Toronto Maple Leafs Ownership and The One-Way Relationship

For the last five or six years the relationship between the Toronto Maple Leafs and their fans has been a one-way street. Fans pour their money and soul into the hockey club but receive nothing in return.

The management of the team – more so the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan - is definitely at fault here. However the fans themselves are not completely guilt free.
 
It is the fans fault that regardless of the calibre of product on the ice they still flock like herded sheep to fill the seats at the Air Canada Center. Fans are giving the franchise the right to field an inferior team because ownership knows they will still sell out home games regardless of who’s actually on the ice.
 
Over the years Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) has slowly brain washed the fans of Toronto into believing that they actually care about winning a Stanley Cup. They even have us believe that they are doing everything possible in their power to win one.
 
It’s no coincidence that Leafs most competitive era fell during a time when the majority owner was Steve Stavro. After Harold Ballard passed, Stavro became Chairman of the Board of Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd and Governor of the Maple Leafs in October of 1991. Later that year he worked out a deal to purchase shares from Ballards estate. Molson also agreed to sell him the remainder of their stake in Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd, which would ultimately see him become majority owner by 1994.
 
While majority owner, Stavro was known to be a somewhat reclusive man who didn’t like being in the spotlight. Due to this fact, he chose to leave the Maple Leafs organization largely in the hands of the hockey operations staff. Shortly after taking over, during the 1992-’93 season, the Leafs experienced their first winning season in 14 years when they came within one game of the Stanley Cup finals. That was the year Gretzky scored while standing in the crease and obstructing Felix Potvins ability to stop the puck. Although because it was Gretzky that scored the goal, no penalty was called and the goal stood, however I digress. The following season, with Cliff Fletcher still at the helm, the Leafs made it to the Conference Finals again. A little later in the Stavro era, Pat Quinn was brought on board to be the head coach and general manager of the team. During his seven-year tenure the Leafs were an annual contender. Quinn brought the Leafs to the post season in six consecutive years from the 1998-’99 season through the 2003-’04 campaign. In that period of time the Maple Leafs organization had their first two 100-point seasons in franchise history, as well as two Eastern Conference Finals appearances.
 
During the 2003-’04 season, Steve Stavro stepped down as Chairman of what was now named MLSE in favour of Larry Tanenbaum. This was all part of a restructuring plan that also witnessed Stavro sell his majority share of MLSE to the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan. Jim Leech, OTTP Senior Vice President of Private Equity (also known as the Teachers’ Merchant Bank), had orchestrated the deal after the closure of Stavro’s Knob Hill Farms grocery chain. Once the deal was completed, this left the Teachers’ Union with a 66% stake in MLSE, ushering in the most recent era of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the one that we are currently a part of.
 
Let’s be honest here, the Teachers’ Union cares about one thing and one thing only, securing their pension plans. That means they’re main concern – above winning a Stanley Cup - is filling the bank account with as much money as physically possible to secure their future. What this means for the team is that like any other organization, overall profit margins rule their decision-making process. Therefore the overlying problem with the Leafs brass has to do with the fact that our team isn’t run by a wealthy individual who has a passion for the game, but instead run by an organization who has a passion for lining their pockets.
 
As fans, only we hold the key to making a difference. We need to band together and show MLSE that we’re not willing to sit by and let them pillage us with no consequences. Ultimately we must refuse to buy tickets; leave the stands empty in order to show them we won’t be the Hansel and Gretel of their fairy tale world.
 
If you believe this to be true, please join in following the Unofficial Fan Union of the Toronto Maple Leafs using the links below and show your support.
 
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— Greg Ryan Sharp

Roadtrip in Review

With the Toronto Maple Leafs getting set to take the ice back home at the Air Canada Center for the first time since October 17th, we take a look back at the five game roadtrip to see if anything has changed since their abysmal seven game start to the season.

The Leafs started out the season with a winless record of 0-6-1 managing to steal just one point of the initial fourteen available. During that time they had a -18 goal differential after being outscored 32 – 14 by opponents. Since then, while on their five game roadtrip, they have been able to secure five of a possible ten points to end the month of October. While away from home, the Leafs were able to finish with a 1-1-3 record and a respectable -1 goal differential, being outscored just 17 – 16 in the last five games.

