HOCKEY.ONTHEWEB MENU

Your browser is not Java capable or Java has been disabled.


This website is protected by copyright. Any use of the materials contained herein without the consent of Hockey.Ontheweb is strictly prohibited.

Google

The top site for Hockey.Ontheweb

http://www.hockey-ontheweb.com
http://www.hockeyontheweb.com

The Top Site for Hockey.Ontheweb!

GETTING NO RESPECT
Originally posted November 29, 1998: Volume 1, Number 6

Michael Smith must wonder sometimes what is happening. The de facto General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs finds his team in second place overall and first in the Eastern Conference, some two months into the season. His team leads the league in goals scored. At this pace, the Leafs would finish the season with 96 points, an improvement of 27 points and 39 percent over last season. Roger Neilson, coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, recently described the Leafs as a "really dangerous" team. So one might expect the Toronto media unanimously to be singing Mr. Smith's praises. And while there are those in the Toronto media who have recognized his significant contribution to this team's success (Damien Cox of the Toronto Star for one), when Michael Smith opens up a newspaper, he often finds himself subjected to scathing, vitriolic and generally unfair criticism.

Cujo is Number One
Cujo
The criticism revolves around three things: his failure to trade Felix Potvin; his alleged bias toward Russian players; and his character. Generally, they are criticisms without merit:

His failure to trade Felix Potvin - Obviously, it would have been ideal if the Leafs found a willing suitor for Potvin's services. But there is no point in trading Potvin just for the sake of trading him. Craig Patrick waited more than a year before trading Petr Nedved. Brian Burke is taking his time dealing Pavel Bure. Mike Milbury is in no rush to dispense with Zigmund Palffy. And Pierre Lacroix has not found value in return for Sandis Ozolinsh. Michael Smith's decision to wait until a good deal comes along is a wise one. If he is forced to wait until the March deadline to trade Potvin, he should do it. His team is playing well, so he is proceeding from a position of strength.

Karpovtsev is Russian
Karpovtsev
His alleged "bias" toward Russian players - There are five Russian players on the Leafs. Three of them were in the Leaf system prior to Smith's arrival. One of Smith's acquisitions, Igor Korolev, was invited to camp last season and played his way onto the team. He has 19 points in 23 games this season, and he is one of the reasons the Leafs are playing so well. His cost to the Leafs? A bargain at $750,000 a season. Smith also acquired Alexander Karpovtsev from the Rangers for Mathieu Schneider. Schneider's play was hardly stellar while he was in Toronto the past two seasons. To hear some journalists talk about him now, however, you would think that Schneider was the second coming of Bobby Orr. Karpovtsev started slowly but was playing well before his injury. He comes a lot more cheaply than Schneider. Whatever Michael Smith's bias or lack thereof, one need only examine the Detroit Red Wings' roster to conclude that having Russian players is not a bad thing.

Mike writes good books
Play
His character - Michael Smith has a doctorate in Russian studies, appreciates great art and literature, and generally does not fit in with the "old boys" network. It is difficult to see how it is a criticism of Michael Smith that he is a very intelligent man. The problem for some writers is that he is likely much more intelligent than those who advance narrow-minded ad hominem attacks. Smith's knowledge of hockey is unquestioned. He has written a number of sophisticated books about the subject. Like every GM, he has had success and failure at the draft table. (The draft is recognized by most astute hockey analysts to be a crap shoot at best.) Smith can hardly be faulted for failing to hit the jackpot every time.

Quinn looks on
Quinn
The Leafs under Michael Smith hired Pat Quinn to coach this team. They signed Mats Sundin to a long-term contract. They rescued players like Igor Korolev and Gary Valk from the scrap heap, to have both make significant contributions to this team. They have shown patience with their maturing crop of young forwards and defencemen. They signed Curtis Joseph to tend goal, a coup that cannot be criticized. They will trade Potvin when the right deal comes along. Michael Smith is entitled to take his fair share of the credit for these moves. The lack of respect he receives does not seem to bother him, but he deserves praise for the way his team is playing right now.

NOTES -- As much as we hate to pat ourselves on the back, it should be noted that almost four months ago, Hockey.Ontheweb recommended that a Nedved for Kovalev deal would be a good fit for both teams: see The Nedved Situation. Those are the essential elements of the deal that went down this past week.