Kanada Kev Posted May 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2008 (edited) http://www.thestar.com/Sports/Hockey/article/420262 Leafs captain Sundin to wed May 01, 2008 04:30 AM Mats Sundin is a free agent no longer – off the ice, at least. Toronto's – and Sweden's – most eligible sporting bachelor announced yesterday he's ready to tie the knot with 25-year-old girlfriend Josephine Johansson. The 37-year-old Leafs captain, heading into a summer of free agency that could see him leave the team after 13 seasons in blue and white, introduced Stockholm resident Johansson while accepting a leadership award at Guelph's Our Lady of Lourdes high school. The two have been seeing each other for the past year or so and were engaged over the NHL's all-star break in January, but just as with his hockey plans, the notoriously private Sundin had remained mum until yesterday. And although he wouldn't tip his hand on his NHL future, he did suggest that retirement to married life was on his mind. After 17 seasons in the league, Sundin admitted he is not sure whether he will lace up his skates for another year. "I'll have to see if I'm ready to begin training and ready for another season," said the captain, who sat out the last few games of the regular season with a groin injury. "I haven't made that decision yet." With files from Torstar News Services Edited May 3, 2008 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubberdinghy Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 Maurice canned Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AD Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 dinghy brought the appetizer, here's the main course.The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired coach Paul Maurice, sources tell TSN.Maurice had one year remaining on his original three-year contract.Maurice was hired by former Leafs GM John Ferguson Jr. Back on April 7th, interim GM Cliff Fletcher was non-committal about Maurice's future with the club."There will be discussions, but you can be sure of one thing," Fletcher told the Canadian Press. "The person coming in is going to be a strong hockey person and he's going to have very definite opinions of his own."Maurice, 41, originally joined the Maple Leafs orginization June 24, 2005 as head coach of Toronto's AHL affiliate the Toronto Marlies. He was promoted to the Maple Leafs on May 12, 2006 following Pat Quinn's dismissal.Assistant coach Randy Ladouceur has also been let go.In two season with Toronto, Maurice compiled a 164-76-65-22 record, missing the playoffs both years. The Leafs have now missed the playoffs for the third year in a row, something that hasn't happened since 1928. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanada Kev Posted May 7, 2008 Author Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 Buhbye Paul & Randy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Low Roller Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 Anyone else thinking that they will bring in one guy to be GM and coach? Someone like PAT QUINN? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitey Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 Too bad Paul, it seemed great at the time, but things never worked out. I hope the future is a little brighter in Leafland. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hal Johnson Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 They're just setting the table for Tie Domi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmelbatoast Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 What was he supposed to do with that pitiful team? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave-O Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 Does this mean that the Leafs have signed Fabian Brunnstrom... ... to be the coach? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 Typically newly hired GM's prefer to bring in their own coach, right?I am praying Cliff hires a coach before a new GM is appointed. God bless these sadsack Leafs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badams Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 [color:purple]Is Scotty Bowman available? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Low Roller Posted May 7, 2008 Report Share Posted May 7, 2008 Does this mean that the Leafs have signed Fabian Brunnstrom... ... to be the coach?[color:purple]Of course! It all makes sense now!(I'm hoping for a Tie Domi + Doug Gilmour combo myself) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Low Roller Posted May 8, 2008 Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 The firing of Paul Maurice – weeks after the season ends, months before a new general manager has been hired – is a wacky move, even by Leafs' standards. With the draft, the June buyout window and free agency approaching, the Toronto organization has no coach and is being run by an interim GM who'll be 73 in August. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booche Posted May 8, 2008 Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 How is that insightful? