The Hockey News: Mike Brophy's blog: THN.com Blog: Maple Leafs keep moving in circles

THN.com Blog: Maple Leafs keep moving in circles

Ron Wilson has won 518 games as a head coach in the NHL. (Photo by Don Smith/Getty Images)

Mike Brophy
2008-06-09 12:37:22

Watching the Toronto Maple Leafs conduct business is always an interesting proposition.

Unlike watching a well-oiled success story like the Detroit Red Wings, a team that hires well, scouts well and gets the desired results, the Leafs are more like watching a drunken sailor on leave trying to weave his way through traffic while traveling westbound on Highway 401 East – on a bicycle.

The Leafs fired coach Paul Maurice on the premise they wanted their new GM to pick his own man to stand behind the bench. Now, before the new GM has been signed, the Leafs have turned the coaching reins over to Ron Wilson. Not a bad transaction in and of itself, but not exactly following the game plan as laid out by interim GM Cliff Fletcher just a few weeks ago.

And, given it is the Leafs we are talking about, it’s not surprising either. This is, after all, a team that once fired coach Roger Neilson and then, upon rethinking the decision, wanted him to return to the bench wearing a paper bag over his head. And an organization that allowed its coach, Red Kelly, to put pyramids under the bench for good luck.

Ron Wilson is a good coach who is highly intelligent and quite witty, which will serve him well in Toronto. But he wants to win and he signs on at a time when, truth be told, it would be better long-term for this team to be lousy for one more year. The possibility of getting a lottery draft pick leading to the selection of John Tavares or Victor Hedman should be Toronto’s No. 1 goal.

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But it won’t be.

No matter how many times people talk or write about the benefits of attaining high draft picks and building through the draft the way Philadelphia, Chicago and Edmonton have done recently, the Leafs will buck the trend hoping to sneak into the final playoff spot where they will surely lose out in the first round.

And the Stanley Cup drought will continue.

Mike Brophy, the co-author of the book Walking with Legends, is a senior writer for The Hockey News and a regular contributor on THN.com. His blog appears Mondays and his column, Double OT, appears Wednesday.

For more great profiles, news and views from the world of hockey, Subscribe to The Hockey News magazine.

COMMENTS (29)

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Jack R. Posted
(2009-04-30 06:26:21)

I totally agree with Neil Findlay. Brian Murry did all of it in Aniheim. Well, then again, I'm an Ottawa fan, so naturally, I'm being biased. But Brian Murry is a good GM. This year, he signed Spezza, Heatley, and brought in good ledership in Martin LaPointe. The Corvo+Eaves for Commadore+Stillman looked good on paper, but the end result wasn't very good. And wasn't his fault the Sens imploded half-way through the season. Anyway, even if the sens were in pre-season form, the Pens would've still killed them. I mean like, gang-beat, sniper-shot-to-the-head, flame-throwered, fired-into-the-sun-and-incinerated, kind of killed. Well that's my opinion, at least. GO SENS!!!!!!!!!!

CRAIG W Posted
(2009-04-30 06:25:35)

hey whatsthatsmell: why bad mouth the Wilson signing and then quote him directly about Nabokov maybe winning the Vezina next yr?...kind of weakens the old argument....if you had one. Everyone in hockey it seems regards Wilson as a super and unique motivator, incl that Art Ross winner, Joe T but you criticize his motivation abilities. I guess he takes all the blame for Cheechoo becoming a stiff overnight. Funny he led the league the year before WITH Wilson as his coach. And your thought about Campbell one day being a Norris Trophy winner is past laughable....that'll happen the day the criteria is restricted to rushing the puck because he's weak in everything else.

CRAIG W Posted
(2009-04-30 06:25:34)

geez, Mike, quit being like all the other media types lamenting the foibles of the Leafs over the years and how hiring Wilson without a GM in place. You, and everyone in hockey, know that Burke is coming and until he gets here, we have a 40 yr. experienced guy in Cliff to GM. What's the problem? We're tearing it down and will win about 20 games next yr which is fine so why won't Cliff fill the bill just fine til Burke arrives? This frabricated melodrama over a coach without a GM is so unbecoming to the likes of you, Damian Cox and others.

