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Post by freshwind on May 11, 2003 8:01:05 GMT -5
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Post by CL on May 11, 2003 8:29:20 GMT -5
A little disconcerting that the only person the reporter could find to offer support for Peddie was Glen Grunwald. After all, Grunwald is an employee of Peddie's and another sports manager who has produced nothing but disappointment in the wake of significant moves and high expectations. Peddie has always struck me as being the typical new age corporate type. In the same generation as those executives who ran companies like Enron and Worldcom.
Peddie tries to sell this humility angle and that little reference as to what he wanted when he got into the basketball side of things was pure theatre. But like most egotists, he was the author of his own undoing when he went too far and talked about his university journal. Any man who keeps what amounts to a diary at that age has more love for what is in his mirror each morning than for what he sees in the world around him.
So Tenenbaum is off the hook and Leaf fans are left with a polished and rather self absorbed Richard Peddie in his stead. Whenever I see this man on television, I am reminded of a trip to the Toronto Zoo many years ago and a stop at the monkey exhibit. Nearly all of the monkeys were running around the exhibit either chasing one another or playing and oblivious to the human onlookers save for one. Here on a height close to the public veiwing area sat this solitary creature busily grooming himself and casting questioning glances at the people watching him. In this case, this monkey was not the dominant male of the troop but he certainly wanted to appear that way.
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Post by Gerard on May 11, 2003 8:42:53 GMT -5
Asked yet again, "Who's in charge?" Peddie responded, "I guess it would be me."
I GUESS?? Doesn't exactly give you a strong feeling does it?? "We're better off than the other Canadian clubs, but when you start considering the breaks U.S. teams get, there are unlevel playing fields," Peddie said.Sounds like Pat Quinn all over. We're as desperate as desperate can possibly be and the word seems to be out that we'll be maintaining the status-quo and that those left behind to fight will do the best they can to cope. Lumme must be smiling. Maybe McCabe's possible departure is just the normal act of survival. It also seems to be an early admission that potential f.a.'s won't even be approached. "You can do everything right on paper, but if your teams don't win, everyone is calling for your head."Does he think this is house-league hockey for 6 year olds?? Of COURSE the public is gonna demand results!! And we have been short-changed for many years always with the hopes of a promising future and the plea for more patience.  "As for the future of MLSEL, Peddie expects the new board will come up with a four-year strategic plan that includes a lot of "organic growth" -- in other words, ways for the company to make more cash despite the fact it can't sell many more tickets than it's selling."Did it say 'Peddie' or 'Quinn'?? A 4-year plan?? Sounds pathetically familiar. The fact that they are looking for ways for earn more money despite raping the public for un-Godly ticket prices makes me think that they don't fear losing those paying fans (since those tickets would be fought for more than those da*n Cabbage-Patch Kids in the 80's) but they definitely seem to be quickly coming to the realization that the playoff monies that seemed to be a certainty are now quickly evaporating. Which brings us to the fact that the top brass will be in need of a guy who can deflect the heat and bullsh*t with the best of them. It could be seen as a vote to keep Quinn on. After all, he's the master of double-talk and ignoring the obvious while Rome is burning all around him. CL should have more than a few words on this one. Any man who keeps what amounts to a diary at that age has more love for what is in his mirror each morning than for what he sees in the world around him. I'll admit that creeped me out more than a bit. A 'diary' is exactly the word I was thinking of and it certainly sent out eerie connotations when put in context with the fact that he wasn't a pimple-faced teenage when he wrote in it.
