The Good, The Bad, And The Indifferent

There comes a point where you really have to dissect what goes on in the course of a game or season.  How did things start to really go off the tracks, what made things go so horribly wrong?  It’s kind of like the introspective look a person might take after a break-up or losing a job.  The Leafs were supposed to be a team in transition that may end up somewhere between 7th and 11th place, not good enough to win a championship, but not bad enough to be the Columbus Blue Jackets.  Before the game tonight, they sat in the standings where most expected them to be, but the disappointment has to come from the fact that they are a much better team than they have played like.

Surviving injury to the saviour in net back in the early months of the season, Toronto all of a sudden forgot how to play hockey.  Or did they?  The team was outscoring most of their mistakes, and therefore were further up the standings than they probably should have been. They are a fire wagon team, which is admittedly a fun game to watch.  The trouble is, when you don’t have a steady goaltender, the scores will look like a that of a football game.  The other issue with this is most teams play a much more conservative game, which places much more focus on limiting chances and defensive zone hockey.  Ron Wilson can’t be held entirely accountable for this, Cliff Fletcher knew what he was getting when he hired him, Brian Burke knew what he had when he retained him, so they own some responsibility in this mess as well.

The players own some blame in this as well, as they have looked more than a little uninspired during this losing streak.  Board battles are rarely fought and seldom won.  The holes that are being dug early in games are completely unacceptable for a team looking for a playoff spot.  This team does not look organized, prepared, or willing to do what needs to be done to win hockey games.  It’s actually quite sad.

So to summarize, you have a coaching staff preaching a style of play that will not likely get you into the playoffs, let alone succeed when you get there.  You have a management team that has failed it’s coaching staff by not providing an experienced net minder in the event one of the young and developing goalies stumbled. Management also failed to recognize that the coaching staff was preaching a style of play, the need to get players that fit within the system.  The players failed to adjust to the shift from what most systems would preach, and often look defeated at the smallest sign of adversity.  To even further sum it up, this has been a failure at every level within the hockey operation, and to say otherwise is to do it a disservice.  Blue and White disease has crept back in to the organization, and it includes coaching and management this time.

Ultimately, the Maple Leafs organization is and has been faceless for years.  This mess is owned by one person and one person only, Brian Burke.  The man should be lauded for all that he has done to improve the environment in Toronto, but professional sports are a results business, and that is the one thing he does not have since arriving in 2008.

The Good

-Rarely is there anything bad to say about Mike Brown.  He knows the role he plays, and does it enthusiastically.  Wish there 4 or 5 more of him on the roster.

-Same could be said of Clarke MacArthur.  He plays hard, hits, gets in the dirty area of the ice.

-The Powerplay scored a couple goals, which is good news at face value.

The Bad

-Not one aspect of this game could be really considered good.  The play was indifferent for most of the game, which is not a strong indication of a team fighting for a playoff spot.  They look like a team that really could end up in lottery territory come June.

-Note to all that will listen, playoff hockey is trap hockey.  Until the Leafs are willing to adjust and play this style, they will win nothing.