12/18/24
August 05, 2007
Legendary coach and general manager Scotty Bowman : is strongly considering joining the Maple Leafs in an advisory role. The question is as a mentor to GM John Ferguson Jr. and Head Coach Paul Maurice or does this portend a major shake-up in the Leafs organization?
posted by skydivedad to hockey at 09:43 AM - 17 comments
Somethin' needs to be done about Canada's team.They are mediocre at best year in and year out.If I ran the Leafs I'd be a bitch like Steinbrenner of the Yanks.Whatever it takes.Scottie has been a winner whereever he goes.You take it from there.
posted by sickleguy at 10:40 AM on August 05, 2007
Somethin' needs to be done about Canada's team. Why? Having a ticket to a Leafs game is the biggest status symbol in this city. They're making money hand over fist. Whatever they're doing is obviously working, without even having to worry about the bother of winning.
posted by DrJohnEvans at 11:14 AM on August 05, 2007
Canada's team. What? The Toronto Maple Leafs are the Ontario Teachers Federation Pension Fund (58%), CTV Globemedia(15%), Larry Tanenbaum(13%), Toronto Dominion Bank unit TD Capital's(14%) team. Canada's team is the group of players, coaches, and support staff that show up for World Championships, Olympic Games, and other hockey competitions that invite a Canadian presence. Scottie has been a winner whereever he goes. St. Louis? Buffalo?
posted by tommybiden at 11:27 AM on August 05, 2007
Well, that explains why the Leafs are so mediocre - they're owned by a teacher's union.
posted by insomnyuk at 11:30 AM on August 05, 2007
St. Louis? Buffalo? In his four years with Blues he won two division titles, made the playoffs every year, and reached the Stanley Cup finals in three consecutive years. He had a 110-83-45 record with the Blues. With the Sabres he was 210-134-60. The Sabres won their division in Bowman's first season coaching the team and went on to make the playoffs for five consecutive years. I think it is quite safe to say that Scottie has indeed been a winner wherever he goes.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 12:41 PM on August 05, 2007
Thanks for getting my back on that one,Ying.
posted by sickleguy at 12:55 PM on August 05, 2007
St. Louis? Buffalo? In his four years with Blues he won two division titles, made the playoffs every year, and reached the Stanley Cup finals in three consecutive years. He had a 110-83-45 record with the Blues. Those division titles with St Louis are not entirely legitimate. The Western Division of the N.H.L. in those years were composed entirely of the 6 new expansion teams. One of the teams had to win the division. The playoffs were within the division until the Stanley Cup Final, and the Blues failed to win a game in any of those Final series. The Blues were simply the best of a bad lot, loaded with veterans. With the Sabres he was 210-134-60. The Sabres won their division in Bowman's first season coaching the team and went on to make the playoffs for five consecutive years. Scott Bowman had a winning percentage with the Buffalo Sabres of 52%. His playoff record as head coach of the Sabres is a less than spectacular 18-18 and zero appearances in the Stanley Cup Final. It's not that tough to make the playoffs in the N.H.L. At the time Bowman was coaching in St. Louis, 66.67% of the teams in the league made the playoffs. When he coached in Buffalo, the number was just over 76% of the teams making the playoffs. I think it is quite safe to say that Scottie has indeed been a winner wherever he goes. Scott Bowman is a great coach, possibly the best the N.H.L. has ever seen, and as an individual he certainly has comported himself with class and distinction. He did not win championships with his teams wherever he went.
posted by tommybiden at 01:30 PM on August 05, 2007
I think it is quite safe to say that Scottie has indeed been a winner wherever he goes. Scott Bowman is a great coach, possibly the best the N.H.L. has ever seen, and as an individual he certainly has comported himself with class and distinction. He did not win championships with his teams wherever he went. Are being a "winner" and being a "champion" mutually exclusive categories in sports?