Although I was unable to see the entirety of their five game roadtrip, I was able to see enough of each game to notice some key changes to the Toronto Maple Leafs style of play that could explain the better record as of late.

The first thing I noticed came in the third period against Vancouver on October 24th when the Leafs were down 2 – 1. With Toronto fighting to tie it up, the Leafs’ defence began pinching in the offensive zone to keep the puck in deep and maintain pressure. Although this didn’t result in a goal, it gave Toronto multiple scoring chances and opportunities that could very well have tied the game had Roberto Luongo not played as well as he did in that final period.

“Roberto tonight gave us a chance to win this game” said Canucks coach Alain Vigneault. “They played a really strong game, they had a lot of scoring chances, but our goaltender was the best player on the ice tonight.” (Yahoo! Sports Canada, Oct. 24, 2009)

This type of play shows promise, especially against a fast and skillful team like the Vancouver Canucks. It demonstrates a certain level of comfort and confidence, which means the team is getting used to playing together on the ice and finally beginning to gel after bringing in so many fresh faces.

Much like teams Ron Wilson has previously coached, the Leafs have begun playing with a much stronger forecheck. It is well known that a forceful forecheck will upset the timing of the opposing team and create turnovers. The good news is that over the course of the five game road trip, the Toronto players seemed to be buying into Ron Wilsons forechecking system. This is one of the reasons Toronto has managed to lessen their goal differential and be more competitive in the stretch ending October.

“We turned the puck over in the second period probably four or five times in neutral ice, and those are things you cannot do in a 2-1 hockey game.” Anaheim coach Randy Carlyle said after playing Toronto on October 26th.

With the lack of offensive weapons within the Toronto Maple Leafs lineup a strong forecheck is necessary for Toronto to create chances, and that’s exactly what they did against Anaheim to help them in their 6 – 3 victory. This is another aspect of Toronto’s game that has vastly improved over the past five games. Should it continue to improve, the Leafs will no doubt find themselves in the hunt for each game, if not leading.

Toronto’s defensive and offensive zone play also has greatly improved during their five games away from home. The two things they are doing well at both ends of the ice are very similar in theory, crashing the net.

The most likely reason for Toronto’s improvement over the last five games has to be their defensive zone play. For the first time this season Toronto’s forwards have started to play defense. It has not been uncharacteristic for the Leafs to have all five players providing low puck side pressure inside their own zone. This has allowed the Leafs to collapse into the slot and around the net to clear rebounds after a shot. A goaltender can always be counted on to make the initial save, then it’s up to the defence to clear the puck and allow the goalie to reset. With the Leafs executing this style of defence, they have been able to go from a -18 goal differential over their first seven games, to a -1 in their last five.

At the other end of the ice, Toronto has started getting more traffic in front of opposing goaltenders and crashing the net with more authority. This method seems to be working as they have scored 16 goals while on their five game road trip versus a lackluster 14 goals in their first seven outings.

“We played a solid game but sometimes it’s not enough,” said Kaberle, after the 3 – 2 overtime loss to Buffalo on October 30th. “We did a good job going to the net in the third. The first few games in the season we were just standing around and waiting for good plays and empty nets that weren’t there.” (Yahoo! Sports Canada, Oct. 30th, 2009)

Toronto has played their best hockey of the season while away on this road trip and Leaf fans can definitely begin looking on the brighter side of things.

With the recent return of Jonas Gustavsson and Phil Kessel joining the lineup tonight (Tuesday, Nov. 3rd), things are definitely looking up for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Gustavsson has posted a respectable 90.1 SV% and a 2.96 GAA over his last four starts, and Kessel could provide the extra offense that could have pushed a couple of Toronto’s four overtime losses into the wins column.

After grabbing five points in their last five games and the Toronto Maple Leafs style of play seemingly coming together, it’s fair to say the ship is finally getting on course. As long as they continue to play a technically sound game using a strong forecheck and their crash the net style at both ends of the ice, Toronto should be able to begin the climb out of the basement and into the mix of mediocrity.

