Do the Leafs still matter? They sure do….

Who’s kidding who?  (Or is it “who’s kidding whom…”?) It’s August and unless we are speculating about whether a) van Riemsdyk really is a center after all, b) Carlyle can adapt to his roster reality (or it/they to him) or c) that the Leafs are still hoping to land a big fish before training camp (Marleau, Getzlaf, Bobby Ryan, Luongo, et al…) it’s a quiet time to talk about the Maple Leafs.  That said, even the muggy summer weather doesn’t really diminish the enthusiasm that people who love the team have—or the optimism that generally abounds at this time of year about where the Leafs are headed.

After all, what’s not to be (if you’re in that frame of mind) positive about? The players are all healthy.  The Leafs haven’t lost a game yet.  Our goaltending just might be better, eh?  And hey, we signed Komarov, and we certainly needed an agitator with Armstrong always injured and now gone. Everyone is excited about van Riemsdyk.  And what about all those kids down on the farm—Colborne, Kadri, and the youngsters we just drafted amid so much hoopla?

As an ever-hopeful Leaf fan, I used to adopt this approach all the time when I was young.  I remember it so well.  I always convinced myself the Leafs would indeed be better next year.  Success was always just around the corner.  Heck, I remember working on forward-line combinations on a scrap of paper within days of the Leafs getting blown out in four straight against the emerging Boston Bruins in the spring of 1969.  (Boston went on to win two Stanley Cups in the next three seasons...) The Leafs didn't have all that much to work with, as they were  a team in transition, moving from "aging" to a more youthful orientation. But I wanted to believe that with a few modifications here and there, they would be good again. That was the season—and the series, that saw the end of the Punch Imlach era when team owner Stafford Smythe pulled the plug on the long-time Leaf GM and bench boss right after the Game 4 loss against the Bruins in Toronto.  It was indeed time for a change and Smythe subsequently hired Jim Gregory, a sharp young hockey executive (in the old Toronto Marlie system, if I’m not mistaken).  It was a good hire, and change almost always inspires hope.

I remained positive.  I especially felt that way after the 1970-’71 season, when the Leafs had future Hall-of-Famer Bernie Parent seemingly well-entrenched in goal and a really good crop of young defenseman—much better than we have now, I would argue.  Big Brian Glennie was highly enough thought of to be selected for Team Canada ’72.  Rick Ley was a mobile, tough-as-nails defenseman who also had offensive flair.  Jim Dorey never lost a fight, it seemed, and was a rugged guy with a lot of talent.  Brad Selwood was a really solid all-around young defenseman, as was Mike Pelyk.  Then there was the skilled but rather enigmatic Jim McKenny, once thought to be the second best young defenseman in hockey behind Bobby Orr (an unfair comparison, but that’s what many thought at the time…).  I was convinced that the Leafs were on their way.

Unfortunately, Gregory traded away Dorey, one of my favourite all-time Maple Leafs (seen at right). Then the World Hockey Association came along and signed Parent, Selwood, Ley and Pelyk (and tough center Jim Harrison as well) away from the Leafs.  Harold Ballard had assumed ownership control after Smythe's death, and "Pal Hal" believed that the WHA would never last. History would prove him very wrong, and largely as a result of his stubbornness, the Leafs went backwards.

Hopes were dashed—but only temporarily.  Gregory  was able to re-build the squad and before long, Lanny McDonald, captain Darryl Sittler (seen in action at left), Mike Palmateer and Borje Salming (I guess we could throw Ian Turnbull and Tiger Williams in there as well) were literally in the prime of their hockey lives.  With the highly-innovative (albeit very defensively-oriented) Roger Neilson behind the bench, the team gave us some exciting playoff hockey in the later ‘70s but at the end of the day, the Flyers or the Habs were always a bit too much for us and eliminated us un the playoffs every spring.

