The Toronto Maple Leafs have brought to an end their much discussed search for a mentor, seemingly without a satisfactory candidate to guide JFJ through the next NHL season.At one point Scotty Bowman and John Muckler were both rumoured to be on the short list to offer sage advice to young Mr. Ferguson, as he tries to return the Maple Leafs to some form of respectability. However, in the end they never came to an agreement with the Leafs, nor did the short list of other candidates that the Leafs had cooked up.
The search apparently came to an end a couple of weeks ago, as Richard Peddie, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment closed the file and put the plan back in the filing cabinet.
A ridiculous situation where JFJ was trying to get his team set up for the upcoming season, and a t the same time his bosses seemed to be trying to undercut his managerial strength by suggesting that he might not be up to the job and required a mentor.
While Harold Ballard may be gone, somehow you sometimes get the feeling that his spirit came along when they moved from Maple Leaf Gardens to the Air Canada Centre.
