Ground hog day

pulfordfan

Registered User
Sep 28, 2017
234
257
Rjukan Norway
I was 12 years old in 67, getting beer from the fridge for my Dad when the chief skated around the old gardens with the cup over his head. Bled blue ever since. Winless years to follow, Ballard years were brutal. Some bright spot Gilmore, leafs missing out of the finals cause of Wayne's high stick and bad ref. Bad years with Burke. Then Shanny came around some great drafts hire what should have been a great coach. Playoffs made, first round exits, friggin Boston. This season just got me so down, not again, over and over again, can't we get it right?
 

Community

44 is Rielly good
Oct 30, 2010
6,808
1,723
The Darkest Timeline
Whatever your opinion on this season is, dont let it fool you about this team's future. Lots of contending teams missed the playoffs or played subpar despite high expectstions before finally turning the corner.

TBL was a big up and coming team that then missed the playoffs in the year they got Point before becoming a phenomenal team. Before you mention our 1st, Point wasnt the reason they became phenomenal,just another good player. What they really neded eas to age ans mature as a team which our team is still in the process of doing.


NHL success is almost never linear progression.

Edit:messed up years since point wasnt a 1dt rounder, but i do remember them missing thr playoffs around then before improving.
 

Dog

Arf! Arf! Arf!
Feb 9, 2016
2,508
1,032
Wasteland
How to build a successful team? Do not follow same mentality of failed predecessors and have father figure as coach. That the players can relate to and will learn to respect. Once you take away from the game as what we all loved and make it even more complicated going to have unhappy players. Who view it just another job. Can not expect respect it has to be earned if not the whole system gets messy.
 
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Dough72

Registered User
Sep 3, 2008
1,954
762
good news is we have the best star talent since those Gilmour years. All they have to do is stop putting a bizarre support cast around them and the team will start moving forward again.
 

HellasLEAF

'93 to Infinity
Sep 14, 2006
15,345
1,800
I dunno. I thought, I think we all thought, this would be a great season.

But maybe we just have to stomach it and show more patience. The Nate Mackinnon thing got me thinking about the development of these young star players. I mean just look at him now as opposed to what he was in the seasons past. The Auston Matthews thread shows how hard it is to be a young star player developing in this market. He is just getting shredded in there.

It's not the answer we want to hear but they could still need more seasoning. And Dubas has work to do in general it's so obvious now.
 

Suntouchable13

Registered User
Dec 20, 2003
43,621
19,183
Toronto, ON
Whatever your opinion on this season is, dont let it fool you about this team's future. Lots of contending teams missed the playoffs or played subpar despite high expectstions before finally turning the corner.

TBL was a big up and coming team that then missed the playoffs in the year they got Point before becoming a phenomenal team. Before you mention our 1st, Point wasnt the reason they became phenomenal,just another good player. What they really neded eas to age ans mature as a team which our team is still in the process of doing.


NHL success is almost never linear progression.

Edit:messed up years since point wasnt a 1dt rounder, but i do remember them missing thr playoffs around then before improving.

Except TB was actually in the final 2 years prior.
 

Suntouchable13

Registered User
Dec 20, 2003
43,621
19,183
Toronto, ON
I dunno. I thought, I think we all thought, this would be a great season.

But maybe we just have to stomach it and show more patience. The Nate Mackinnon thing got me thinking about the development of these young star players. I mean just look at him now as opposed to what he was in the seasons past. The Auston Matthews thread shows how hard it is to be a young star player developing in this market. He is just getting shredded in there.

It's not the answer we want to hear but they could still need more seasoning. And Dubas has work to do in general it's so obvious now.

I could live with that except then it makes me mad that the young kids were asking for so much money and yet they still have a lot of maturing to do as hockey players. It really rubs me the wrong way. If all of them took bridge deals or something then I could understand that they need more seasoning. But they wanted to get paid as super stars/all stars.
 
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Polaris1010

Registered User
Mar 23, 2017
3,800
1,300
grandma's cellar
NHL success is almost never linear progression.
That is true.

But failure at the NHL level is linear, things just degrade, which turns into a constant for the team over time.

This current Maple Leafs team is going the wrong way and there will be no way to reverse course unless management can figure out a plan to do so.

First step, fire Babcock!

That's a swing and a miss!

:dunce:
 

napoleon in rags

Fred's dead, Baby... Fred's dead
Jun 17, 2009
2,835
1,615
St. Helena
I was 12 years old in 67, getting beer from the fridge for my Dad when the chief skated around the old gardens with the cup over his head. Bled blue ever since. Winless years to follow, Ballard years were brutal. Some bright spot Gilmore, leafs missing out of the finals cause of Wayne's high stick and bad ref. Bad years with Burke. Then Shanny came around some great drafts hire what should have been a great coach. Playoffs made, first round exits, friggin Boston. This season just got me so down, not again, over and over again, can't we get it right?
Similar story except I was 10. Always promised myself that I would place the next day's papers on my dad's grave after the leafs win it all. I may be passing that duty onto my son. Oh well.
 
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CelticDruid

Registered User
Oct 23, 2013
7,306
6,175
Penticton , BC
I could live with that except then it makes me mad that the young kids were asking for so much money and yet they still have a lot of maturing to do as hockey players. It really rubs me the wrong way. If all of them took bridge deals or something then I could understand that they need more seasoning. But they wanted to get paid as super stars/all stars.

Their next contracts will be the tipping point. How will we keep them ? I mean even if we wanted to, they will be still getting those huge raises again.

The window gets shorter when the supporting cast is weak and ineffective or is miscast.

Trying this new formula of team construction and vision seems cruel to the long-suffering fans.

Especially when it could all blow up and keep the team locked into .500 for years.

A lot of fans are bummed right now, more so with the glaring needs that haven't been addressed.
 
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Brown Dog

Registered User
Jun 23, 2007
5,778
4,957
Yeah, it's going to be really crushing if this season continues to go sideways. Maybe the most crushing yet.
 

Community

44 is Rielly good
Oct 30, 2010
6,808
1,723
The Darkest Timeline
That is true.

But failure at the NHL level is linear, things just degrade, which turns into a constant for the team over time.

This current Maple Leafs team is going the wrong way and there will be no way to reverse course unless management can figure out a plan to do so.

First step, fire Babcock!

That's a swing and a miss!

:dunce:

That's not true at all either. Tampa Bay didn't get worse after missing the playoffs in the 16-17 season. They finished 1st in the Atlantic the next year with 113 points then led the league in points the next year.

Just like TBL isn't going to top their points from last year (128), but if they get 100 this year that doesn't mean that they are destined to miss the playoffs the next year.


Washington was a team that appeared to be on the severe downswing, then things just clicked as the team matured and they finally won a cup. They had some puck luck in the playoffs, but most importantly they figured out how they needed to each play to best help their team win (something our team is still figuring out IMO).
 

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