Story Tools: PRINT | Text Size: S M L XL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACK

Hockey Night in Canada's Scott Morrison delivers his insights into the world of hockey, on and off the ice.

Rutherford should be atop Leafs' list

Comments (17)
By Scott Morrison

Said it once, will say it again.

The next person to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs, in what will be a newly formed position of president and general manager, should be Jimmy Rutherford.

Yes, he is gainfully employed by the Carolina Hurricanes and just signed a five-year extension a year ago.

But Rutherford is the perfect fit for the Leafs.

First, he could easily pick from where Cliff Fletcher leaves the clean up. Remember, in Carolina, often with budget issues, Rutherford built a Stanley Cup finalist, tore it down when he had to, drafted well and built it back up into a champion. Sound like a familiar challenge?

Understanding owner

Would he take the job? Rutherford isn't saying, of course, but there are those who believe that he would enjoy the immense challenge of the Leafs job. There are many in hockey, after all, who realize the dysfunction of the ownership but also realize the reward of being "the guy" to finally build a winner in Toronto. Remember what it was like in 1993 and 1994 when they only got to the semifinals?

Rutherford doesn't have an out-clause from his contract with the Hurricanes, but he has an owner who is a good friend, who appreciates how Rutherford worked hard many years ago to help get him an NHL franchise, then stuck with it and eventually created a champion against tall odds. So, sources around the league believe that if Rutherford, who grew up near Toronto and whose Mom still lives in the area, wanted to take on the job, Peter Karamanos wouldn't stand in his way.

As for the task at hand, like we said, Rutherford has experience, a proven track record, a championship ring, is media savvy, knows the league and can build a good organization and has the confidence to surround himself with good people. In short, he would be a perfect fit.

Potential runners-up

Others who would fit nicely include Anaheim Ducks general manager Brian Burke, but he has a year to go on his deal and is in the process of being re-upped by his ownership. The timing might not be right.

You could certainly build a case for Scott Bowman, or a Neil Smith, or a Ken Holland, but the latter won't be released by the Red Wings any time soon. There are a host of good candidates.

But in the end, the search committee has to decide on one and he is in Carolina.

As for firing John Ferguson, a case can certainly be made that he should have been allowed to finish out his contract. A case can also be made that this was the way the Leafs had to go. As is often the case with this regime, however, the way they went about firing Ferguson was wrong. He deserved a better exit, but was honourable himself till the end.

« Previous Post | Main | Next Post »

This discussion is now Open. Submit your Comment.

Comments (17)

Ondedge

Toronto

To MLSE, one Swedish expression of advice: The fish rots from the head.

Posted January 25, 2008 01:23 PM

doug

surrey

take dave nonis of the canucks so then a new competent mgr can be found-he is as exciting as watching paint dry

Posted January 24, 2008 11:27 AM

KokaneeKid

PG

In the past Steve Tambellinis name always seemed to have come up when talking about a new GM somewhere. Any thoughts on why his doesn't come up anymore?

Posted January 23, 2008 05:27 PM

Matt

Winnipeg

I have no issue with moving out all the veterans for draft pick(Sundin must be treated in a respectful manner) and starting over-- I want to see some light at the end of the tunnel ---rebuild

Posted January 23, 2008 02:35 PM

Sandeep

Philadelphia

Neil Smith would be one of the best choices, because not only he won the cup. But he won it with the Rangers. Anybody can win in Carolina or Anaheim, but it takes a different breed to win in New York. If he can win with one big market Original 6 team, why not another. Smith is going already prepared for the circus that's the Toronto Maple Leafs.

To be a sucess in Toronto, you not only have to be hockey savy, but media and people savy.

Posted January 23, 2008 01:27 PM

Don Smith

Halifax

Ah Cliff Fletcher, now how many cups did he bring to Toronto??

Posted January 23, 2008 01:15 PM

William

Toronto

Scott Morrison states:
"There are a host of good candidates."
I agree.

Bill Watters, seems to feel that Larry Tanenbaum and Richard Peddie are the problem and will continue to be the problem until Peddie is fired and Tanenbaum sells out his 13% interest.
I agree.

Only when Tanenbaum and Peddie are gone, then, the 'host of good candidates,' can come in and do the job proper and right without any interference from Mr. T and Mr. P.

