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Leafs fire Maurice

DAVID SHOALTS

Globe and Mail Update

Latest comment posted at 8:44 PM EDT 07/05/08

Dismissed Toronto head coach: 'I don't think, based on the season we just had, that this was a surprise' ...Read the full article

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  1. Young Gunner from BMO Field, Canada writes: Great news. He did say that the last Leafs team was the best he'd ever had the pleasure to coach...that Stanley Cup Final Hurricane team must be been appalling then! Love spring cleaning...
  2. Liam Smith from Canada writes: Great. Now there's only about 15 other guys to go.
  3. Pat Billings from CDN, Canada writes: No GM, no coach, no captain....

    Makes me want to go out and get a leaf jersey and a Leaf TV subsription.

    Go Leafs Go...
  4. DALLAS GREEN from Canada writes: HAHAHA!
  5. J.C. Petite from Toronto, Canada writes: Hey Billings Go Habs Go! lol
    Makes me just wanna go out and buy a Habs jersey.
  6. Doc B from Canada writes: Too bad for Maurice. He never had the players to compete.
  7. s from canada from Canada writes: Maurice deserves better than the leafs. I am glad they let him off the hook now so he can find a new job for next season.
  8. Larfing Outloud from Virgin Islands (British) writes: Liam Smith from Canada writes: Great. Now there's only about 15 other guys to go.

    Not far from the truth Liam, but I think just Peddie has to go.
  9. Lowen Wrainger from Canada writes: Maybe the players will perform better without a coach.
  10. matt John from Gainesville, FL, writes: Makes no sense to fire a coach without a GM in place; especially when Peddie says he wants a GM in place by September which would be after the draft, after FA, after Kubina's trade window. What is the GM has his eyes on a coach that has a job? What self respecting organization would allow their coach to talk to Toronto that close to the regular season. Unless Kirke and Peddie have their GM, this is a stupid move especially with another year on the contract. Maurice deserved to be fired and I don't feel sorry for him. I feel sorry for the future GM.
  11. Tetchy Citizen from Canada writes: Love to see the Leafs re-building for another decade.

    Continuous upheaval -- oh, so THAT'S why they're called Canada's team!
  12. Marcus Leja from Calgary, Canada writes: So when does the Leafs front office get gutted?
  13. Mr. Coffee from Victoria, Canada writes: Maurice wasn't the Leafs problem. It begins with Mr. Peddie & his posse of clueless suits @ MLSE.

    Only then will the Ballard curse erode away.

    J.C. Petite: What happened to Les Habs, huh? They traded away Huet and gambled on an unproven Carey Price, who wasn't the next Ken Dryden or Patrick Roy super-rookie.
  14. achebe .... from Canada writes: Why let an interim GM make decisions like this? Is Cliff Fletcher a Habs/Sens plant-stooge?
    He doesn't want to talk to Sundin, and now, a man who will be out of work himself by the end of August is making these critical decisions for the organization?
    Good grief...grief indeed if you're a Leaf's fan.
  15. J.C. Petite from Toronto, Canada writes: Mr. Coffee

    I was being very sarcastic!
    I hate the Habs, I was making fun of Pat Billings. Every time the G&M posts an article relating to the Leafs, Mr. Billings comes on these boards and makes a stupid comment about how bad the Leafs are. He also boasts about his Habs and how terrific they are. Well all I can say to him now, is that his Habs looked pretty brutal this year in the playoffs. They needed 7 games to beat an 8th seed in the Bruins and then they were ousted by a 7th seed in 5 games. Pretty forgettable performance in my opinion.
  16. Ob Server from Canada writes: It's always that way....the guy on the firing line takes the bullits because the idiots behind have no clue what else to do. MLSE and its management is just too pathetic for words. How any self-respecting person can work for this confused organization is beyond me. I have no hope of the Leafs ever winning a cup again as long as this organization is managed by these bozos. Now we go back to another in a long series of re-organizations lasting 10-15 years designed to make the Leafs a "contender". What a load of bs. I GIVE UP!!
  17. Bobby S from Toronto, Canada writes: Finally!!!!!

    This is only the beginning. Get rid of half the lineup and start from scratch. If the Flyers proved anything this year, it's that with some sound trades and good drafting, teams can move from the cellar to the top in relatively quick time. Considering the Leafs didn't trade very well, they'll still struggle this upcoming year but at least it's a start.
  18. kevin mcgee from modesto ca, United States writes: keith acton has survived the last two dismissals of the head coach

    will he be the coach that in this current farse?
  19. Jack Jones from Canada writes: Bad move.

