The Toronto Maple Leafs and Dr. Noah Forman have parted way after 20 years as the new Sport Performance Department finds themselves with brand new faces.
The Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons reported that the Toronto Maple Leafs and team physician Dr. Noah Forman have parted ways after 20 years together, as the turnover in the organization continues even heading into September.
After 20 years, the Maple Leafs have parted ways with team physician Dr Noah Forman.
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Dr. Forman survived nearly every Leafs reset for 20 years, until this one
Forman had been with the Maple Leafs since 2005, and actually survived the initial purge of the front office during the early days of the summer, with him still in the mix when they hired a brand new Sport Performance Department.
He's been through it all with Toronto as he's seen a litany of coaches, players, assistants, fellow medical staff, and dozens of others come and go while still being a mainstay in the organization year after year. If there was anyone who was still going to be a factor in the future of the team it was Forman, but with several new doctors coming in - he became a casualty.
It's not that Toronto just let Forming, but it's the fact they let him go after being through so much and yet still doing his best to ensure the Maple Leafs stayed healthy and was given the best advice possible. It goes to show you that with this new regime in charge, no one is truly safe.
Forman's exit leaves one more major role to be clarified inside Toronto's medical overhaul
However, according to the Maple Leafs website, Forman's already been replaced as the position of Primary Care Sports Medicine Physician is now Dr. David Lawrence. This comes amidst a litany of changes that the Maple Leafs made on Monday with regard to their front office staff and their specific roles within the organization.
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Lawrence is a physician who worked with the Toronto Blue Jays as well, so his experience in sports medicine is well-documented - he has also worked the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.
It'll take time for Lawrence to get used to the team and pinpoint where his focus may need to lie this season, but with experience working with the Blue Jays he should adapt quickly. It should also be noted on his U of T profile that he has a special interest in both injury prevention as well as sport-related concussions, and hockey is a high-risk sport for both cases.
The system around Forman changed, and there was an onus on turning over a new leaf (no pun intended). But in doing so they replaced someone who had intimate knowledge of the team's injury history and risks. The only hope now is that Lawrence can take his spot and become the next medical voice entrusted to keep the team healthy.
Do you think letting Dr. Forman go was a good or bad idea for the Maple Leafs?
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