Why The Leafs Still Suck

Every year since 1968, Leaf fans hope that the new season will be the one that breaks the Stanley Cup drought. Sadly, those hopes are usually dashed mid-season. In the biggest hockey market in North America, with such a huge and loyal fan base, how has the team missed it for so long? It’s the question that every Leafs fan asks (and has been afraid to have answered). Now updated to include both the disastrous 2009–10 season and the 2010–11 season, Al Strachan covers what’s gone wrong and why. With behind-the-scenes access and forty years of fascinating Leafs personalities and stories, Al discusses How the downfall started and how Harold Ballard perpetuated it Why fans were once again ill-served in the battle for club ownership after Ballard’s death The three wasted first-round draft picks in one season Why the Leafs passed on Wayne Gretzky How the Phil Kessel trade will impact the team for years to come Why Brian Burke may not be the saviour Leafs fans are hoping for And most important, what can be done—how other teams have had success and thrived in the salary-cap era For fans who love the Leafs (and those who love to hate them), Why the Leafs Still Suck is a revealing and sometimes shocking inside look at professional hockey.