    Maurice was class and quality.

    They should have given him at least another couple of years.
  20. dale spinx from Canada writes: from a player to player standpoint, nearly half the team underachieved. for the most part you can blame the player but when it such a widespread problem on the team, you half to wonder if it might be the coach. great coaches can get players to play above their heads and this wasn't the case for the leafs. the season was full of inconsistencies and underachieving. im not saying maurice was entirely to blame but he definately wasn't part of the solution.
  21. this is just my opinion from Canada writes: Hmm. Isn't that like the racing team firing the driver when their jalopy doesn't win the race?
  22. T. W. from Canada writes: There were about five games where P.M. had the wrong players on the ice as the clock ran down. It is time for a change. The Leafs have the 7th pick and should get a great prospect. The back and forth at the start of the season with Vesa and A.R. was a playoff killer. He should have been double shifting Mats in mid December to get out of the slump. The season was flushed from the 15th of Dec to the 15th of Jan and he was not able to coach the Leafs to much needed wins..1 win a month and the Leafs are in and Boston was out. Philly lost 10 in a row; but they still were able to make the playoffs. Why good coaching and being able to overcome injuries. 41 years and counting..Let's go Leafs management lets see some LIFE!!!!
  23. Kevin Dooley from Canada writes: Maurice wasn't able to motivate the troops, and probably deserved to be fired. But the bigger problem is the group of players that Ferguson gave him - useless overpaid old men like Tucker and McCabe consuming salary cap space and giving back nothing to the team. So Ferguson deserved to be fired even more, thankfully he was eventually fired, but only after 3 consecutive years of increasingly terrible results. And that points to the person who really deserves to be fired, the person who hired Ferguson despite his lack of experience, the person who told Ferguson what to do and prevented him from doing sensible things in those rare instances where Ferguson actually had a sane idea, the person who protected Ferguson when the board questioned his competence, the person who repeatedly went on national TV and speculated on whether he should fire Ferguson and repeatedly undermined him and left him unable to do his job...

    In short, Peddie must go. Peddie is at least 50% of the problem at MLSE. Peddie must go. And then we can start looking for the other 50% of the problem - meddling board members, corruption in the back office, whatever.

    Hey, Larry Tanenbaum! Why am I not on the board? I'll fix it.
  24. Ob Server from Canada writes: J.C.Petite from Toronto: Yes the Habs are aweful....2x as many wins as the loser Leafs....24 vs 11 in the past 80 years....terrible. At least the Habs got into the playoffs and won a cup in 1993. The pathetic Leafs won 41 years ago, cannot even make the playoffs and probably won't win again for another 40 years, if ever. Don't dump on the Habs if all you have to defend yourself with is the pathetic Leaf record.
  25. graham g from Canada writes: When Quinn was fired all the press said he had boring practices and Maurice had wonderful ones. The only difference is Quinn could win actual hockey games. Maurice was a press favourite and helped Ferguson to pick him. Shows how much the Toronto sports media knows about hockey. Very little
  26. T. W. from Canada writes: Ob Server...Never in the history of the CH have they waited so long for a Cup. Koivu is the longest serving Captian without a Cup. After watching almost all of the playoffs, the Habs are another 5 years away from winning. They are nowhere close to Detroit or Dallas..LA, Edmonton,
    St. Louis ,Pitt for the next decade all have a better chance in the future. 15 years and counting MTL..
  27. Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada writes: The only explanation for firing Paul Maurice at this time is that they know he will be fired before September anyway and they are giving him time to look for a new job.

    Other that that .... no sense at all.

    Personally I think he should have been fired last November. The players weren't listening... they had no power play... their penalty kill was atrocious and he kept playing Wozniewski with Gil. He also had a tendency to have Blake on the ice while holding a one goal lead... hated that.

    Cheers
  28. Earl Anthony from Canada writes: How does a new GM evaluate his players without the coach?

    This is the same backwards thinking from top down that has characterized the Leafs for the past decade.

