Sinking the Good Ship Maple Leafs

Back from vacation and ready to rant.

So any guesses as to which hockey team makes the most money in the NHL? OK, obvious answer. Now, how much of their profits are spent on actually developing the future of that team? If you said less then 1 percent you'd be correct. Best estimate put last years profits for the Toronto Maple Leafs at over 50 million dollars. Their scouting budget a paltry 1.5 million, barely the NHL average and far below that of teams like Detroit and Philadelphia. While other teams hire the best front office people money can buy, the Leafs continue to hire people who are either inexperienced or under qualified. They hire good coaches then undermine them, draft young talent then trade them and flat out refuse to address the real problems.

That would of course be the Board of Directors for MLSE. More specifically Richard Peddie and Larry Tannenbaum, the two alpha males vying for control of the team. While neither actually own the Leafs(the true owners are the Ontario Teachers Pension Fund), they have become accustomed to being in charge with little to no opposition, except each other. Make no mistake there is a power struggle going on, and Peddie has the upper hand.

Peddie knows jack about hockey, but he does know how to make money. Be it ticket sales, television contracts or massive real estate deals brokered on the profits and value of the Leafs, Peddie knows how to make a buck out of pocket lint. For that reason he is kept around, he makes the Pension Fund a lot of returns. But while he's good for business, he's bad for sport. Peddie is the one responsible for hiring Rob Babcock to GM the Raptors, who promptly wasted the 8th overall pick in the 2004 draft on Rafael Araujo and traded Vince Carter for weak draft picks, bench players and Alonzo Mourning(who never even bothered to show up).

He also pushed for the hiring of John Ferguson Junior, a man with the best intentions but no experience as a GM. JFJ was doomed from the start, at once being called upon to rebuild the team from the ground up and keep them in the playoffs. Without being able to commit one way or the other, Ferguson made ill-advised moves and trades and the team has been steadily falling since. Recently Peddie has stated he may have made a mistake in hiring Ferguson, but all he is doing is trying to cover up his own screw-ups.

Let's face it, had Brian Colangelo not been looking for a new challenge after helping to rebuild the Suns Babcock could very well still be in charge of the Raptors. Indeed the only reason Babcock was released was because the team was not turning a profit the the Pension Fund wanted to know why. Not so with the Leafs though.

It is basically impossible for the Toronto Maple Leafs to lose money. For crying out loud a one armed monkey with a full frontal lobotomy could make money with that team. The luxury suites are all sold out, the lower bowls are bought out into the next century and the team has multiple lucrative television contracts with TSN, Sportsnet and it's own station Leafs TV. Even with the team headed for a third straight year without making the playoffs(the first time that's happened since the mid 1920s) it is still expected to surpass it's profits from last year.

Yet even with all that money the board will not fix the problems. This past summer Scotty Bowman(SCOTTY BOWMAN) was interviewed for a position on the team. He was very interested and in an interview with CBC's Ron MacClean this past Saturday revealed that he had spoken with Tanenbaum in August and had stipulated he would take the job only if he was given a Brian Colangelo type deal, meaning no interference from the Board of Directors. Tannenbaum agreed, Peddie did not. The Board sided with the money man and one of the greatest hockey minds of all time was brushed aside.

Supposedly there is going to be a major meeting of all the Board members this Tuesday to discuss where the team is going. Here's a few pointers for you boys. Fire Peddie. Fire Ferguson. While your at it tell all those left-overs and hangers on on the Board to shut up and smile and nod when told to. Then take all that money you're making and steal a GM from Detroit or New Jerseys front office, spend a few million and hire more scouts, give them the best equipment money can buy and re-build the foundation of the team. While you're at it, trade Sundin, then a few more. Buy out who you can't move and get ready to suck for a few years. Draft a franchise player and build around him. Spend more on coaches and managers then any other team to make sure you get the best. Christ, I've just spelled out a more cohesive plan in five minute then any these idiots have had in their lives.

The ship needs to be sunk, and it's Captain and more then a few crew members need to go with it. The Leafs used to be respected. They used to have the most feared scouting and farm system in the NHL. They used to be great. They can be again, but only if the root of the problem is expunged once and for all.