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Post by CL on May 11, 2003 8:54:30 GMT -5
Does he think this is house-league hockey for 6 year olds?? Of COURSE the public is gonna demand results!! And we have been short-changed for many years always with the hopes of a promising future and the plea for more patience. Classic comment. ;D |
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Post by Leafs_Pam on May 11, 2003 12:41:38 GMT -5
I have to agree with OM. Reading that article made me want to toss my lunch. The diary part 'creeped me out' too. YUK!! It's going from bad to worse. If this is true about the Teachers Pension wanting Peddie over LT, then the fears I voiced when I heard about the sale were right on the mark. Can it get much worse than Peddie taking over?  Now I am more depressed than I was. I wonder how Owen Nolan feels now. I wonder if he's as happy to be out of SJ as he was before the trade. I would love to be a fly on the wall in Owen's house. |
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Post by NorthernDancer on May 11, 2003 14:14:12 GMT -5
I think we should all relax a bit. Peddie will run MLSE with people from the Leafs, Raptors and ACC reporting to him. On the hockey side it appears Quinn is winning and Dryden will be out. I thought the keys to the statement was the inference that they had budgeted for more Leaf play-offs this year and they want more revenue. The obvious answer is MORE play-off games.
The fact Ontario Teachers is still calling the shots ultimately thru Tannebaum then Peddie and down is very encouraging as there is no doubt they are SELLERS of MLSE (probably to Thomson) but they cannot agree on price. The best way to get the price of the business up, is to go very DEEP in the play-offs with both Leafs and Raptors. I don't think all this inside tug-of-war power struggle is negative at all and will all be resolved on July 2 or thereabouts. If you lived thru the Ballard era you will find this soap-opera rather
baby-lal-la. I (probably naivley) believe that Teachers are committed to winning to enhance their value in MLSE for it's eventual sale at a much higher price.
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Post by lapniappe on May 11, 2003 15:31:47 GMT -5
I think we should all relax a bit. Peddie will run MLSE with people from the Leafs, Raptors and ACC reporting to him. On the hockey side it appears Quinn is winning and Dryden will be out. I thought the keys to the statement was the inference that they had budgeted for more Leaf play-offs this year and they want more revenue. The obvious answer is MORE play-off games. The fact Ontario Teachers is still calling the shots ultimately thru Tannebaum then Peddie and down is very encouraging as there is no doubt they are SELLERS of MLSE (probably to Thomson) but they cannot agree on price. The best way to get the price of the business up, is to go very DEEP in the play-offs with both Leafs and Raptors. I don't think all this inside tug-of-war power struggle is negative at all and will all be resolved on July 2 or thereabouts. If you lived thru the Ballard era you will find this soap-opera rather baby-lal-la. I (probably naivley) believe that Teachers are committed to winning to enhance their value in MLSE for it's eventual sale at a much higher price. exactly! that's what I think too i mean it was said when the teachers bought the leafs that it was only until they could find a buyer for the right price, I just thought that Tennenbaum was the head honcho. but he's not, Peddie is. and again. These guys want money Stanley cup brings in more money then a round two apperance does; so I don't think they aren't going to not make a splash in the market. SARS and the rumours the Toronto media keeps peddling is the only hinderence. but this year, i'd sign the people who want to play here, and ingore the people who publicly stated they don't want to (see: Guerin, Bill; Holik, Bobby; Kasperitus, Darius). All stated they wanted to stay in the New York Area (Guerin in the America Area), and Toronto tried to buy their way out of that. DON'T do that. but to keep on topic, I think Peddie will try to build a winner. I don't like the fact that Quinn is staying on as GM, but we all saw that stinker coming a mile away, as there will not be changes for a year or two until the CBA gets hammered out. and i'd rather pay Quinn 4 million in deference, then 8, wouldn't you? don't get me wrong, I'm teed off, will be teed off, and probably will continue to be teed off, but there's always that sliver of silver in that lining  |
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Post by CL on May 11, 2003 15:53:03 GMT -5
Well, I've been around the Leafs since 1958 and so I have been through Stafford Smythe, Harold Ballard, Steve Stavro and now whomever and the common public statement from each has been their desire to see the Leafs win. While I recognize that accomplishing that goal may not be easy, it certainly becomes harder when the team is run by a coach and general manager with Pat Quinn's record. Have more wins than losses means nothing if those wins are not translated into a meaningful progression towards a championship.
