What if Muckler says No?
The Leafs are looking for a senior hockey executive to mentor JFJ. It seems after four years of being the GM of a storied franchise in one of hockey's biggest markets, poor JFJ is apparently "still learning" and in need of some senior counsel.
What did the best and brightest have to say so far?
Scotty Bowman - Nope.
Bobby Clarke - Uh uh.
Brian Burke - Forget it.
David Poile - "no thanks"
How many other senior hockey guys have heard from Mr. Peddie and the gang and turned this "opportunity" down?
More importantly - what if Muckler says no?
Think about the roster of hockey talent that will have declined to have anything to do with this allegedly storied franchise.
If Muckler says no, does MLSE figures out that adding another layer to the hockey department isn't the best way forward?
If Muckler says no, does it sink in that publicly emasculating your GM might not be the best way to attract top talent?
If Muckler says no, what does this mean for the divided board and the short-term prospects for JFJ?
And ultimately, if Muckler says no, what does that say for Peddie's ability to leverage and sell the one thing that is most central to the MLSE brand - the Toronto Maple Leafs - to actual hockey men?
I don't know about the rest of Leafs Nation, but here's to hoping Muckler says no.
I'm hoping Muckler says no, but sadly I doubt it'll happen.
ReplyDeleteNot really a big fan of him, I fail to see anything he did prior to Ottawa that was particularly outstanding or remarkable in any way.
Hung around Edmonton duuring the 80's but was hardly a factor in their success. Was in Buffalo for awhile and had a decent if unspectacular time.
Came into a situation in Ottawa with a young team, that was very cheap and extremely strong.... and... they got older, more expensive and not much better. Besides inheriting an elite team he hasn't done much to show me he was a huge asset there.
Not surprised Poile turned the position down, though I'm not sure it's as much due to a reluctance to go to Toronto as it is a reluctance to accept what's effectively a demotion.
Why go from a comfy GM spot in Nashville to being merely an advisor in Toronto?
This whole charade is ridiculous in any case. If the Leafs brass doesn't believe JFJ is a capable GM then they should be looking for a better GM, not sticking with a poor status quo and hoping a handful of big name executives are so desperate to come to Toronto they'll happily take what for many is a lesser position here then their already in.
I wouldn't call the position a demotion, but rather a different challenge. It's not for someone that actively wants to be in control of the day-to-day operations. It's ideal for someone like Bowman who has a great deal of hockey knowledge, is past that point of his life where he wants to go into the office every single day, but isn't quite ready to golf 24/7.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea in principle but don't think that anyone of substance would ever demean themselves to become involved with Peddie and his band of fools.
Not sure I agree with that, if people of 'substance' are willing ti go to places like Colombus which make Toronto look like the epitime of success I imagine they'd come here, and we always have the ever present allure of 'Toronto' working for us.
ReplyDeleteIMHO the no's are simply due to the position being offered and the knowledge that ultimately JFJ is still in charge and they have no power to remove him regardless of how poorly he does.
It's just not a very appealing position, and most of these guys can certainly aspire to more elsewhere.
Well, I'm not sure that the kind of person they're looking for wants to aspire to more elsewhere. Remember, they're not looking for a full-time GM, but an experienced hockey mind that wants to remain involved in the sport but in a semi-retired capacity.
ReplyDeleteBowman would have been the perfect choice but he has too much class to get involved in the nonsense flying around the ACC.
What MLSE doesn’t know is that JFJ has been getting tips from a trustworthy, experienced hockey mind since birth -- his DAD.
ReplyDeleteMLSE has got things backward, this kind of position should have been created before they decided to hire a General Manager and Coach.
Although I am not in favour of all the moves JFJ has done, he at this point has earned the right to fail or succeed on his own merit.
I am with you, I hope everyone says no...
Unless of coarse they ask Brian Colangelo.
http://leafstown.blogspot.com/
stay tuned this summer for 07/08 Leaf player previews
It seems like everyone is talking about the need for defibrillators in sports related venues. It’s nice to see you guys are actually doing something about it. I sure hope all those other guys who keep talking about it get their act together and enter a team. Otherwise, they’ll sure feel terrible when one of their buddies die on the ice beside them. Been there. Done that. Wish I could go back and put a defibrillators beside me on the bench that black night.
ReplyDeleteDon Cherry would make great senior management. Watch the Leafs truly fall into oblivion. Not sure why Bobby Clarke said 'no' as he is quite the laughing stock in Philly these days. Perhaps Toronto would give Messier an adviser position as Glen Sather doesn't want him near the management office.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to our next Leafs/Rangers matchup -- Tucker/Avery 2007!
The Dark Ranger
www.thedarkranger.com
The Leafs' first game against the Rangers is on October 27th. What are the odds that Avery will have pissed off his coaches and been internally suspended by then?
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see that rematch, Tucker would take Avery apart...if his helmet doesn't blind him again.
ReplyDeleteor quinn
ReplyDelete