    Paul Maurice, you deserved better and so do the fans!
  29. J.C. Petite from Toronto, Canada writes: Ob im not dumping on the Habs franchise and I respect their storied history. However, I have no respect for people like Pat Billings who come on these boards and say things like, " No GM, no coach, no captain....Makes me want to go out and get a leaf jersey and a Leaf TV subsription.Go Leafs Go...". Like really, what is this crap? Nobody knows who the new Gm will be, or who the coach will be or if Sundin will be back. So why does Billings write this crap??
    I wasnt slighting the Habs and their franchise, I was simply stating how poorly they played in this years playoffs and how dissapointing their performance was (you cant argue with that). If Habs fans wanna come on here and rip the Leafs, please dont assume that they wont get it thrown right back in their face.
  30. James McGillawee from Oshawa, Ont., Canada writes: Sell the team and move it out of town. It is the owners fault!
  31. puddin and pie from Canada writes: maybe Cliffie can wangle Iginla out of Calgary, oops sorry Risebrough is in Minnesota.

    remember when Trawnna and Mtl would swap players?
    Sundin for Koivu?
    make Cherry go NUTS!
  32. slapdash dapoint from Canada writes: muarice was a class act but was working with house league talent. hope he finds somewhere more respectable to coach.

    hey fletch, you gonna call reggie dunlop?
  33. wayne powers from saskatoon, writes: If you looked in the boardroom it would be like the scene from Blazing Saddles. They all have the little pads and are repeating"We have to protect our phony baloney jobs"
    I don't blame Maurice, he is a good enough coach, it's just too easy to fire everyone except the millionaire deadbeats, who don't perform.
  34. A T from Canada writes: a lucky guy, now he can leave the big, ugly city before the smog comes! how does somehow warrant a headline?
  35. Northern Boy from Gatineau, Canada writes: Finally the Leafs decided to change their coach. This has always worked in the past, so why reinvent the wheel? Hahahaaha!
  36. Steve J from Canada writes: Go (away) Leafs Go (away) !!
  37. Thomas D'Arcy McGee from Canada writes:
    So THAT'S why the Leafs have been losing for forty years!

    That explains it.
  38. PANIC! At The Ice Floe from Ottawa, Canada writes: Stupid move. I would figure he is now on Bryan Murray's list of people to call.
  39. R. Carriere from Maritimes, Canada writes:

    This sort of tells me that a new GM must be VERY close to be signed and probably didn't want to come in and his first move was a "Negative" Like a firing.

    Now his first move will be a positive-like a new "Hiring." A new beginning......

    Anyway, Maurice lost the team last November. Lots of questionable choices as to ice time and system used with players avialable. Half the time they looked lost.

    Good Luck Leafs and fans-you deserve better!

    .
  40. Cowtown boy from Calgary, Canada writes: J.C. Petite: What happened to Les Habs, huh? They traded away Huet and gambled on an unproven Carey Price, who wasn't the next Ken Dryden or Patrick Roy super-rookie.

    Maybe not, but us Habs fans got to watch 2 rounds of playoff games, which I might add is way more than T.O. has seen in years and judging by the latest news is more than T.O. will see in the next few years as well.

    LOL
  41. T. W. from Canada writes: COWBOY ...Having a 5-7 record in the playoffs is not vintage Habs..It is
    a failure no matter how Guy and Bob sugar coat it.
  42. Beetle Bailey from Canada writes: Every year, same old complaints from Leafs supporters. I remember when they were all saying that Harold Ballard was the problem, then the next GM or coach, right thru to JF jr. Yet they keep filling the building. Only when the fans show that they will no longer put up with mediocity and get better players will they ever have a shot of winning the cup before the 50th anniversary of the last one comes around.

    And now that the Canadian dollar is around par with the US dollar, the Leafs (and the rest of the Canadian teams) can't use the excuse that they can't compete with any more.
  43. Dom P from Ottawa, Canada writes: Regardless of whether Maurice needed to be fired, I agree with most commentors that it was not Fletcher's call as an interim GM. Maurice would have probably lost the job when the new GM would have been appointed anyways, since they usually like to bring in their own people... but why not wait? On a positive note, maybe this will help Maurice land a contract with another team more quickly. All and all, it's not a horrible thing.
  44. Shawn Bull from Canada writes: When are they going to fire Richard Peddie?

    When Peddie was involved with the Raptors the team was a loser and considered the laughing stock of the NBA. When he got out of the way and Coangelo took over the Raptors started winning and was no longer looked down on by the NBA.

    Peddie has full involvment in the Leafs and guess what...they are a losing team and the organization is a laughing stock.

