Maple Leafs' GM Search

History will remember John Ferguson Jr. as a martyr of sorts. Whether or not that title is deserved is irrelevant at this point in time. The fact remains he was essentially burned at the stake for the sins of his former Toronto Maple Leafs bosses.

Ferguson Jr.: A bad initial choice?

One popular misconception is that Ferguson was underqualified at the time of his hiring by the Maple Leafs in 2003 into the position of general manager. In fact, with St. Louis he served as assistant general manager, was later promoted to director of hockey operations, and also previously had a stint as GM of the Worcester IceCats in the AHL, a team that later became the Peoria Rivermen, the Blues' top minor-league affiliate. Unfortunately, whatever experience he did earn did little for him the time he was in Toronto. Mistake after mistake, he helped in part to lay waste to a team that, the season prior to his hiring, reached the Eastern conference finals. However, that is a story for another time.

Media Weighs in on GM Candidates

In any case, with the Leafs about to miss the playoffs for the third straight season, the writing was clearly on the wall for his dismissal. What ensued however was a media-circus embarrassment, in which current Anaheim Ducks GM Brian Burke was and still is repeatedly named as a potential replacement for Ferguson. The problem is he is still under contract with Anaheim. Carolina's Jim Rutherford has also been named as a potential suitor for the position, and, during a Leafs game soon after Ferguson was fired, the media embarrassed itself once more when CBC's Elliotte Friedman asked a visiting Rutherford point blank if he had an 'out' in his contract specifically for the Leafs job.

Up to now, these miscues could be attributed solely to an overzealous Toronto-based media. The CBC incident, especially, considering Hockey Night in Canada's reputation as being too pro-Toronto and anti every other Canadian city. That Friedman would put Rutherford on the spot like that speaks to the CBC's alleged view that the hockey world revolves around Toronto and that any person would be lucky to work for the organization. The mere thought is laughable, considering the team's free fall the past few years. Rutherford denied the existence of any such stipulation, but, whether or not he was telling the truth is impossible to tell. The fact remains that sports reporters in Toronto were left running around like chickens with their heads cut off, trying to look for any possible lead in the story. The difference between the reporters and headless chickens, however, is that chickens have the good sense to give up and die eventually.

MLSE Joins the Fray

Once the blame of humiliation could be fully shouldered by the media, the weight shifted onto the team's front office when reports surfaced that Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment president Richard Peddie actually recommended Burke for the position to the organization's board of directors. In addition, San Jose was asked by the Leafs for permission to talk to Sharks gm Doug Wilson. It should be noted that Wilson has helped to shape the Sharks into a top team in the league. The Maple Leafs enquiring as to whether or not they could try to pry him away from San Jose is another great joke that has come from out of this lesson in unprofessionalism.

Add into the mix the fact that Cliff Fletcher was brought on as interim GM and one begins to wonder if the Leafs have any sense of class at all. When the team finally wins whatever sweepstakes it's entered, all signs point to Fletcher getting the boot as well. We thank you for your time helping us out when we were in dire need, but, we're in need no longer. Here's a fruit basket!

Fletcher indeed accepted the position knowing the job would only be short-term, and the fact that Ferguson was fired just prior to the trade deadline meant that a replacement was needed as soon as possible, but what most teams do is they wait until the off-season to make huge moves such as this.

Back to Burke

Former Vancouver boss Dave Nonis, summarily hung out to dry by the Canucks, is the latest rumoured name in the woodwork, but speculation just won't end that hiring Nonis would be just another way to court Burke once his contract runs out in Anaheim, as Nonis and Burke are such good friends.

Burke, if not the best, is surely one of the best managers in the entire National Hockey League. Wherever he has gone, success has followed. There is no denying that if the Leafs hire Burke they'll have found their man, but the popular mindset of Toronto being the place has to eventually be shifted onto something, anything, more productive... like thoughts of monkeys at desks, typewriting, for one example.

A friendly reminder to everyone in and outside of Toronto: The Leafs haven't won the Stanley Cup in over 40 years. The way things are being run right now, it's easy to believe they'll never win another.

Print Article

Email Article

View All Articles

How to subscribe to feeds