John Ferguson Jr. Finally Fired...The Leafs Still Suck

Yesterday, the Toronto Maple Leafs acted on the worst-kept secret floating around the NHL and in particular, Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) - they gassed their General Manager John Ferguson Jr., after a fairly abysmal record at the helm for the past...what is it now...four or five years?

I agree that Ferguson had to go, but as I have said before, I don't think that the problem is entirely with Ferguson, despite the fact that yes, he was inexperienced, he made some really bad choices, and to a degree, he showed some incompetence. The root problem rests with MLSE and its board, especially that idiot Richard Peddie (who is a meddler to the extreme). Sure, he brought on Brian Colangelo for the Raptors and gave him full autonomy to run basketball operations, but the MLSE board has never been as instrusive with their basketball operations anyway - rather, it's the hockey operations that they've always poked their nose into (and I mean Peddie here). I mean, despite what Ferguson may or may not have done, he did show class up to the end, refusing to bad-mouth the organization - I heard him being interviewed by several media sources on my way home last night...and this despite the fact that he was hung out to dry several months ago - even half a year ago, when Peddie wanted to bring on a "mentor" for Ferguson. Why not just get rid of him then? Then Peddie publicly admits he made a mistake hiring Ferguson - I'm not sure why Peddie doesn't step down himself - he hired Ferguson! And who was at the helm before Ferguson? Another inexperienced (albeit well-known) GM in Ken Dryden. When you start hiring duds, I'm not sure you can keep blaming it on the dud. I do find it interesting that the search committee that Peddie put together includes interim GM Cliff Fletcher, local Toronto sports lawyer (and frequent guest on the local sports radio station) Gord Kirke...and....HIMSELF! If this is not meddling or the epitome of micro-management, I don't know what is.

And then the whole soap opera of the past few weeks with public speculation about Ferguson's future. It's tough to do your job when you know that they are planning to terminate you. But to Ferguson's credit, he kept his mouth shut and kept punching into the office. In that vein, I think Peddie is classless, gutless and I have zero respect for him. I actually hope that the Leafs continue to suck badly, so the pressure will be to get rid of him. Of course, I totally question how the Leafs report to a board, whereas most teams have a single owner - less bureaucracy.

Now, as for interim GM Cliff Fletcher - good choice, but they tossed him out 10+ years ago, so I'm surprised he's back (considering the fact that he never got along with Larry Tanenbaum. I heard the news conference on the way home from work yesterday and it sounds like this is Fletcher's last stop in the hockey world. It's just as well. How old his he now? 70? Still, during Fletcher's first time with the Leafs, he did make some really good trades and draft picks (although he made some poor ones as well). I'm sure Cliff will be able to right the ship, though he and MLSE have made it abundantly clear that he is here short-term (think the contract is for 19 months, with it being initially an interim GM role that will morph into a consultant role).

I'm no expert, but let's talk about the problems here. People focus on Sundin, but that's only one of the things to consider (Sundin is around 35/36, has a no-trade clause, and will be an unrestricted free agent by the end of the season). It would make sense to trade him rather than lose him, but if you look at the way he's played, he continues to show himself to be the heart of the team. He's their top point-getter. Shows leadership on and off the ice. A tremendously hard worker. Makes around 5 million this season, but if you were to trade him, what would you get for him? Based on his age, who would want him? Sure, older players have, in the past year or so, joined teams to offer a veteran presence, but look how some of these have worked out (Mark Recchi, anyone?) Aside from the Sundin question, and in a similar vein, another issue the fat contracts that Ferguson awarded to really mediocre players. Now the Leafs are stuck with these underperforming and overpaid players (a bad combination) - they can't unload them because of both reasons. They can't keep them because of the enormous hit on the cap. Buying them out will be costly. Right now, the Leafs best hope is that they will just tank and hopefully get some decent draft picks. If they tank for two years in a row, there's a better chance of them getting good picks like John Tavares next year, but even that's no guarantee.

There's always drama in Leaf-land...

Sidney Crosby Is Overrated

So...Sidney Crosby wins the Lou Marsh trophy as best Canadian athlete according to the Toronto Star (since when was the left-leaning Star considered a credible bastion of sports information?). The NBA Phoenix Suns' Steve Nash (of Victoria, BC) ran a close second. Several other lesser-known athletes (amateur, etc.) were also nominated.

Now, every year, for the past few years, one of my colleagues (now former colleague, but I keep in touch with him) and I have our "Is Sidney Crosby That Good?" discussion. I haven't yet had it with him this year, but I suspect I'll simply email him a copy of this blog posting and get his comments. While I respect his hockey knowledge, I have vehemently disagreed with him on several occasions on touting Sidney Crosby as the next great one (I will not capitalize since I don't consider hockey players to be at deity-level). Anyhow, here are my thoughts on the selection of Crosby (by the way, if you don't know, and I have discovered in the last year that there are a few that don't - Sidney Crosby is the young 20-year-old phenom who is playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins and is garnering a lot of attention in the sports world).

