Why Leafs Nation became “Tank Nation.”

For over forty years members of Leafs Nation have watched their team transform from a Stanley Cup dynasty of the 1960’s to one of the National Hockey League’s rollercoaster teams of futility. The Maple Leafs fan base has endured many regime changes over the years with three ownerships, and numerous management changes over this time. There have always been too many decision makers from ownership to management infighting when it came to making hockey operations decisions.

If it was not Harold Ballard fighting with his general managers, and coaches, it was Steve Stavro locked in battle with Don Giffen over the hiring of Cliff Fletcher, Steve Stavro and Larry Tanenbaum battling for control of the club, or Richard Peddie and Larry Tanenbaum having ideological difference in the hockey operations after Steve Stavro sold the club. This is a team with a history of great mismanagement of hockey operations and meddling from the top.

During this forty one year period of futility, there have been twenty six playoff appearances, five conference finals appearances and one division championship for the blue and white. The Maple Leafs never had a chance at Lord Stanley’s Cup after twenty six attempts at Lord Stanley’s glory.

Some readers may ask how the team is futile with twenty six playoff appearances, and five conference finals appearances. The only true measurement of success is having the Toronto Maple Leafs name inscribed on the Stanley Cup. In time, only the champions are remembered and this is the only acceptable outcome for Maple Leafs Nation.

There have always been quick patch trades to the Maple Leafs roster, throwing away the future for the present. One example is the October 16, 1989 trade between the New Jersey Devils where the Toronto Maple Leafs sent their 1991 first round draft pick for Tom Kurvers, a 60 point injury prone player. The Maple Leafs 1991 draft pick was third overall, where New Jersey selected Scott Niedermayer. Two years later, Tom Kurvers is traded away to Vancouver for Brian Bradley and Scott Niedermayer becomes one of the most decorated defenseman to ever play in the National Hockey League. Where did it all go wrong?

After Harold Ballard’s stingy ways, the Maple Leafs employed the tactic of not only trading away the future for the present, but using their cheque book to sign free agents to patch up any mistakes made by management in the past. This worked well for some periods, where free agents helped keep the status quo of making the playoffs, but never good enough to compete for the Stanley Cup.

Looking at the sporting landscape in Southern Ontario, you will see that Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLS&E) has a virtual monopoly in place with the Maple Leafs, Raptors, Marlies, and Toronto FC. These sporting entities compete with the Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Argonauts, which are minor competitors in the Southern Ontario sporting landscape. The sheer juggernaut of the Maple Leafs occupies the majority of the sporting psyche of the Southern Ontario sporting fan. As a result, many would question where the incentive is to field a championship team in a city that Leafs and Toronto FC crazy, and an ever-growing base of Raptors fans ready to buy tickets to see them play (win or lose).

After forty years of patch work trades and free agency signings, what has changed the Maple Leafs Nation psyche of just making the playoffs in the hopes of winning the Stanley Cup to “Tank Nation” where the fans want the team to lose? Its simple; the frustration of forty years of the status quo and mismanagement of this team. You can also point to the NHL salary cap changing the rules of the game, along with new rules to open up the game with more skilled and faster players.

The NHL salary cap changed the landscape of how teams operate, and this in turn changed the landscape of how every team in the NHL deals with hockey operations. Gone are the days of trading the future for veteran players that are slower in their aging years, or signing veterans to high salary contracts. The NHL today is vastly different to the NHL ten years ago.

The way to build an NHL franchise to greatness in the salary cap era is through the drafting of young players. This is the base where all teams now look to build upon, through the draft. Most astute Maple Leaf fans understand the current team that missed four years of post season play is not talented enough to win a championship. In order to retain long term winning, short term pains will need to be endured.

Out of the ashes of futility and despair the Phoenix will rise. The rebirth of the Maple Leafs will come at the entry draft, where the only consolation prize for not making the playoffs is to retain young talent. The worse off the team does, the better chance of retaining bonafide NHL talent is there. The Maple Leafs can only accomplish this task by being the fifth worst team in the NHL to be entered into the lottery draft for the first overall selection.

“Tank Nation” is a mentality where the team must get worse to get better. It is nice to have a winning mentality for the younger players, but when the team still has veterans from the past culture of losing on the current roster, the whole team will need to be purged and rebuilt.

The rebuild started with Luke Schenn, and soon many other younger players will eventually replace the losing veteran presence on this roster. Most Maple Leafs fans understand it will take years to rebuild the team. The only way to retain possible franchise players is through the draft. Brian Burke and Dave Nonis are the two architects now at MLS&E that understand this new way of doing business in the NHL, and the Maple Leafs fans are starting to see the light on how the rebuild will have to take place.

“Tank Nation” will be alive and well for the next three years before the mentality of losing is changed to the mentality of winning. This is a short term ideology for a long term health of winning. Brian Burke and his regime will make an effort to change this losing mentality, but for the next three years there will be people supporting the tank because we must fail in the short-term to gain a winning franchise in the near future.

Fans are not happy to watch their beloved team lose, but sometimes tough love is needed to ensure their team becomes stronger down the road. Many in Leafs Nation now see the light, and will be giving tough love to their team in support of the current roster losing for the betterment of their future.