Toronto Maple Leafs: Lessons Learned From A Painful Decade

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toronto maple leafs
Apr 8, 2015; Columbus, OH, USA; Toronto Maple Leafs right wing Phil Kessel (81) against the Columbus Blue Jackets at Nationwide Arena. The Jackets won 5-0. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Savagely Attacking The Players Daily Is Dumb

One of the biggest changes that has been noticeable is the shift in coverage the Toronto Maple Leafs are getting under Brendan Shanahan.

When Shanahan wasn’t around, the star players were getting a media beat-down almost every single day. There was nothing good that they were doing, ever.

Front page covers, featured headlines online, snarky tweets, sarcastic radio banter and, well, anything out of Steve Simmons’ mouth were plagued with negativity towards the cities best hockey players.

Not only does that affect the players themselves – yeah, they’re human and, after a while a daily thrashing takes its toll – but it affects the image of the organization.

The Leafs were one of the least desirable places for NHL players – and you can’t really blame them. Who wants to go to a city where they’re guaranteed to be a media sacrifice?

Things are changing now, with more honest reading coming out of journalists but there’s still ground to be made up.

Attacking players every day hurts the organization, regardless of how thick-skinned and invisible people think athletes should be.

Next: A Loud Front Office Is Poison, So Is A Yes Man