The Maple Leafs are geniuses. No, not at building a team, nor at making trades, drafting, or any of the other individual talents that can define a franchise. Rather, the Leafs are brilliant at making money. And the recent firing of their management is the latest move in that regards.
The Leafs fired their GM a while back, but John Fergusson wasn’t the only one to go. After this mediocre season, interim GM Fletcher has decided to let go of coach Paul Maurice in order to leave it open for the next GM to pick their own coach. Maurice was given a very large spotlight in the media:
The 26th head coach in franchise history addressed the media Thursday, just 24 hours after being let go by interim general manager Cliff Fletcher following a meeting of the board of directors of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd.
“I’ve had a month off [since the end of the regular season]. This is what I do. I enjoy the heck out of it, even in the dark days. I look forward to coaching again,” Maurice said, adding he was disappointed but not surprised by the team’s decision to move in another direction.
Despite the pressures of being an NHL head coach, Maurice, 41, relishes having a job that changes every day. He hopes he is better for the experience of coaching in a hockey hotbed.
“You’re forced to be on [your game] here. Believe it or not, that’s a big part of the allure of this job,” he said. “Just the energy, intensity and environment is a real good thing.
The move was probably unnecessary at this point in time. Yes, it’s true that the new GM would likely hire their own coach. But what this does is create a huge stir for the Leafs’ media during what should be a very quiet period of time in Torontoland — after all, they missed the playoffs by 11 points and are in the shadow of some very big American markets right now.
This shift allows the rumours to fly, not just concerning who will be the GM — or assistant GM, in the case of Dave Nonis — but also who the coach will be. Some people are pulling for giving Scotty Bowman control of both faculties. Others are liking the prospect of having Joel Quennville as a coach. Others still are hoping that good old Wendell Clark will return in some position or another.
Thus, during a time when all eyes should be on Pittsburgh, or Philadelphia, or Detroit, or even Dallas, the eyes turn yet again to Toronto. Yet again, they prove they are the centre of the hockey universe!
…and pretty amazing at making a few bucks!
