Dreger shoulders some of the blame

HockeyGuruPitka

Registered User
Jan 27, 2010
6,123
367
Toronto
On TSN 1050 this morning Darren Dreger was talking about the Evander Kane situation and whether or not he was a fit in Toronto. He said there is interest however if Kane cannot handle his situation in Winnepeg how would he be in a city like Toronto. He then dove into how we “the media†has to also shoulder some of the blame. By no means was he going to apologize ; however went on to explain that when things are great in Toronto there is probably not a player in the league that wouldn’t want to play on the leafs, but when things are bad the media turns every situation into a circus. He used LA as an example, they are floundering and just put Mike Richards on waivers yet it’s almost a non story now. He said it’s the medias job to be critical when the leafs are bad however it makes a GM’s job very difficult. Players see what happens here and have options to sign with other teams, and are able to put Toronto on their “No Trade†list.

Long story long, it was somewhat refreshing to hear Dreger be this honest. It’s a sentiment that I have believed since my early days as a leaf fan. We leaf fans have such highs and lows. When we are in the playoff picture, we are contending for the cup and when we’re not blow it up. It’s our right to be like this, however its partially fueled by media. The media try their best to alter our perception of the team to get us to read/listen. I know a lot of people have somewhat shut out Dreger because he hasn’t called an actual trade in quite some time. Kind of just throws dirt at a wall and hopes it stick. However his actual hockey opinion usually is spot on and relatively level headed. All I ask is that fans ignore the “guerilla warfare†media (for lack of a better word) like “Steve Simmonsâ€, “Bruce Arthurâ€, â€Damien Cox†“James myrtleâ€, “Dave feschuk†and listen to people with actual hockey knowledge. One thing in common with all of the guys I mentioned, is that they work for the newspapers. They write daily columns and need to do what they can to get people to read. This is why their opinions are so jaded and farfetched. They are the same when they are writing about the NFL, the Jays, the Raptors, the Argo’s etc. It baffles my mind that anyone would take their opinion when they have no direct attachment to the sport. At the end of the day, we are all still going to be leaf fans and at the end of the day we all want this team to succeed. Lets not let the media get the best of us.

Rant over.
 

The Winter Soldier

Registered User
Apr 4, 2011
70,807
21,014
Darren Dreger is a good stand up guy, considering how big he is as a Hockey insider. He has actually taken the time to answer some, not all of my questions to him on social media. If you treat these guys with respect, they will reciprocate.

He's a Good guy.
 

Joey Hoser

Registered User
Jan 8, 2008
14,232
4,143
Guelph
Problem is a hockey team just doesn't produce the amount of news and stories that we want to consume about the Leafs. People want to hear about the Leafs and if there isn't anything relavent enough to talk about, the media needs to drag things out and generate stories where there are none.

Its our fault as much as the media's. They're just trying to fill demand that we create.
 

Leafspoison*

Guest
Dreger=Soap opera and WWE. Lots of entertainment, nothing real.
 

Cap'n Flavour

Registered User
Mar 8, 2004
4,956
1,657
Flavour Country
He said it’s the medias job to be critical when the leafs are bad however it makes a GM’s job very difficult.

Oh hey look, Dreger going to bat for his cousin again instead of doing his job. What a surprise!

All I ask is that fans ignore the “guerilla warfare†media (for lack of a better word) like “Steve Simmonsâ€, “Bruce Arthurâ€, â€Damien Cox†“James myrtleâ€, “Dave feschuk†and listen to people with actual hockey knowledge.

Whoa, what the hell did Mirtle do to you to get stuck on a list with clowns like Simmons and Cox?
 

Joey Hoser

Registered User
Jan 8, 2008
14,232
4,143
Guelph
Why do people think Dreger is such a puppet for Nonis? I don't give a **** about my cousins and don't even know my second cousins.
 

ACC1224

Super Elite, Passing ALL Tests since 2002
Aug 19, 2002
73,895
39,467
Why do people think Dreger is such a puppet for Nonis? I don't give a **** about my cousins and don't even know my second cousins.

People tend to find a way to justify their beliefs.
I agree, I doubt very much he's Nonis' puppet.
 

Giuseppe Sallo

ELE-VAT-ED
Apr 20, 2007
4,474
85
Back to L.A
twitter.com
Agreed. Toronto media are the worst... the same idiots are clowning the Raptors locker room when they lose, it's just crazy. leaf fans are the true voice this season, we had enough and you don't think the negativity is affecting the players... they look defeated.
 

theIceWookie

#LeafHysteriaAlert
Dec 19, 2010
9,039
30
Canada
On TSN 1050 this morning Darren Dreger was talking about the Evander Kane situation and whether or not he was a fit in Toronto. He said there is interest however if Kane cannot handle his situation in Winnepeg how would he be in a city like Toronto. He then dove into how we “the media†has to also shoulder some of the blame. By no means was he going to apologize ; however went on to explain that when things are great in Toronto there is probably not a player in the league that wouldn’t want to play on the leafs, but when things are bad the media turns every situation into a circus. He used LA as an example, they are floundering and just put Mike Richards on waivers yet it’s almost a non story now. He said it’s the medias job to be critical when the leafs are bad however it makes a GM’s job very difficult. Players see what happens here and have options to sign with other teams, and are able to put Toronto on their “No Trade†list.

