Another Winter Spent Hibernating

In a city that bleeds Blue and White, it’s disheartening to think that the Mecca of the hockey world is encapsulated by the woefully pathetic years that continue to dawn upon Leafs Nation and the city of Toronto. The history of the great frozen game has become entrenched in the capital of Ontario, originally because of the winning ways, more so now because of the apathy by the local club and the agony that has fallen upon its patrons.

For many years you could expect the Maple Leafs to be at the forefront of both the playoff race and at the box office, nowadays you can expect the Air Canada Centre to still be full, but full of bitter, distraught fanatics who are only in attendance out of respect for the past and rich history of the franchise. To be faithful is an honourable trait and a characteristic looked highly upon by almost everyone. In the case of the Maple Leafs, we’re well beyond the faithful stage and are nearing the point when an addict needs his fix, not because he wants it, but because he feels empty without it.

Upper management in the Maple Leafs organization is directly to blame for the direction this franchise is headed, and if something isn’t done now, to impede any forthcoming failures, there will be many more years of misery to follow.

Looking at the current team, you’d be hard pressed to find names that would excite you. Gone are the glory days when Darryl Sittler, Dave Keon, Borje Salming, Frank Mahovlich and Tim Horton dawned the Blue and White. No longer does Leafs Nation get to frantically cheer on the likes of Lanny McDonald, Doug Gilmour or Wendel Clark. No, now the fans have Raycroft, Antropov, Kaberle, McCabe and the captain, Mats Sundin to root for. What’s missing from the Leaf stable are the stalwarts who look as though if they bled, it would be a steady stream of blue running down their cheek or off their lip. The life of the organization has been subdued and dismissed, replaced by mediocrity.

What the management team needs to do is look at their current roster and start to make a concrete plan for the future. Assessing the team’s needs, reassessing poor decisions made in the recent past, and building a framework to win in the new NHL is a necessary task that needs to be worked on everyday by John Ferguson and company.

What has lead to such a dismal outlook for the future you ask? The Leafs have no real talent to build upon at the NHL level minus Kaberle (a true talent), Wellwood, Colaiacovo, Steen and Stajan (middle of the road youngsters) and Justin Pogge (their hope for a solution at the goaltender spot). The Leafs are ranked 25 out of the 30 clubs in the league in terms of NHL Organizational Rankings done by the people at Hockeyfutures.com. This power ranking looks at the depth of each club’s farm system and the quality and quantity of young players coming up the ranks. The Leafs have a farm system with no real depth, although they have stockpiled on those mediocre third and fourth liners that have brought the team to where they are today.

By embarking on many suspect trades in the past few years, Toronto has handicapped themselves. In the act of trading draft choices for players who were past their prime, are on a steady decline, or for players with a past history of falling to the injury bug, Toronto has made building for the future an afterthought in most instances. Also, the lack of knowledge moving forward in a league that has completely changed its rules and subsequently swung the power to those who have highly skilled, fast and young talent, has made for an organization who is desperately in need of a total overhaul.

To remedy what has transcribed throughout the past few years in Leafs Nation, there must be firm action taken. The upcoming trade deadline would be a perfect time to start rebuilding a franchise that so desperately needs it. Both the fans, and management team, need to come to the realization that there is no way to make it to the top unless you hit rock bottom. Rebuilding is something very necessary in today’s game with the salary cap in place and the ability to trade for a better future in a two week span seemingly gone.

Rebuilding will involve the trading of Mats Sundin. This is something that should happen sooner rather than later. Dealing Sundin will come as a big blow to Leafs faithful who have adorned the Swede superstar for many years in Toronto. The shortage of top level talent surrounding the gifted centre has been one of the vital reasons for the team’s lacklustre performance during his tenure but, the inability to lead his team to the promised land after many opportunities will ultimately be what leads to his dismissal.

