Leafs considering hiring Healy!

[les_glorieux]

Bob McKenzie

11/26/2007 7:38:14 PM

Anyone who thinks John Ferguson can survive for any significant period of time as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, please raise your hand.

Anyone?

That's what I thought.

The truth is, Ferguson would have been dismissed long ago if not for one reason - the dysfunctional nature of the Maple Leafs' board of directors.

Related Info

* Ferguson rejects report on firing coach

* Turmoil in Toronto

* McGuire to the Max

* Dreger's Blog: Radical Changes for the Leafs?

* Poll: What should the Leafs do at this point?

* Power Rankings: Leafs #28

This multi-headed corporate monster is the root of the problem in Toronto. It is common knowledge that chairman of the board Larry Tanenbaum would have fired Ferguson long ago if he had the support of the board, but to this point, he hasn't. Team president Richard Peddie, who does have the board's support, has been Ferguson's protector.

How long that continues is anyone's guess,but it's hard to believe this soap opera can continue for any great length of time.

In the meantime, though, the word emanating out of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment's headquarters is that they are perhaps looking at a new model - a re-invention of the managerial position with a committee of high profile ex-players, from Mark Messier to Ron Francis to Steve Yzerman to Glenn Healy running the show.

It sounds interesting, but wouldn't that create the same unwieldy management structure that is currently paralyzing ownership?

The truth is, the Leafs' board doesn't need to re-invent the wheel here. There is a simple model they can follow - their own.

Call it the Colangelo plan.

Lure a top executive with a track record from a winning organization and give him the term, money and real autonomy to do the job - just like they did with Bryan Colangelo and the Toronto Raptors.

The problem with that approach is that only works well in the off-season, and is virtually impossible to execute when potential GM candidates are in the middle of the season with their respective teams.

If the Leafs' board of directors can't function well enough to make decisions, then maybe they should sell the whole kit and caboodle to an individual owner, like George Gillett or Eugene Melnyk or Jim Balsillie, who understand the simple concept of hiring a top-notch pro and letting him do his job.