Why the Toronto Maple Leafs Will Continue to Suck

I have been a Toronto Maple Leafs "fan" (and these days, I use that term loosely) for about 20 years now. My Dad, actually, turned me onto the Leafs in 1986 when they were a competitive team with some great characters and role players. The ownership wasn't that great under Harold Ballard, but the team was definitely contending. With exciting players like Ed Olczyk, Wendel Clark, Al Iafrate, and Borje Salming (in the twilight of his career), they were great to watch. They had a young goaltender in Allan Bester and some experience in Ken Wregett. And there was also the likes of Mark Osborne, Steve Thomas, and so forth.

The Leafs were flip-flopping in the standings (I am being kind here) for many years after 1986, until they actually made it deep into the payoffs in 1993 before losing to Los Angeles in the semi-finals (I believe). Doug Gilmour was an exceptional addition, and whether you like him or hate him, who can argue that Felix Potvin was one of the most exciting Leaf goalies in recent memory, alongside Grant Fuhr and Cutris Joseph (all of whom are much better than that current *cough* Raycroft guy).

When I was in school and early in my work career / married life, I stopped watching the Leafs because I just didn't have time. However, over the past year or two, I started following the Leafs again, more in terms of their player movement (or lack thereof) and while I believe they are nowhere near a contending team, I don't think that all is lost. However, there are several things/people which will continue to serve as an impediment for a successful Leafs team to flourish.

First of all, the board of Maple Leafs Sports Entertainment (MLSE), who owns the Leafs, needs to turf out President Richard Peddie. He is useless, and does not possess the hockey knowledge to make the tough choices in order to surround himself with good management people. He meddles in his GMs affairs and is tremendously indecisive (BTW, MLSE also owns the Toronto Raptors basketball club, and until they brought on Brian Colangelo - a high calibre basketball GM, I thought all was lost in Raptorland as well).

But we're not talking basketball here. Let's look at Peddie's latest move here - bringing on a high-quality hockey GM man, John Muckler as a "mentor" for the Leafs' current GM, John "I'm Way Over My Head Here" Ferguson, Jr. Why Muckler didn't simply replace Ferguson is anyone's bet - Ferguson has been here for how long - four years or so? He has not been able to put together anything resembling a good hockey team. The drafting has been horrid, the trades have left a lot of fans scratching their heads, and well, the fact that the Leafs continue to keep on Mats Sundin, an injury riddled player who is nowhere near the calibre he was once, although I will admit, he has a good hockey work ethic), paying him 5.5 million dollars a season - it just goes to show that no one in Leafs management land is willing to look at the facts objectively; rather, they feel some loyalty to some players and management people, for whatever reason. The fact that Peddie called Ferguson a great hockey mind that just need some coaching, would lead me to believe he has completely lost touch with reality.

Muckler (or even Cliff Fletcher, former GM) should have been offered the GM job, plain and simple, not as a consultant for an ineffective GM. Mucker is a proven winner, guiding teams to the Stanley Cup finals (with the latest being Ottawa this year, in 2007, before the Senators threw him out after they were trounced int he finals by Anaheim). There is no other organization in sports, to my best knowledge, who has brought in a mentor for a team GM. The vast majority of the clubs will say, if the GM does not produce, we get a new GM. Ferguson has clearly not produced for the Leafs. The Leafs, I will argue, may actually have been a slightly worse team with him as GM. Unless the Leaf organization actually doesn't want to get any better, nothing is going to change until they replace John Ferguson Jr.

Second, the Leafs' management needs to realize that the time is now to start from the drawing board and start with fresh talent. You can see that kind of approach the last number of years with the Pittsburgh Penguins, even before Sidney Crosby came on the scene. They started developing some young players and put a lot of focus on the draft and making sure they got good value in trades. The Leafs, on the other hand, have spent the last number of years signing very overpriced over-achievers who are well beyond their prime (read: old dinosaur players). Sure, it's nice to see some veterans, but when your team collectively moves down the ice at the speed of a tortoise, what is the point? For those who aren't over the hill or getting close, the Leafs are simply overpaying for their players. And with a cap in place, overpaying for mediocre players aren't going to get you anywhere anytime soon.

Of course, none of this matters much. The Leafs continue to sell out their games day in and day out, not because they're any good, but because they are in a hockey-mad market, one in which fans care more about the legacy of the club and wish for the good ol' days of 1967, rather than think about what kind of product they are putting on the ice in 2007. As long as the suckers continue to pay for exorbitantly overpriced tickets, MLSE will have no incentive to actually improve their hockey offering.