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Around the League 2019-2025 Edition

Preston said:
Maybe but it's dumb. I think it's more likely they don't think the added pressure is worth the potential benefits of winning in a Toronto or Montreal.
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If they care at all about winning Cups, then winning the Cup in the first place comes well before what color jersey they happen to be wearing when they win it.

And since only one team ever wins in a given season, players know that it's far more likely that they wont win one. Now tell me what is more tolerable: not winning a Cup in Miami or not winning a Cup in Toronto?

In Miami, people will forget they ever cared about hockey 5 minutes after the game ends. In Toronto the fans and media will hound you 24-7 about how and why you didnt get it done.

Players talk in the offseason and they have social media. They dont have to actually play for the Leafs to know that it's a fan and media dumpster fire every summer when the team chokes in the playoffs. Why would anyone volunteer for that if they had other options?
 
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leafman101 said:
The problem for the Leafs is that management let them become a joke. No one avoids playing here when the Leafs are winning.

But also no one wants to join a team that loses game 7 to Florida, Boston, Tampa every year and has to eat a decade of fans frustration.

Shanny should be banned from Toronto for blowing this .
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It would have been fine if Matthews and Marner were normal stars, which is what he kept betting on. On paper it looked great at the beginning. We all certainly thought so.

What I would say is one of the greatest failings of this era has been judgement of character. Not just continually betting the house on players who did nothing but disappoint and show how weak their character was, but career losers being brought in with great respect and fanfare to teach young players how to win. It's exactly as stupid as it sounds.

but regardless after 4 or 5 tries it should have been enough for a smart management group, which we apparently can't have here in Toronto, I think it's some kind of bylaw or another
 
Pwner said:
Some guys just don't want to be legends.

Did you know that Reggie Jackson only played 5 years for the Yankees? All I knew of Reggie Jackson was as a Yankee. Mr October is as a Yankee.

Who doesn't want to play for the Dodgers now?

LA Lakers get all the stars. People want to play for the Knicks, Celtics and Heat.

Bama, UGA, Michigan, Ohio St, Notre Dame all get top 10 recruitment cycles.

That is how you build your legend.

Leafs are the same in Hockey.
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I remember Reggie when he wore #9 for the A's and was part of a team that won 3 straight World Series titles. I also remember him playing one season for the Orioles, as well as his post-NYY stint with the Angels.
 
MindzEye said:
Also, and crucially, it's Winnipeg. What's the upside to notoriety and fame in Winnipeg?
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I gotta say though, Ehlers wanting a "Quieter" place (If that's true) is a massive red flag. Guy got his ass kissed and no criticism. Really, what is tough about Winnipeg .in terms of pressure. People aren't even aware his playoff numbers are worse than the core 4.
 
Montana said:
Had nothing to do with them being a big market, or too much pressure.



Ken Griffey Jr. famously refused to play for the New York Yankees due to a negative experience during his childhood. He felt discriminated against when, as a child visiting his father in the Yankees' dugout, he was told he had to leave by a security guard, while another player's son was allowed to stay. This incident, combined with his father's experience with the team, instilled a strong aversion to the Yankees that persisted throughout his career
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I was going to say this. It was personal reasons and nothing to do with pressure. I believe Bonds also had issues with Yankees because of how his dad was treated and wouldn't play there.
 
It feels like in every other major sport, dealing with pressure is part of the litmus test that separates the pros from the wanna be’s….and the guys who can’t handle the pressure in the NFL, MLB, NBA, etc get churned out…..but somehow in the tough guy NHL, some of the biggest stars seem almost proud to declare they don’t like the pressure, and brag about being anonymous in their own cities.

I’m not sure that applies to Marner, cause he always wanted his cake and eat it to…..he wanted all the accolades, money, captaincy, media focus of being THE top star in Toronto, but simultaneously blames the heat he got for not living up to being a good enough second fiddle, as part of the reason he wanted out.
 
I think part of the differences in sports in the NHL has the most parity because of the hard cap.

The premier destinations in NBA/MLB/NFL haven't really changed because the big money teams can still spend the most money. Although the NBA has made it much easier for teams to keep their stars. So players don't avoid the big markets, they flock to them.

If it was the MLB we could have given ROR $10 mill, and Marner $17 they'd still be here and the Leafs would still be making money.

But now the most money is in the no tax states.
 
leafman101 said:
I think part of the differences in sports in the NHL has the most parity because of the hard cap.

The premier destinations in NBA/MLB/NFL haven't really changed because the big money teams can still spend the most money. Although the NBA has made it much easier for teams to keep their stars. So players don't avoid the big markets, they flock to them.

If it was the MLB we could have given ROR $10 mill, and Marner $17 they'd still be here and the Leafs would still be making money.

But now the most money is in the no tax states.
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Unless you are Nashville or Seattle
 
leafman101 said:
I think part of the differences in sports in the NHL has the most parity because of the hard cap.

The premier destinations in NBA/MLB/NFL haven't really changed because the big money teams can still spend the most money. Although the NBA has made it much easier for teams to keep their stars. So players don't avoid the big markets, they flock to them.

If it was the MLB we could have given ROR $10 mill, and Marner $17 they'd still be here and the Leafs would still be making money.

But now the most money is in the no tax states.
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A big part of the cultural difference between the NBA and NHL is the "be the man" mentality in the NBA. For most of the last 50 yrs, everyone has wanted to be the man, be the leader of a team, etc and there really can be one per franchise. We had a brief moment in time where a few super teams had more than one but we've even seen that repair itself recently. It's baked into the culture of basketball. There can only be one guy taking the final shot. Everyone wants to be that guy.

That mentality is more or less beaten out of minor hockey players from a young age.
 
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