The Blue and White Disease

[ShaneFalco]

I'm just rambling here but, Burke hires Allaire - turns out he's a dinosaur, using out-dated methods and the goalies suffer. Then he brings in another dinosaur in Carlyle (after giving his buddy Wilson a nice little retirement package). Hires Dave "the analytics talk doesn't make a lot of sense" Poulin. Gives Cliff "Draft Schmaft" Fletcher some kind of cushy role (senior advisor!?!?)
Burke gets canned and the GM job is just handed over to Nonis.
And we wonder why we're in a mess!?
And that's only been over the last few years!

They show the "war room' during the trade deadline and noone from the Leafs is there. And the players have the country-club atmosphere?! The Blue and White disease starts from the top

Nieuwendyk was smart and got out early

Click to read more...

 

[ACC1224]

If you're saying they turn over the Management too quickly I agree.

 

[pooleboy]

If you're saying they turn over the Management too quickly I agree.

when they got rid of burke they should have gotten rid of everyone.

in this case i think the turnover isnt fast enough

 

[ACC1224]

when they got rid of burke they should have gotten rid of everyone.

in this case i think the turnover isnt fast enough

Agreed although they never should have prematurely gotten rid of Burke.

 

[ShaneFalco]

If you're saying they turn over the Management too quickly I agree.

Not only that, but when you hear the Leafs don't use advanced stats (or don't have anyone that looks after this), that they're scouting staff isn't the best it could possibly be, you wonder how this happens with this "team" in place.
Shouldn't this team of executives, former players and managers be all over this stuff?

 

[pooleboy]

Agreed although they never should have prematurely gotten rid of Burke.

i agree, and disagree.

Burke should never have went for the hybrid on the fly rebuild, but i also like that he would man up and say he made a mistake (versteeg).

i also dont believe burke would have let dwinding assets go for free, like nonie the bonie.

its burke and co. or a new management team, u cant take away the leader and expect the follower to do as good of a job.

 

[ACC1224]

i agree, and disagree.

Burke should never have went for the hybrid on the fly rebuild, but i also like that he would man up and say he made a mistake (versteeg).

i also dont believe burke would have let dwinding assets go for free, like nonie the bonie.

its burke and co. or a new management team, u cant take away the leader and expect the follower to do as good of a job.

No doubt he made some mistakes but he wasn't allowed enough time to see his re-tool through.

I agree they should have removed everyone with him.

Water under the bridge now.

 

[diceman934]

Burke made his bed and was forced to lay in it which was the correct thing to do...

Give a extension as a parting gift to his friend was akin to stealing from his bosses....he stated in his original press conference about being financially prudent. He spent more money hiring friends in roles that were not required. Not to mention him signing horrible contracts extensions with Grabo, Liles.....and leaving us with a flawed core that he brought in lacking in any form of pride and leadership....yeah we should have kept Burke around longer! Versteeg was traded because he made fun of Burke's boy, no other reason. Vertseeg was playing very well when he was moved. He got off to a slow start but was playing very well when he was moved! Even with the slow start he had 35 pts in 53 games and on pace for 55 points and a career year and he was not working out? He made fun of Dion and he was sent away.



I agree that we should have changed the whole group of them....and start fresh.

 

[Swervin81]

Versteeg wasn't doing as bad as everyone claimed him to be. 55 point pace is pretty good for a 2nd liner. I don't even know why he was traded, actually. Still had another year left on his contract at $3M, which is pretty good for a 55 point second line guy.

That being said, when we fired Burke, we absolutely should've fired everyone and just clean house.

 

[Daisy Jane]

Versteeg wasn't doing as bad as everyone claimed him to be. 55 point pace is pretty good for a 2nd liner.

That being said, when we fired Burke, we absolutely should've fired everyone and just clean house.

yeup. everyone should have been nixed. (sigh)

 

[Mess]

Blue and White disease - the affliction of lazy entitlement that's often been used to explain the longest active absence from the
playoffs is worse today then its ever been..

Big fat player contracts rewarding annual failure and breeding complacency, while building a losing culture.

Blue-white disease takes toll on Leafs - GM spreads malady by coddling players
By Lance Hornby, Toronto Sun

Is there a doctor in the house qualified to treat Blue and White Disease?

That was the clever phrase Brian Burke and former coach Ron Wilson used to slam the culture of entitlement they believed almost every Leaf they’d inherited was stricken with. As long as fans filled the rink at top dollar, as long as people drove up TV ratings, bought team baubles and the Leafs owned the front page of the sports section, then losing every year need not be so traumatic.

Taking life as a Leaf for granted irked Burke — and rightly so. How could any player in good conscience accept the attention and hero worship, with no championship credentials and given a free pass for their past foibles?

Many came here as free agents, saying they welcomed the scrutiny in the self-aggrandizing “centre of the hockey universe,” for the potential payoff of beatification if the Leafs ever did get near a Cup.

But four years into the blotchy Burke blueprint and despite the dynamiting of the roster, the symptoms of the malady linger, the Air Canada Centre remains dark in April. And the man who vowed to eradicate BWD is often the most guilty of spreading it.

Full Story: http://www.torontosun.com/2012/03/29/blue-white-disease-takes-toll-on-leafs

 

[Mach85]

Burke made his bed and was forced to lay in it which was the correct thing to do...

