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mmhmm. we'll see how long this lasts...

I think this is the right move. It's not Fletcher's call if he's not going to be the permanent GM (I use permanent loosely since we're talking about sports). Maurice had better hope they hire Jimmy Rutherford.

I think Maurice will stay. This guy is widely touted one of the best communicators and teachers of young players in the game. He knows the Marlies like the back of his hand and the players seem to like him. Re-tool the roster and let him have a crack at it. Three years with a brutally mediocre club is not a true testament to this guy's coaching skills, and I think MLSE needs to keep him on board.

Allthough I agree with Bentley, it's always easier to replace a coach than 10 players. If there's something Fletcher should do, it would be to sack the entire backroom staff and hire some competent personell. They barely have any prospects worth mentioning and their top 3 players would barely make the 2nd line for most teams. It's a long hard road out of hell, and the Leafs are way down there.

I don't really think that Maurice is the problem, they just don't have much talent. Even Scotty Bowman would have a tough time coaching that team. That's the way it goes though in the NHL. Lose five games in a row, lose your job, even if you won the Cup the year before. He may be a great teacher of young players, but that doesn't matter when you don't have any young players that he can develop.

I always thought he was a heck of a coach, even as late as this season, until I saw the way his team played this year. I figured it came down to a lack of talent, as do most of you. However, when the Leafs played games against rivals - Ottawa, Montreal, and even Detroit - or in highly hyped games - like the game against Washington after that whooping they took - they looked like they were as good a team as anybody. They took the majority of the games against Ottawa, beat Montreal often, and of course, took Detroit in their first match-up in Toronto in years. Why was this team so able to beat other teams that are/were considered to be so much better? Motivation, is the only answer. So, the squad could get excited and motivated to play the big games, but didn't show up against the lower rung teams or the "lesser" games if you will.

To me, its a coach's job to get his team motivated for every game they play. If Maurice couldn't get his team motivated for any games other than the Big Time games against their rivals, then he wasn't doing his job. There's something wrong with you, as a player, if you can't get yourself amped up as a Leaf when you are about to play the Sens or Habs, so, really, Maurice did little to no motivating this season at all. What good is a coach that can't light a fire under his players' arses?

There are several reasons Maurice will go...But that call does not have to be made by Fletcher...The new GM will take care of that in short order.
Maurice failed in more than just motivation, although when you look at the Leafs end run there is certainl merit in that.
However, the leafs special teams did not improve this year, their goals against was horrible, terrible overtime and shoot out records...
Poor roster selections and goalie choices early.
All of these things are things a Good Coach is responsible for...
Finally, Maurice is an over rated smart alec.
He is supposed to be a defensive specialist...
In 11 pro coaching years...he has only been to the playoffs twice.
But the players like him....hahaha....Look how well that's been parlayed into success!

I'm not so sure that Maurice can be blamed for the pisspoor defence or the goals against, Baun-ded. This defence is clearly the worst in the league (and most overpaid, but I digress), and Toskala really only got his legs under him after the new year. We certainly don't need to go into Raycroft's performance, I'm sure. A coach can't help it if his GM provides him with slow, predictable defencemen and a goalie who's afraid to get hit by the puck, can he?

I don't like to always blame failure of a team on just the coach. But he really does make or break a team. In this case, I feel that he was more to blame than the players. I say can him and get someone more in tune to making the right decisions to win the games.

Just for fun: What do you guys think was the Leafs' absolute low point?
Not making the playoffs?
Not making any moves at the Deadline because the Frozen 5 wouldn't leave?
Firing JFJ?
Losing any of those lop-sided games?

MY personal vote goes to that game a few months back when they couldn't even Zamboni the ice right for the shootout. What a gong show, haha, and a perfect lowpoint in a disastrous season, to me anyway.

I'd have made a TD along these lines, but there are just too many options, heehee

My work day is done, but I will be checking into this thread tomorrow to see how some of you may feel on this subject

GoCan...none of the above...My personal favorite was...
Jiri Tlusty getting caught with his pants down all over the internet...
Hahahhaha....if not the lowest point...certainly the funniest.

Hmmmm... Interesting though Go! But I like the 178 foot shorthanded goal scored on Vesa! HAHAHAHA That should have been their sign!

and you know what?
In HINDsight....the Leafs as a Team got "spanked" for it the rest of the season.

Good one ARIS....hahaha

The Laffs management: an example of how to kill your franchise's prestige in less than one calendar year.

I think the new GM has to retool the team over the next 3-4 years , get ride of the over-blown contracts for mediocre players and the owners must wait for this new team to mature . Keep Paul Maurice

Maurice isn't the problem with this team. It's the fans and ownership who refused to admit the Leafs should've been in rebuilding only until very recently.

Mats Sundin certainly didn't help either.

Nice work guys,

The Tlusty call was a beauty reminder, and that long goal was good for a laugh, for sure. Their catching fire at the season's end was great too, haha. Any other suggestions?

goCanada:
I'd say the Leafs low point was showing up for the beginning of the 1967-68 season. They should have disbanded the team after the '67 Stanley Cup and ended it all on a high note.