Third Time A Charm?
Three teams have made it to the final four three times in this
decade - name them. One is the Detroit Red Wings. One is the
Colorado Avalanche. The other? The Toronto Maple Leafs!
Yes, it is true, the team everyone likes to pick on and beat up
will embark on its third voyage to hockey's version of the final
four this coming Sunday. Hard to believe that the franchise that
has seen its way through so many "scandals" and incidents has
been as successful as it has with as little recognition for its
success.
One year ago the Mike Murphy watch was on, and the rest of the
club was around the globe making friends at various golf clubs.
This year it is different, having defeated the mighty Philly
Flyers and now the Pittsburgh Pens, the leafs find themselves
four wins shy of the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since
1967. Who would have figured?
Certain things have lead to the success of the team, and from
this standpoint none is more significant than the others. To be
certain, this team is just that, when one part fails the other is
there to take over and step in. Although the current management
team would not like to do so, kudos to the past regime for the
current success. A look at the current roster does show some
Cliff Fletcher remains and some of those players have been huge
contributors this season.
The obvious place to start would be with Mats Sundin who Fletcher
traded for way back when. Add to it the likes of Sergei Berezin,
Alyn McCauley, Steve Sullivan, both of which came as a result of
the Doug Gilmour deal and Berezin was a Fletcher draft pick.
Tough guy Domi and sophomore Mike Johnson were also pickups by
the past GM/Pres. While he was not around to do the actual
signing, both Kings, Derek and Chris, were a result of his work -
he had them on his signing list before he was fired and Bill
Watters carried through in his absence. While I am not overly
impressed with his play, Fredrik Modin in also a Fletcher Alum
the same can be said for Todd Warriner.
On the blue line is where the new regime has done its most
impressive work however, Markov and Tremblay are also draft picks
from the Fletcher regime. The one player who the Fletcher era
does not get enough credit for is Dimitri Yushkevich. When
Fletcher made that deal he was raked through the coals.
Especially after the Flyers used the pick on a highly touted
forward, Dainius Zubrus. Well since the deal was done, Zubrus is
nowhere of substance and Yushkevich is perhaps the best D-man on
the team. He certainly handled Jagr well enough and has earned
praise around the league for it. Of course there was no mention
of how he was acquired.
The rest of the team, and they are by no means just spare parts,
are to the credit to both Mike Smith and Ken Dryden. The current
management team has done a great job recruiting bodies. CuJo and
Steve Thomas are certainly at the top of the list, but Perreault
(who I wrongfully called a brutal move), Valk, Berard, Cote,
Eakins, Kaberle, Karpovtsev and McAllister have all at times
performed better than anyone could have expected. It has long
been said that to succeed in the NHL, the superstars must be your
best players and your spare parts must be better than anyone
else. When the Red Wings won the Cup it was as much for the
strength of the 3rd and 4th lines as it was for the first. To
win in the playoffs you need the unsung heroes as much as the
superstar, and that is what this team has. The last time the
Leafs moved buildings they won the Cup, and Mike Myers, Austin
Powers himself, told Entertainment weekend, when asked what he
was doing this summer, "I'm gonna watch the Maple Leafs win the
Cup."
