According to ESPN, none other than the Toronto Maple Leafs.
In its Ultimate Standings, ESPN The Magazine ranked the Toronto Maple Leafs as the absolute worst of all 122 pro franchises in the NHL, MLB, NFL and NBA last year based on the following eight categories: bang for the buck, fan relations, ownership, affordability, stadium experience, players, coaching and title track.
Wrote Peter Keaning of ESPN: “Is it possible to be No. 122 with a bullet? After finishing 120th or 121st in the standings every year from 2008 to 2011, Toronto hiked prices 7.2 percent, cratered to 13th place in the NHL’s Eastern Conference (GM Brian Burke said last season was ‘akin to an 18-wheeler going right off a cliff’) and finally bottomed out in our rankings. The Leafs are like the Yankees – an internationally famous franchise with a glorious history, devoted followers and staggeringly high prices – except they play like the Royals. Even worse, they regularly blow off fans: In our surveys, the Leafs finished dead last among all teams in the categories of player accessibility, staging promotions and giveaways, and engaging fans through social media – a hideous trifecta. And even though the team apologized for its performance in full-page newspaper ads in April, and Bell Canada and Rogers Communications, two of Canada’s biggest media companies, just closed a deal to buy the club, there’s little reason to expect change. The Leafs are by far the most valuable franchise in hockey and last year generated an enormous $81.8 million in profits. Now that’s Loonie.”
It also seems loonie to fire a general manager 10 days before the start of a regular season, but that’s exactly what the Leafs did On Jan. 9 when they axed Brian Burke.
Postmedia News national sports columnists Cam Cole and Bruce Arthur both weighed in on the firing. You can read Cole’s column by clicking here and Arthur by clicking here.
Former Gazette sports editor Al Strachan wrote a book a few years ago titled Why The Leafs Suck And How They Can Be Fixed.
SI.com also piled on the Leafs after Burke’s firing with a photo gallery titled: Toronto’s Maple Laughs. The introduction reads: “In four seasons as GM of the Maple Leafs, Brian Burke was never able to lead his team into the playoffs, which is sadly par for the course in Toronto. This proud old Original Six franchise has endured many bouts with futility over the years. Here are some of the worst .
Follow this link for such highlights as: The Top Five Worst Trades in Maple Leaf History, A Compendium of Maple Leaf Jokes, and much, much more.
http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/2013/01/10/a-new-chapter-for-the-maple-laughs/
In its Ultimate Standings, ESPN The Magazine ranked the Toronto Maple Leafs as the absolute worst of all 122 pro franchises in the NHL, MLB, NFL and NBA last year based on the following eight categories: bang for the buck, fan relations, ownership, affordability, stadium experience, players, coaching and title track.
Wrote Peter Keaning of ESPN: “Is it possible to be No. 122 with a bullet? After finishing 120th or 121st in the standings every year from 2008 to 2011, Toronto hiked prices 7.2 percent, cratered to 13th place in the NHL’s Eastern Conference (GM Brian Burke said last season was ‘akin to an 18-wheeler going right off a cliff’) and finally bottomed out in our rankings. The Leafs are like the Yankees – an internationally famous franchise with a glorious history, devoted followers and staggeringly high prices – except they play like the Royals. Even worse, they regularly blow off fans: In our surveys, the Leafs finished dead last among all teams in the categories of player accessibility, staging promotions and giveaways, and engaging fans through social media – a hideous trifecta. And even though the team apologized for its performance in full-page newspaper ads in April, and Bell Canada and Rogers Communications, two of Canada’s biggest media companies, just closed a deal to buy the club, there’s little reason to expect change. The Leafs are by far the most valuable franchise in hockey and last year generated an enormous $81.8 million in profits. Now that’s Loonie.”
It also seems loonie to fire a general manager 10 days before the start of a regular season, but that’s exactly what the Leafs did On Jan. 9 when they axed Brian Burke.
Postmedia News national sports columnists Cam Cole and Bruce Arthur both weighed in on the firing. You can read Cole’s column by clicking here and Arthur by clicking here.
Former Gazette sports editor Al Strachan wrote a book a few years ago titled Why The Leafs Suck And How They Can Be Fixed.
SI.com also piled on the Leafs after Burke’s firing with a photo gallery titled: Toronto’s Maple Laughs. The introduction reads: “In four seasons as GM of the Maple Leafs, Brian Burke was never able to lead his team into the playoffs, which is sadly par for the course in Toronto. This proud old Original Six franchise has endured many bouts with futility over the years. Here are some of the worst .
Follow this link for such highlights as: The Top Five Worst Trades in Maple Leaf History, A Compendium of Maple Leaf Jokes, and much, much more.
http://blogs.montrealgazette.com/2013/01/10/a-new-chapter-for-the-maple-laughs/
