Randy is one of the few defensemen ever to win a Norris with a negative plus/minus.
I had this smart-alecky little post all set up in which I noted that Ron Wilson was an ex-Leaf defenseman who came up in the ’70s on those well-coached Roger Neilson teams. He’d gone on to some pretty good success as an NHL head coach and had a good personal history with Brian Burke. If any or all of that were important to Brian, all he had to do was hire Randy Carlyle and it would all still be true.
Of course, I ran out of time today and didn’t post it. No matter, nothing was going to happen on a Friday, right? Right.
Anyway, we now have a new head coach and it’s the aforementioned Mr. Carlyle.
In my mind, it’s already too late to save the season. I think we’re done. Still, it will be interesting at least to see just how they play under a new coach and this will help distract me from spring training for a little while.
Randy Carlyle, as suggested by the card here, was dealt from the Leafs to the Penguins in 1978. This was one of those deals (there were many) that left Leafs fans shaking their heads. He was a young defenseman with offensive upside, sort of the Jake Gardiner of the Neilson teams. He didn’t progress as fast as everyone (probably Harold) wanted and was sent off for veteran Dave Burrows. He’d win the 1981 Norris Trophy. To top it off, Burrows would be sent back to Pittsburgh with Paul Gardner for Kim Davis and Paul Marshall. Bet you`ve never heard of either of them. This is why folks got bitter.
So this is a homecoming of sorts. Carlyle remains the only Norris winner the Leafs have ever drafted. Hopefully this go-round turns out a little better and maybe he can work some magic with the young d-men he inherits on this roster. He also needs to get along with Lupul. Joffrey has been a big part of this team, particularly when it was winning – or sort of winning, at least.
I saw a note that Randy Carlyle is the first Leaf coach with a ring since Punch Imlach. That`s a long, long time.
Note that if things don’t work out with Randy, all those things I mentioned above (except for a history with Brian Burke unless there is something I’m not aware of) are true of this guy, as well:
gainfully employed at the moment
I am sorry for Ron Wilson, perhaps more than any other fired Leaf coach. Maybe I`m just old enough now to have seen enough job losses and I don`t wish them on anyone – or maybe it`s just a symbol of the hope of this season fading and a new batch of uncertainty beginning. We`ll see. All the same, good luck, Ron. Hope it works out.
Diamond Cuts and Wax Stains 
Huh, I never knew Quenneville fit the description too… many options! I am glad to have a coach with a ring behind the bench. Maybe it makes no difference at all, but it feels right for some reason.
It’s sad, because whatever worked for this team for the first 50 games, didn’t work for the past 13. We’ll see how it goes over the rest of the season, but the real fact of the matter is that the GM has signed too many bad FA contracts in the past couple of years (Komisarek, Armstrong, Connolly), and there are still too many holes on the team that need to be filled. Oh, and if they give Grabovski $5 million a season, I think I’ll scream.
I personally think he will be a better fit than Wilson was.
Nice centering on the Carlyle! I have two and neither are even close to 60/40. I think I have the beginning of another card on one in fact!