TLeafsFan
A True BeLeafer
So yeah, Kessel was traded. So was Clarkson before last season's trade deadline. So was Franson, last season's points leader on D. So was Santorelli, Winnik, etc. For all intents and purposes, basically 1/2 of last year's team is gone, along with its questionable coaching and management.
Along with them went any expectations that this season's Leafs team was going to do any better than a chance at a top lottery pick amongst the vast majority of Leafs fans and Babcock dropped the hammer with "There will be pain".
But from the draft and obtaining Babcock onward, there were a very select few of us that saw the possibility of a different outcome, despite being the scorn of Leafs Nation when we proclaimed that this will be an improved team over last year.
Technically, they aren't... yet. The Leafs in their first 20 games of last season went 10-8-2 with a few thrown jerseys. This season they are 7-9-4, still looking northward at a playoff spot, but no thrown jerseys yet, so that's good.
A dismal October was the stuff that tank fans dreams were made of, no Kessel, no goals and that sort of thing. So us GO LEAFS GO, chest beating, pom-pom waving BeLeafers that felt the Leafs had the makings of a quality team this season sat quietly and bided our time. Then the page of the calendar turned to November.
And the wins started mounting. And the offence started generating (without Kessel). And the goaltending improved. Boy did it ever. It improved in conjunction with the work ethic of the team (well one of our tenders did, anyway). Which brings me back to the team.
The TEAM. The CULTURE. The WORK ETHIC and yes the SYSTEM.
The Babcock effect is REAL and those of us that weren't played like fiddles when Babcock said "there will be pain", knew this. We knew he was just appeasing the masses and setting them up so he could be left alone, get to work and slowly start to produce results. Except it wasn't that slowly and the pain didn't last very long. But how? HOW? This isn't a team fit for the NHL, its filled with players from a lingering horrid culture and other team's throwaways. Let's look at that.
The Returnees
Draw out the poison and work with what remains. All are now equally accountable and management felt they could get Babcock to successfully work with what remained. Its that simple. These people liked being Leafs above all else, even "untradeable" Captain Phaneuf, who in his new role turned out to be "good people" after all as Babcock likes to say. Why are most of them starting to succeed better than last year you ask? They are all playing roles more suitable to their skill-set and/or talent ceiling. Which is starting to work out just fine and is really helping the trade value of those that won't remain Leafs beyond this season and helping to better develop and improve those that will.
The Newbees
Okay, so here's where things get really interesting. How does management form a winning culture when rebuilding to create a safe environment for the prospects to come up into without dipping into your own well of young talent? How do you find available players from around the NHL capable of such a task? This is the not so well kept secret that went over the heads of so many of Leafs Nation that just held onto the notion of "There willl be pain" so they missed what Shannyco was doing. And they dismissed an even more important offseason quote. They most important one in fact. They did what they said they were going to do. They created "A team that plays for the logo on the front, not the name on the back." They brought players home.
They Kessel trade brought us Harrington, a Kingston, ON born player and a product of Hunter's London Knights, as well a Spaling of Palmerston, ON and a former Kitchener Ranger.
They add Mississauga native Matthias, signing him as a cheap UFA and former Belleville Bull.
They give their own former first rounder and Mississauga native Brad Boyes a PTO and he earns a contract.
And they re-sign Daniel Winnik of Toronto to a two year term after his trade deadline rental was up in Pittsburgh.
So they may only have had Reimer, Komarov, Kadri and Rielly returning in the lineup that are Leafs drafted players, but when you add all those new, local homegrown players in the mix, as well as Toronto born Corrado once he finally gets his chance to suit up for his first game.
That's a lot of new "good people" that bleed true blue.
GO LEAFS GO!!!
Along with them went any expectations that this season's Leafs team was going to do any better than a chance at a top lottery pick amongst the vast majority of Leafs fans and Babcock dropped the hammer with "There will be pain".
But from the draft and obtaining Babcock onward, there were a very select few of us that saw the possibility of a different outcome, despite being the scorn of Leafs Nation when we proclaimed that this will be an improved team over last year.
Technically, they aren't... yet. The Leafs in their first 20 games of last season went 10-8-2 with a few thrown jerseys. This season they are 7-9-4, still looking northward at a playoff spot, but no thrown jerseys yet, so that's good.
A dismal October was the stuff that tank fans dreams were made of, no Kessel, no goals and that sort of thing. So us GO LEAFS GO, chest beating, pom-pom waving BeLeafers that felt the Leafs had the makings of a quality team this season sat quietly and bided our time. Then the page of the calendar turned to November.
And the wins started mounting. And the offence started generating (without Kessel). And the goaltending improved. Boy did it ever. It improved in conjunction with the work ethic of the team (well one of our tenders did, anyway). Which brings me back to the team.
The TEAM. The CULTURE. The WORK ETHIC and yes the SYSTEM.
The Babcock effect is REAL and those of us that weren't played like fiddles when Babcock said "there will be pain", knew this. We knew he was just appeasing the masses and setting them up so he could be left alone, get to work and slowly start to produce results. Except it wasn't that slowly and the pain didn't last very long. But how? HOW? This isn't a team fit for the NHL, its filled with players from a lingering horrid culture and other team's throwaways. Let's look at that.
The Returnees
Draw out the poison and work with what remains. All are now equally accountable and management felt they could get Babcock to successfully work with what remained. Its that simple. These people liked being Leafs above all else, even "untradeable" Captain Phaneuf, who in his new role turned out to be "good people" after all as Babcock likes to say. Why are most of them starting to succeed better than last year you ask? They are all playing roles more suitable to their skill-set and/or talent ceiling. Which is starting to work out just fine and is really helping the trade value of those that won't remain Leafs beyond this season and helping to better develop and improve those that will.
The Newbees
Okay, so here's where things get really interesting. How does management form a winning culture when rebuilding to create a safe environment for the prospects to come up into without dipping into your own well of young talent? How do you find available players from around the NHL capable of such a task? This is the not so well kept secret that went over the heads of so many of Leafs Nation that just held onto the notion of "There willl be pain" so they missed what Shannyco was doing. And they dismissed an even more important offseason quote. They most important one in fact. They did what they said they were going to do. They created "A team that plays for the logo on the front, not the name on the back." They brought players home.
They Kessel trade brought us Harrington, a Kingston, ON born player and a product of Hunter's London Knights, as well a Spaling of Palmerston, ON and a former Kitchener Ranger.
They add Mississauga native Matthias, signing him as a cheap UFA and former Belleville Bull.
They give their own former first rounder and Mississauga native Brad Boyes a PTO and he earns a contract.
And they re-sign Daniel Winnik of Toronto to a two year term after his trade deadline rental was up in Pittsburgh.
So they may only have had Reimer, Komarov, Kadri and Rielly returning in the lineup that are Leafs drafted players, but when you add all those new, local homegrown players in the mix, as well as Toronto born Corrado once he finally gets his chance to suit up for his first game.
That's a lot of new "good people" that bleed true blue.
GO LEAFS GO!!!
for? What if they don't work out? I guess you will want to do some more loosing
