BY MICHAEL GARDNER – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
I have a problem with the vision of Tank Nation.
I get that some fans will seek to find a silver lining in the Leafs’ woes by looking forward to the draft and the team improving its position. What I don’t get is the desire for this improvement in draft position to take on the ultimate goal of the franchise.
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To understand where I am going with this is to first acknowledge that most the Leafs could improve their lottery odds is by a maximum of 10 per cent. That’s it. No more and likely a whole lot less. They simply can’t catch Columbus. To get that extra 10 per cent the team would likely have to lose all of their remaining games. An expectation that Tank Nation would likely endorse.
But is it fair? In my view, it isn’t.
First of all, it’s unfair to the players. The players on this team are playing for a new coach, for their own development and for their livelihoods. You think they should just roll over, risk being branded by scouts and GMs as quitters and mail it in?
Let’s be clear Tank Nation, you are advocating that James Reimer do nothing to improve his confidence and abilities for next season. That Jonas Gustavsson not try to demonstrate his skill to parlay that into a longer NHL career by way of new contract here or somewhere else? That Jake Gardiner or any other player on that roster not push themselves to better their games and learn a new system?
While this season may not end the way we want it to, the desire to compete and develop needs to be applauded not ridiculed.
Second, it’s unfair to the new coach. Randy Carlyle came here with a multi-year commitment to turn this team into something we all want, a championship club. You really expect him to come in and not attempt to establish a standard for work ethic? To look the other way for a few weeks, while trying to establish accountability and his authority? To not attempt to establish new systems which could improve our horrendous penalty kill and defence? To not attempt to evaluate our roster to its fullest heading into the offseason?
Thirdly, it’s unfair to those fans that actually pay money to support this team. The thousands of Leaf fans that attended a recent game in Tampa shelled out their own money. They drove or flew the hours, they paid for concessions, parking and tickets for the family. Not one of them walked away disappointed at the fact that their beloved Leafs competed and walked away with the victory.
Same goes with the fans in Ottawa who endured abuse in the stands and paid their own way to see the Buds battle the Senators to a resounding victory. I’d wager that the smiles on their faces were genuine and each thoroughly enjoyed that experience. Where is the fairness in a fellow paying hundreds of bucks to go out on the road and see his team have a skate and realize the expectation of losing the game?
Let’s also not forget Leaf season ticket holders, who have dropped tens of thousands on personal seat licences and many more thousands each year on the season tickets themselves. Same can be said for those loyal Leaf fans in other cities that mark their calendars when the schedule is released and dip into their pocket books to support the club when it ventures into their new home city.
To all of them, supporting a team and organization who are not willing to do whatever it takes to win is the supreme insult. Yet, this is the vision that Tank Nation (and some members of the media) are pressuring the Leafs to adopt.
Mail it in. Give up. Do nothing to alter your fortunes. Don’t try. Just lose for awhile and then magically it will be all right. Right Columbus? Right New York Islanders? Right Edmonton?
Whether you agree with the notion of fairness as I’ve described, it matters not. We come back to the net benefit of losing. Poor performance may increase the chances of being rewarded with a higher draft pick by less than 10 per cent. If the forecast called for less than a 10 per cent chance of rain, anyone rushing to cancel their outdoor plans?
Is that really something you want to cheer for?
Follow me on twitter @GardnerFanFuel
Related read:
More Hockey: Changing the NHL draft lottery