TORONTO (Sep. 14) — The latest media buzz about Mitch Marner went to print on Friday, courtesy Bruce Arthur of the Toronto Star. Arthur’s theory made the most sense for the Maple Leafs… because it made the least sense.

Only here in the Big Smoke could it make any sense.

This is not, by the way, a knock on Bruce; neither does he need my endorsement as one of the premier sports columnists in the land. But, his Friday submission was a classic example of the amnesia that envelops Leafs Nation during the always–lengthy summer. Had Arthur written the column, say, three days after the Leafs were eliminated by Boston in the playoffs, it would have aroused incredulity. Even then, we knew Mitch had become de facto general manager, given the preposterous deal his agent, Darren Ferris, wrangled from the person with the actual title of GM: Kyle Dubas (now running the Pittsburgh Penguins). Of course Marner would dictate the terms of his future in the National Hockey League; so would any of us with a full, no–movement clause in the final two years of our first NHL pact. But, to suggest in print (as per the headline to Arthur’s column) that Mitchell will re–sign with the Leafs “if he wants to” would have failed the laugh test. Big time. At any time after Marner astonishingly allowed David Pastrnak to fly past him in the neutral zone, thereby confusing the club’s No. 1 defenseman, Morgan Rielly — both of whom were choking on dust in overtime of Game 7. Imagine allowing any opponent, but particularly one with 107 goals in the past two seasons, a clean breakaway with a playoff series on the line. That’s how the Core–4 Leafs were most–recently dispatched from Stanley Cup toil. So, I repeat, Bruce Arthur would never have expressed such a front–page Sports opinion in the near aftermath of the Marner/Rielly blunder.

In fact, I’ll double–down on that opinion when including the now–farcical end–of–season media gathering, during which the club’s hierarchy — looking appropriately pale — insisted that “everything was on the table” with respect to altering a perennial playoff dud. So, what happened? The usual Leafs off season: first, identifying a scapegoat (former coach Sheldon Keefe). Then, rewarding ultimate and consistent failure by inking regular–season superstar Auston Matthews to the most–lucrative contract in the NHL (now, second–most to Leon Draisaitl). And, finally, disgracing current captain John Tavares by stripping him of the captaincy and according it to Matthews, the “leader in waiting” that has guided the club to one whole playoff–round victory in nine attempts. Now, we have a top sports columnist all–but insisting the Leafs will cave on Marner as soon as he provides the go–ahead. No wonder Keith Pelley has been invisible since chairing the press conference — his first as CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment — while infamously suggesting the company wasn’t in the hockey biz to “sell jerseys”. Nearly four months has gone by since that media event and the potential hoarding of No. 34 pullovers with the letter ‘C’ is all the Leafs have accomplished since the Pastrnak debacle. The rest was hot air that will become an inferno of apathy if the club cements its addiction to the Core–4 by re–signing Marner through his prime NHL years. It would confirm what this corner has long–suggested about the Brendan Shanahan administration: the easiest path is the only path that concerns MLSE. So, why not spend irrationally on Marner? No one will turn in their season tickets.

In fairness to Arthur, he did mention the Pastrnak fly–by… but not until the tenth paragraph of his column. As sort of a “reminder” of what happened in OT of Game 7. Such is the collective weight, in the Toronto media, provided the Leafs’ playoff frailty compared to regular–season brilliance, evidenced by the utter euphoria — electronically and in print — as Matthews chased the 70–goal mark at the end of the schedule. Even media outlets not directly owned by the Leafs (and there are few) went bananas over Auston. Then came the playoffs and… well, you know.

As part of his column, Arthur wrote: Everyone needs to feel appreciated, and a winger who drives play, kills penalties and is ninth in regular–season scoring over the past six years doesn’t become available very often. Bang on. So why is this penalty killer and prolific scorer possibly an exception? And, has there ever been a more–deceptive statistic than Mitch accruing “25 points in his last 26 playoff games”… another fact provided by Arthur? The answer is simple and tiring: Marner and his luminous mates have done absolutely squat when it matters. Yes, salaries are paid during the regular season. Reputations, however, are crafted starting in mid–April. And, the Leafs of Marner, Matthews, Tavares and William Nylander are universally recognized as one of the premier choke acts in modern Stanley Cup history. Eight years is double the length of time for a responsible team to determine it cannot prevail in the clutch. Still, columnists are imploring management to “be fair” with Marner. It’s a malaise the Toronto hockey market cannot shake. And, nothing will change if the not–so–fabled foursome remains intact.

Frankly, I don’t foresee it happening. Marner will be shown the money anywhere he signs. And, Ferris is justifiably prone to guiding his top clients toward unrestricted free agency. Unless the Muskoka lifestyle is more important to Marner than trying to actually win something, Ferris will encourage the Leafs to spend their money elsewhere. At which point the addiction will again come into play. Can MLSE imagine itself without one of the Big 3 draft choices from 2014–15–16? If it cannot, Marner will be offered a Matthews–type extension. And, the rinse/repeat cycle of the past eight playoff years will continue… without a smidgen of push–back in the mainstream Toronto media.

NEW… FROM THE VAULT

For the first time in quite awhile, I recently added some items to my sports collection. Including several issues of The Hockey News from 1967–68, the initial year of the expanded NHL: 

 
COVER OF THE HOCKEY NEWS FROM NOV. 18, 1967, WITH A PHOTO OF EXPANSION TEAMS PITTSBURGH AND CALIFORNIA PLAYING AT THE OAKLAND COLISEUM–ARENA. CHICAGO LEGEND BOBBY HULL WAS CLOSING IN ON THE 400th OF HIS 610 NHL GOALS. IN TORONTO (RIGHT), THE DOWNFALL OF PUNCH IMLACH AND FRANK MAHOVLICH WAS NEARING ITS END. THE BIG ‘M’ WOULD BE TRADED TO THE DETROIT RED WINGS LESS THAN FOUR MONTHS LATER.

SUMMARIES FROM THE FIRST–EVER MAPLE LEAFS ROAD TRIP OUT WEST: NOV. 8–11, 1967. A VICTORY IN OAKLAND, THEN DEFEATS AT LOS ANGELES (GAME PLAYED IN THE OLD L.A. SPORTS ARENA) AND MINNESOTA. THE LEAFS WERE THE LONE ESTABLISHED CLUB TO FINISH BENEATH .500 AGAINST THE INFERIOR NEW TEAMS. IN THE OAKLAND SUMMARY, TIMES ARE ALL SCREWED UP. ALLAN STANLEY AND JIM PAPPIN DID NOT SCORE THREE SECONDS APART IN THE MIDDLE FRAME.

EMAIL: HOWARDLBERGER@GMAIL.COM