posted by brainofdtrain at 01:38 PM on August 05, 2007
To me Scotty Bowman and Al Arbour are the 2 Greatest Coaches in NHL history. Coach Bowman holds the record for: 1. Most NHL Career Victories (1,244) 2nd Al Arbour (781) 2. Most Playoff Games Won (223) 2nd Al Arbour (123) 3. Most Stanley Cups 9! Indeed there are many other records for Coach Bowman I could site but the Headline "Legendary" has true meaning when talking about Scotty Bowman. Anyway, in 1991 while acting in a capacity of advisor and Director of Player Development the Penguins won the Stanley Cup. No other Head Coach in the NHL, MLB, NFL or the NBA has ever won a Championship with 3 different teams. Toronto should be so lucky as to have him in any capacity.
posted by skydivedad at 01:53 PM on August 05, 2007
If they get Scotty Bowman, their future is really bright.
posted by Joe188 at 02:51 PM on August 05, 2007
Are being a "winner" and being a "champion" mutually exclusive categories in sports? I don't know? Is Alex Rodriguez a "winner"? Is Barry Bonds a "winner"? I seem to remember a lot of people jumping all over those players for not winning championships.
posted by grum@work at 04:37 PM on August 05, 2007
More Leafs multiple management bullshit. Ferguson - who was a strange choice to begin with - can't take a piss without a damn board meeting already. Thank god Scotty is a wise man.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 11:58 PM on August 05, 2007
insomnyuk, I sure hope that was written in jest.
posted by billsaysthis at 11:25 AM on August 06, 2007
I guess the issue i have with this "champion vs winner" issue is the idea that they are mutually exclusive categories. Is someone who wins one championship, and other than that year has a very mediocre career more of a winner than someone like Marty Schottenheimer, who build consistent playoff teams? I guess i don't think it is as easy as to count the number of rings on your finger, especially in team sports.
posted by brainofdtrain at 11:54 AM on August 06, 2007
What I find interesting is the farther along in JFJ's contract limbo JFJ is, the more he makes a change more difficult. Throwing JFJ out now and starting over will be very difficult considering the lack of picks a new regime would have to work with. Sure, Bowman and whoever he hand picks would have a plethora of prospects to trade, but whatever new direction he would like to take the team, progress would be stunted to say the least. What I'm getting at here is JFJ has been insulating himself within the team by making it harder for MLSE to replace him. He isn't accomplishing this feat in the usual way by winning games, but rather forcing the team into limited window of 'win now' that isn't anywhere close to a Cup contender. And do I blame him? Not entirely. The blame must be rooted in the organization that is structured to reward this type of behavior. And to be fair, I have no 'fire him now' urges towards JFJ. I've liked some of his moves, not all, but some. He isn't allowed a full-on rebuild, which isn't a sure thing to begin with, so he rebuilds on the fly and is doing an ok job of it. The core is getting younger; youthful wingers supported by slightly older defenders. He isn't signing vet after over-paid vet. Yet at the same time, he is undermining his scouting staff, undoing one of the organizational pluses he was responsible for. Maybe I am blaming JFJ more than I had realized. Either way, Bowman would be a great addition to the Leafs in that he would get the board out of the hockey side of things. But really, is this the way Bowman handled his previous hirings, denying even the offer of a job? I don't have an answer, but I suspect not.
posted by garfield at 12:48 PM on August 06, 2007
I have read a couple of things regarding the power structure at Maple Leaf Sports and it is a mess at a level about JFJ which does explain some of the bumbling there. I am not a JFJ fan but when you have three or four guys all trying to gain more power of the Leafs, it can't be a great place to be GM of. The other thing is that while Bowman is a great coach, he was forced out as GM of the Wings and more than anyone, he has to know of the mess that the Leaf front office is in.
posted by jc at 04:00 PM on August 06, 2007
Why bring in a mentor for a guy who's already had 3 years in the position? TSN is now reporting Bowman denied the recent offer in an email "I have not received an offer from the Leafs and don't expect one either" Strange when it was reported earlier this summer that at least one offer had been made for $2 Million but didn't include decision making authority. Maybe Leafs President Peddie is to be included in any potential shake-up? Interesting times in Toronto and I take Bowman's denial with the same skepticism I reserve for Nick Saban.