Comments for Battle of Ontario....
This is probably the short list.....
I vote for Mike Milbury.
Out of all the names that are thrown about, the only three that have no pride and/or values in this list are:
Glenn Healy, Don Meehan, Colin Campbell.
The rest will have no interest in this sinking franchise.
Good luck with your search. I hope you get one of those 3.
Cox is ridiculous. Half of those names, aside from Fantasy08's contention that no one wants to work for the league's flagship franchise, belong to guys that have no business being considered for either position.
No one should be learning on the job again. No fucking agents. No executives without a plan for a salary cap environment and ideally some experience.
God, I hate the Toronto media and their selective reading... "The Leafs sit 27th in the league" Cox writes, without pointing out that only three points separate 14th from 6th in the East. Also, he writes something ludicrous about how Torontonians were promised not just a playoff berth but that the team would challenge for the Cup. Does anyone remember that? I sure don't. Most predictions seemed pretty measured, outside of a few fans over-excited to have signed Blake.
There are no trades happening anywhere in the league because of the cap, and definitely none happening in Toronto with ball-and-chain contracts doled out to McCabe, Kubina, Blake, Tucker and others and the team up against the cap. So what's the point of firing JF? He can't do anything, so replace him with someone who...also can't do anything?
Maurice handles the pressure in Toronto well, and is likeable, so I'd hate to see him go, but I it makes more sense to fire him than JF.
Even more sense would be to say to the fans, "look, this is a blessing in disguise. Now we can justify a selloff, restock for the next two great drafts, get a couple of young franchise players in our system and rebuild like an honest to god franchise instead of a ridiculous circus."
Even more sense would be to say to the fans, "look, this is a blessing in disguise. Now we can justify a selloff, restock for the next two great drafts, get a couple of young franchise players in our system and rebuild like an honest to god franchise instead of a ridiculous circus."
But then would we still have the clowns (Simmons and Cox)?
Torontonians were promised not just a playoff berth but that the team would challenge for the Cup. Does anyone remember that? I sure don't.
Paul Maurice said it at the start of the year.
The Leafs have got to make the right move this time. If they bring in (another) big name with no experience, their losing ways will continue.
The franchise needs to get it right this time. Just look at the Raptors. Find the hockey equivalent of Bryan Colangelo.
league's flagship franchise??? If this is true, then the NHL is in more trouble than i thought....and the more i think of DC's pick, the more i like it...Mike Milbury may even be able to coax Yashin back from Russia...how could Yashin refuse if the "leagues flagship franchise" comes a calling
I don't understand how anyone who thinks the Leafs should be rebuilding and/or using the draft can, in the same breath, say it makes any kind of sense to keep JFJ. He's continually mortgaged the future of your team (both on the ice and on the management side) to help secure his own job.
Not only are the Leafs firmly in 27th in the standings, when you look at their PPG, they are fully 15% worse than the next team (Buffalo). It's not a conspiracy, it's not the media, it's the numbers. More games played doesn't mean you have a better team. You'd have to be completely blind not to see that.
The rest of a Canada is begging you: please fix this embarrassment of a team.
And Conrad: this should refresh your memory.
Unless it's the damn media again.
The team that makes the most money for the league and generates the most attention is generally a flagship franchise. Just like the Cowboys and Redskins are in the NFL even when they are shit. Notice that I said nothing about performance.
Gee, pointing out the points is legitimate because as you guys have frequently pointed out, games in hand are not necessarily wins in hand.
I don't understand how anyone who thinks the Leafs should be rebuilding and/or using the draft can, in the same breath, say it makes any kind of sense to keep JFJ. He's continually mortgaged the future of your team (both on the ice and on the management side) to help secure his own job.
Yup.
Gee, that clip was clearly just an example of Paul Maurice's understated sense of humour. The media was just too stupid to understand or bother to follow up. Kind of like with this story:
Hippo in Pool a fake
PPP: when you have 5 pts from OT games, and all the teams behind you (never mind those in front) have more wins in fewer games, you have to assume that games in hand will indeed be wins in hand.
