Leafs’ problems run deeper

Re Carlyle victim of ‘uncoachable’ Leafs, Jan. 7 How sad that Randy Carlyle could not inspire the Leaf players. Sorry, Leaf players, you have yourselves to blame. You’re not paying the price. The owners need to run the Leafs like a company does, with real consequences. Produce or you’re benched. Produce or you’re gone from the Leaf organization.

Richard MacFarlane, Toronto

Re Silent Shanahan must know work’s just begun, Jan. 7 In Rosie DiManno’s column of about 31 paragraphs, paragraph 26 says, “Entitlement has become bred in the bone. That’s the real dilemma Shanahan is facing as Burke did before him. No antidote has yet been discovered for the blue-and-white disease.”

This sense of entitlement starts at the very top of the organization and works its way down. The owners of the Maple Leafs do not have to compete to rake in truckloads of profits, due to their cosy little deal with NHL head office.

Eventually, the players sense this, realize they only have to show up 50 per cent of the time, because rabid Leaf fans will keep coming forever. Toronto city hall, former city leaders and Bay Street titans all sit back and do very little because they are entitled.

Toronto’s nickname should be changed from Hogtown to “Entitlementville.” Who suffers? The citizens without power.

Jim Browne, Mississauga Imagine Phil Kessel being coached by Mike Babcock? Failure to co-operate would result, like in any kindergarten class, in a time out; otherwise known as the thinking chair.

Nicholas Kostiak, Tottenham

Can we, the long-suffering fans of the Leafs, fire MLSE?

Craig Gibson, Thornhill