Though things looked more promising than ever after the 1979 playoff ouster against Montreal, Gregory was fired (so was Neilson) and Imlach was brought back by Ballard, the irascible Leaf owner through that frustrating era.  Imlach had actually had a very successful run as the GM of the expansion Buffalo Sabres throughout the 1970s, overseeing a franchise that came close to winning the Stanley Cup in 1975, losing in six games in the finals against the Flyers.  He built some outstanding teams with great young players like Richard Martin, Gilbert Perreault and  Danny Gare mixed in with some strong veterans and gritty guys like Rick Dudley (yes, that Rick Dudley) and former Leaf winger Brian Spencer. But once back in the land of the blue and white, Imlach seemed to morph back into the spiteful Imlach of old.  He  determined that Sittler wielded too much power and authority, and proceeded to tear the roster apart, sending McDonald and others away as soon as he could.

That got he ‘80s off on the wrong foot, for sure.  But, as bad a decade as that was for the franchise (I don't think we won a single best-of-seven playoff series in the '80s, but I might not be remembering correctly...), we drafted a host of promising young players who always made me think things had to get better soon.  There were the kid goalies, Ken Wregett and Alan Bester.  Wendel Clark was a tremendous revelation, of course, a first overall pick who was a real difference-maker for us.  But it was more than just those guys.  There was Russ Courtnall and Gary Nylund and Gary Leeman.  (I shouldn’t forget Rick Vaive and Billy Derlago…and of course, a then young Steve Thomas.)  But the team remained stuck constantly in neutral.

Then in the early ‘90s, another new General Manager (Cliff Fletcher) brought us Doug Gilmour and Pat Burns.  What a run that was in  the playoffs in ’93 and ’94.  But just when we were “this close”….we fell back and suddenly, through the Mike Murphy era (not Mike’s fault) it felt like we were starting over again.

Then Pat Quinn came aboard and brought a confidence and stability (I won't say "swagger", but the now over-used term could well have been applied to Quinn's teams...) to the organization that we had been lacking.  Quinn led a great run that Leaf fans surely must look back on and feel nostalgic about now, though many complained at the time that it wasn't enough.  Under his stewardship, the franchise made it to the playoffs every year from 1999-2004, winning a ton of playoff games and some big playoff series along the way.  Flags were flying and fans were honking car horns in the streets every year in the springtime.  Yet despite getting to the "final four" twice, in ’99 and 2002, we just couldn't quite make it to the end of the race. (2002 was particularly disappointing for me, and many other Leaf fans, I'm sure...)

Almost a decade later, in Brian Burke's 4^th year in charge, we are now talking re-build, youth and patience again.  But fans still want to believe.  Why?  Because the Leafs still matter to a lot of people, not only across Canada but throughout the hockey world.  They will always matter.  And we will get better.  I choose to believe that.

The franchise that we know now was largely built in the throes of the early ‘30s Depression under the guidance of Conn Smythe, and it has been a Canadian—and hockey—institution ever since.  No, we haven’t won a Cup in 45 years, and yes, that hurts, but the legacy is still strong and proud. I have a feeling that more people, young and old, follow the Leafs passionately than ever before.  I could be wrong but I just sense that there is no drop-off in interest.  The “losing”, if anything, only makes the team’s supporters even more keen for a championship.

I’ve posted variations on today’s theme here in the past.  If you’re looking for quiet summertime Leaf reading, check out my memories on how I became a Leaf fan, and thoughts on why people still care about the Leafs.

It may be August and  NHL hockey may seem like it’s a million miles away.  But Leaf fans live - and wait - in hope.  We think hockey twelve months of the year. They will be in a position to compete before long.  It will happen.

Like the New York Mets baseball fans kept saying in 1969, the year of the "Miracle Mets"—“Ya gotta believe…”.

Hopefully you’re enjoying the summer.  Before long, I think we'll have something concrete to talk about.   In the meantime, I'd enjoy it if you took a moment to share your thoughts on why you became (or are) a Leaf fan, and why you feel they still matter...