Yes, it is very nice to make a good return on your investment however, in so far as the Toronto Maples Leafs winning the Stanley Cup, money from that good return and profit has to be put back in. This is not happening and has not happened for the longest time now.

There is no way that the Toronto fans are going to put up with being in the basement all the time. The time has come for the Stanley Cup to reside in Toronto, once again. Go Leafs Go!

Posted January 23, 2008 01:08 PM

Ronald Potter

Ferguson should never have been hired in the first place. In a town like Toronto, a province like Ontario and a nation like Canada, where my Maple Leafs are yours and everyones through a storied (and ever increasingly ancient history), you have to have several things:

Knowledge, experience and success in hockey;
Respect among your peers;
balls enough to put it straight to the Board room Scrooges;
and media savvy.

Having only the last one is about as good as peeing turpentine on a brush fire. Spectacular and noticeable but quickly leads to a fiery blaze where nothing but ashes remain.

To JF jr: come back to Toronto in 20 years and try it again.

Posted January 23, 2008 01:03 PM

David

Kingston

Ferguson was a scapegoat. The product on the ice has failed him and the coach. Ferguson had to be fired though to remove the distraction as it was becoming to much to bear. However, the new GM will not have a positive outcome on the win column, cause the ice product is still the same. Looking back on Fergusons' decisions is as they say "20/20 vision". The Lindros signing was a good one. He was on a tear until he broke his wrist. Tucker was amazing until this year. Allison and Blake signing were good on paper, so was Toskla. If they produced the same as they did prior, the Leafs would have many more wins. But those 3 did not produce. There is always that risk, but the blame cannot be 100% Fergusons. Trading away Rusk for Raycroft? Not that great of a move. The way he handled the whole Gilmour situation after Dougie got injured was clearly based on inexperience, so people lost confidence in him as a GM then.
Fletcher will not solve the problem. Remember when Cliff brought in Kirk Muller cause the fans wanted 2 Kingston-boys on the same team so Grapes could brag even more on HNIC? Good PR move, but it didn't save his GM job did it??

Posted January 23, 2008 12:29 PM

Aaron

Detroit

Why does everyone in Leaf Land keep dreaming? Scotty Bowman isn't coming, neither is Brian Burke. We are stuck in the doldrums that has been going on for years. I think that everyone wanted JFJ out so bad, that they wanted to see anyone take over the job. How can we forget what Fletcher did the last time around? So Fletcher is going to do his thing, trade away a bunch of people, and then some nobody who's daddy was a great hockey player, or someone who was a hero for the leafs in the lineup, but will be a failure in the front office will be brought in. I do not really think that getting rid of Sundin, Kaberle, Mcgivaway, or Tucker is that great of an idea. Sure you are opening up cap room, but how long will this "rebuilding" process take? Still believe the Leafs got a shot at the playoffs though..GO LEAFS GO

Posted January 23, 2008 12:13 PM

Dan

Calgary

Rutherford lost a lot of credibility with the Jack Johnson trade. That one still boggles my mind.

Posted January 23, 2008 11:17 AM

Rich

Brampton

Knowning how cheap the Leafs are, I cant see them dishing out big bucks for a quality GM. Cliff Fetcher is only a band aid solution to the JFJ issue, a temporary crowd pleaser. Once the hype is over (in about 2 days), the Leafs will hire a no namer GM (yet again) at a bargain basement price and you will see the samething occur next year and the year after etc...

History has a habit of repeating itself.

Unless the fans boycott, stop going to the games and buying leaf nation merchandise, nothing well ever change. Its the bottom thats important to management and stakeholders, not having the desire to win the cup is another issue.

Anyways Go Leafs Go, same sh** same raw deal.

Posted January 23, 2008 11:14 AM

Jeff

Um, Peter, do you know what "siblings" means?

Regarding the Leafs' woes, what's the motivation for the ownership to do much when they fill every seat every game? That's why they didn't get Gretzky. His presence would not have sold a single extra ticket. Until Leafs fans start boycotting games, management has no incentive at all to make big changes.

Posted January 23, 2008 09:40 AM

LW

you should bring back Tie Domi. Ever since he left everthing went down hill.....