    The only thing keeping Peddie safe is the disfunctional Board of Executives and a Teacher's pension more focused on $$$$ than wins.
  45. DT . from Canada writes: Don't know why they'd fire the coach before finding a GM, but obviously I don't know as much as the Laffs' managment on how to run a hockey club.

    Where's Ol' 'coon-eyes (aka Pat Quinn) when you need him.

    Can you see the drama building up over the summer? New coach, new GM, new hopes of making the post season. This will be gold for keeping the plebes in TO from switching to Ontario's only true hockey club -- the Mighty Sens!
  46. Scot Loucks from Pickering, Canada writes: Don't understand the Hab bashing.... their young players got 12 playoff games under their belts. Experience for next year.

    Cheers
  47. Don Bryant from Calgary, Canada writes: The Toronto Maple Laffs - the best team in any sport anywhere in the world when it comes to self-immolation.
  48. Andrew Bisson from Ottawa, Canada writes: Glad to see him gone.
    But first of all, he is a class act, and showed a lot of character dealing with the Toronto media day after day.
    But, he wasn't a very good coach. Look at how awful the Leafs were in special teams rankings. A good coach can make a positive aspect on that area.
    Saying that the Leafs would make the playoffs and compete for the Stanley Cup showed how much he was drinking the MLSE kool-aid being served to him.
    What really bothered me was he said the Leafs would be a hard team to play against...ie a tough, physical team. This Leafs team was the softest team I have ever seen in Toronto.
    I'm all for starting with a clean slate. Good luck to Maurice in becoming an assistant with a team.
  49. Gogh Forit from Canada writes: So when was it that the Leafs last made the playoffs. Maurice was a good coach and changing him with anyone will only see temporary results. The leafs will then settle into their usual mediocre mode which won't affect the bums in the seats. The problem with the way the Leafs perform is as much attributable to the fans than anything else.
    As atrocious as Toronto has been, the house is nearly always full. Why should management do anything to seriously improve the team when those seats continue to be filled. Instead of banding together as a group to boycott the crappy product on the ice, ticket holders, afraid that someone else will buy those tickets, refuse to engage in any protest that might see them losing those tickets.
    Toronto will continue to be the laughing stock of the league but will also continue to be one of the most profitable so why should anything change on the ice with the exception of the shuffling of coaching and management staff.
  50. Proud Canadian from Canada writes: Glad for Paul. Get himself and his family out of Toronto. I could think of nothing better for him. With that bunch of dummies on the bench save 2 (Sundin and Toskola), he had nothing to work with. Who's next? Glad Ted Nolan is under contract, would not want him in that nest. Maybe Dominic Hasek would be a good coach in Toronto, his career is basically over, he's the biggest cry baby ever to cross the creek, he would fit in good.
  51. A Realist from Canada writes: It doesn't matter, the Leafs don't have to win to be popular. Leaf fans are always convinced they are one good coach, or GM, or player away from winning the Cup. You could put minor league players in Leaf jerseys and they would still sell out - wait, they've already done that.
  52. Cowtown boy from Calgary, Canada writes: "T. W. from Canada writes: COWBOY ...Having a 5-7 record in the playoffs is not vintage Habs..It is
    a failure no matter how Guy and Bob sugar coat it. "

    --------------------------------------------------------
    No, but it's still better than 0 which is what you leaf fans have which I might add is vinatge leafs
  53. Steve Dunlop from Saint John, writes: The Leafs should contact the Disney Company to see if they can have the rights to Mickey Mouse. he would be an excellant mascot for them
  54. Cowtown boy from Calgary, Canada writes: No, Mickey Mouse is successfull. Gumby & Pokey would be more appropriate.
  55. the rose from t.o., Canada writes: The MLSE board has wonderful timing. They fire a coach with no GM in place, and retain a GM for two years after it was apparent his hiring was a mistake. How many years before the Teachers exert some of that pension power and demand some top-level changes... 3 years without playoffs in a league that lets over half the teams make it is a joke.
  56. Pat Billings from CDN, Canada writes: Not bashing, just adding humor. The Habs have their own problems...looking for that one elusive "impact player" isn't going to be an easy task for Gainey and Carbo.

    If the NHL held off-season mini-camps (like the NFL), who would run the leaf show??? The highest bidding fan? Peddie? Carlton the Bear?

