A lot of people are laughing at Paul Maurice today after he called his shot and proclaimed the Leafs would definitely make the playoffs and compete for the Stanley Cup. The laughter and controversy only highlights the weakness of the Leafs roster, with a woeful defense core and a thin crop of scoring forwards, not to mention major uncertainty in nets.
But I think it was a good move on the part of Maurice. In such a pressure packed media market like Toronto, it’s always better to come out with a bat and hit them over the head with it. Maurice already knows that if the Leafs miss the playoffs, a lot of people’s jobs will be in jeopardy, including his own. So you might as well go for it right now and try to kick start the team with a bit of bravado. It’s not like you’re adding too much pressure to a team that is used to having a colossal horde of media and fans screaming at them after every game. If this was Wayne Gretzky calling his shot in Phoenix then you’d have a major problem but Maurice has nothing to lose by coming out strong and believing in his team. But he shouldn’t expect an easy ride.
But I think it was a good move on the part of Maurice. In such a pressure packed media market like Toronto, it’s always better to come out with a bat and hit them over the head with it. Maurice already knows that if the Leafs miss the playoffs, a lot of people’s jobs will be in jeopardy, including his own. So you might as well go for it right now and try to kick start the team with a bit of bravado. It’s not like you’re adding too much pressure to a team that is used to having a colossal horde of media and fans screaming at them after every game. If this was Wayne Gretzky calling his shot in Phoenix then you’d have a major problem but Maurice has nothing to lose by coming out strong and believing in his team. But he shouldn’t expect an easy ride.
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