OK, where to start with selecting Crosby as the winner of the Lou Marsh. This award was selected for Crosby by a bunch of sports writers, journalists, and sports media-types. That is the first problem. I wrote this on a recent bulletin board posting on tsn.ca, but I really feel that the media, especially in hockey-crazy Canada, goes ga-ga over Crosby, since they've been starving for a superstar who will provide as many thrills and on-ice magic as Wayne Gretzky did for his famed career. Sure, Mario Lemieux came along and was a superstar, but not at Gretzky's caliber (notice the NHL did not retire Lemieux's jersey league-wide). But Lemieux's career was cut short by injuries and illness (and age), so we never really saw what may have been. Regardless, the National Hockey League has been really trying to get its viewership and fanbase back to the levels that it previously had (personally, I think under current commissioner Gary Bettman, that will never happen, as long as he continues to bask in the philosophy of U.S. expansion to sunbelt areas). The NBA has similarly been waiting for the next Michael Jordan, but there have been several worthwhile candidates over the years who have provided more than ample ticket and jersey sales - I can think of LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, and Kobe Bryant as two examples). The NHL has had good players, but not super-superstars. Even very talented players who vie for the scoring title every year are not considered because they don't have the personality or the media smarts to make them as well-rounded as Gretzky was.

Some history first...

Sidney Crosby, who as a young teenager, was eclipsing junior hockey records and providing highlight reel material for viewers. He was touted as the next saviour of the NHL, the next big phenom, the Wayne Gretzky of the new millenium. I wasn't about to simply join on a bandwagon because people simply said so, but I must admit that I got caught in the initial hype as well and purchased some Sidney Crosby rookie cards, which are now all in hard plastic cases. Obviously, I see it more as an investment opportunity than as a fan item (sad but true, and this is contrary to my typical opinion about collectible stuff - ie. I collected comic books when I was younger due to my interest in reading them and become a fan of them - I've always shunned the capitalistic components of collecting, but even I have my limits). Anyhow, Crosby gets drafted after the NHL lockout season as the number one pick for Pittsburgh, who have struggled tremendously since the glory days with Lemieux back in the early 90s. I am glad that the Penguins got Crosby, since I believe his presence saved that franchise. Penguins owner Lemieux liked his draft pick so much, he took him under his wing and he even lived with Lemieux's family during his first year or so (not sure if he's still living with them, but that's neither here nor there).

In Crosby's first season, he does tremendously well in the NHL, though he developed a reputation as a whiner and complainer. Crosby apologists would be quick to explain that he was 18 and come on, who is mature at that age? Visiting hockey arenas were packed in order to see him play and without a doubt, even in my mind, he was and is good for the game. He finished his inaugural season with a very satisfying 102 points, causing most media types and sports journalists to start comparing him to Gretzky. In his first All-Star game, he had no points, and these same media types were alluding to Gretzky's similar "accomplishment". The bandwagon jumpers started to come onto the vehicle en mass. Of course, it is fashionable nowadays to attach a sport to a face of an individual (ie. when many people talk golf, they invariably think of Tiger Woods). Crosby was the perfect poster-child for the NHL - young, curly brown locks of hair, and for the Canadian element - a Canadian boy finally! I'm all for supporting home grown talent, but I think for the last 20 years and more in hockey, international players have not been given the credit they deserve. Anyhow, Crosby has a breakout first year, but did not win the rookie of the year Calder Trophy (the distinction went to fellow superstar Alexander Ovechkin, who in my view is just as good of a player as Crosby, but he's Russian, so the North American media markets don't give him the due he so deserves). It is worthwhile to note that Crosby was only a few points behind Ovechkin in the overall points total (I think Joe Thornton won the Art Ross trophy for most points that year). Crosby also created many highlight reels in his first season, including a shootout victory in Pittsburgh against his favourite childhood team, the Montreal Canadiens, in which Crosby scored the winner in the shootout). After Crosby's breakout year, I decided to pad my investment so I dropped a chunk of change on some more Crosby rookie cards.

In 2006-2007, Crosby would not be denied. He had a strong season and bested his previous year's point total, netting 120 points overall, winning the Art Ross Trophy as well as the Hart Trophy and the Lester B. Pearson Trophy (my mind escapes me at the moment what that one was for). He had several notable games including one in which he scored six points (against Philadelphia, I believe, who absolutely sucked last year - I think the Penguins beat them in all eight games, unlike this year where the Flyers have the Pens' number).

Given all this, and the good he has done for the game, why don't I think he was the best choice (he is a good choice, but I don't feel is the best choice) for the Lou Marsh trophy? Because I think that as an athlete, Steve Nash was more deserving due to his on-and-off-the-court contributions, his non-expendable role with his team, and his long history of making the teams that he has played on winners. Unfortunately, Nash does not play in a "Canadian game" per se (even though basketball was invented in Canada), or at least does not play in a "Canadian game" that fans in Canada give a rat's ass about. If Nash had been a hockey player, I am confident that he would have received this award. Consider this: if Nash left the Phoenix Suns, they would be a horrible team. If Crosby left the Penguins, they'd be only a bit worse than they are now (and they're pretty bad, despite last year's over-100 point showing in the standings). Nash has also been voted NBA MVP two years in a row. In an "American" sport for a Canadian athlete to dominate so much, it's impressive. Nash is also 33, considerably older than Crosby, yet excels far more than his peers who are 10 years his junior. I think what did Nash in on this award was the fact that he declared that he won't play for Canada in the upcoming basketball world championships. I don't think that should be held against him, since he's represented Canada many times. Also, bear in mind that this is not an Olympic year, so factor in the additional component that we don't have visibility to see amateur athletes in action. Unfortunately, amateur athletes also don't have the professional expsoure, so talented and successful skaters like Cindy Klassen, while getting some exposure, will never the the super-hype that pro athletes do - and that is unfortunate, since many of them are equally, if not more athletic than their professional counterparts).

