BY MICHAEL GARDNER - FAN FUEL BLOGGER
I don't always agree with Don Cherry but when he's right, he's right and when it comes to my beloved Toronto Maple Leafs, he couldn't be more on point.
The debate over fighting within the game has been going on for ages. On Saturday night's Coach's Corner, Cherry once again brought forward the view that you win with toughness. In defence of his idea, he offered that three of the top four teams in the league are amongst the most willing to drop the gloves and engage in fighting.
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Granted these teams also have solid goaltending in players like Henrik Lundqvist, Tim Thomas and Cory Schneider but they have followed the traditional route in building teams that will stick up for each other. The theory being that intimidation and toughness has everyone in the line up playing a little braver.
If you dissect the Toronto Maple Leafs season thus far, there is no debating Cherry's theory.
Fans of this year's version are impressed with their speed and skill. If one is really honest though, the lack of compete or grit is embarrassing. When pushed, this team rolls over faster than a dog being offered a belly rub.
The other teams know it too. In an NHL survey of players, Phil Kessel was voted as the most easily intimidated player. It's not that one expects Phil to rack up penalty minutes to prove them wrong but it sure would be nice for one of his teammates to step up and offer a reply.
Many will defend the Leafs' approach and say that the game is changing. Toughness is going the way of the two line offside. To those folks I say that the stats don't back that up. Fighting may be down from recent years but it is actually up from the 2005-06 and the 2006-2007 campaign.
Forget what the NHL is doing and re-focus on the Leafs. They are 23rd in the league when it comes to fighting majors. The top five teams in the league in that category have more than double the number of majors that the Leafs have. That group includes the Bruins, Rangers, Flyers, Blue Jackets and Senators. For fun, let's also add Vancouver to that mix given Cherry's comments.
The Leafs' record against these teams is pitiful. They are 5-11-0 with a minus-20 goal differential.
When playing the rest of the league, the record is an impressive 24-13-6 with a plus-18 goal differential.
Now you can argue that those tough teams are also the elite teams. You might expect that the Leafs record is poor against these teams. Sure, but recall that the list includes the Blue Jackets and Senators, who aren't exactly elite. And remember Cherry's original point? That the elite teams tend to rely on team toughness? That given two teams of equal talent, the team that is more willing to battle will have an edge and win more times than not? That's sort of the point isn't it?
Now, I'm not dumping on the Leafs here. This year has been one of solid progress. They have stocked their cupboards with young, promising players. Their team speed and skill is indeed light years ahead of what they had when Burke arrived. But what is clear is that if the Leafs are to take the next step, they will need to stand up for themselves. If the current roster isn't capable of that or the coach doesn't promote that, then that needs to change.
Brian Burke once offered that toughness was important in team building. He commented, "That's how you provide a fear-free environment for your young players. That's how you develop young players where they don't have to worry about picking their teeth out of the glass or getting their faces washed."
As I sit here with my blue and white Leaf sweater on, I am confident that Burke is a man of his word and that the Leafs will step forward with a plan to address their collective softness. In light of the league-wide opinion on Kessel and the disappointment in the Leafs' compete level; it's clear that they have some pretty washed faces right now.
That has to change.
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