What would Don Cherry say?

Chrystia Freeland is out as FM, or "Minister of Global Affairs." She can thank her gaffe-prone handling of the NAFTA file and her ludicrous championing of the "Lima Group," that hodge-podge of neo-fascist Latin American states clamouring to depose the democratically elected Maduro in Venezuela. (Why? Because Uncle Sam said so...)

Mike Babcock is out as Minister of Maple Leafs. He can thank his gaffe-prone handling of Canada's Team, although to be fair, he's something of the fall guy here. The real culprits remain secure in their corner office suites at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment HQ.


You gotta wonder what Don Cherry would say...

Leafs still suck on ice, but new jerseys sure look sharp!

I see where the new Maple Leafs brain trust has unveiled a new logo.

And not only do those new jerseys look sharp, the new logo is apparently fraught with deeper meaning!

I suppose that partially compensates Leaf Nation for the fact that the new management team, old-boy NHL insiders every one, haven't been able to unveil a new attitude on the ice.

That's quite a team... Shanahan had what qualifications to be President of Hockey Operations?

Lou last won a Stanley in 2003. That's 13 years ago. The world has changed and so has the game.

And Babcock? Well, good for him for finally getting that set-for-life contract, but seriously... what's he brought so far?

As far as I'm concerned, you could have saved many millions by offering Don Cherry the combined President/GM/Coach position, and I'm sure he would have been happy to do it just for the coach's paycheque.

Hell, Don could lace up the Bauers and he'd be the first Pres/GM/PLAYER-coach in league history!

And he'd do more on the ice than some of the stiffs out there wearing that new logo.

Can Lou Lamoriello turn around the Leafs, or is he yesterday's man?

This is a move that smacks of desperation. No question that the Devils prospered under the stewardship of Lamoriello. Three Stanleys and a .75 make-it-to-the-post-season average may not be Scotty Bowman numbers, but they're certainly better numbers than we've seen in Toronto for fifty years.

If Shanahan's best and brightest idea is to hire the guy who drafted him almost thirty years ago, then I think the Big Dogs who run the show in TO maybe made a mistake with the Shanahan hire.

But hopefully I'll be proven wrong.

If Lou enjoys the same level of success in Toronto that he enjoyed in New Jersey, we'll at least get to see some playoff action three years out of every four. And if Lou stays on for 28 years, by which time he'll be 100, Toronto will see three Stanley Cup parades...

That's the positive spin.

On the minus side, the game has changed. What might have worked for Lou in '95 isn't necessarily going to work in Toronto going forward. Don't forget his last Stanley was twelve years ago.

I'm not much impressed by the new team in the front office, but let's see what the new Leafs can do on the ice.

Why Babcock will fail in Toronto

Toronto is a very fickle market.

The "regular folks," people like me, and probably you too, have pretty much been priced out of seeing the Leafs live.

By the time you add in parking, an over-priced hot-dog, an over-priced beer, two people taking in a Leafs game is a $500 touch.

Contrast that to the sixties, when guys who worked in factories held season tickets. For everybody in their family. I'm willing to bet there's not a single factory worker holding a Leafs season ticket today.

The game has changed.

The world has changed.

The Leafs are the richest franchise in the NHL.

They just made Mike Babcock the richest coach in the NHL.

I think Mike and his agent made a great deal for themselves. Even when this joyride ends in three or four years, (eight year contract means nothing)Mike's gonna be set for life.

All those chairs in the Air Canada Centre are corporate assets on somebody's balance sheet these days. The Leafs have fans, but they don't have real old-school working-class fans any more, the folks who would call in sick and miss a day's pay to catch the Leaf's live.

Ya, that used to happen a lot when you worked second shift.

But that was then.

Now, those fancy seat-owners like to glory in the ownership of a seat at the ACC. The only thing that is more cool among the nouveau rich who rule Toronto these days is having a seat and not using it!

That's the fan mentality Babcock will be facing. The beautiful people will want results right away. Otherwise they'll leave their seats empty. The guys on the ice will despair at the lack of fan support. Morale will go for a shit. A team that should have won (on paper) will just be another bunch of losers.

But the Maple Leaf brand will continue to be the most valuable in the NHL.

It's just a matter of time before Mike Babcock realizes he has been pre-ordained to fail.

50 million for Mike Babcock to coach the Leafs?

I guess one way of looking at it is that nobody remotely qualified to take the job was willing to touch it with a ten foot pole at that price.

Sure, it makes him the highest paid coach in NHL history, but look how many other NHL coaches said "no thanks, I'll stay put," when offered the boodle.

Money isn't everything!

But apparently it is for Mike.

That money is spread over eight years, which the sporty journos claim proves that Babcock has been hired to build the team.

Hmm... show me in Babcock's illustrious record where he has actually built a team?

His only Stanley came with a team he had next to nothing to do with building.

If this was Shanahan's decision, expect the both of them to be gone within three seasons.