Also, let's face it - Crosby has been given a few freebies over time. When the Washington Capitals offered the team captaincy to Alexander Ovechkin, he turned it down as he was not ready (and given his age and only a couple of years experience, that made sense). A real respectable choice. Crosby becomes an assistant captain after a season of play and a captain after two seasons. At 20-years-old? Tampa Bay made Vincent Lecavalier a captain at 21 or so and it didn't work out that well due to his lack of maturity. Oh sure, some will say that Crosby is mature for his years, but again, it's the hockey-crazed mostly Canadian media salivating for the next iteration of a hockey superstar. They'll say anything. If you see how Crosby continues to argue calls and whine to referees, you'll get a sense of his maturity level.

Another athlete to consider is Vincent Lecavalier (who has been on fire this year, but also has maintained a history of quality and consistency in his NHL numbers). Now, I will not play the "they always pick hockey players because Canada is nuts over hockey" card, since there hasn't been a hockey player who has won this award since Mario Lemieux back in 1993.

What Is Gary Bettman Trying to Prove?

I don't know about you, but if you're a hockey fan like me, don't you get sick of hearing about the constant woes of the Nashville Predators? Without going into painstaking detail, the owner of the Predators, Craig Leopold, has been trying to sell the Predators for months. In the time he has owned the Predators, they have been a consistently losing investment. Yes, the team is talented and has put a good product on the ice, and has been in the upper echelon of teams in the NHL, but come on, the team is in friggin' Nashville, for Pete's sake. Hardly a bastion of hockey fandom. Case in point - last year in the playoffs, when Nashville was ranked #1 or #2 or #3 in their conference, local Nashville papers and sports programs didn't even cover or talk about the playoff games in progress. That's because no one cares about hockey down there.

Earlier this year, the CEO of Research in Motion, Jim Balsillie, offered to buy the team and was willing to essentially overpay for the team. Talks were set in motion and they were close to a deal, when Balsillie tipped his hand and started to sell season tickets in the Hamilton area for a hockey team that had yet to relocate there. The NHL and it's commissioner, Gary Bettman found out about this, and persuaded Leopold to pull the plug on the deal. Since then, no one has offered anything even close to what Balsillie offered.

I am disappointed that Balsillie got railroaded by the NHL. Yes, he didn't play it smart and kept his mouth shut until the deal was done, but why the NHL nixed it because of his clear intentions to re-locate, I will never understand. Moving it to Hamilton or Kitchener-Waterloo would be a huge boost to the local economy, but more than that, it would breakdown the monopolizing power of Maple Leafs Sports Entertainment (MLSE) and would immediately force the Leafs to put a competitive product on the ice (as we speak, the Leafs are in familiar territory this year - mediocre to suckedness). Hamilton/KW would have easily supported another NHL franchise - OK, so the Leafs (and possibly Sabres) will feel some pressure, but so what? Competition is good. Monopoly is bad.

What I find strange is that Leopold wants to sell the team - he is desperate to do so. But he won't sell to Balsillie, because of Balsillie's clear intent to move the team. Balsillie is not a dumb guy - he knows the team won't survive in Nashville, and he also knows that Leopold lost a truckload of money over the years. But somehow Bettman convinced Leopold not to sell (my guess is that the NHL offered to top off any lower offer to make it worth Leopold's while). Nowadays, a consortium of people are trying to save the Preds but putting together an offer, complete with arena rights and so forth.

Why can't Bettman just realize that pushing professional hockey in the U.S. will be a long-term losing proposition. He is too proud to admit that his experiment did not work, that's why. His cronie, Bill Daly, the NHL Vice-President, was on a radio talk show this past summer and he was asked point blank whether Bettman is anti-Canada. Daly skirted the issue and refused comment.

Fact of the matter is, there is not really a whole lot of success stories to report on the expansion teams. Why they stuck a team in Columbus, OH, I will never know. Even some seasoned teams like the Chicago BlackHawks are having problems drawing people into the game. Rather than focussing on existing teams, Bettman seems to have this otherworldly mentality that he must expand, and now his crazy head is looking at over the pond in Europe and Scandanavia.

If you look at the other commissioners in sports (David Stern for the NBA, Roger Goddell for the NFL), they are doing things right. They make sure that the current teams are not flat broke, and they are ensuring that they don't expand if the conditions aren't right. And they are not afraid to yank teams from markets that are simply not working. Bettman needs to take a look at these successful commissioners who are out to better their respective leagues, not just make themselves look good.