Nafio transcribed this interview as it was aired on television, and we’re providing that for readers who can’t watch videos where they are, and who want a more complete account of what was said than you get chopped up into Twitter Bites.
Note that, as always at these things, some questions are almost impossible to hear and have been omitted in part.
Paul Hendrick:
... does this organization come together in correcting a situation that Auston just admitted was an error in judgement on his part?
Dubas:
Well I think as we go through it, I think you always wish that whenever you’re part of any organization, athletics or otherwise, that there’s never going to be any issues, there’s never going to be any “errors in judgement” you’re never going to be any distractions, uh, unfortunately there often are, whether it’s us, different organizations, businesses, wherever that may be, and we obviously take the matter very seriously... umm we’re obviously disappointed that it’s uh... as Auston said this morning, that it’s been a distraction and for what it’s caused not only to the team but everyone who’s involved, and for us the way that you look at is that number one we have to find out, find out what’s happened, what’s going on, and then subsequently, we have to use it as an opportunity to continue to education our whole organization, every player every staff member about the way that we expect our organization to conduct its business here at the rink every day, in the weight room, in the community in how they interact with every citizen that they come into contact with because when they are doing so they are representing the Toronto Maple Leafs
Questioner identified by others as Steve Simmons:
“What bothers you more, that it happened, or that you didn’t find out that it happened?”
Dubas:
Oh that’s uh... I don’t think I have them in a power ranking Steve, they’re equally, probably as, number one that there was a situation, and number two that, that um we, that the way in which we found out I think that they were both disappointing and uh will be addressed, and uh we’ll roll from there. But obviously you don’t like, you don’t ever like for there to be any situations, and then when you do ... think you want to know about them uh, as soon as possible.
Chris Johnston: “What needs to happen for your relationship with Auston after not finding out about this?”
Dubas:
I just think a discussion in depth as to the way that it went about — I think I’ve got a pretty good idea about that, Chris, and for us it’s, it’s....you know, it’s ... I don’t want it to come off as an excuse at all, but you often go through experiences, going back to my time at the Soo and then here, where you... you have moments because the players are so uh, prolific athletically and they’re very unique in their field uh you can have moments where you often forget that they’re 20, 21, 18, 23, 24, and moments like this remind you of that and they also remind you of the onus that we have as an organization to continue to develop our people uh, in how they conduct their business off the ice so, I don’t think it will negatively impact the relationship with Auston. I think with everything that happens where someone doesn’t meet the level of expectation that you have for them or for themselves, it’s an opportunity for them to learn and to grow and that’s how we’ll approach it, as with anything.
Question:
“How does this impact your decision on potentially naming a captain”
Dubas:
”Oh I don’t, I don’t think that today’s the day to talk about the captaincy”
Steve Simmons:
“... kids make mistakes, do you expect more from the agent in this case?”
Dubas:
Uh.. [lets out a breath] I don’t know the exact uh details as to ... yet. I think Judd has been great since we learned about it, Steve, in terms of getting us information and uh helping, helping us to kind of piece it all together. Uh, of course I would have liked for somebody to have come, come forth before and let us know. But uh you know I think that expectation goes to everybody involved, right, not to one person but all of them, and predominantly you know I think with all of our players, if they do have something that happens away from the rink or something at the rink that’s bothering them or that goes on, we need them to be able to come to us and for us to be able to help them or to provide guidance
Question:
“How did you find out, Kyle?”
Dubas:
I uh, found out on uh, on Twitter yesterday and then called Auston
Question:
“And how was he on that phone call?”
Dubas:
Very honest about it, there was no ducking, there was no denying anything, he was very honest with me about what had happened and that was, which was, you know I would have liked to know before but I’m happy that in the moment when he could have ducked away or deferred that he was honest with me