    Most coaches that the Habs fire (Vigneault, Julien, Therien, Lemaire, Burns Tremblay) can usually go on to have great coaching careers (yes, even Tremblay). What happens to former leafs coaches?
  57. Wally Grisold from Toronto, Canada writes: Hey Cliff why don't you hire Don Cherry as GM/coach. Then we wouldn't have to listen to him on Coache's Corner Yea team.
  58. T. W. from Canada writes: Brokeback Cowboy McLovin Gumby and Pokey...
    The Habs have won nothing...
    They are going to need to replace Koivu and Kovelev after next year..
    With who? The difference on taxes in Quebec and lets say Texas or Florida is about 240,000.00 on every Million. So no Vinnie,No Morrow just more of what they already have.To quote Thomas Plekanc "little girls"
  59. Alex Yaxmos from Canada writes: Leafs are the mess, they are not meant to win but to sell tickets.
  60. D G from Canada writes: Paul Maurice proved that PAt Quinn wasn't a bad coach and didn't deserve to be fired. Murice's successor will prove Maurice wasn't a bad coach and didn't deserve to be fired. Leaf fans, you team is awful. For Maurice to get them as cloe to the playoffs as he did was getting them to play wayyyy over their heads. I thought Toronto fans knew their hockey - obviously not!
  61. Ryan Hickman from Canada writes: My bet is they'll bring the coach from the Marlies up for next season. Only reason it hasn't been made public yet is because the Marlies are still in the playoffs. This move was an obvious one and no one should be surprised. I am sure Maurice is more relieved than anything else.

    The Leafs need to go the route of the Flyers and Pens. Go young and go fast. Get some core young guys and build around them with the odd veteran to provide some leadership. It may take a couple of years or it may take a year (Flyers). Either option is really the only way to go.
  62. John E. Boy from Canada writes: Louden Wainwright's song "Dead Skunk In The Middle Of The Road!"
    seems an apt rock anthem for Leaf Nation fans to adopt! It's great to know we'll continue to have the Leafs to kick around for the forseeable future.
  63. T. W. from Canada writes: John E Boy..Karma is a B...Maybe at 3pm Scotty Bowman will be announced
    as Pres and GM...
  64. Paul I from Rochester NY, United States writes: Scot Loucks- I respectfully dis-agree. This is a good time to fire Maurice- he was a dead man walking. The new GM's "To Do List" has "Gas Maurice" as the No.1 task. It was inevitable, he had zero results. This is big business. Time to move on. I still say Cliff Fletcher is the best man available for the GM position. All we need is 3 years from Mr. Fletcher to get things headed in the right direction.

    Cheers-
  65. Irish 222 from Ottawa, Canada writes: Wow..I would say Paul Maurice is the happiest coach to ever get fired. Big sigh of relief for him to get out of that dysfunctional MLSE mess.
    I bet Mr. Maurice has a spring in his step and a twinkle in his eye today!
  66. The Defender from Whitby, Canada writes: What a bone headed move. Another year coming up of dysfuctional management, what a joke.
  67. Mr. Coffee from Victoria, Canada writes: J.C. Petitie: Ok I get it.

    Let's all get back to our summers and forget about Canada's NHL teams for 3 months.

    The Habs are in way better shape than the Leafs.
  68. Rabid Senses from Good gawd, a latte-swilling Westerner, Canada writes:

    Maurice is a competent coach who still has a lot to prove in the NHL.

    He was one of the few elements of the Toronto Maple Leafs I really respected. I think many of us share the view that, had there existed professional ownership and management, a true hockey coach like Paul Maurice would have made a better run with this team.

    Godspeed indeed!
  69. R Miller from Halifax, Canada writes: Maurice seems like a good guy and a good coach. I sure hope that he lands on his feet with another NHL team.

    Maybe I am just being Petty, but the Leafs' lack of success begins at the top..... higher up!

    Go Leafs Go.

    Cheers.
  70. Dwide Schrude from Canada writes: I know nothing about hockey but I was on Wikipedia and I've just now learned that apparently the coach doesn't even get on the ice and the coach never actually scores goals.

    It turns out that there are things called "players" that are supposed to do the scoring and play defense.

    This has me thinking. I'm assuming the Leafs hire "players" who can already skate and handle the puck, so the coach doesn't really do much but pick the lines. So maybe, just maybe, the coach isn't actually the problem. Maybe, just maybe, the "players" just aren't that good. Is the next coach gonna scream louder and that will make the players not stink???