A captain, and best player on a team, must make everyone around them better. Sundin has shown he is capable of this, just not on as consistent a basis as many would like. By trading Sundin for top young prospects and high draft choices, the Leafs will position themselves for future success. Although it will take a couple of years of misery, this is a necessary step in the rebuilding process. The current talent surrounding Sundin is not a group who is built to win now, or in the near future. Sundin is turning 36 in about a month and not getting any younger. He is on the hook for $7.6M this season, but with differed payments and a small chunk already eaten by the Leafs, a deal could be worked with a contender to move the centre. By dealing your biggest asset you may tell your fans that you are giving up on this season, but this is only being done for the betterment of the future. Ferguson has to shape this, um...his, organization and not just sit around collecting cushy pay cheques scared of the backlash from the public, and stop settling for the middle of the pack.

Whether or not Sundin actually does get dealt is another story. It’s the fiscally wise and talent savvy experts who find a way to work the budget favourably and find hidden gems where no one else is looking. The Leafs are going to need to start rebuilding now, although for some reason, rebuilding is not found in the Leaf Nation dictionary.

To possibly spur the leagues most popular club in the right direction, the NHL has to look no further than the unfortunate situation in Pittsburgh. With the Penguins desperately seeking a new locale in which they can thrive, why are the possibilities of Las Vegas, Kansas City and Oklahoma City being looked into? Why not establish an instant rival in the leagues hotbed: Toronto? By moving the Penguins into Toronto you are immediately creating a divide in Leafs Nations; those who love the Leafs and those who hate the Leafs, both equally strong and immense platforms on which to build the most intense rivalry in the game. The Penguins, who will have to change their name, will have an immediate attraction from the fan base outside of Leafs nation because of phenoms; Crosby and Malkin.

On a side note – there has been much debate about why the league is having trouble attracting and holding the attention of many people down South. The issue has been raised that there are no real personalities in the league who endorse the game the way players such as Hull and Roenick would in the past. Well, there’s really one reason for this; a lack of diversity. Hockey players are mainly small town boys who grow up in homes where both parents are still married and have set a high standard of morals for their children. Because of this, many players, both from N. American and Europe are humble people who try to avoid the spot light and focus on the task at hand, being a successful hockey player. In other leagues like the NFL, NBA and MLB there are many players who come from less fortunate upbringings and arrive at the highest level with a chip on their shoulder; not only happy to be there, but ready to prove to all the doubters wrong and show that they belong. Hockey players are simple people who are content with a family at home, good ice at the rink and the chance to play a game they love everyday. In other leagues, players don’t only want to be the best in their sport; they want to be personalities on TV, in the newspaper, on the cover of magazines, in the record studio and on the silver screen. They are elated when someone with a microphone and perfect hair comes to them and asks their opinion, and don’t be fooled; they’re going to give you their opinion in the most charismatic way possibly; this is not the case in the NHL, in fact, some European players will still act confused and pretend not to be affluent in english when approaced by a member of the media. What the NHL needs to do is tell some of their players to go out and watch tapes of Muhammad Ali interviews and stop scripting everything the players are to say to the public. Candidacy is something that the public craves, it builds aura and intrigue, something the NHL desperately needs.

By bringing the Penguins to Toronto you are reaching out to an overflowing populace of deprived hockey fanatics who have never had the opportunity to enter the old Maple Leaf Gardens or the ACC to attend a game because of the constant sell-outs, but who would jump at the chance to watch some of the most exciting players in the game develop into the superstars in front of their eyes. This would also force the Leafs brass to start to act responsibly and make informed, knowledgeable personnel moves and bring the club back to respectability. This should be something that both the Penguins and the NHL are looking into seriously, even if the Leafs are opposed to a competitive market place.

Taking action now and not waiting for another off-season of signing old, past their prime, injury riddled players is exactly what the doctor would prescribe for an organization that seems content with extending their streak of futility another couple decades. Please Leafs Nation, wake up, you’ve been stuck in the same nightmare for too long.

- JW