TORONTO (Dec. 25) — I begin tonight by sincerely hoping that everyone on board here enjoyed a merry Christmas; a quiet, pleasant day replete with treasured family time and lots of love.

As I perused YouTube late in the afternoon, I came upon an interview with former Maple Leafs president Brian Burke. Conducted by ProLine for his reaction to the club’s mediocre first half of the season. I miss Burke on TV. There is no one like him anymore; no executive with a Stanley Cup resume willing to speak his unfiltered mind. Much of what we see today on hockey telecasts appears almost scripted. Candid dialogue about the Leafs is impugned by the conflict of interest involving the club and its full ownership of Sportsnet, which produces Hockey Night In Canada. Information is smartly offered by the unparalleled Elliotte Friedman, but panel discussions do not possess the edge once offered by the likes of Burke, Don Cherry and Al Strachan. So, I watched intently as Burke provided his synopsis of the Maple Leafs — 16–15–5 at the Christmas break; one point better than Columbus for last place in the Eastern Conference; 23rd overall in the National Hockey League; five points out of a wild card spot in the East, but with seven teams to catch. And, offering little–to–no indication of a long, prosperous run.

“I don’t know what will make this team go, because [the players] have been threatened, yelled at, castigated, criticized and nothing seems to motivate them,” said Burke, president of the Leafs from November 2008 to January 2013. “I don’t think they work hard enough and I don’t believe that’s a coach’s [responsibility]. A coach is supposed to prepare the team. To say ‘okay, this is what we’re going to see tonight against Pittsburgh on the powerplay; on the penalty kill.’ Not a Rah! Rah! speach to get them ready to play. That’s the players’ goddamned responsibilty.”

There was no “white elephant” in the room during the ProLine interview as the panel cut quickly to the chase and wondered about the blasé, sluggish performance of captain Auston Matthews, who has 14 goals on the season; just five in the past 15 games. “Yeah, I don’t think he’s 100 percent [healthy]; he says he’s not hurt and I have no basis for believing he might be, but I see a player [with] a nagging injury making him unable to do the things he used to,” continued Burke. “So, I don’t think it’s fair to question him [at this time]. The powerplay to me is easy to fix. You simplify it. Get shots on the net; have a guy close to the net [for tip–ins or a rebound]. They can’t just keep doing the same thing over and over. So, I understand the [dismissal] of [powerplay coach] Marc Savard. I think he’s a good coach and a good guy. I feel sorry for him and I don’t think it’s amusing at all for a guy to be fired at Christmas time. I’ve been fired before. And, to have it happen just prior to Christmas is no fun.”

For those that frequent this site, it will come as no surprise that I largely disagree with Burke over the virtual disappearance of Matthews in December. Neither do I have any information about his health status, but the captain seems to be perpetually hampered in high–leverage situations, dating to 2018. How, we wonder, did he score 69 regular–season goals two years ago, then play exceptionally well, last January, for the United States in the Four Nations event? Why does that level of performance always vanish when the Maple Leafs need him most — after mid–April? Where was he during the apocalyptic Games 5 and 7 of the Florida Conference semifinal last spring? With his quick, accurate release, why hasn’t he scored even once in seven decisive playoff games? How can he have an absurd four goals in his past 21 Stanley Cup encounters? If battling a chronic malady, Matthews appears to be selectively hampered. I don’t buy it. Never have. To me, Auston has nothing close to the drive and determination needed during the two–month–long playoff slog. Injuries may be part of the equation, but not its entirety.

“Something overlooked [with the Leafs] is the quality of penalty killing in the NHL is the best it’s ever been,” said Burke. “Teams pressure puck carriers much harder than they used to. So, it’s much more difficult to score [powerplay] goals than even a couple of years ago. But, that’s not an excuse. If it’s too complicated then start blasting away [with the puck]. Break a few shin pads and move forward. You can’t just keep doing the same thing.”

The discussion then turned to Leafs general manager Brad Trelving, who Burke brought into the NHL in the same capacity with Calgary on Apr. 28, 2014 (Brian was president of the Flames). Twice in a span of six weeks, Treliving has held crisis press gatherings here in Toronto, offering his full support for beleaguered coach Craig Berube (talk about the ultimate kiss of death). “I’m sure Brad’s having a wonderful time right now,” Burke scoffed, as the others laughed uncomfortably. “Toronto is the best place in the [hockey] world to work when you’re winning and the worst place when you’re not. I feel for Brad. He’s a really good guy and a good GM. It’s the same guys throwing rocks at you day after day. I understand what he’s going through. But, that’s part of the job. When he was being interviewed by [former Leafs president] Brendan Shanahan, I told him one thing: ‘This is the [hockey] Vatican, It’s one of the biggest sports franchises in the world. Maybe the Dallas Cowboys, the Boston Celtics; Liverpool in soccer are as prominent. It’s the biggest hockey stage in the world with the most media. After a Tuesday night [home] game against Columbus, there’s a hundred people in the [dressing] room. And, if you’ve lost, they’re all picking up a different piece of rock to throw. One was for me; one was for Ron Wilson; for Dion [Phaneuf], for Phil Kessel. I told Brad to not take the job unless he’s prepared to be villified if [the Leafs] struggle.