Give a extension as a parting gift to his friend was akin to stealing from his bosses....he stated in his original press conference about being financially prudent. He spent more money hiring friends in roles that were not required. Not to mention him signing horrible contracts extensions with Grabo, Liles.....and leaving us with a flawed core that he brought in lacking in any form of pride and leadership....yeah we should have kept Burke around longer! Versteeg was traded because he made fun of Burke's boy, no other reason. Vertseeg was playing very well when he was moved. He got off to a slow start but was playing very well when he was moved! Even with the slow start he had 35 pts in 53 games and on pace for 55 points and a career year and he was not working out? He made fun of Dion and he was sent away.



I agree that we should have changed the whole group of them....and start fresh.

Or maybe Versteeg was traded because the return for him was above and beyond his value? You've mentioned this "making fun of Dion" conspiracy theory in a couple of threads, but never anything to back it up. Here's your chance.

 

[ForSpareParts*]

"What's the Pittsburgh Model?"

-Brian Burke

 

[tans66]

I believe the making fun of Dion he is alluding to, would be Versteeg donning a Dion face pic on his helmant and skating around practice.Fact not fiction. Youtube it. Soon after traded.
Thought it was a well known event. Thought I would take the chance to back up his opinion.

 

[LeafsNation75]

Versteeg wasn't doing as bad as everyone claimed him to be. 55 point pace is pretty good for a 2nd liner. I don't even know why he was traded, actually. Still had another year left on his contract at $3M, which is pretty good for a 55 point second line guy.

That being said, when we fired Burke, we absolutely should've fired everyone and just clean house.

It was reported that Versteeg asked for a trade, at least that's what I remember hearing.

As to why everyone else in the Leafs managment was not fired along with Burke, I think if it was not for the lockout and when Burke was fired it was a complete shock. Since the 12-13 season was around 10 - 14 days away when he was fired, I think that's why Nonis was promoted to GM and etc.

 

[Mach85]

I believe the making fun of Dion he is alluding to, would be Versteeg donning a Dion face pic on his helmant and skating around practice.Fact not fiction. Youtube it. Soon after traded.
Thought it was a well known event. Thought I would take the chance to back up his opinion.

Fact that he ribbed Dion, yes. Fact that it led to him getting shipped out? Nothing presented to back that up.

 

[rojac]

It was reported that Versteeg asked for a trade, at least that's what I remember hearing.

As to why everyone else in the Leafs managment was not fired along with Burke, I think if it was not for the lockout and when Burke was fired it was a complete shock. Since the 12-13 season was around 10 - 14 days away when he was fired, I think that's why Nonis was promoted to GM and etc.

Whether the rest of Leafs management should have been let go with Burke depends on whether or not Burke was fired for hockey reasons. If he was fired for hockey reasons, then yes, the rest of management should have probably went with him. However, many believe that Burke was let go because he rubbed one or more of the board the wrong way and not for hockey reasons.

 

[HellasLEAF]

Burke was too loud, too opinionated, to bombastic to remain in charge of a team with this much attention paid to it on a daily basis. Just too much ego, he could not have expected to continue on in that fashion and remain in power.

Much like Joffrey Barathian. The dude just needed to chill and do his job. He didn't and someone finally decided enough was enough.

 

[ForSpareParts*]

Burke was too loud, too opinionated, to bombastic to remain in charge of a team with this much attention paid to it on a daily basis. Just too much ego, he could not have expected to continue on in that fashion and remain in power.

Much like Joffrey Barathian. The dude just needed to chill and do his job. He didn't and someone finally decided enough was enough.

Ridiculous comparison.

 

[diceman934]

Or maybe Versteeg was traded because the return for him was above and beyond his value? You've mentioned this "making fun of Dion" conspiracy theory in a couple of threads, but never anything to back it up. Here's your chance.

I posted the video in the thread that I mentioned it in....it is not a conspiracy but a fact that he made fun of him.....here is a quote to the newspaper the next day: But the best comment was Giggy’s:

“Haha I thought it was pretty funny. Dion is a great asset to our team. When he’s not here we love to make fun of him.â€

I find the comment by Giggy odd.....When he's not here we love to make fun of him!

I rest my case!

 

[diceman934]

Fact that he ribbed Dion, yes. Fact that it led to him getting shipped out? Nothing presented to back that up.

Him getting 35 points in 53 games with almost a point a game in his last 20 on a team fighting for a playoff spot....yeah he was as Burke said "not working out here". The not working out was not his on ice play but his inability to fall for the BS being dished out he made the mistake of making fun of Burke's boy...Aulie stated the same thing in his interview after being traded...the voices off the ice!

 

[Mach85]

Him getting 35 points in 53 games with almost a point a game in his last 20 on a team fighting for a playoff spot....yeah he was as Burke said "not working out here". The not working out was not his on ice play but his inability to fall for the BS being dished out he made the mistake of making fun of Burke's boy...Aulie stated the same thing in his interview after being traded...the voices off the ice!

That's still a leap of logic to say that he was traded because of making fun of Dion. "Not working out here" could mean anything. Did you read an article that alluded to it? Have sources close to the team? If not, then it's no more likely than me saying he was traded because he loved the Toronto nightlife too much.

 

[Trapper]

Blue and White disease - the affliction of lazy entitlement that's often been used to explain the longest active absence from the
playoffs is worse today then its ever been..

You also forgot that this disease is very contagious spreading quickly through a fanbase with side affects being acceptance, settling and defending the same product for next year.

 

[Faltorvo]

Fact that he ribbed Dion, yes. Fact that it led to him getting shipped out? Nothing presented to back that up.

your not worth the effort

 

[Mach85]

your not worth the effort

Why, because you can't provide any evidence to back up the claim either? By all means, make a personal attack since you can't counter my point in a valid manner. If he or you can back up the claim, I'll take it like a man and apologize. Making stuff up adds nothing to the conversation and needs to end.