Chris Pronger emerging as a good candidate to lead the Maple Leafs according to Steve Simmons
Photo credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Toronto could bring in another former player a la Brendan Shanahan to help run things, and it would involve adding Chris Pronger to the front office, who isn't a traditional hockey mind but knows about winning.
The Maple Leafs have been running without a Team President since Brendan Shanahan was let go last summer after another disappointing finish to the season, leaving things up to Brad Treliving, Craig Berube and MLSE CEO Keith Pelley.
It's led to a directionless team who has free-fallen down the standings this season, and after selling at the deadline, the team looks like it needs some serious help with figuring out where to go next.
Steve Simmons said out loud what a lot of Maple Leafs fans are already thinking
It's why Steve Simmons of The Toronto Sun believes that the Maple Leafs need to hire someone similar to Shanahan and head the hockey ops, and named former Stanley Cup winner and Olympic gold medalist Chris Pronger:
I think Chris Pronger is one of the guys for me. He's brought winning everywhere he was. He understands winning. He understands the intensity about what it takes to win.
Simmons also compared things to a business decision where The CEO sets the agenda for the business; the head of Hockey Operations needs to do the same when it comes to running a team.
Plus, he already has some front office experience as he was named Senior VP of Hockey Operations for the Panthers in 2019-2020 after spending three seasons as a senior advisor.
Bringing in a different voice with a new perspective could prove fruitful. Shanahan was a cerebral operator, where Pronger could be a bit more forceful in his approach on how to win.
Pronger wasn't just tough but understood what winning actually cost
Skating in over 1,100 games for his career, Pronger won it all. A Stanley Cup, a Hart and Norris Trophy, a 4x All-Star, and Olympic gold medalist. But he did it with a reckless abandon that very few exhibit.
Pronger was injured a lot during his career but only because he sacrificed everything on the ice. He loved to put his massive 6-foot-6 frame in front of pucks, didn't care who's feelings he hurt, and if he could get away with an extra slash or jab -- he would.
That type of attitude is what winners are built off of. It's finding the loopholes to get a leg up, and finding different ways to affect the game that might go unnoticed.
The Maple Leafs don't need another hockey mind. They need a different kind of leader
Besides Brian Burke, it seems the recent crop of Maple Leafs presidents and head hockey operators are a lot more reserved such as Ken Dryden, Larry Tanenbaum, and Shanahan.
They've tried to take a more cautious approach to things and that can only get you so far.
Adding a former player who knows what needs to be done to build a winning team, and what types of players are willing to put themselves on the line for the ultimate prize is the exact change the team is looking for.
There's no sugar coating or lack of transparency with Pronger. He tells it as it is, isn't shy about speaking his mind, and won't hesitate to nail down issues as they happen -- none of this 'wait and see' approach.
Fans have been desperate for a leader who is willing to take accountability for mistakes but also one who is going to show the same passion they have.
No one wants to sit through a decade-long rebuild, and right now the team needs some injection of life.
Brendan Shanahan took the cerebral approach for ten years to little success, it's time to try and running through things like a freight train as only Chris Pronger could.
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Previously on Hockey Patrol
| POLL | ||
MARS 10|963 ANSWERS Chris Pronger emerging as a good candidate to lead the Maple Leafs according to Steve Simmons Who do you want running the Toronto Maple Leafs? | ||
| Chris Pronger | 416 | 43.2 % |
| Doug Armstrong | 233 | 24.2 % |
| Jim Nill | 72 | 7.5 % |
| Other | 242 | 25.1 % |
| List of polls | ||
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