“But, I think this team can still sort it out.

“The beauty of the standings is they are only four victories from a playoff spot. No one is pulling away.”

Burke’s appraisal of the Toronto hockey media is rather outdated. It was precisely as described during his tenure as GM and before the insipid affiliation of team and media. If anything is thrown at the club today, it’s no bigger than a pebble. Almost never do the newspaper beat reporters cover road games — a certainty prior to the COVID pandemic. The ownership of the Leafs is too cheap to pay for radio broadcasters Joe Bowen and Jim Ralph to attend road games, also a cinch prior to COVID. And, in this, Bowen’s retirement season. So, the media is neither as large nor as influential as during my time (1993 to 2010) covering the Leafs as a reporter on radio. And, for many years prior to that. Burke is correct when he emphasizes the prominence of the Leafs in southern Ontario. That hasn’t changed and has grown in disenchantment commensurate to the Stanley Cup drought, now 58 years.

“Fortunately, selling tickets in Toronto is not a problem, though I’ve read about not selling out the arena for recent games,” said Burke. “But, they’re missing by three or four–hundred tickets so it’s hardly an epidemic. So, the job is to win… and to win now. Keith Pelley [president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment] is a demanding guy; he’s going to want results and I’m sure he’s troubled by what’s happened this season. But, the Leafs just aren’t playing hard enough. They’re not playing with enough intensity for me. The biggest problem [Treliving] faces — and he doesn’t use it as a crutch — are the number of no–movement [clauses] handed out by the previous administration. Too many players have too much to say about where they go and don’t go. And, it’s really crippled Tre, in my view. He tried to sign Mitch Marner but was handcuffed by the contract of the previous administration. Which was garbage, by the way. You shouldn’t have more than one or two such contracts on the team.”

This is where the panel should have pressed Burke about the current extensions for Matthews and William Nylander; both signed with Treliving and including the same movement restrictions. But, the issue wasn’t raised.

LEGENDARY LEAFS OF THE 1960’s

Looking at some brilliant, nostalgic photographs taken by the legendary Harold Barkley and presented in book form by the late, great author, Mike Leonetti. These never grow old:

LEAFS GOALIE JOHNNY BOWER AND DEFENSEMAN ALLAN STANLEY KEEP A CLOSE WATCH ON ROD GILBERT OF THE NEW YORK RANGERS IN 1965 ACTION AT THE OLD MADISON SQUARE GARDEN.

BOB PULFORD OF THE LEAFS IS ABOUT TO BE NAILED BY DEFENSEMAN WAYNE HILLMAN DURING THE 1962 STANLEY CUP FINAL AT CHICAGO STADIUM. GOALIE GLENN HALL GETS A FACIAL SPRAY.

LEAFS ROOKIE RON ELLIS LOOKS FOR A LOOSE PUCK IN THE BOSTON CREASE AS GOALIE ED JOHNSTON COVERS UP. TED GREEN IS THE BRUINS DEFENSEMAN. THE SEASON WAS 1964–65.

LEAFS AND BRUINS AT THE BOSTON GARDEN IN 1963–64. RED KELLY IS THE TORONTO SKATER. VETERAN BRUINS DEFENSEMAN LEO BOIVIN (20) COMES INTO THE PLAY AT RIGHT.

DEC. 23, 1967 AT MAPLE LEAF GARDENS. IN THE SEASON HE’D BE TRADED TO DETROIT, FRANK MAHOVLICH (27) RACES FOR THE PUCK WITH WAYNE CONNELLY (14) OF THE RED WINGS. DEFENSEMAN DUANE RUPP (4) WATCHES. THE BIG M WENT TO MOTOWN ON MAR. 3, 1968.

LEAFS CAPTAIN GEORGE ARMSTRONG CHASES NEW YORK DEFENSEMAN WAYNE HILLMAN IN 1966 ACTION AT THE OLD MADISON SQUARE GARDEN. THE RANGERS GOALIE IS ED GIACOMIN. HILLMAN’S DEFENSE PARTNER (AT FAR RIGHT) IS JIM NEILSON.

VETERAN FORWARD ANDRE BOUDRIAS (18) PLAYED ONLY 20 GAMES FOR CHICAGO IN 1968–69. HERE, AT MAPLE LEAF GARDENS, BOUDRIAS CHASED TORONTO DEFENSEMAN TIM HORTON.

DEC. 13, 1967. DURING THE FIRST VISIT TO THE GARDENS BY THE EXPANSION PITTSBURGH PENGUINS, JOHNNY BOWER AND LARRY HILLMAN DEFEND AGAINST FORWARD AB McDONALD.

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