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badams Posted May 8, 2008 Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 I love watching Cliff Fletcher being interviewed. I swear he doesn't want to be there. He looks like a deer in the headlites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Low Roller Posted May 8, 2008 Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 [color:purple]Insightful Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AD Posted May 8, 2008 Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 So let's get this chronology straight.On April 7, Maple Leaf sort-of general manager Cliff Fletcher made it abundantly clear he wasn't going to decide the fate of head coach Paul Maurice.Then the board of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment met two days ago.Then Maurice was fired yesterday.So do you still think Fletcher is really running this hockey club?More important, it's pretty clear based on these latest shenanigans – the board spending all of its time looking to purchase an English premier division soccer club, then canning Maurice in its spare time – that the MLSE suits have no intention of handing over control of their profitable-if-not-successful hockey toy to anybody.From the day Richard Peddie's lips were caught moving while Fletcher made the opening remarks on his second tour of duty with the Leafs to yesterday's rather laughable press conference, it's become pretty clear why the MLSE board hired Fletcher.They wanted him to do their bidding – just as he did in 1996 when he was instructed to trade away a slew of high-priced veterans and not to sign free agent Wayne Gretzky – and they want his immense credibility in the industry to hide behind.Beloved in the hockey world, he's the perfect front man.Firing Maurice yesterday, however, was pointless, as was the stated pretense, which was to "clear the decks" for the next GM.Well, if you wanted to clear the decks, why were only Maurice and assistant coach Randy Ladouceur canned, while assistants Keith Acton and Dallas Eakins kept their jobs?Moreover, if a housecleaning was the objective, why wouldn't it touch other senior management staffers and the scouts?With respect to the head coach, it would have made more sense to let the new man at least have the option of keeping Maurice through next year when you can bet this is going to be one lousy hockey club."You want that disposable coach," said one NHL insider yesterday.Fletcher should know. When he arrived in Toronto 17 years ago, he had a disposable coach in Tom Watt, whom he cashiered after one season in favour of Pat Burns.So really, all he did yesterday was take away an option from the incoming hockey boss. Even worse, when a quality person like Maurice goes and a player like Jason Blake stays after casually throwing his coach under the bus at the end of the season, you're letting the dark side win.But then, it probably wasn't Fletcher's decision. The MLSE board wanted to give the public a sense of action, so they insisted on the firing of Maurice.So with MLSE execs still unwilling to give up power, and with Brian Burke, Lou Lamoriello, Bob Gainey and Ken Holland out of reach, the search for a new hockey boss is now clearly into the second rung of candidates; the kind of "home run" the Leafs had been hoping for is now out of reach.They've asked permission to talk to former Vancouver GM Dave Nonis, a smart fellow who'd be a solid choice. Carolina's Jim Rutherford is in the mix and Bob Clarke says he'd listen. NHL VP Colin Campbell is still out there, as is former Dallas GM Doug Armstrong.But any of these people would be insane to take the job unless they have the independence to make their own decisions, unfettered by the MLSE board. They'd be doubly wacko to accept including former Leaf goon Tie Domi as part of the management team, but some MLSE board members want that.The way out of this morass is to let search committee boss Gordon Kirke find a quality hockey man, hire him ASAP, and remove the MLSE meddlers from the equation.Based on what we're seeing, however, that's not going to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaimoe Posted May 8, 2008 Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 Instead of getting a coup in last night's Jays game, play-by-play hack Jamie Campbell never once brought up Maurice's firing to Matt Stajan, whom he interviewed during the game. You'd think that he'd at least mention the biggest sports story on the year for the Leafs and ask the first player to be inteviewed after the firing his thoughts. And to add to Campbell's incompetence, the Star has an article with Stajan regarding his thoughts on Maurice and his firing in today's paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hal Johnson Posted May 8, 2008 Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 Maybe Stajan asked him to not ask about it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AD Posted May 8, 2008 Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 I can't believe he wasn't asked about Burma!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaimoe Posted May 8, 2008 Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 Maybe Stajan asked him to not ask about it?Perhaps, but not to even allude to it seemed really curious and awkward. Campbell should have said something to the audience up-front instead of pretending that nothing happened earlier in the day. And don't forget Stajan appears to have no problem expressing himself if you read the Star article: http://www.thestar.com/Sports/article/422839 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Low Roller Posted May 8, 2008 Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 Maurice probably told Fabian "Dear God. Don't sign here." and that's what got him fired. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djmelbatoast Posted May 8, 2008 Report Share Posted May 8, 2008 During the Stajan interview the Jays started getting a few hits and all of a sudden Campbell says thanks for being here see you later. Stajan says but they're hot right now while I'm talking to you don't you want to keep me on until the end of the inning. Campbell laughed and the Jays made three quick outs ending the rally.Fuck I hate Campbell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Low Roller Posted May 13, 2008 Report Share Posted May 13, 2008 Ron Wilson got fired by the Sharks. Wasn't he one of the coaches that the Leafs wanted to interview? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badams Posted May 14, 2008 Report Share Posted May 14, 2008 Is it just me or are the Leafs still very humurous to watch during the off season. I hear they are now looking at Mike Ditka for GM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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