Long story long, it was somewhat refreshing to hear Dreger be this honest. It’s a sentiment that I have believed since my early days as a leaf fan. We leaf fans have such highs and lows. When we are in the playoff picture, we are contending for the cup and when we’re not blow it up. It’s our right to be like this, however its partially fueled by media. The media try their best to alter our perception of the team to get us to read/listen. I know a lot of people have somewhat shut out Dreger because he hasn’t called an actual trade in quite some time. Kind of just throws dirt at a wall and hopes it stick. However his actual hockey opinion usually is spot on and relatively level headed. All I ask is that fans ignore the “guerilla warfare†media (for lack of a better word) like “Steve Simmonsâ€, “Bruce Arthurâ€, â€Damien Cox†“James myrtleâ€, “Dave feschuk†and listen to people with actual hockey knowledge. One thing in common with all of the guys I mentioned, is that they work for the newspapers. They write daily columns and need to do what they can to get people to read. This is why their opinions are so jaded and farfetched. They are the same when they are writing about the NFL, the Jays, the Raptors, the Argo’s etc. It baffles my mind that anyone would take their opinion when they have no direct attachment to the sport. At the end of the day, we are all still going to be leaf fans and at the end of the day we all want this team to succeed. Lets not let the media get the best of us.

Rant over.

My respect for the guy took a big jump. Not often you here a media personality make these types of comments. Bravo to him.
 

Al14

Registered User
Jul 13, 2007
24,210
5,584
If the players play, and, be their best, at all times, then, nothing negative the media can say will affect the fans.

If you're called out by the media for being lazy, and out of shape, the fans have likely already seen this for themselves!

If you want to be treated as a hero, come to Toronto, play your heart out, win more than you lose, and all will be good!

Win a Stanley Cup championship with the Maple Leafs, and you will be revered, and treated like royalty, for a lifetime and beyond!

Just DO IT!
 

Ace88*

Guest
Shame on you for lumping Mirtle in with that clown posse. He is the only one who actually presents facts without putting a spin on anything. He is the only real journalist out of the idiots you listed.

The others are just flapping gum talking heads. They are not journalists, they are writers. Journalism does not seek to take a side.
 

Shimso

Registered User
Oct 9, 2011
1,709
0
I don't buy this. I'm so tired of the fans and the media being cited as the main source of the Leafs problems. The reporters here aren't good IMO but the lack of on-ice success isn't due to the fans or the media.

Hockey is a sport where fans always talk about how physically and mentally tough the players are, right? Yet we only hear about how players don't want to be here because of the pressure, while you never hear that as an excuse for the Lakers not attracting free agents (seriously, when was the last time they relied on draft picks instead of FA/trades); you never heard Jeter say he didn't want to be the captain of the most prestigious team in the league because the NY Post might say something mean about him; etc. How many championships have the Lakers and Yankees won in the last twenty years? Even though it failed as a lineup, the Lakers had a starting 5 with 4 all-star players, none of whom were home developed (Kobe demanded to be drafted by the Lakers, Pau was acquired via trade in a trade that many considered to be lopsided but has since turned out to be very fair, D12 was acquired via trade because the league vetoed the trade for CP3, and Nash signed as an FA).

Let's not forget that MTL has a tougher (IMO tougher) media and a fanbase that expects so much more than we do (some fans here consider a 1st round exit to be a successful season), and let's not forget what is open to a player here - look at Clarkson's arrival being compared to Wendel. A 4th liner could probably get enough endorsements to not have to play anymore. If a Leaf managed to bring the team up to the second round we'd probably start naming streets and schools after them.

If players are so weak that they rather play in an arena in front of dozens of fans who are only there for the air conditioning where the media only cares about college sports, perhaps they're not championship calibre-players.
 

Giuseppe Sallo

ELE-VAT-ED
Apr 20, 2007
4,474
85
Back to L.A
twitter.com
If the players play, and, be their best, at all times, then, nothing negative the media can say will affect the fans.

If you're called out by the media for being lazy, and out of shape, the fans have likely already seen this for themselves!

If you want to be treated as a hero, come to Toronto, play your heart out, win more than you lose, and all will be good!

Win a Stanley Cup championship with the Maple Leafs, and you will be revered, and treated like royalty, for a lifetime and beyond!

