As the many on- and off-ice changes this year clearly indicate, the Toronto Maple Leafs are aiming to develop a winning culture.
According to three-time Stanley Cup champion Ken Daneyko, new Maple Leafs general manager Lou Lamoriello is the ideal person to help orchestrate this turnaround.
“You frequently hear about once-in-a-generation prospects — players that come around once every 10 or 20 years — like Gretzky, Crosby, and now, Connor McDavid. Well, Lou is a once-in-a-generation hockey mind,” Daneyko wrote in The Players’ Tribune.
Lamoriello became GM of a struggling Devils franchise in 1987 and made an immediate impact. In his first eight seasons with New Jersey, Lamoriello’s teams qualified for the playoffs seven times, advancing to Game 7 of the Conference Finals in 1988 and 1994 before leading the organization to its first Stanley Cup victory in 1995.
The Devils remained an Eastern Conference powerhouse for the next two decades and Lamoriello was even inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009.
“In many ways he is an anomaly in this industry,” Daneyko wrote. “While most general managers are pincushions for the fans and media, Lou has engendered a respect and admiration that you simply don’t see that often in any sport.
“In 1987, [current Leafs president] Brendan Shanahan became Lou’s first pick as general manager of the Devils. He was the guy Lou pegged to get the franchise back on track. Now, 28 years later, Brendan has pegged Lou to perform the same task for the Toronto Maple Leafs. You look back and things seem to come full circle, don’t they?”
Daneyko played 1,283 NHL regular-season games during his career – all with the Devils – winning the Stanley Cup in 1995, 2000 and 2003. While Lamoriello’s gruff demeanour can be intimidating, Daneyko says there’s a lot more to the soon-to-be 73-year-old.
“For all the stuff you read about Lou being a stern, tough guy – and make no mistake, he definitely is – what’s not understood is that he’s got a heart as big as anybody’s in the game. Lou was never some irrational disciplinarian who banished guys at the drop of a hat. Trust me, if that was the case, I most definitely would have been shipped off plenty of times. Yes, the guys who didn’t buy into his system were usually quickly dealt with. But if he knew you cared and would do what it took to win, he would do everything in his power to get the very best out of you.”
For all those pessimistic Leafs fans that dwell on the fact the organization has made the post-season just once in the last decade, Daneyko offered some encouragement:
“Now Toronto has Brendan Shanahan, Mike Babcock and Lou Lamoriello steering the ship. These guys are flat-out winners. A lot of people are wondering how their personalities will mesh, but given how successful all three men have been in their lifetimes, it’s difficult to imagine they won’t find a way to make this team successful…Lou is still one of the brightest hockey minds in the business. And he can teach this team how to be professionals on and off the ice. When it comes to showing players how to handle pressure in a major media market, Lou’s resumé speaks for itself.”
