Speculation: Are you happy with our TML Franchise ?

[Confucius]

Agree except crap shoot idea.
62,63,64,67 not crap shoot
Habs 5 in a row,
Celtics, 11 in 13 not crap shoot
UCLA, with Wooden, not crap shoot.
Man U with Fergy
KC Chiefs, not crap shoot
Good coaches, GM and owners make a difference.
The fans in Manchester, know owners are the issue.
Raptors won due to great GM decision
What happened to Toronto FC after managerial changes,
Leafs lose because of coaching, GM not understanding how to built a team, only dealing with patches, owners who love money.
IMHO.
I have been watching before Bathgate, Red Kelly trade, Horton, Stanley, Baun Brewer.
Bower and Sawchuk, like many on this board,
I have seen more idiots behind bench and in box than on the ice.

Over the last 30 years 3 times we have seen back to back Stanley Cup Champions. If we go back further in league history there were less than 25 teams and if we go back even further in time, teams had protected territories so much easier to build a true best team. So. Many different teams winning the Cup points to equality. Luck over a short period of time would play a big part of one team beating another because of this parity. Different sports may well have conditions conducive to building a true “best team” v

 

[Niagara Bill]

Some degree of good physical play in bottom six allows you to force other teams to rely on skill and we gave more skill than most teams. You do not need Dave Schultz or even Simmons, you do need hard hits and stand and be counted toughness. We have neither.

 

[Stephen]

Well said
Imagine the bottom 6 of those teams and era added to our top 6

You can even go another step forward and suggest that the top 4 d from those teams and even 5-6 are much better as a unit .
GLG

That 1999 team was so much fun. They were the top scoring team in the regular season, a run and gun skating team in the Dead Puck Era, but Yushkevich, Markov and Karpovtsev could nurse a 1-0 lead in front of Cujo forever.

 

[Teeder Keon]

Some degree of good physical play in bottom six allows you to force other teams to rely on skill and we gave more skill than most teams. You do not need Dave Schultz or even Simmons, you do need hard hits and stand and be counted toughness. We have neither.

Hella - friken - Luya !!!!!!!
This glaring omission in the overall plan in constructing this team is the most obvious mistake this organization has ever committed.
Shanny is the biggest surprise to me , not recognizing this ??
He would know best on how to build strong balanced championship teams that sustain .

 

[Stephen]

Some degree of good physical play in bottom six allows you to force other teams to rely on skill and we gave more skill than most teams. You do not need Dave Schultz or even Simmons, you do need hard hits and stand and be counted toughness. We have neither.

Physical play is just an investment in the attrition game. It's like a boxing match where the more blows you land throughout a series the less fresh the opposition is physically and mentally so they might make a big mistake later on.

Just using examples of ways its been used against us, a poor Jake Gardiner Game 7 performance is a result of repeat hits into the end boards on puck recovery. Pat Quinn's teams used to do it against Wade Redden all the time. Physical play means the opposition is going into a Game 7 battered and bruised and softened up.

I can never get behind the thinking that a hockey team doesn't need "x, y, z because these factors are being phased out of the game," or "nobody plays that way anymore." You want a team that can play any style and feel comfortable and win. You can always go against the grain and bring a unique element other teams are vulnerable to.

 

[Teeder Keon]

That 1999 team was so much fun. They were the top scoring team in the regular season, a run and gun skating team in the Dead Puck Era, but Yushkevich, Markov and Karpovtsev could nurse a 1-0 lead in front of Cujo forever.

Absolutely.
If you take it back even further to a lot of those 70s teams as well , so tough , with talent and heart and relentless bottom six players sprinkled in . Solid D and some good goaltending
The 80s really really really were the worst in my opinion .
GLG

 

[therealkoho]

After watching NYR and Calgary 2 nights ago, no way we could beat either team in a 7 games series. They could run us out of the rink. Our PP has not been good enough to overcome the hitting.

The Leafs can run with the Rags and have shown that ability

I like the Rags at least the way the team is constructed, they're really well balanced and have a great blueline, so yeah they're scary
If Lafrenier ever gets it together then they'll take that next step for sure with 3 full scoring lines.

 

[Da Cool Rula]

Absolutely.
If you take it back even further to a lot of those 70s teams as well , so tough , with talent and heart and relentless bottom six players sprinkled in . Solid D and some good goaltending
The 80s really really really were the worst in my opinion .
GLG

Dave Hutchinson Dan i can't skate Maloney Tiger Williams Kurt walker....

