pat burns
According to TSN, Pat Burns, the only coach to ever win the Jack Adams Trophy with three different NHL clubs, has passed away due to [more…]
Contrary to numerous but erroneous reports this morning that he had succumbed to his battle with lung cancer, Pat Burns is still alive at his home in Quebec with his family.
Apparently, Burns has even had a little fun with all of the reports, telling Bob McKenzie;
"Here we go again. They're trying to kill me before I'm dead. I come to Quebec to spend some time with my family and they say I'm dead. I'm not dead, far (expletive) from it. They've had me dead since June. Tell them I'm alive. Set them straight." [more…]
In part 11 of his 12 Burning Questions series, Derek Harmsworth takes a look at one of the hottest topics in Leafs Nation today: just how long of a leash does Ron Wilson have?
In the summer of 2008, the Toronto Maple Leafs were in the midst of a major overhaul. Â Much maligned general manager John Ferguson, Jr. had been relieved of his duties with the organization, and as nice a man as JFJ was when I met him at the Leafs rookie and orientation camp a year prior, there is no solid argument that can be made for him as a good GM.
Ferguson Jr, to his credit, can take solace in the fact that a few of his draft picks are now cracking the Leafs as legitimate players, Kulemin and Gunnarsson among them, although even that fact can be debated  - how much was scouting and how much was general managing?
In a word, John Ferguson Jr. left the Toronto Maple Leafs in shambles, and some of the moves he made, continually sacrificing youth for a quick fix solution (or at least something he thought was a quick fix) have very well set the Maple Leafs back at least an additional few years in the rebuilding process. [more…]
Now, I for one dislike the "coulda, woulda, shoulda" debate when it comes to the National Hockey League Hockey Hall Of Fame. Â After all, I think it somewhat demeans and disregards the accomplishments of those who are selected, and that simply isn't right.
No one knows better than I do how much Dino Ciccarelli deserves the call to the Hall.  I have been telling more or less anyone who will listen for a number of years that I thought he belonged.  I couldn't be happier for  Angela James and Cammi Granato, the first female players to be enshrined.  And Jim Devellano and Daryl "Doc" Seamen are both incredibly intelligent men who deserve their spot along hockey's greatest.
But as a Leafs fan, it's hard not to feel selfishly snubbed once again. Â With yesterday's vote for the Hall of Fame here and gone for another year, the only thing I could think of wasn't what was, but what could have been.
And what could have been would have been really special.
Excitement abounds these days in the streets of Toronto, as a long-overdue rebuilding effort for the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the prospect of a revitalized franchise, moves into high gear.
Arguably the last successful revitalization of the Maple Leafs franchise occurred in the early 1990s, when in the span of three seasons the Leafs went from basement-dwellers to Stanley Cup contenders. Although many are quick to credit then-GM Cliff Fletcher's 1992 mega-deal with the Calgary Flames as the key turning point for the franchise, the groundwork for the franchise's rapid acceleration from pretender to contender actually began much earlier ... in the 1989-90 season, to be exact.
Part 3: 20 Years of Maple Misery
From Gord Stellick to Cliff Fletcher Version 2.0
It’s been over 40 years since the Leafs won the cup and while others make fun of the fans for continuing to cheer, here is an overview of why you shouldn’t make fun, but feel bad for them…
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