The fact remains that Quinn was permitted to re-sign Mike Penny and Rick Ley to one year contracts which inturn means, that Quinn will be around at least one more year. There is no way that any reasonable hockey fan can justify Quinn's insistence on continually playing the likes of Jonas Hoglund or Jyrki Lumme. In that case, was last year a fluke or merely the typical result of a team that has had no defence for five years, a perenial shortage of at least one and sometimes two bona fide top six wingers and a roster where youth is not welcome?
Quite frankly, I have waited long enough. Quinn is not going anywhere and he is at the heart of this team's problems. What will the excuse be next year?
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Post by NorthernDancer on May 11, 2003 18:25:53 GMT -5
Capital Leafy:
Nice to meet another Leaf fan circa. 1950's.
Do you remember the game in the late 50's when they had to win the last game of the year to make the play-offs ? I think they were down by 2 goals going into the third when they were told the other team (Boston?) lost and if they won they were in. They won and had a very good play-off and could have won the Cup that year. This set the template for 3 Cups in a row !!! Heck I think Keon was 2 years away from being a rookie !!!
p.s. I go back to 1956 !!!!!
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Post by CL on May 11, 2003 18:42:05 GMT -5
Much of the fifties remains a little elusive to me as well as those three straight cups in the sixties. Of course I remember the Baun goal and the four nothing shutout over Detroit in the last game but I find that I mix up some of the highlites of those years. Names like Eddie Litzenburger and Kent Douglas remain a part of my early criticism of Leaf coaching. Those guys could play but never got a full chance it seemed. (Although at least one of those two had a rather serious social problem. But then so did Jim McKenny). So too does Billy Harris. He never did crack the regular lineup at centre but it always seemed that when Imlach threw him on the ice, he would score a nifty goal. There were some great deals in those days and some that really disappointed me. Liked the Bathgate trade but Imlach gave up an awful lot of talent. Liked the Pilote deal and the Marcel Pronovost deal but the Mahovolich trade still bothers me. He was my favourite player.
To my mind, Quinn will never be the GM that Imlach was and so after five years, it is time for him to go. Now Imlach's second stint was a disaster but he did get the Leafs those four cups and it was absolutely wonderful that the last in 67 was against the Habs. Being a native Montrealer, I suffered greatly for my hockey allegiance growing up. Back to Quinn, he does not have the panache to win a cup. He is so methodical he plods and the nuances of management move at a much faster speed than that.
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Post by freshwind on May 12, 2003 5:04:12 GMT -5
I look at this entire situation two ways. I agree that "long term" the team will work towards championships because they are not happy with the decreased playoff revenue. They have set this business up to get to the second round to break even, or realize their revenue projections.
Anyway you slice that, this year is an absolute failure.
That has to be considered good news. Peddie, I believe will be a lot more involved than Dryden, and I feel he will be much more demanding on the hockey side. (hope so anyway)
I do believe we have a fairly substantial nucleus, and hopefully we catch a break or two along the way because I believe that's the only way we make any noise next year.
Can Pilar come back and play top 4? Statsny believes Svehla will play in TO next year. Wesley may possibly be back.
Can injuries decimate us again next year? I would think the law of averages have to get us a break or 2.
I'm going to spend the summer enjoying my family, and trying to be positive about next year. I'll save most of my b*t*hing for then!
On a sidebar, maybe it's my age, but you know, there were a surprising number of people I know that kept, and keep journals. My two boys in high scholl are encouraged to keep journals, more from a planning perspective (ala "daytimer"), but I can see how the habit would form. Also, some forms of martial arts really stress the keeping of journals, right through your life, so that part doesn't really bother me, I've just never seen the need to write down all my mistakes so I can relive them at a later date ;D ;D ;D
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Post by Leafs_Pam on May 12, 2003 11:16:53 GMT -5
FW, it's not so much that he kept a journal. Lots of kids of my era (which at 56 he is) kept journals or diaries. It's the fact that the tone of the whole thing was "I love me" in a narcissistic way. That's what turned my stomach.
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Now I am more depressed than I was. I wonder how Owen Nolan feels now. I wonder if he's as happy to be out of SJ as he was before the trade. I would love to be a fly on the wall in Owen's house. 