why are the Toronto maple leafs such a horrible hockey team?

Answer 1

I don't feel the Leafs are horrible. I am upset that they did not make the playoffs last year but won most of the games in the last six weeks of the season and barely missed the playoffs. Before that for quite a few years they were wrote off early and put out many teams considered better, namely Ottawa. Ask any Sens fan or player if they would be willing to play the Leafs in the playoffs and they will all say no. Look at the records. The problem with them in the 70's and 80's was Harold Ballard. The 90's had some great teams and if not for the famous "no call" on Gretzky they would have won the cup in '93. Sorry Habs fans but we would have won that one. A lot of the problem has been trade deadline and off season when hundreds of older, just beyond their prime players that grew up near Toronto or watching Toronto finally decide they want to play there. I wish they would decide that at a younger age. I know they do not have a choice when they are drafted(unless they want to hear about it forever like Lindros) but they can be now traded as early as 25 and that is when they should become homesick. Toronto has for years at trade deadline wanted to get these older players and they pay for it when the older player goes down with injury. In response to msconduct John Ferguson Jr. has decided to stay away from the picking up old guys at trade deadline. He did this last year and even though we did not make the playoffs we were not stuck with more old dudes. Another cause of problems may have been Pat Quinn and how he only played his older players. I feel the Leafs will be much better under Paul Maurice. To Runner 1, I saw two spankings last night. The entire game the Sabres were spanked and Wade Belak spanked the Sabres tough guy. To tyrone b there are only 2 chokers. The Buffalo Bills in football, the Senators in the playoffs against the Leafs. To Hank W. I loved the way Potvin played so much I bought his jersey and still have it. Admittedly he played on a stacked Leafs squad but he was often the best goalie on both teams. I was very upset when they got Joseph but I gradually warmed to Joseph as he was just as good and sometimes even better. I was hoping Felix would swallow his pride and the Leafs could have had the best 1-2 goalie combination in the NHL for years to come. Unfortunately he felt he was slighted so he asked for a trade and got it. Too bad but life goes on and your comment about Joseph being a mistake was wrong. He suffed through many nights of standing on his head and holding the team in there. He was a great human being as well as hockey player and was often at the hospital or a charity event. I was again upset when he left and the way it was handled. Along came "Eddie,Eddie,Eddie", ask the fans who chanted that night after night if he was a mistake. Domi may not have been the best hockey player but he was not afraid to dig unlike many other players and was a fan favourite do to his ability to get the fans to his feet by dropping the gloves with anybody including guys 8" taller and 15 years younger. He was not a mistake. Lindros may not have panned out but for the money they paid for him I feel they got good value while it lasted as he could still put the puck in the net and lay the body. Gilmour was the best 2 way player in his generation and was always putting points on the board, stopping the opponents best players,hitting and mixing it up. Anyone who says he was a mistake should save the glue for sticking things together. If you consider Clark a mistake I don't know where you get that from but let me ask you this. If you were able to draft a player that would be near the top of your team in goals,assists,penalty minutes,fights(I never saw him lose any),hits,become captain and leader of your team would you call him a mistake? If the Leafs can play most games as they did last night against the #2 team in the league they will make the playoffs then look out but they sometimes play better against better teams and average against average teams. I think they will do well this year and if the new poilcy of drafting better and not signing old guys at trade deadline continues they may again soon become an elite team in the NHL but to say they are horrible is just wrong.

Answer 2

Did someone honestly call Doug Gilmour a failure? And Tie Domi? Well, the Maple Leafs aren't winning because they're in a really tough division. They have to play Buffalo, Ottawa, and Montreal eight times each.

Another reason is that they need some more wings. Kilger, Battaglia, and Tucker aren't enough to take the whole load. Also, they're weaker than they used to be at center. Sundin and O'Neill are solid as centers come and the have good young talent like John Pohl. Defense is their best position by far with Kaberle and McCabe heading up those ranks. And they're getting pretty good play out of Raycroft with a save percentage at .895 and a goals against around 3. You can't ask for much more out of him, he just needs some more help from the offense.

So, once their prospects start to pan out, they should be a pretty good team. A quick fix right now might be to try and acquire a wing that can put up some points.

Answer 3

The leafs suck because they don't NEED to be good. They are the richest team in the NHL by far, the majority of the tickets are held by season ticket holders and the tickets cost big, big bucks. It has become a corporate thing these days. The fans are totally rabid for the game and they buy out whatever tickets are left and watch the games and support the team however good or bad they are.
I think that Torontonians have been deprived of a cup for so long that their cup fever is peaking and the club owners know this. All they need to do is have a half decent season, make it so far then bow out. I believe that winning the cup will only make things worse financially for the team instead of better. When you come close, you keep them coming back for more. If they were to win a cup, maybe the fever would die down some which is bad for profit!
Find another team to support or pray that another team makes it's base in or close to Toronto!

Answer 4

Because they are the Toronto Maple Leafs. Tonight they play the Buffalo Sabres, #1 team in the East, #2 overall. Leafs are going to get spanked.

Answer 5

Sorry, but livin in St.louis our team defines the definition of "horrible".Compared to the Blues the Maple Leafs are unstoppable

Answer 6

In Canada the Leafs always fall before Christmas. Ask mother nature.

Answer 7

their doing all right this year, the leafs usually have a great roster but just maybe a handful of good players? 6 players aren't going to win you a stanley cup.

ALL OF THE FAILURES LISTED HERE WERE A WASTE OF THE LEAFS MONEY.
Eric lindros - Failure
Curtis Joseph - Failure, they should of kept Potvin
Ed Belfour - failure
Ty Domi - failure
Dough Gilmour - failure
Matt Sundin - Great but they rely on him too much
Wendel Clark? - wtf? why was he even considered good

the leafs should of kept potvin, and given him some elite training to get him into better shape to adjust to his aging, he lacked on that part too, the game obviously changes over time.
They should of kept matthew scheinder too.
Lindros is a piece of work... going to which ever team pays the most practically and when he was with the leafs he did nothing but take beatings.

Answer 8

Oh one could a long time dealing with this question but the short and simple answer is that they're based out of Toronto and Toronto sucks.

Answer 9

Three words: John Ferguson Jr.

Answer 10

verify out the numbers.Toronto must be the final, yet they are lacking something, Chemistry. they do no longer look to be taking part in mutually. perchance the instructor isn't inspiring them or all of them have super egos i do no longer understand. Ottawa is the final team this year.