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The Leafs Are In Wilson's Blood

June 6, 2008, 2:36 PM ET [ Comments]
Howard Berger
Toronto Maple Leafs Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
TORONTO (June 6) -- Final negotiations are expected to take place this weekend between the Maple Leafs and Ron Wilson, whose history with the club makes the job quite appealing. Not appealing enough to take the Leafs' initial offer, as Wilson is home in South Carolina mulling over a Monday deadline imposed by interim GM Cliff Fletcher. But, a source very close to Wilson tells me there is an obvious connection between the Leafs and the ex-San Jose coach.

"I know that Toronto wants Ron and he would go there if the circumstances are right," said the source in an e-mail. "I am also led to believe that Cliff is forthright and honest. That has been conveyed to me. I agree the negotiations started with higher-ups, hoping that Ron would jump at the opportunity to be in Toronto. Initially, I think the Leafs were waiting him out to see if they could get him at a lower price. But, Ron stated to me that he started his career in Toronto and would come full circle in hopefully ending in Toronto. I don't think he needs to be the highest-paid coach in the league, but he wants to be reasonably compensated for the market and the pressure he would be in.

"I think what is important to him, as well, is the direction of the team. He needs time to be allowed to turn around the team and/or build it. He knows Toronto needs to re-tool, yet he also understands 41 years of frustration from the fans. He is well-aware of his place in history if all this works out for Toronto and himself."

Wilson may come across as a bit of a hard-ass -- he is notorious for his cutting, sarcastic remarks to reporters -- but he apparently has a sentimental nature. "Ron grew up a Leaf fan and his favorite player was Dave Keon," said the source. "I believe he wore Keon's number [14] with the Leafs."

Indeed, Wilson did wear numbers 14 and 11 during his 64-game tenure as a Leafs' defenceman from 1977 to 1980. He also played for the Minnesota North Stars, and has coached in Washington, Anaheim and San Jose. From a personal standpoint, his connection to the Leafs appears to be a factor. From a business standpoint, he clearly wants to be paid with the top coaches in the NHL. While the initial figure that came out of $600,000 was low -- the Leafs have offered him more than $1 million per year -- that number will likely have to rise closer to $1.8 million before Wilson accepts the job. If the gulf between the club and Wilson is less than half-a-million dollars per season, it's only reasonable to think that a compromise can be reached. The desire of both parties in a negotiation such as this forms a valuable foundation.

Either way, we should know by mid-day Monday whether or not Ron Wilson will become the 27th coach in Leafs' history.

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The Leafs are working on their 42nd year without a Stanley Cup. Not to make any direct comparison, but the Detroit Red Wings ended a 42-year famine by winning the Cup in 1997. They have since won three more titles and have been the best franchise in the NHL during the past decade. The Red Wings' lesson shouldn't be lost on the Leafs, or their fans.

Wings' owner Mike Ilitch has risen to sainthood among his peers in the NHL, and for good reason. But, the initial years of the Ilitch era in Detroit were no less tumultuous than the current regime in Toronto. Ilitch bought the Red Wings from Bruce Norris in 1982. He was a meddlesome owner to start, and the Wings suffered through a terrible stretch of four seasons. Rather than remaining in the background, Ilitch would watch the games at Joe Louis Arena from an enclosed van-like structure that pulled up to the end glass, next to the goal-judge. The club bottomed out in 1985-86 with a 17-57-6 record, and was ulcer-forming for coaches Harry Neale and Brad Park.

It wasn't until the summer of 1986 that Ilitch began to defer to his management team -- led by Jim Devellano -- who hired Jacques Demers to guide the club from behind the bench. Under Ilitch, the Wings ultimately pieced together a splendid hockey department that survived a rancorous transition from Scotty Bowman to Ken Holland in 1997. Four Stanley Cups in 11 seasons have followed.

Today, the Wings are the envy of the NHL. Ilitch has become so comfortable in the background that he instructs his media relations personnel to not even profile him in the Red Wings' annual media guide. While the guide has a color portrait of Mike and his wife, Marian, it begins by profiling their son -- Chris Ilitch -- who is president and CEO of Ilitch Holdings Inc., the company that owns Little Caesar's Pizza, the Red Wings, and the Detroit Tigers.

The moral of this story is that Mike Ilitch was initially viewed in almost an identical manner to current Leafs' CEO Richard Peddie. It proves that even the best business administrators understand when it's time to move out of the way and allow their hockey personnel to do the job.

Perhaps there is still hope in Leaf-land.

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