— Greg Ryan Sharp

Examining Toronto’s Defensive Woes

Toronto's chemistry and communication are two contributing factors to their defensive problems.

Heading into their seventh game of the season the Toronto Maple Leafs defensive troubles seem as though they can’t get any worse. When looking at the team stats for the Toronto Maple Leafs, they have the worst goal differential in the league with a staggering minus 15.

 In the off season the Leafs beefed up their back six by adding two proven stop gap defenders in Francois Beauchemin, and Mike Komisarek, as well as signing physical defenseman Garnet Exelby. After looking at the Leafs abundance of talent on the blue line coming into the ’09-’10 season, no one expected to start the year 0 and 6, leaving the fans wondering what went wrong?

 With a total of only 13 goals for and 28 against I am inclined to believe that this defensive problem spreads further than the Leafs blue line. My suspicions were confirmed when I decided to dig a little deeper and look at individual stats. Out of 22 players that have logged minutes on the ice so far this season, only two leafs have a positive plus/minus (+/-), Alexei Ponikarovsky (+4) and Ian White (+3). Of course on a team with such abysmal defensive numbers, honourable mentions should go out to Mikhail Grabovski and Rickard Wallin who both possess an even zero on the +/- sheet. The rest of the team ranges between -1 and -6, with players like Tomas Kaberle, Jason Blake, John Mitchell, Francois Beauchemin and Mike Komisarek tipping the scales at the wrong end of the spectrum. Realistically, four of those five players mentioned are guys that are expected to lead by example and set the bar for the rest of the team to follow; not to mention they make up a total of $16.5 million in cap space this year, and rank 2nd through 5th on the Leafs highest paid list.

 Why might this defensive collapse be happening? To be honest, an opening 6 game losing skid shouldn’t be very surprising to many Leaf fans. Keep in mind that of the 23 men on the game day roster, nine (sometimes ten) of those players are brand new to the team this year.  Why does that matter? Think of taking your favorite beverage and filling 40% of the glass with water, it waters down the chemistry. Same rules apply to the Leafs’ roster. Adding so many new players to the mix means that it’s going to take time for everyone to get used to playing together, especially the defensive pairings. Of the six defencemen that typically suit up for a game, three of those are new to the lineup; and when it comes to hockey, or any sport for that matter, so much of a team’s success has to do with chemistry amongst the players.

 Another factor could be Toronto’s on-ice communication. The new guys on the team might not be as vocal on the ice as they should be in order to let their linemates know where they are, if they’re open, and if pressure’s coming or not. Being an ex-defenseman myself, I know that playing with someone new definitely takes some getting used to. You don’t know how one and other will be positioned on the ice to react to certain situations both offensively and defensively.  Communication between players on the ice can be a major factor during a teams games. For example, the line of Stalberg, Mitchell, and Orr may not have worked out a call system for their on-ice communications yet. If that’s the case, it will be easier for the players of the opposing team force turnovers against that line, simply due to the fact that they must rely solely on their vision to find their linemates, which causes a slight hesitation before initiating the play. If players aren’t communicating with each other while working in the offensive or defensive zones, you might as well let the opposing team send out a sixth man. Anyone who’s played the game of hockey at any level, knows that hockey is a game of milliseconds, and a split second too soon or too late could mean the difference between winning and losing. Communication definitely allows you to gain those critical seconds in a game to turn the tide in your favor.

 If you ask me, Toronto’s chemistry and communication are two major contributors to their current defensive problems. These are factors that ultimately lay the groundwork for defensive errors, which result in goals against. Give the Leafs a little longer to gel as a team and I can guarantee you that things will begin to turn around come early November. That will allow the new guys a few more weeks to intigrate into the system and build the necessary chemistry with their new linemates. Of course let’s keep in mind that when a team is going through a rebuilding process, these are the type of headaches that we must endure, but trust me, we’ll be better off in the end.

— Greg Ryan Sharp

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The Kessel Years

Leafs need to provide Kessel with a top notch playmaker if he is going to score 30+ goals again. (Photo By: Richard Lautens, Toronto Star)

 The Leafs are off to their worst start in years and a lot of people are beginning to wonder if we overpaid for Phil Kessel, however I beg to differ.