Dave Perkins wrote the following in the Toronto Star in April of this year...i don't know what kind of Sports scribe he is but i like his definition of flagship franchise...
"Ownership of the Leafs should be committed to one thing only: making Toronto the flagship franchise in the league, the desired location for every hockey player. Whatever it costs to have the best scouting and development departments, spend it. Whatever it takes at every level, do it. Make winning the focus, not condos and soccer teams and stuff that doesn't matter. Forget about making endless profits they don't need and put all emphasis and resources into ending the hockey embarrassment."
Wavetank - You can have different definitions of it. That would also be a nice one to have. Same with the success on ice one. Unfortunately, it's successful brand/business one that the Leafs have.
Gee - Not all of the games in hand are against the Leafs so at least some will be losses.
JFJ has to go. I don't think I need to elaborate.
Paul Maurice seems likeable, but looking at the systems installed on this team I think Maurice needs to go too. Find a new GM, find a new coach, pull the trigger on both at the same time.
I think it is obvious to everyone as to who the successor should be....Mike Milbury of course.
Hey DC I just noticed you had him pegged earlier. 
DON'T FUCK WITH THE OLD GUYS!!!!1™
I think Healy should be Milbury's assistant. They are a painful combo to watch on TSN.
Really? I actually like Milbury on TSN. Healy is terrible though.
It's impossible for me to consider Milbury an expert in anything related to running a hockey team.
Maybe Pierre McGuire would like the job.
Please excuse the lack of a "BWAHHH...[...]...HAHA" but Notch is still banned.
I don't understand how anyone who thinks the Leafs should be rebuilding and/or using the draft can, in the same breath, say it makes any kind of sense to keep JFJ. He's continually mortgaged the future of your team (both on the ice and on the management side) to help secure his own job.
Don't get me wrong, he's an idiot. I've written it here many times. But what's firing him now going to do? Make the team play better? Nobody's trading for anything right now, there's no movement, and the Leafs aren't 'firmly' in 27th...they're three points out of 6th! I'm a Sens fan, I'm just saying, let's be honest here. We want to see the Leafs self-destruct. But I think they can do it more spectacularly than this.
Maybe Pierre McGuire would like the job.
I hope that loud noise I just heard wasn't DJ's head exploding.....
Conrad: He might not know hockey, but he's not an idiot. He's made the team so dependent on him, by undermining or ridding it of any potential replacement, that he's got everyone convinced keeping him is a viable option.
Gee,you could say that about Sundin as well....oh the tangled web we weave!
The Leafs brass will be looking for the next Colangialo to run the Leafs. Everything you are hearing is rumours and more rumours. They would want an established and well seasoned guy one would think.
By the way, who is in first place in the BoOB? Oh, wait, it's me.
Started a new job gang, gonna be sparse for a little while. Which is fitting, because my team hasn't shown up for about a week.
Hi. I'm anonymous now. Nice!
I hear John Muckler's corpse is looking for work.
Don, how much you willing to sell FireMuckler.com for? I'm sure the leafers here would be bidding up.
I've just noticed something interesting:
Started a new job gang,
~Muppet
Muppet then assures us that the rumours of JFJ getting the boot are truly just rumours.
Hm.... could Muppet be the next Leaf's GM. Woo hoo! More years of crap leaf teams!! (I hear JFJ also did very well in fantasy pools)
BTW, Muppet, that really is just friendly ribbing. Justsoyaknow.
Just going over the other candidates,I think Barry Melrose would be a good fit.I hear ullets are still popular in Toronto.
Glenn Healy! Please, please, please, Glenn Healy! Hire him!
http://www.tsn.ca/tsn_talent/col...s/bob_mckenzie/
either bob mckenzie has been reading this blog, or else he has some contacts in MLSE...
wouldn't the "team" approach to GM'ing be funny?