Posted January 22, 2008 11:25 PM

rick strader

i,d like to thank jfj for doing the best he could in an unwinnable situation.my big question is what is an idiot like petty doing in a position like he has.was he cloned from harold ballard or did he reach this level of stupidity on his own

Posted January 22, 2008 08:27 PM

peter

How can any owner hire a man without experience sure john ferguson sr. was a good hockey player, but siblings do not always follow in the footsteps of their fathers, I do feel for Junior by the looks of him is a classy guy, but run a hockey team, with just pure instincts is beyond my comprehesion.....I would would still like to see Scotty Bowman at the front, but the top brass see it differently, suppose it is a money issue , and to build a solid hockey club will take a lot of money.......

Posted January 22, 2008 06:20 PM

Tony P

Ottawa

I agree I have to admire John Ferguson for holding his head high and not getting involved in any of the dirty mud slinging and back stabbing business that has been recently plaguing the Leafs organization. He did the best job he could and you can't really ask more from an individual than that. In the end, the Leafs ownership treated him like dirt. Its a no win situation in managing the Leafs. You will never please everyone, and someone will always be there with a hidden agenda to undermine you..management, shareholders, fans, media..it never ends. Best of luck in the future Mr. Ferguson, take a big breather, you deserve it.
Jimmy Rutherford would be a great candidate for that job although I can't for the life of me understand why he (or any other good hockey guy for that matter)would want it...at least not under the current ownership arrangement. The only real hope for the Leafs is that the Teachers sell the team soon..to a dedicated owner with hugely deep pockets, nerves of steel, and a wild and crazy passion to win a Stanley Cup. Not much to ask is it?

Posted January 22, 2008 03:43 PM

« Previous Post | Main | Next Post »

Post a Comment

Disclaimer:

Note: By submitting your comments you acknowledge that CBC has the right to reproduce, broadcast and publicize those comments or any part thereof in any manner whatsoever. Please note that due to the volume of e-mails we receive, not all comments will be published, and those that are published will not be edited. But all will be carefully read, considered and appreciated.

Privacy Policy | Submissions Policy

Viewpoint »

About the Author

Scott MorrisonScott Morrison, the recipient of the Hockey Hall of Fameís 2006 Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award, has been covering hockey for 25 years. The Toronto native began his career at the Toronto Sun in 1979. After spending more than 11 years as a hockey writer and columnist at the paper, Morrison became Sports Editor in 1991 and led the section to being named one of North America's top-ten sports sections in 1999 - the first sports section in Canada to receive the AP Sports Editors North American Award. Scott, a former two-term president of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association, joined Rogers Sportsnet in 2001 as Managing Editor, Hockey, and is currently both a commentator on Hockey Night in Canada and a columnist for CBC.ca.

Recent Posts

Listen to Grapes - touch icing is dangerous
Friday, March 21, 2008
Pronger's suspension not enough, but not far off
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
NHL standings should not reward division leaders
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Neck guards, like visors, will be a player’s choice
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Sens' problems deeper than Paddock
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Subscribe to Viewpoint

Archives

March 2008 (4)
February 2008 (14)
January 2008 (9)
December 2007 (8)
November 2007 (9)
October 2007 (8)
September 2007 (5)
July 2007 (1)
June 2007 (7)
May 2007 (8)
April 2007 (12)
March 2007 (5)
February 2007 (5)
January 2007 (7)
December 2006 (6)
November 2006 (8)
October 2006 (8)
Story Tools: PRINT | Text Size: S M L XL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACK

World »

Iranian-Canadian journalist talks of prison ordeal Video
Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari says he was regularly beaten and threatened with execution while imprisoned in Iran for 118 days.
Indonesian ferry sinks in storm
Rescuers saved more than 240 people aboard an Indonesian passenger ferry that sank Sunday in rough waters off Sumatra island, but at least 29 people have died, officials said.
Iranian forces practise defending nuke sites
Iran on Sunday began large-scale air defence war games aimed at protecting the country's nuclear facilities against any possible attack, state television reported.
more »

Canada »

Afghan prisoner transfers halted 'more than 1 time' Video
Canadian officials have halted the transfer of prisoners to Afghanistan's intelligence service "more than one time," because of the possibility of torture, Canada's chief of defence staff said Sunday.
Teens named in 4-death crash near Calgary
Police have released the names of three young women killed in a two-vehicle crash south of Calgary on Saturday afternoon, but have yet to reveal the name of a fourth woman who died.
Vancouver Island residents survey flood damage Video
Hundreds of people on south Vancouver Island forced from their homes by flooding have been allowed to return, but most won't be able to stay because of damage to their houses.
more »