 

[Teeder Keon]

Dave Hutchinson Dan i can't skate Maloney Tiger Williams Kurt walker....

Oh there were some 7th liners no doubt lol
I’d take Tiger though lol
GLG

 

[Da Cool Rula]

Oh there were some 7th liners no doubt lol
I’d take Tiger though lol
GLG

Though we won the deal the day we traded Tiger & Butler for Derlago & Vaive hurt for a while.

 

[Maple Leaf]

A second gta team would be good

 

[Teeder Keon]

Though we won the deal the day we traded Tiger & Butler for Derlago & Vaive hurt for a while.

Yes indeed , but the right trade and choices ..
Excellent trade !
GLG

 

[NVious]

Absolutely not, I used to be such a massive fan, but after Boston, Washington, Columbus, Montreal, Boston, tampa......losing to the zamboni driver. Let this team make it out of the 1st round and I'll be back on board. With all the resources we have, there is no way we should be going on 60 years not winning a cup. I genuinely don't know how people have been fans for so long, but then again I think even at low points in Leafs history they just outright sucked, it wasn't teasing you and then letting you down in the worst way possible.

Either sucked, mediocre or good teams that just fell short, not pathetically blowing it or having cup potential and getting BTFO'd in the first round. I still follow the boards, watch highlights, but yeah nah im not gonna watch 3 hours 3x a week any longer, 20-30 minutes a week is enough.

 

[Dekes For Days]

Just using examples of ways its been used against us, a poor Jake Gardiner Game 7 performance is a result of repeat hits into the end boards on puck recovery.

Lol, what are you even talking about? No it's not. You have zero evidence to support that claim.
In fact, absolutely none of the goals against in Gardiner's infamous game 7 were a result of physical play, and Gardiner wasn't even one of the more hit players in that series.

 

[Dave92]

The fact that we've lost a historic 6 first round series in a row and at now point has management acknowledged that their might be a problem with their core when it comes to playoff hockey, is just funny.

If Dubas exits in the first round again and is let go he'll be viewed as one of the worst GM's in league history whether it's true or not.

 

[Stephen]

Lol, what are you even talking about? No it's not. You have zero evidence to support that claim.
In fact, absolutely none of the goals against in Gardiner's infamous game 7 were a result of physical play, and Gardiner wasn't even one of the more hit players in that series.

Did you not follow the stories in real time?

Maple Leafs’ Gardiner has more riding than most on Game 7 vs. Bruins – Sportsnet.ca

www.sportsnet.ca

“I think they’re just playing hard hockey and everyone’s going to get hit. You’ve just got to be ready,” said Gardiner. “It’s obviously tough with the physicality and everything, but the legs are feeling better every game.”

The eye test alone tells you that he isn’t entirely himself. The typical ease that Gardiner exhibits while patrolling the ice and handling the puck has been replaced by an awkward skating posture and more conservative approach.

Then there’s the numbers, which show Gardiner having a far more precipitous drop-off in average ice time than any of his teammates from the regular season to the playoffs.

 

[nsleaf]

Been a fan for 50 plus years, team's never been more stable, but playoffs are..... well you know. Still waiting and hoping.

 

[Dekes For Days]

Did you not follow the stories in real time?

Yes, I did. Did you not? Because you're refencing a story from 2019, and you seem to be attributing Gardiner's injuries to Boston hitting him hard throughout the series, when the truth is that Gardiner was injured for months before the playoffs even started - having back spasms, then sitting out for over a month with a back injury, and then coming back for the playoffs and playing in a reduced role at like 50% through a debilitating herniated disc. In fact, Gardiner literally says in the quote you posted that he's "feeling better each game", completely contrasting your claim.

That wasn't accumulated wear and tear throughout a series. That was just a guy playing through a debilitating injury, obtained before the playoffs.

 

[Gary Nylund]

The fact that we've lost a historic 6 first round series in a row and at now point has management acknowledged that their might be a problem with their core when it comes to playoff hockey, is just funny.

If Dubas exits in the first round again and is let go he'll be viewed as one of the worst GM's in league history whether it's true or not.

Interesting. I think we're going to need some advanced stats to back this up though.

 

[57 Years No Cup]

Interesting. I think we're going to need some advanced stats to back this up though.

Well, it's certain if that happens Dubas' xCups/82 vs. Cups/82 will be dismal.

 

[Larcos_Unal]

The fact that we've lost a historic 6 first round series in a row and at now point has management acknowledged that their might be a problem with their core when it comes to playoff hockey, is just funny.