The deal went down as follows: Toronto sent three draft picks to Boston in exchange for the rights to Kessel; two 1st round picks for the 2010 and 2011 NHL entry drafts, as well as a 2nd round pick in 2010. Shortly after the trade was completed, they signed Kessel to a 5 year $27 million contract.

We seem to have forgotten that this kid was touted to be one of the “Next Ones” during his junior career. He was such a fantastic junior player that pro scouts were even ranking him as a prospect comparable to the likes of Sid the Kid (Sidney Crosby) back in ’04-’05. During that season he scored 98 points in 47 games as a member of the under 18 Development Program in the North American Hockey League. After missing the NHL entry draft by just one month, Kessel was forced to play one more season before being drafted, so he joined the Minnesota Golden Gophers at the University of Minnesota. Unfortunately as a freshman he was slotted in as a third line player with limited ice time, but he still managed to net 51 points with a +22 rating in 39 games. Later that year he was drafted 5th overall by the Boston Bruins.

After making the jump to the NHL, Phil Kessel has been steadily improving. Going from just 11 goals and 39 points in his rookie season, to 36 goals and 60 points in his third year with the Bruins. As the newest member of the rebuilding Maple Leafs, I wouldn’t expect him to continue to build on those numbers this year. We all know that the Leafs are a weaker offensive squad than the Boston Bruins, not to mention the fact that he won’t be paired with a player like Marc Savard in this lineup.

However that’s not the issue. The main issue is whether or not the Toronto Maple Leafs gave up too much of their future to acquire Phil Kessel, and at the age of 21 (turning 22 at the end of October), Kessel can only get better, not to mention he fits into the Leafs rebuilding process perfectly. I mean let’s face it, the kid’s already proven he can score at the NHL level when paired with a solid playmaker. Therefore, Burkes next focus should be on acquiring a playmaker of equal calibre that can read the development of the play and get Kessel the puck in the right places.

Yes two firsts and a second round pick can look pricy on paper, but not when you consider the fact that the Leafs cleaned up in the off season picking up talent such as Stalberg, Bozak, Hanson, and Gustavsson. Arguably all of those players would require first round, or second round picks if they had been entered into any of the recent NHL entry drafts.

Moving forward, if the Leafs want Kessel to score 30+ goals again anytime soon, they will need to refrain from committing the “Sundin Curse” a second time around. If you’re unsure of what I am referring to, it’s simply that the Leafs are well known for suffocating Sundin’s career on a roster that provided him with no equal talent to make a Stanley Cup run. Also known as, get Kessel a top notch setup man to play with because Stajan doesn’t cut it. Until they acquire that player, Kessel isn’t going to look like he’s worth the $5.4 million per season we’re paying him, but that’s not his fault. We’ll just have to wait and see what the next 8 to 12 months brings under the Burke regime, but I am confident that Burke understands this need and will do what is necessary to fill it. Whether that be making a deal on or before the trade deadline, or signing an unrestricted free agent come July 1st, one way or another he will find someone.

Of course let’s not forget about Nazem Kadri who appears ready to be a part of the big club next year. That’s just another piece of the puzzle that seems primed to fall into place around the right time, not to mention a whole other discussion topic.

 

All in all, when disecting Burkies moves since taking over the team, I would have to say the puzzle is starting to come together. Of course based on the beginning to this season a lot of people would say otherwise. As a die hard fan, I will tell the rest of you to have faith, Burke knows what he’s doing. Plus we all knew coming into this season that we’re in a rebuilding process and it’s going to take time. Personally I like the steps the Leafs have taken this off season in rebuilding their once overly depleted youth. It’s good to see them moving in the right direction again and filling the minors with up and coming talent to be excited about. It seems as though they are sticking to their strategy of building from the ground up.

 

If you have any questions? comments! or topics you would like to discuss, feel free to contact us at wewantacup@gmail.com and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter @WeWantaCup and Facebook under We Want a Cup.com fan page.

 

— Greg Ryan Sharp

The Leafs goalie troubles continue… the next piece in the puzzle!

