Penton: Leafs’ signings not universally popular
By Bruce Penton
It was not a great start for the new management regime for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) president and CEO Keith Pelley fired general manager Brad Treliving in March and fans were eagerly awaiting the announcement of a new boss for the Leafs, who had one of their poorest seasons in years and have gone 59 years without winning the Stanley Cup.
What Leaf fans got when Pelley’s announcement was made in early May was a disappointment to many: A twosome featuring former Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka, who does not have a good reputation around the NHL, as general manager, and former Leaf star Mats Sundin, who hasn’t been involved in the NHL since he retired 20 years ago, as senior executive advisor.
Chayka was 26 when he was hired in Arizona in 2016. Strong on analytics, the young GM lasted only four years before being booted after costing his team two draft choices for violating draft rules (holding conditioning camps for prospective draftees is against the rules) and for seeking employment with another NHL team while he was still under contract to the Coyotes. Toronto Sun columnist Steve Simmons asked at the press conference what due diligence had been done on Chayka’s skill set, since 19 of 20 NHL personnel contacted by Simmons prior to the announcement had nothing but negative comments about his credentials for the position, using words like ‘con artist’, ‘liar’, ‘salesman’ to describe his characteristics.
It was an awkward question, considering Chayka was sitting right there, as was the new GM’s wife and children. Replied Pelley: “I’ve already said I did deep due diligence. … We’ve done extensive due diligence, and I’m very comfortable and very confident in where we landed.”
Said a story on Yahoosports.com: “Pelley responded that he and Simmons ‘must have talked to different people,’ to which Simmons responded, ‘That’s it? Because the hockey world today is astounded by this announcement.”
To be fair, Chaka’s missteps happened five to 10 years ago and now that he’s 36, he says he has learned from his mistakes and will turn that experience into a positive. One day after the announcement of his hiring, the Leafs got an unexpected positive when they won the draft lottery, moving up from No. 5 to the top spot. Look for flashy winger Gavin McKenna, the Canadian Hockey League player of the year in 2024-25 and an offensive star with Penn State this past season, to be part of the Leafs’ lineup this fall.
Pelley, in announcing the hiring of Chayka and Sundin, said the Leafs are in for a “retool” as opposed to a rebuild. Unfortunately, retool offers a connotation of rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. A rebuild might be more appropriate, given the good fortune Toronto received by winning the draft lottery. Potential superstars McKenna or Swedish star Ivar Stenberg could be strong building blocks for foundation of that rebuild.
Humorist Steve Burgess of Vancouver, on the Whitecaps to Las Vegas relocation rumours: “We may soon be adding the Las Vegas Whitecaps. Surf that sagebrush, dude.”
Cathal Kelly of the Globe and Mail, on tanking in sports for a better draft pick: “It’d be like the boss giving me a tap on the shoulder and saying, ‘Corporate says there’s too much cash on hand. Time to start libelling the hell out of everyone.’”
Shane Ryan of GolfDigest.com, on English golfer Tyrell Hatton: “With age, he looks increasingly like an English soldier from a movie about medieval times who gets killed when the enemy dumps a pot of burning oil on his head.”
Pro golfer Matt Fitzpatrick, describing his younger brother Alex, also a tour pro: “He’s always kind of bouncing around, always so pleasant to be around. So nice to everyone. Not to say that I’m not but he really is so polite.”
aComedy guy Torben Rolfsen of Vancouver: “Mike Vrabel and Dianna Russini have been photographed together more often than David and Victoria Beckham. They make the Obamas look camera shy.”
Another one from Rolfsen: “FIFA reportedly wanted a Level 4 motorcade for its president while in Vancouver, which is the ability to go through traffic lights. That’s one level below the Pope, or what regular Vancouver drivers do.”
Headline at theonion.com: “Sports Illustrated removes distracting models from swimsuit edition.”
Headline at fark.com: "Steve Kerr explains why he's returning to coach Golden State: Because those millions of dollars weren't going to make themselves.”
Another fark.com headline: “‘Planning for Manning’ or ‘The March for Arch’, the Arizona Cardinals are underdogs in every game this season.”
Patrick Dough, on Twitter, after Garrick Higgo was assessed a two-stroke penalty for missing his 7:18 tee time at the PGA by less than a minute: “Scottie (Scheffler) went to jail and still made his tee time at the PGA.”
Care to comment? Email brucepenton2003@yahoo.ca