If Dubas exits in the first round again and is let go he'll be viewed as one of the worst GM's in league history whether it's true or not.

You're gonna be in for a treat when he gets a 5 year extension

 

[Stephen]

Yes, I did. Did you not? Because you're refencing a story from 2019, and you seem to be attributing Gardiner's injuries to Boston hitting him hard throughout the series, when the truth is that Gardiner was injured for months before the playoffs even started - having back spasms, then sitting out for over a month with a back injury, and then coming back for the playoffs and playing in a reduced role at like 50% through a debilitating herniated disc. In fact, Gardiner literally says in the quote you posted that he's "feeling better each game", completely contrasting your claim.

That wasn't accumulated wear and tear throughout a series. That was just a guy playing through a debilitating injury, obtained before the playoffs.

They kept hitting Gardiner while he wasn’t healthy. That’s why it was a major storyline and he was talking about fighting through the hits from Boston leading up to the game. Which resulted in a 5-1 loss.

For those keeping record, Gardiner was a -3 in Game 7 in 2019, and a -5 in Game 7 in 2018.

 

[geo25]

I'm a life long true blue and white Leafs fan. That is one thing that will never change for me!

I was born in Montreal to English parents in 1955. When I began to take an interest in hockey at 4 years old, I decided then that I would cheer for the Toronto Maple Leafs instead of my 'hometown' team. This decision came about from my parents telling me about the Richard riots they got caught up in. Yes, they were at that game, and I was there too as a bun in the oven!

To this day I hate the Habs. And, after Hamilton got screwed over to Ottawa for an expansion team, I have hated the Sens ever since then too, especially because of the TV blackouts of our Leaf games here in Ottawa.

For the most part I hated the Ballard years for the way he treated my favorite players. However, unlike the MLSE/Shanahan regime, I had a lot more hope and pleasure during the 70s, 80s, and 90s, watching the likes of Keon, Sittler, MacDonald, Salming, Clark, Gilmour, and Sundin etc. I find our current team just doesn't excite me the way they should. They are an overpaid bunch that constantly lets me down when it matters the most to me.

I could tolerate our Leafs being in last place if only they would consistently beat the Habs and Sens. Regular season success is great and all, however it has not translated well to the playoffs for this team. This hurts more than anything living amongst Habs and Sens fans here in Ottawa!

I'm not happy with MLSE and especially Shanahan and Dubus. Our Leafs should be built around speed, toughness, work ethics, and great character. I feel they are built around selfishness and greed. They accept losing too easily and don't outwork their opponents often enough. Hard work beats skill when skill doesn't work hard.

So yes, I love the Toronto Maple Leafs, however I'm NOT happy with the current team from management on down to the coaching and players!

My avatar has to remain in place until they actually win ONE f***ING round in the playoffs.

Couldn't have said it any better!

How could anybody be happy with this franchise right now?

If you time warped back to the first playoffs loss after Washington and someone told you they would proceed to lose the next five straight, exiting on the first round every time, setting a record in futility in all major sports, not just hockey, and that no major changes in the roster or management would happen, would you have believed it? Would you have been happy hearing that news?

No.

You would have protested and insisted that something happen to prevent a half decade of the primes of the generational talent of this team being wasted.

The best opportunity to win a cup in a lifetime pissed away.

Even three years ago, prior to the Columbus loss, I had hopes they would win at least up to the conference finals, maybe even make the finals, maybe, just maybe, even win a cup.

Boy was I ever wrong.

There is no accountability in this organization. None. Top to bottom. The country club is wiiiiide open again. The Blue'n'White disease, as Burke called it, is roaring it's ugly head again. The sense of entitlement back.

Nylander tells us all at the press conference they are SLOWLY learning what it takes to win.

They failed first grade six times already.

Dubas says he wants to be judged on his full tenure. I'd that was the case he wouldn't be here now. He's lucky Shanahan, if it is even Shanahan making the decision, will ONLY be judging him on the results of this year's playoffs.

The good news is that no matter what, win or lose, the fans will get something they want. Either the team goes deep in the playoffs or management is replaced.

Seven times out in the first round should be the final nail in Shanahan's coffin too as far as I'm concerned.

Muskoka 5 all over agsin. Except this time it includes the coach, gm & MIA pres.

 

[Racer88]

You're gonna be in for a treat when he gets a 5 year extension

My god I hope not…….dark times ahead if that happens

 

[ShaneFalco]

You're gonna be in for a treat when he gets a 5 year extension

If he does, accountability is out the window