    Let's hope they hire a "coach" who can throw on a uniform and score some goals, otherwise it's golf in March, 2009 again for the Leafs.
  71. Dan Radu from Canada writes: Haha. Maybe Tannembaum and Peddie should try their hand at coaching. After all...if you want something done right...

    Maurice will find work again. Sadly, so will the Leafs senior management.
  72. Baked Pot8o from O-town, Canada writes: Weird, weird.

    Fletch says a month ago that the new GM is going to make the decision on Maurice... and then this decision comes out. Sure, it is best to give Paul the advanced notice, but this has Petty meddling written all over it.

    I have to say, Maurice was the best coach in recent memory to handle the media in Toronto. That said, special teams were brutal and when he wouldnt dress Belak for the next meeting w/ Philly after Blake got a poke in the eye... well, it made no sense to me.

    Should an end of season article about the firing of the coach really generate so many comments? You Montreal and Ottawa fans must be really bored.
  73. Proud Canadian from Canada, Canada writes: Paul I from Rochester NY, United States writes: "I still say Cliff Fletcher is the best man available for the GM position. All we need is 3 years from Mr. Fletcher to get things headed in the right direction". Paul, meaning what? 3 more years of futility before any results start to maybe happen? Its a good statement, but what's the context?
  74. J. Reaves from Toronto, writes: Interesting noting Maurice's dissappointment with "3 or 4 players", as it's likely he lost the entire team a long time ago. Maurice was likely to go with the hire of the new GM. Hope the interviews for the new GM conducted by Mr. Gord Kirke & his team go well.
  75. g h from Canada writes: Let a proper house cleaning of front office commence.
    And last one out of the office please turn out the lights.
  76. Rob C from Canada writes: Get Pat Burns. He is a pro..Maurice deserved a better (real) GM and in turn a real (better) hockey team...how does woody keep his job? He needs to go too - special teams sucked both O and D...Fresh start - So get Pat Burns again...
  77. Jim Mohagan from steeltown, Canada writes: Leaf owners have no reason to improve the team. They sell out games and make piles of cash from TV, merchandise, etc., regardless of how well they're playing. Leafs fans are suckers to let them get away with it.
  78. Rob C from Canada writes: Prediction: Colin Campbell as GM - Cliff will be retained as an advisor "Consigliere" and a junior staff of 1 or 2 assistants for contract work and player development.
  79. Hap Stokes from Port Alberni BC, Canada writes: Coaches Holy Cow!
    Learned more from an Intermediate League coach early than I did in low minors leagues later on.

    In 2007 Vigneault was 'Coach of the Year'
    After 2008 he will probably be canned.

    In the game of Musical (NHL) Coaches--Just theorize for a moment:
    If Wilson gets the AXE in San Jose and gets hired by the Leafs,
    And Maurice should (by some miracle) get hired to replace him.
    Who do you think will have the best coaching record in 2009?
    Maurice in San Jose or Wilson with the Mighty Leafs in Toronto?

    Now that's a No-Brainer!-- Tlusty ain't no Thornton is he?
    And Tucker ain't no Clowe either.

    Blame the Coach for management failures--Same Old, Same Old
  80. Ryan M from Ottawa, Canada writes: I'd love to see Burns end up in Ottawa. The leafs can take Bob Hartley if they want.
  81. Devil Bud from T.O., Canada writes: Pat Burns...Pat Quinn? Either way, let the interviews begin. Hopefully they don't bring someone in before whoever is named the new GM. How much would it suck to bring in a kick a.ss coach only to have another puppet G.M., and another crappy team for a coach to deal with. It is ridiculously unfortunate that Maurice takes a hit because upper management and Ferguson are terrible. What they should have done is hire an independent evaluator to come in each year and project how well the Leafs should be able to do, as compared to other teams. That way, you can actually have something to work with. Maurice was a winning coach with a team that had no business expecting to make the playoffs. Too bad this organization shows absolutely no class when it comes to respectable players or coaches. Heh Peddie....get a mirror and fire yourself.
  82. Rex Bradley from Oakville, Canada writes: What's the matter boys? Don't like your editing criticised? Grow up, it's the Leafs, Sr. B, like it or not.
  83. Neil no more last name from Mississauga, Canada writes: Should an end of season article about the firing of the coach really generate so many comments? You Montreal and Ottawa fans must be really bored.

