The reward for failure

To all the history/war fanatics out there, I’m sorry to disappoint you (I am one myself). Remembrance Day may be soon approaching, but this thread has nothing to do with tanks or anything related to the military.

Over the past year and a half or so, there has been an increasing divide between some fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

On one hand, you have the type who cheers for the Leafs no matter where they are in the standings, on any given night, at any point in the year. Winning hockey games is the number one priority, no exceptions. These fans will argue they are the most loyal, and the best.

On the other hand, you have the type who looks at the big picture, and realizes that winning each night may not be what’s best for the club in the future. They would argue that by losing more games than they win, they would attain a higher draft pick in hopes of building a better team in the future. These fans will argue that THEY are the are most loyal, and the best.

The divide amongst these fans becomes more and more evident as the Leafs start losing multiple games in a row.

(Most) hockey teams tend to rise and fall in cycles. It’s very rare that teams can maintain being highly competitive over 15-20 year periods, especially in this day and age (the obvious exception being Detroit, but more on that later). Teams acquire a “core” talent (the nucleus of the team), develop them, and add to them as they reach their peak of competitiveness. As the team ages, players either depreciate in value or leave for various reasons, bringing the competitiveness level of the team down. Then they start all over again, acquiring new talent to build around in hopes of becoming competitive again.

In the case of the Toronto Maple Leafs, this cycle has happened countless times. The most recent was a 15 year period from about 1993-2008. During the 1992/93 & 1993/94 seasons, the Leafs were at a peak. On the backs of Gilmour, Clark, & company they made it to the conference finals twice in a row. They would then start to fall from the 1994/95 to the 1997/98 season, during which time they acquired Mats Sundin. He would be a vital “core” piece to build around, leading to increasing success from the 1998/99-2000/01 seasons. The Leafs would then reach their peak again in the 2001/02 season, reaching the conference finals. They maintain this level for another two seasons, until the lockout. And like it had in 1994, the Leafs started to depreciate from the 2005/06 season to the present day, finishing the lowest they had in 20 years just last season.

The ‘depreciating’ period only ends when a team decides to “rebuild”. It’s a term that explains itself in it’s name. Teams clear out the old “core” players, removing the key players via trades or free agency. They then acquire new “core” players, players that they hope they can build a team around. This is done many ways, through the draft, trades, waivers, and free agency.

The easiest way to acquire these “core” players is through the draft. Draft picks are free assets given to each team every year, seven picks that don’t cost a thing. Some teams move these assets in advance, some trade for them. The most important of these picks is the 1st round pick, the highest pick your team receives every year. The lower you finish in the standings, the closer you pick to 1st overall. The better your draft pick is, the odds are you draft a better player for the future. Every year there are exceptions, but many of the elite players in the NHL are former 1st round picks.

This is where the term “tank” comes in. In a nutshell, “tanking” is when a team loses to intentionally pick up a higher draft pick. The logic behind this is that the 1st overall pick will get you a better player than the 10th overall pick, and if you aren’t making the playoffs that year, you should lose as much as possible to attain the higher draft pick. The team then uses the high draft pick to draft a better “core” player for the future. It’s essentially losing more now, to win more later.

This philosophy is one that a growing number of Leaf fans are starting to acknowledge. Many argue that the recent success has done nothing to make us a better team. They would argue that there is no point in finishing 9th in the East every year, without a shot at the cup and without a good draft pick, that would help us have a better shot at the cup in the future. Thus, many Leaf fans have been cheering for the Leafs to lose games now, in hopes of building a better team in the future.

This is where the divide comes in. “Tankers” argue that the other fans are not as loyal, because they are content with icing a non-playoff contender each year. The other fans argue that “tankers” are not as loyal, because they want the Leafs to lose games.

It is a silent debate that will never end.

For reference, I don’t consider myself a tanker, more a “progressionist”

I want to see the Leafs continue to strive towards building a perennial contender. That could include acquiring and developing new “franchise players” through the draft, by way of a high draft pick. That could also include the Leafs young players carrying this team into the playoffs.

But what it doesn’t include is the Leafs riding the backs of veterans to a 9th place finish (or even a playoff berth). It doesn’t include burying a guy like Tlusty in the minors and not giving him a real shot at the top line (although to be fair, the AHL is probably best for his development at this point).

I just want steady progression towards building a better team. And right now, I think adding more high profile prospects to the club is not only the easiest way to improve it, but will hopefully lead to the most success in the future.

It’s impossible to prove which argument is right. But I will say this: the end result of a bad season last year was Luke Schenn. He is the highest touted young player on this team since Mats Sundin himself, the source of all the success the Leafs have had over the last 10 years. Luke Schenn may be the best defensive player on the team as is, and projects to be one of the best players on the team in the future, perhaps even the next captain of the Maple Leafs.

Whichever side you lay your allegiances on, you must acknowledge one thing: You are the very best fans in all of hockey. The dedication Toronto Maple Leafs’ fans have toward their club rivals no others in any rink in any city. You may have seen the Leafs once hoist a cup, you may have not. But the day will come again. And all fans, both tankers and non-tankers, will join together in a celebration like no other.

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Check out my last article! http://thepuckdrop.com/2008/11/09/leafs-earning-points-and-respect-2/

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Next up: The Ultimate “Tank” Debate Pt. II - Does it historically work?

If you have any questions, comments, suggestions, ideas for what to write, don’t be afraid to email me at mike.mali@live.com