Hey, antro, "Team Ownership" just won the Grey Cup so why not?!
Maybe Pierre McGuire would like the job.
why not... he's already worked for the sens...
wouldn't the "team" approach to GM'ing be funny?
In many respects the New York Islanders are taking a 'team approach' to GM'ing and a couple weeks ago Dallas replaced Amrstrong with co-GMs. It is too early to tell for Dallas but so far so good for the Islanders.
Maybe Pierre McGuire would like the job.
God hope not though it would be fun to see his over sized unwarranted ego get knocked down a size or two. I think he'd be a colossal failure because he would either really really really over evaluate his 'monster' players and really really really under evaluate everyone else.
I'll submit that NYI's current success far more to do with Ted Nolan than the front-office "braintrust".
Ted Nolan is a part of that front office brain trust.
Perhaps I should have said Ted Nolan's coaching. And whether or not a coach is really part of the front office brain trust, I think the level of influence is minimal for most coaches (but not all). Something about coaches coach, players play, GMs manage.
Although sometimes not all at the same time.
Isn't MLSE essentially a team decision right now? Isn't that part of the problem? I think it can only work if things go well or you find people that can make consensus decisions.
And if you're on TV and not doing what DJ accuses McGuire of, you're not on TV for long. The clowns that [continue] to make apologies for one of the worst teams in the league excepted.
Ted Nolan has as much influence in the front office as anyone. Ted Nolan is the guy Charles Wang (the owner) first hired to be a part of the front office group. He supposedly reports to Charles Wang directly and has every bit as much influence with the direction of the organization as Garth Snow does (if not more). Snow has the title of General Manager but it really is management by committee. That is why Neil Smith quit/was fired. He wanted complete control and not be a part of a management group.
Isn't MLSE essentially a team decision right now?
Yes, in so far as who the GM/President of the team is, but not in who the coach is, who the scouts are, what trades get made, etc. The MLSE board as a group decides who will run the team but after than has a mostly hands off stance (aside from setting budgets and business stuff like that).
I like the idea of Ballsilie buying the Leafs. He was willing to put up big money for a nothing franchise. Are his pockets deep enough to afford the Leafs?
I think I saw an article claiming the Leafs value was somewhere around $600M. Assuming an offer of around $750M would be interesting to the pension plan folks, could Ballsilie scrape together that much?
I should run the Leafs. I'm smart enough to know that I don't know shit, and should hire people who do know shit. Send me $800 million and I'll make it happen!
Plus free standing room tickets for BoO members.
Ballsilie owns RIM stock worth about 4 billion.
Chemmy, same here. Peddie and Tanenbaum are intoxicated with the thought of being the men to bring the Cup back to Toronto.
Anshu - Forbes has the Leafs at $413M in their last ranking. I would think that if you made a great deal for them to run the ACC and let the Raptors play in there that you could get the team and the building for around $800M.
Balsillie, Leafs Nation turns it's lonely eyes to you!
Ballsilie owns RIM stock worth about 4 billion.
I guess its probably more important to know how much of his stake he's already sold and how much of that money is in fairly liquid assets that he could use for such a purchase.
I'm assuming he's probably not able to liquidate much of his RIM stake in rapid fashion without affecting the share price (and broader shareholder confidence), so that option is likely off-limits for the most part.
Could he not sell the stock as is to the teacher's pension fund?
300 mil plus 500 mil of stock.
Of course he'll move the team to KW. KW Leafs. Nice.
He could also finance almost all of it. RIM seems stable enough to be able to use his stock as collateral.
But that idea only works if Balsillie recognizes that he is no hockey whiz either.
I'm not sure how much relevance this has on the Balsillie-owning-The Leafs pipe dream, but he's going to sell $86 million in stock over the next 13 months and donate another $38 million.
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