'Toskala has had his chance to make an impact in Leaf Nation and of all the games I've watched since he came in, only a few times could I actually say he stole the win for the Leafs.'

With the Monster (Jonas Gustavsson) sidelined already and Vesa Toskala off to a shaky start, things just got a whole lot worse in Toronto. Toskala was injured during Toronto’s Monday night game against the New York Rangers and is reportedly out for at least 10 days with a “knee” injury.

Do you really think this is a real knee injury? Or is it possible that this injury is due to a bruised confidence and is being used as a way to take some of the pressure off? It definitely seems a little convenient that this supposed knee injury comes at a time when he was about to be given the duties of warming the woodwork in lieu of Joey MacDonald’s first start with the club. 

Vesa Toskala has posted a 5.57 Goals Against Average (GAA) so far this year, further improving on his GAA trend while with the Leafs; and by improving, I really mean continuing his slide down the slope to double digit GAA as he now surpasses the half way point on his quest towards ten. Since joining the Leafs for the beginning of the ’07-’08 campaign, Toskala has posted a 2.74 (’07-’08) and 3.26 (’08-’09) GAA, a far cry from his 2.06 and 2.35 GAA days while splitting time in San Jose.

Which raises the question, is Toskala too comfortable here in Toronto?

In his eight year career, his best statistical numbers came from a period when he was splitting time with another high profile goaltender within the San Jose Sharks organization, Evgeni Nabokov. That makes me wonder if Toskala needs a competitive environment to thrive? If you look at his career statistics, his best and most consistent numbers are from when he was trying to prove himself and win the number one job from Nabokov. After joining Toronto and being handed the number one job on a silver platter, thanks to Andrew Raycroft, his numbers began to decline. Will this trend continue? I certainly hope not. Realistically his rough start to the season should settle down and bring his GAA back into 3.00 mark at least. However this doesn’t help the Leafs considering their lack of scoring talent up front, which means this is an issue that needs to be addressed.

With Toskala being the shy and quiet personality that he is, maybe he just can’t handle the pressures of being a number one goalie on the most highly scrutinized team in the NHL. He definitely has the potential to be a strong number one goalie, I just don’t think he has the personality to use that potential in a city like Toronto. Visa vie, he doesn’t have what it takes to bring the Leafs to glory. However, I do believe that Vesa Toskala would be a force to be reckoned with in a smaller market town like the Florida Panthers.

This brings me to my next point, offense wins games but defense wins championships! If the Leafs are going to win a Stanley Cup in the next five years they will need to make a change between the pipes. As stated before, Toskala doesn’t have what it takes to lead us to the promise land. If you look at the history of Stanley Cup winners over the last twenty to thirty years, one thing will quickly become noticeable, 85 to 90 percent of those winning teams possess a solid backstop. Whether that goalie was a flash in the pan posting career numbers for a year or was a future hall of fame inductee they had one thing in common, they were among the best at their position at that point in time. Here are those examples:

• Edmonton Oilers won five Stanley Cups in the ’80′s with a tandem of Grant Fuhr and Andy Moog.
• Patrick Roy took the Montreal Canadians to winners circle in ’92-’93, and then went on to do the same with the Colorado Avalanche in both ’95-’96 and 2000-’01.
• Mike Richter posted career best numbers at 2.57 GAA and 91.0 Save Percentage (SV%) en route to the Rangers ’93-’94 Cup win.
• Martin Brodeur carried the New Jersey Devils to three Stanley Cups in ’94-’95, ’99-2000, and ’02-’03.
• Chris Osgood backed the Detroit Red Wings in back to back Cup wins in both the ’96-’97, ’97-’98 and ’07-’08 seasons. Dominic Hasek joined and aided Detroit to a Cup win in ’01-’02 along with Osgood.
• Ed Belfour put up ridiculous stats in the ’98-’99 push for the Dallas Stars eventual Cup win posting a regular season – 1.99 GAA and a 91.5 SV%; Playoffs – 1.67 GAA 93.5 SV%. Later to post some of the best goaltending numbers the Leafs have seen in recent years when he finished third among stat leaders in ’03-’04 with a 2.13 GAA and a 91.8 SV%.
• Nikolai Khabibulin won the Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in ’03-’04 when he posted a 1.71 GAA and a 93.3 SV% in 23 games during that playoff run.
• Cam Ward stepped up big in ’05-’06 when as a backup during the regular season all he could manage was a 3.68 GAA and a 88.2 SV% in 28 games, however in the playoffs put up a 2.14 GAA and a 92.0 SV% in 23 games while taking the Carolina Hurricanes to the Cup in place of Martin Gerber who struggled to regain his form after sitting out with the flu early in the playoffs.
• JS Giguere with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in ’06-’07 was one of the top five goalies in the league that year, later lifting the Stanley Cup that season.
• Finally, the most recent winner, Marc-Andre Fleury continued his solid play during his fourth season with the Pittsburgh Penguins to help take them to a Stanley Cup victory just last season in ’08-’09.

