Lamoriello, Hunter must be laughing
Leafs make coaching change after slow start to season
Former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello and his assistant Mark Hunter must be laughing at the situation in Leafs land these days.
The duo looked after the Leafs’ fortunes from 2015-18 before both were dispatched by president Brendan Shanahan last year in favour of Kyle Dubas.
Soon after their departure, Lou to the New York Islanders and Mark back to the Ontario Hockey League’s London Knights, Toronto followers and their media were quick to anoint Dubas the boy genius of general managers, a new wave of pro-analytic hockey wizards. They laughed at Lou signing the likes of Leo Kamarov and Matt Martin, two-way checking forwards, the type that keep teams honest. Neither fit into the Leafs new-look, talent-laden roster was the thinking of Mike Babcock and Dubas.
When John Tavares left the Islanders, soon after Lamoriello arrived, again the Leafs hierarchy chuckled as if Lou had been the reason for Tavares moving back to his hometown.
Shanahan said this week they were disappointed with where the team was with a talented roster.
Like many hockey fans, I don’t see the Leafs as a team with an abundance of talent, good players like Tavares, but not great. They have other talented scorers, but they play soft and are weak defensively. The new analytically breed on the sports scene these days, like Dubas, look at defenceman Tyson Barrie as an all-star after having 59 points with Colorado last year because that’s what the computer tells them. If you watch him, you’ll realize he’s a liability defensively.
There is no doubt Babcock shoulders a large portion of the blame for Toronto’s shortcomings, and he should. His major concerns were load management, the new term for not wanting the No. 1 goalie Frederik Andersen playing backto-back games or for forwards like Auston Matthews or Mitch Marner playing more than 20 minutes per game. There is not much sense in saving them for the playoffs if you don’t make the playoffs.
Shanahan and Dubas played a big role in this mess too. Dubas didn’t like outstanding back-up goalie Curtis McElhinney. He preferred Marlies goaltender Garret Sparks and we all know how that has backfired.
The trade of highly regarded centre Nazem Kadri to Colorado for Barrie has worked great for Colorado (13-6-2). Neither Babcock or Dubas found value in Roman Polak, who was a solid defender with Dallas in the playoffs last year.
I wonder if Leafs fans are laughing now when they look at the NHL standings. Lou’s Islanders are 16-3-1, second overall in the Eastern Conference, while Colorado is 13-7-2, third in the Western Conference. The Leafs are 10-10-4 and new head coach Sheldon Keefe, who is
a first cousin of Skinners Pond’s Jordan Knox, a former UPEI standout, won his debut 3-1 over Arizona on Thursday night. Leafs fans are praying he can turn their season around.
FOOTBALL
The Grey Cup goes Sunday in Calgary and according to ex-Winnipeg Blue Bombers star Vernon Pahl, the West winner has a great chance at upsetting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Pahl was here last week to be inducted into the UPEI Sports Hall of Fame along with soccer standout Tessa Roche and the 1984-85 men’s hockey team.
While here Pahl had a reunion with his football teammates (1976-80), swapping stories about his days with Ed Hilton’s football Panthers. The teammates, including coaches Billy Simmonds and Tom Corcoran, plus players like Mike Lyriotokis, Hubert (Sock) MacDonald, Blaine MacPherson, Neal Connaughton, Carl Adams, David Gauthier and Gary Kennedy, gathered at one of the city’s watering holes.
Pahl starred with the Grey Cup champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 1984 and 1988. It’s been 29 years since the Blue Bombers last won the Grey Cup and 20 years since the last Hamilton victory.
Islander Billy Fisher, who starred at Colonel Gray and briefly with UPEI, was a rugged running back and as tough as steel, has been a Tiger-Cats season ticket holder for the last 35 years. Fisher says the Tiger-Cats are 10 points better than the Bombers – we shall see.
HARNESS RACING
Let’s not forget Tuesday’s important meeting of Island breeders at Red Shores at the Charlottetown Driving Park (CDP) grandstand.
It’s about rejuvenating the P.E.I. Colt Stakes and begins at 7 p.m.
Live harness racing continues today at 12:30 p.m. with a 12-dash card at the CDP. The last major stakes of the North American season goes tonight at Meadowlands with the TVG series finals. The most interesting test of the night, three-year-old Bettors Wish moves up in company to face the big boys like McWicked, American History and other top aged horses. This is a great colt but he’s been sent down the highway too often, besides colts facing top aged horses don’t usually work out. Aside from a tired McWicked this is not a great bunch, so it’s an interesting race.
Sunday’s CDP card starts at 12:30 p.m. and the $3,000 preferred goes in Race 11 and has Rose Run Quest and Woodmere Ideal Art on the outside in the six-horse field.
At Mohawk tonight, Kevin Harvey’s Lisburn steps up in class tonight to meet the $24,000 with James MacDonald aboard. He has a shot.