Alex Posted
(2009-04-30 06:25:26)

Oh *YAWN* another Leafs cry-in-your-beer story. I'm eagerly awaiting the next press release out of Toronto when Mats Sundin sneezes. The analysts will closely examine the viscosity of the snot and check closely for blood clots and boogers in the first day. The following week, various findings in multiple news articles will be released following a microscopic review to identify bacteria indicating the common cold. Give it a rest already...

Brian P Posted
(2009-04-30 06:25:19)

Red Kelly put pyramids under the benches for luck? Uhm...did it work?

Brian Kemp Posted
(2009-04-30 06:25:16)

Ken, I can't speak for other non-Leaf fans, but for me at least, I comment because while the Red Wings are my favorite team, I'm a fan of hockey, be it NHL, international, major junior or college. If I have any knowledge about a situation, I generally have an opinion, sometimes strong, sometimes not. I think it's pathetic how far down the Leafs have gone, where now the prevailing attitude within management seems to be "Let's get into the playoffs, and then anything can happen", which also seems to be the attitude of too many fans, rather than "Let's try to build a winning organization from top to bottom." Hiring Ron Wilson wasn't a bad move in and of itself. He's a good coach, but most GM's interested in going to Toronto, at least the sane ones, are going to want to put their own people in, and not be hamstrung by the previous regimes choices (See McCabe, Blake and Tucker)

Dave G Posted
(2009-04-30 06:25:12)

Also, Wilson has won over 500 games and has a big-time winning record, even though he coached two sub-par teams before going to San Jose. He also has taken one team to the finals (Washington) and one team to the semi-finals (San Jose). Outside of the very few active coaches who have won a Stanley Cup, he is as much a winner as you can get these days. Also, his track record with young players is excellent, and that is obviously the only direction the Leafs can take in the next half-dozen years. Good move, Leafs!

Ken B Posted
(2009-04-30 06:25:12)

I'm always struck by the no win situation of the Leafs. If the Leafs waited another month and Wilson had signed with someone else then Brophy (or other TO sports writers) would have howled about the "one who got away". The Leafs needed a proven pro coach. Wilson appears to have accepted that he will be coaching a rebuilding team for the next couple of years. Leaf fans (and even management) also seem to have accepted that. The media has a job to do and that's write stories to sell papers, so they dig for every angle possible. Since the Leafs have missed the playoffs for three years the stories obviously the stories will be more negative. But to slam the Leafs for hiring a successful coach is absurd. Likewise, I think you're being overly critical about the search for a new GM. I would sooner have this process take a year than to gamble on the next "up and coming" superstar GM (see JFJ) I'm also puzzled by the Leaf bashing from fans. If you're a Leafs fan why not enjoy the fact that the team finally recognizes that changes are needed and are attempting to make these changes with a new GM, coach and eventually new players. What more do you want ? Take three weeks and hire Holland and Babcock and sign the entire Red Wings team ? Think about it. It's 40+ years and will be a few more before there is any chance of a Cup. However, I'm more positive about the future of the team than I have been for years. As far as the non-Leaf fans who dominate these feedback forums.. why are you so interested ? Don't you have anything better to do than identify yourself as a Leaf hater ? Why bother ? If your team (assuming you even have a favourite team) were to do something stupid I wouldn't consider spending a second of my time responding on one of these forums. I couldn't care less what some other team does and why should you. Unless, of course, you're waiting for some point in the future when you can buy a Leafs jersey and jump on the bandwagon and tell everyone that you're a long time Leaf fan. Either way you're really pathetic. Get a life.

Jay R Posted
(2009-04-30 06:25:11)

If you were going to be the new GM,wouldn't you want to pick your own coach?? MLSE does everything backwards....laughing stock,embarrasment to the NHL!!!

Rob M Posted
(2009-04-30 06:25:11)

I really do agree with what Brian said. I think Brian Burke is a good GM but not great. Signing Bertuzzi was a HUGE mistake. They would have been better off not having him and picking up a sweet deal at the trade deadline. Also why trade McDonald who had a 1 million contract for Weight who had a 3 million contract? Weight couldn't play with Selanne and McDonald could, what a dumb move. And even though I love him paying Selanne for 5 million for 4 months of work, are you kidding me? He would have played for less and imagine if the Ducks could have picked up Hossa, Campbell or Richards at the trade deadline had they made the right moves. As for the Leafs no coach of GM will fix the lack of heart the players on that team have.

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