After reading those examples I don’t think any Leaf fan could picture Vesa Toskala being a part of that group, especially considering his track record with the Toronto Maple Leafs thus far. Of course that means one thing, he isn’t the right piece to the puzzle. All in all, Toskala has had his chance to make an impact in Leaf Nation and of all the games I’ve watched since he came in and only a few times could I actually say he stole the win for the Leafs. Of any great team the goaltender needs to steal at least fifteen games during the regular season and a handful during the playoffs, something I have witnessed very rarely while Toskala has dawned the blue and white. Not to say he couldn’t turn it around at any moment and begin playing that kind of hockey; look at Cam Ward and what he did with the Carolins Hurricanes the year they won. Nevertheless, I just don’t see that happening.

From what I have heard and seen thus far, Jonas Gustavsson could potentially be the answer to our troubles. At the age of just 24 (turning 25 on October 24th), Gustavsson was the top goalie last season in the Swedish Elite League (SEL) posting a 1.96 GAA and a 93.2 SV% with 3 shutouts (SO) during 41 games in the regular season. Furthermore, that same year he posted a 1.03 GAA, 96.1 SV% and 5 SO in just 13 games during the playoffs. Of course the jump from the SEL to the NHL isn’t an easy transition so it will take him time to adjust. That being said, there is no telling how well the Monster could turn out in a couple years time, which could be the right time for the Leafs to make their next Stanley Cup run. They always say a goaltenders prime is the eight year stretch between the ages of 26 and 34.

Could this be the beginning of the stars aligning for the Toronto Maple Leafs?

Why don’t you weigh in on the subject by either sending us your thoughts via email at wewantacup@gmail.com or leave us a comment on here.

In the meantime, please join the following on Twitter under @WeWantACup and on Facebook at our fan page We Want a Cup.com. (On Facebook, just enter We Want a Cup.com in their internal search)

— Greg Ryan Sharp

Welcome to We Want a Cup.com

Hey guys! Welcome to We Want a Cup.com.

We Want a Cup.com is primarily a blog about the Toronto Maple Leafs and the quest for our next Stanley Cup.

As a true blue Maple Leafs fan at the ripe age of 26 and after watching my fair share of Leafs hockey, I feel it’s about time that the fans of Toronto are delivered another Stanley Cup! Currently we are sitting in our 42nd and entering into our 43rd year without a Stanley Cup win, and as a die hard fan myself, which I’m sure most of you reading this will agree, this is unacceptable. It’s time we stand up together and voice our opinion.

I have begun We Want a Cup.com in hopes of growing this into an unofficial fan union. One day I hope we will be able to grow large enough to gain recognition in media streams and become THE go to place to voice your opinion about the club. It is my goal to be heard and hopefully help influence some changes within the organization so we can bring another Stanley Cup back to one of the most prestigious teams in the NHL.

If you are a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, sign up as a subscriber to show your support. Think of this page as a “petition” for our next Stanley Cup. If you are a Facebook and Twitter user, please support us on those social media sites also. You will find our email address, Twitter account, and Facebook fan page information listed below. Feel free to send us your questions, comments, and discussion topics.

— Greg Ryan Sharp

• Facebook Fan Page: We Want a Cup.com (Enter this into the search field in Facebook and the fan page will come up)
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