Politics »

Journalists enhance Canadians' freedom: PM
Prime Minister Stephen Harper urged journalists to "shine light into dark corners" of government affairs during a speech late Saturday, but wouldn't take questions from reporters covering the event.
Colvin's job safe despite Afghan torture testimony Video
The Conservatives will not try to remove Richard Colvin from his post in Washington, Defence Minister Peter MacKay says, even though they question the credibility of his testimony on Afghan prisoners.
Hillier didn't hear detainee torture allegations Video
Former chief of defence staff Rick Hillier says he's never heard suggestions that Canada may have been complicit in the torture of detainees in Afghanistan.
more »

Health »

More H1N1 vaccine, ventilators to come Video
Ontario supplied hospitals with 200 additional ventilators on Friday in anticipation of a surge in swine flu cases.
NFL will address concussion concerns
National Football League teams will soon work with independent neurologists on concussion issues. The NFL says commissioner Roger Goodell will implement the policy as soon as details can be worked out.
Trade show pitches surgical passages to India Video
Exhibitors at a Toronto trade fair are hoping to add surgery to the list of reasons Canadians travel, but a medical ethicist questions the lack of oversight.
more »

Arts & Entertainment»

Taylor Swift wins 5 American Music Awards
Michael Jackson made history by winning four American Music Awards posthumously, but he couldn't beat Taylor Swift as the year's favourite artist and the evening's top winner.
Plaskett double winner at Canadian Folk Music Awards
Joel Plaskett's triple album Three earned the Halifax singer-songwriter a double win at the Canadian Folk Music Awards on Saturday.
Kirov ballerina steps out at Cultural Olympiad
Uliana Lopatkina, principal dancer with the Kirov Ballet, will make her Canadian debut Feb. 10 at the Vancouver 2010 Cultural Olympiad
more »

Technology & Science »

Bell quietly drops system access fee
The cellphone system access fee is all but extinct. Bell Canada has quietly axed the charge, joining rivals Rogers and Telus.
Beam sent around Large Hadron Collider
The operators of the Large Hadron Collider have successfully sent a beam of particles around the ring of the world's largest particle collider in Switzerland.
Astronauts complete 6-hour spacewalk
Astronauts from space shuttle Atlantis completed the second of three scheduled spacewalks Saturday, spending just over six hours installing equipment on the International Space Station.
more »

Money »

Ottawa will stay course on stimulus: Flaherty Video
Rather than turning off the stimulus taps or pouring more fuel on the economic fire, Ottawa will stand pat with the $61 billion in stimulus spending announced in January, Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says.
Canada Post struggles to innovate
Canada's postal service is reinventing itself as it struggles to make up for dwindling demand in the face of a devastating global economic slowdown.
The 10-billion-barrel battle
Henry Lyatsky wants B.C.'s coast opened to oil drilling but environmentalists stand opposed.
more »

Consumer Life »

Bullying is a public health issue: researcher
Bullying should be considered a public health problem and governments should adopt national strategies against it, says a Canadian professor who led a study of bullying in 40 countries.
Early Canadian stamps auction nets $3.2M US Video
A New York stamp collector auctioned parts of his collection in New York on Thursday, including a Canadian-issued stamp that is one of the world's rarest.
Fake hairstyling irons pop up in Regina
Hundreds of knock-off hairstyling irons were seized Friday morning by RCMP acting on a hot tip.
more »

Sports »

Scores: NHL NBA

Roughriders will meet Alouettes in Grey Cup
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are headed to the Grey Cup in Calgary after Darian Durant passed for 204 yards and three touchdowns in a 27-17 win over the defending champion Stampders in Sunday's West Division final.
Blackhawks' Niemi shuts down Canucks
After outscoring Alberta's NHL teams by a combined score of 12-3, the Chicago Blackhawks needed only one goal and a superb effort by Antti Niemi to topple the Canucks 1-0 on Sunday night in Vancouver.
Alouettes off to Grey Cup after devouring Lions
The Montreal Alouettes humbled the B.C. Lions on Sunday afternoon, earning their seventh trip to the Grey Cup game since 2000.
more »