Just DO IT!

let's face it: the management has let us down for the last 10 years. It's getting pathetic. You'd think we'd have some luck by now. 5 years under Burkie was a waste, no progress. Just stick with the rebuild and get younger.
 

silentbob37*

Guest
On TSN 1050 this morning Darren Dreger was talking about the Evander Kane situation and whether or not he was a fit in Toronto. He said there is interest however if Kane cannot handle his situation in Winnepeg how would he be in a city like Toronto. He then dove into how we “the media†has to also shoulder some of the blame. By no means was he going to apologize ; however went on to explain that when things are great in Toronto there is probably not a player in the league that wouldn’t want to play on the leafs, but when things are bad the media turns every situation into a circus. He used LA as an example, they are floundering and just put Mike Richards on waivers yet it’s almost a non story now. He said it’s the medias job to be critical when the leafs are bad however it makes a GM’s job very difficult. Players see what happens here and have options to sign with other teams, and are able to put Toronto on their “No Trade†list.

Long story long, it was somewhat refreshing to hear Dreger be this honest. It’s a sentiment that I have believed since my early days as a leaf fan. We leaf fans have such highs and lows. When we are in the playoff picture, we are contending for the cup and when we’re not blow it up. It’s our right to be like this, however its partially fueled by media. The media try their best to alter our perception of the team to get us to read/listen. I know a lot of people have somewhat shut out Dreger because he hasn’t called an actual trade in quite some time. Kind of just throws dirt at a wall and hopes it stick. However his actual hockey opinion usually is spot on and relatively level headed. All I ask is that fans ignore the “guerilla warfare†media (for lack of a better word) like “Steve Simmonsâ€, “Bruce Arthurâ€, â€Damien Cox†“James myrtleâ€, “Dave feschuk†and listen to people with actual hockey knowledge. One thing in common with all of the guys I mentioned, is that they work for the newspapers. They write daily columns and need to do what they can to get people to read. This is why their opinions are so jaded and farfetched. They are the same when they are writing about the NFL, the Jays, the Raptors, the Argo’s etc. It baffles my mind that anyone would take their opinion when they have no direct attachment to the sport. At the end of the day, we are all still going to be leaf fans and at the end of the day we all want this team to succeed. Lets not let the media get the best of us.

Rant over.

I like that he is being realistic about the fact that some players just don't/can't/shouldn't play here. But he isn't being honest because he isn't putting the "blame" where it really belongs. On us.

The ONLY reason the media is the way it is in Toronto is because the Leaf fans base is the way it is (and its not unique - Yankees, Cowboys, Lakers, Red Socks etc... all get similar treatment, in fact within that group we are probably on the easier side of things). Every newspaper has 3 people who cover the NHL and the Leafs because its what sports fans in this city are interested in. We have 2 lunch time Leaf centeric shows because its what people want to listen too. There are news stories every day about which Leafs will be traded, who is hurt, who is slumping and why because its what WE read.

You want to see the media back off the Leafs, stop following them. Don't listen to the radio shows, don't read the sports section, don't read the blogs, don't post on sites like this, don't follow hockey and Leaf people on twitter. Completely and totally with draw, make covering the Leafs a money losing endevor for media outlets.

Its not the media, they are just giving all of us what we want. Its all of us that are this problem.
 

Trapper

Registered User
Nov 21, 2013
23,747
11,016
The media, the coaching, the management, the fans etc.
Where are the players?
Sorry 6 years of this team and I've had enough.
Do people watch the lack of engage and constantly losing battles? The collapses?

I'll never bash a team that competes it's heart out but just isn't good enough. To that I'd say get help. What I see however, is not that. Maybe things in the future need to change but right now this group has earned what it gets.
 

Joey Hoser

Registered User
Jan 8, 2008
14,232
4,143
Guelph
The media, the coaching, the management, the fans etc.
Where are the players?
Sorry 6 years of this team and I've had enough.
Do people watch the lack of engage and constantly losing battles? The collapses?

I'll never bash a team that competes it's heart out but just isn't good enough. To that I'd say get help. What I see however, is not that. Maybe things in the future need to change but right now this group has earned what it gets.

I'm not sure what your point here is. Are you saying the players are being let off the hook?

How? Everyone and their dog is demanding the team be blown up.
 

Faltorvo

Registered User
Feb 18, 2008
21,067
1,941
Problem is a hockey team just doesn't produce the amount of news and stories that we want to consume about the Leafs. People want to hear about the Leafs and if there isn't anything relavent enough to talk about, the media needs to drag things out and generate stories where there are none.

Its our fault as much as the media's. They're just trying to fill demand that we create.

and truth is JH it's the reason why media hates the tank path so much

oh ya there is meat on the bone early on like now, but in the longer term

when there is no meat/players left to speculate on trade out or upcoming UFA chatter and the likes

all they have left is, " is xxx prospect developing"

a calm longer term draft and development approach gives them little meat
 

leburn98

Registered User
Jan 28, 2013
1,259
1,606
I agree with Dreger completely. You want proof of how the media gives our organization a less than desirable image? Look no further then the All-Star draft. The players were not making fun of Phil Kessel (although they were obviously using him as a pawn), they were taking obvious jabs at the media and to a lesser extent the fans.
 

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