Toronto reporters will have to get used to a Leafs coach who doesn't back down.

You want a dirty little secret about the media?

We can be the biggest bunch of crybabies you've ever seen.

The war of words between the Toronto media and Maple Leafs coach Ron Wilson is just the latest example. Tuesday against the Anaheim Ducks, Wilson raised a lot of eyebrows in the press box when he decided to bring a cold Curtis Joseph off the bench to replace Vesa Toskala for the shootout. The designated goalie strategy didn't work and yours truly was one of many reporters who accused Wilson of outsmarting himself. (Read: Shootout shenanigans)

But the coach wasn't about to give the media the last word. In an interview that appeared in the October 23 edition of the Toronto Sun, Wilson vowed to stick to his guns.

"I won't be influenced by what I read in the paper or see on television," said Wilson. "We have a coaching staff, we have management and it's not: 'Geez, if I do this, what's the media going to say?'. That's irrelevant."

Ignoring what the media says is the biggest insult you can toss at a talking head or ink-stained wretch, and most of us aren't comfortable being targeted for criticism by the guy who's supposed to be our bull's-eye.

"It's amazing how thin-skinned some people in our business tend to be," said Roger Lajoie, a veteran radio host on The Fan590 in Toronto. "But if you want to dish it out, you'd better be prepared to take it."

Unlike some reporters, Steve Buffery of the Toronto Sun has plenty of experience when it comes to dealing with crusty coaches. Prior to working the Leafs beat, Buffery spent a few years covering the Toronto Raptors and the always colourful, sometimes contentious Sam Mitchell.

"Sam was difficult to deal with at times, but he could also be lots of fun," said Buffery. "He was always ragging reporters about our lousy wardrobes and he even had nicknames for some of us, like Frick and Frack."

So far, Buffery says he hasn't witnessed much of Wilson's "fun" side. But as long as the media doesn't take the coach's caustic comments personally, there shouldn't be any problems.

"As a reporter, you're not supposed to be the coach's buddy. Besides, the more Wilson snaps, grumps and grouches, the more I like it because at least the guy is interesting. Paul Maurice seemed like a nice guy, but he'd put you to sleep with answers that were boring and politically correct."

But even though Wilson's media briefings generate a lot more heat, some folks from the fourth estate are giving him the cold shoulder. One of his biggest critics has been Hockey Night in Canada legend, Don Cherry.

"He (Wilson) has always been arrogant and pompous, one of those Americans who thinks he knows everything," Cherry told The Fan 590.

Sounds like a classic case of the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think? And while personalities such as Cherry talk tough, they don't always respond well to being on the other end of a verbal blow. One broadcaster recalls taking a playful jab at Cherry, only to have Grapes whine about it.

"People hang on Cherry's every word," said the broadcaster, who preferred to remain anonymous. "I joked about that on a radio show, saying that it's amazing we put so much stock into Don's opinions when you consider he only played in one NHL game. Well, a few days later I received a hand-written letter from Cherry outlining all his achievements, including his coach-of-the-year awards from the American Hockey League."

Yes, even the Don of hockey has a sensitive side. So, it shouldn't be a big surprise when Wilson stands up for himself and turns the tables on the media mob. For instance, Wilson believes Toronto reporters are partly responsible for the sense of entitlement some Leafs hold when it comes to keeping their place in the line-up.

"You don't have a right to play because someone in the media likes you," said Wilson. "You bench a guy in the second game and that's Earth-shattering news around here."

However, there are those in the media who believe Wilson needs to do a better job adjusting to the intense scrutiny that comes with coaching the Leafs.

"This isn't San Jose where you only have to deal with a handful of journalists," pointed out The Fan 590's Leafs reporter, Howard Berger. "In Toronto, taking somebody out of the line-up or moving them to the fourth line is newsworthy and just because a reporter asks the coach a question, it doesn't mean they're accusing him of anything."

The bottom line is that a working relationship between the media and coach has to be a give and take situation.

And, hey.

If Ron Wilson finally decides to give it to a big mouth reporter who deserves to take a royal beating, that's what you call front page news, baby.