Listen Leafs, we all came to an agreement over the past couple of weeks. You guys were going to continue your terrible play, doing just enough (or more than enough) to lose games, and we were going to embrace the results. We even set up a reverse standings block to calculate what the odds were that the Leafs would have the first overall pick would be on any given day. You're not supposed to get lucky breaks and do enough to pick up a win!
The timing for a tanking is perfect. We're all on board for the rebuild and we know that the reason that it has never happened before is because the fans wouldn't accept it right? Isn't that what everyone tells us? It's all our fault.
Oddly enough, turns out that, like the little community here, the problem lies with Richard Peddie and the meddling board. MF37 highlighted the damning quotation (or is a paraphrase?):
"The worst thing we did was finish a point out of the playoffs last year and get the 13th draft choice. The year before we missed by two points and got the 13th pick, which we traded away,'' said Ferguson, clearly indicating that a team gone deep in the tank can at least take solace in eventually landing a top draft choice.
"That wouldn't be the worst thing in the world,'' he said of a quality pick, adding that a plan to sacrifice present for future as a method of rebuilding was proposed a couple of years ago – presumably to the same Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment board of directors now said to be shopping his job around.
"That plan was not approved."
The emphasis is MF37's and his response is probably shared by most Leaf fans and is summed up as:
- Stupid MLSE Board, stupid 8th grade science teacher, stupid greedy bastards.
- Can we get JFJ on the record with this plan?
- JFJ has still been brutal and should get fired
Hopefully more of the media coverage will move from the need to replace John Ferguson Jr. since it's been clear for about 3 seasons that he is not up to snuff. What would be great to see is more writers joining fans in starting a movement to change the structure of the management of the Leafs. Yes, I mean more of a focus on getting Richard Peddie fired or at the very least removed completely from any hockey-related decisions. This brilliant website has over 10,000 signatures pleading with the Ontario Teacher's Pension Plan and the rest of the MLSE Board to remove Richard Peddie (and themselves really) from any hockey related decisions. Granted, some of those signatures are opposition fans laughing at the Leafs but most of those are disgruntled members of Leafs Nation that do not want to see the deck chairs shuffled on the Titanic.
JFJ actually conducted an interview during the second intermission last night with Darren Millard which was basically just three minutes of Millard thinking of different ways of asking JFJ if he is still talking to Peddie and if he still has a job. JFJ did mention that he is in daily contact with a number of his GMs which once again highlights the ridiculousness of the situation where a GM that is as lame duck as possible is still conducting team business. Let's get it going already guys and let's get Peddie's head on a pike right next to Fergie's.