    Amen
  84. Paul I from Rochester NY, United States writes: Dwide Schrude- If you don't know anything about hockey, how do you know about the importance of Spring golfing? I detect a fraud.

    PC- The context is that Mr.Fletcher (if given a Peddie-free environment) would be able to build a winner in three years. Not a Stanley Cup winner, but a no-excuses, best-effort, entertaining team to watch. My guess is he would hire Pat Burns to coach. Doug Gilmour, Assistant Coach. Back To The Future!

    To those who say we should give hockey a rest- Please turn to the soccer or horse racing sections. We can do without your useless input.
  85. Neil no more last name from Mississauga, Canada writes: The judgement being thrown at Leaf fans here is unbelievable...Guess I forgot that you're all such "better" people.

    It's friggin hockey, not international politics. If I want to cheer on the home team I will.

    As for the rest of you toronto haters enjoy whatever team it is you cheer for, and never forget how much "better" you are than us.

    Hockey snobs.
  86. sonny l from Toronto, Canada writes: When DT said:

    "This will be gold for keeping the plebes in TO from switching to Ontario's only true hockey club -- the Mighty Sens! "

    I was thinking "Ontario's only true hockey club? what, the Marlies?"

    Oh the Sens! Ottawa's Team! That's right, I forgot about them.
  87. Verona Raven from United States writes: I heard the Senators need a new coach...
  88. Rob C from Canada writes: Hartely? Right...Sens need a Burns - I doubt he would go.
  89. Devil Bud from T.O., Canada writes: I heard the Sens need a second line to be coached...
  90. T. W. from Canada writes: "Mighty Sens"..Is there a comedy festival in the Nations capital?
    150 days in first place in the Eastern Confrence only to get bounced by the Habs. THE HABS!!! The as one of their own player said they are "little Girls"..Sens fans are so lame..Great building lame fans..Winnipeg and Quebec City have better fans than Ottawa..Ottawa fans should stay out of
    Toronto Maple Leafs Business...Look on the Fifty $ bill..That is the last time Ottawa won the Cup..King was P.M....
  91. Barton Fink from Canada writes: This really shouldn't come as a big surprise to any Leaf fan. Cliff has been asked to do more than save a hockey team, he's been asked to save a business..... fans are leaving. Will the ACC still sell out? Yes, there are still enough of the die hard "Leaf Nation" to fill it, but there is a growing body that's been slowly bludgeoned by poor management enough now to take a walk. The teacher's pension will still make gobs, but that will slowly erode. How did the Red Sox turn their fortunes around? Massive change in philosophy and structure. Thank you Theo Epstein (GM @ 28!, unheard of!) Do deep runs in to the playoffs and a few world series put a few extra pesoes in the Sox coffer? How about millions more. Nothing personal Paul, Cliff has to create the optics of change on this level. You'll land on your feet somewhere.... we wish you well.
  92. Jondas McHooter from Canada writes: I thought after the Sens total embarrasment and collapse that even the most disillusioned fan stopped calling them the Mighty Sens. lol.

    Anybody watching Heatly light it up in the World's???

    Leafs fired Maurice because for the first time since who knows when they are doing things right and allowing whoever becomes GM to pick the coach they want instead of inheiriting one.
  93. T. W. from Canada writes: Lets not forget Sens fans that pathetic pregame ceremony for game 3 in Ottawa..That was the worst display I have ever seen. But I am sure it got a rise out of Sens fans..
  94. Cowtown boy from Calgary, Canada writes: T. W. from Canada writes: Brokeback Cowboy McLovin Gumby and Pokey...
    The Habs have won nothing...

    Your absolutely right T.W., but they've still won alot more than the leafs ... Always have .... Always will. Harold Ballard tookyou leaf fans for suckers and I see the tradition continues.

    You can make fun of my name (and Gumby & Pokey) but just remember the LEAF BLOWER joke going around for that past few seasons .... you know, the one with the number 13 jersey
  95. Link Hogbrow from Canada writes: Such is life in the big smoke. Coach Maurice was a class act, who never threw any player under a bus. God knows some of them deserved it. Maybe he is too good a guy to coach here. Does the pendulum have to swing all the way back to another Punch Imlach? Or maybe a John Tortorella type ?

    If it does I'm done, finished, and jaded out.

