHL's flagship franchises steered on to the rocks on his watch and wonder if this is the kind of owner they really want in the lodge?
It may. But look at the Raptors. A GM with vision was brought in and changes were made that allowed the Raptors to win the Atlantic Division. You can't turn around a hockey team as quickly for a lot of reasons, but you can get the fucking ball rolling and MLSE has done that for one if its pro teams. If we're tossing around blame, let's blame the blind-as-fuck Leafs fans who shell out limitless cash on this team whether they win or lose.
Things were a whole lot easier for this team when the big topic was what Sean Avery said to Darcy Tucker.
Things will be a whole lot easer for this team when the big topic is their legitimate shot at the Stanley Cup.
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