    Good thing Murray didn't get sacked in Ottawa ... the committee might just have been stupid enough to bring him in.
  96. T. W. from Canada writes: Cowtown..One year in the last decade...Last year the Habs finished 10th.
    This year every team in the NorthEast had injuries except for the Habs. As soon as Komi and Markov and some others got hurt they were sent packing. The Habs have made strides to improve but as we all saw in the Philly series, they don't have any stones to go into the corners or in front of the net. The Leafs are one or two drafts and trades away from being competitive. The Habs are one or two breakdowns from a 20 year old crybaby goalie away from being set back another decade.
  97. sonny l from Toronto, Canada writes: Cowtown boy, I don't know the joke.

    In a very strange way, we in Toronto are the biggest hockey snobs, we never win anything for decades, yet we support our team 100%. I guess it's something we know you (the other Canadian team's fans, excluding Montreal) could never do. We have learned to take our little victories where we get them and hope for better things down the road.

    I'd rather be a leaf fan and never win anything for a lifetime than be a fan of one of the "other teams". I grew up with them, it really is in my blood. I doubt many other fans can say that.
  98. D K from Canada writes: Wow front page news, G and M is Toronto's national newspaper.
  99. Pat Billings from CDN, Canada writes: I love it.

    T. Dubs is claiming to know more about hockey and running an NHL team than Gainey and Carbo.

    Maybe, he's the Fabian-version of GM/coaches. (i.e. the best GM/coach not in the NHL). Hopefully, the leaf GM scouts are in touch with him.
  100. T. W. from Canada writes: Well Patricia I do have some insight into the MTL hockey scene. I did watch all 82 Habs games in both official languages. Bob sat with Guy and answered all the Slo-Pitch questions yesterday and that was a joke. At least in Toronto,(e.g. Cliff Fletcher just answered a lot of pointed questions)
    Not one question to Bob or Guy about why they were unable to shut down Umberger. Not one question as to why Elliott Freidman knew more about Price's emotional state than him or Guy. It was all fluff and they shut it down early. So Habs fans take the first place finish in the east and hang a banner next to the 24 Stanley Cups because everyone will remember the season we finished first in the East.
  101. No Comment from United States writes:
    Fabian Brunnstrom for Leafs GM/coach? Strap on your seat belts Leaf fans, prepare for vertical takeoff...
  102. Ryan M from Ottawa, Canada writes: Haha, T.W. has come out swinging and (s)he is angry. Look out.

    By the way, the pregame in game 3 was embarrassing - one of the most disgraceful attempts at creating energy in a building (which would have been there anyways) I've ever seen. This coming from a Sens fan.

    We'll see who ends up coaching in Ottawa next season. Burns would be a great fit for this team. There are rumours here that he is interested, but that is coming from the Ottawa media, of course. Grain of salt, please...
  103. Verona Raven from United States writes: He's never been a winner...starting with the Whalers.
  104. Paul Hume from Mississauga, Canada writes: T. W. from Canada writes: Lets not forget Sens fans that pathetic pregame ceremony for game 3 in Ottawa..That was the worst display I have ever seen. But I am sure it got a rise out of Sens fans..

    Oh come now, it wasn't as bad as the CBC tribute to ty domi a few years back! That was my worst pregame show in hockey history and always will be. Tribute for a useless player who hadn't really accomplished anything, broadcast across the entire country. Glass house buddy. :P
  105. T. W. from Canada writes: Sorry Paul seeing that guy's hairy man boobs in HD was not cool and had nothing to do with getting a playoff crowd jacked!!..Stick to Enter by Metallica and you will be alright
  106. Christopher Prout from Canada writes: Paul Maurice and Matts Sundin are both coming to Ottawa to coach/play for a real team.
  107. Michael Canzi from Canada writes: T.W.,

    Price is about 8 breakdowns away from being at bad as Toskala, 10,000,000 away from sucking comparable to Raycroft.

    It's a shame you hate winners so much. The Leafs are one or two drafts/trades from maybe being the 8th seed in the East conference. Their ownership is messed up, their management is ridiculous and their coach is now about to find his life greatly improving. Their defence is pathetic, too. And so is Jeff Blake and his 4% shooting percentage.

    It's amusing that you scoff at finishing first in the East, since when was ther last time that the Leafs accomplished such a thing? Did we have electricity yet? The Leafs haven't won a Cup in my entire life