And Ken Holland says:
“He is an invaluable resource to our front office and our coaching staff,” Wings general manager Ken Holland said. “I don’t know what we’d do without him.”

The picture in Toronto is almost as bad as that of the Detroit Lions.
You see, Toronto is jam packed with millions of hockey fans who will pay anything to see their team play, win or lose.
Consequently, the Leafs organization is a huge money generating machine (like a casino).
And, most importantly, they will make lots of money, win or LOSE.
So every member of managment is desperate to keep their god-like jobs where they make lots of money.  Nobody is desperate to win, so nobody is going to make a tough (dangerous, possibly wrong) decision.  They do not rock the boat.  They tinker around the edges, and add a new consultant, or a new advisor, or a new managment layer.
Ultimately, the organization is so top heavy that nobody can make a decision.
Eventually Scotty recognized this and wisely stayed with Mike Ilitch and friends.

Posted by w2j2 on 06/26/07 at 10:45 PM ET

I hate to say it, but I thought that Bowman was doing his due dilligence as much as anything else.  I can’t imagine him not being intrigued by the offer and seeing how many buttons they’d let him push.  When Scotty confirmed what the reporters initially reported (correctly?  From Toronto?)--that MLSE is basically looking for the equivalent of a “veteran back-up” to push their “starter"--he decided that he didn’t need to eanr $6 million worth of headaches to have all the authority to say, “Go get ‘er, sport!” to Ferguson, and not much else.

The Wings really do use a “braintrust.” Their big hockey decisions are ultimately up to Ken Holland, but everybody on the chain of command is consulted--Jimmy Devellano, Jim Nill, Scotty, Stevie, and Babs--on most major personnel decisions.  I believe it was Bob McKenzie who put it bluntly:

[T]he 73-year-old Bowman enjoys his semi-retired lifestyle too much. He cherishes the relationship he has with Red Wing owner Mike Ilitch, likes his advisory role with the wings. And while bowman would not offer any comments beyond “it’s not happening,” those who know him say the whole Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment chain of command is a little too complicated for his liking.

It’s a pretty sweet gig to earn a few hundred thousand dollars a year at 73 to, in many cases, commutes from Sarasota to Tampa Bay or Miami to watch the teams that come in to play the Bolts and Panthers, and when he’s in his full-time home in Buffalo, obviously, he doesn’t have to stray far from Western New York to get to Detroit.  Just as Mark Howe gets to do quite a bit of his scouting by going to games he can drive home from in Philly, Scotty gets the perk of travelling less and enjoying warm winters while still wielding the power as one of the Wings’ “board of directors” in player personnel matters.

Some executives would happily take $6 million a year to “adivse” John Ferguson, Jr.  Scotty just doesn’t need it.

Posted by George James Malik from South Lyon, MI on 06/26/07 at 11:04 PM ET

Wow.

I can’t believe Toronto is that stupid.

I mean, wow.

Posted by John the Red Wings Fan from East Lansing, MI on 06/27/07 at 01:40 AM ET

Heck, I’ll take half that to “not rock the boat”!

Posted by cementslinger from Midland MI on 06/27/07 at 06:54 AM ET

...keep all sides happy in the annual positioning of hockey people with the Leafs.

The phrase “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic” comes to mind.

Poor Leaves fans.  :(

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 06/27/07 at 07:31 AM ET

John, you can’t believe that the Leafs are that stupid? 

I’m a fervent member of Leaf Nation and I certainly can believe that our front office IS that stupid....  because they ARE… If there was ever a bass-ackwards motley crew of sports management poseurs trying to run a hockey club, we’ve got them in spades…

Scotty was right in rejecting their “offer” (if there ever was one), a hockey genius of his ilk would be much better off not joining this crew of push-me/pull-yous, they’ll just frustrate him to no end with their idiocy…

We suffered through the Ballard years and we continue to suffer, the team will NOT be competitive for probably another 2-3 years and unfortunately, we’re used to the decades of mediocrity by now so what’s a few more years…

Posted by Brian Griffin from Toronto, ON on 06/27/07 at 09:51 AM ET

Would it be accurate to liken Toronto to the Chicago Cubs?  Getting by on fan loyalty, periodic semi-success, and the atmosphere at the arena--not to mention the constant hope that next year will be better, and ownership (for now) by a company instead of an individual.  I really hope that Toronto won’t be Cupless for a century.

Internal politics causes such a mess...remember a few years ago when the Russian sports higher-ups were considering Igor Larionov for a management position, but they wouldn’t meet his list of conditions--including the freedom to bring in a non-Russian coach for the Russian national team.  He was talking to Bowman at the time for recommendations for the coaching position, but turned that down for the same reasons of control issues.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 06/27/07 at 10:09 AM ET

Despite Ballard kicking the bucket, which we all thought would finally give us fans something to look forward to with respect to the teams success, all we got in return was a management quagmire populated by successful businessmen who may know how to earn a good buck but know absolutely ZERO about what it really takes to run a successful hockey franchise.  Their business acumen does NOT translate equally into operating a hockey team, a SUCCESSFUL one…

What is truly maddening/amazing/astonishing is that it took these “geniuses” until now to realize that they needed some actual brains in the hockey management/operations department and not just some dopes whoring themselves out for more profits?  We’ve been screaming for some hockey knowledge in that dept for YEARS yet they only got a clue just recently, that in itself just shows you how behind the curve they really are…

If you haven’t gotten it by now, can you tell how thoroughly and utterly disgusted we are with our current front office.  Change in that specific area can’t come fast enough but I’ll probably be worm food before it ever happens… And I’m still in my 30’s!!!

Posted by Brian Griffin from Toronto, ON on 06/27/07 at 10:29 AM ET

Many, many years of watching hockey clubs disintegrate, resurrect, or sometimes go down for the 3rd time tells me this:
Even Bill Wirtz would be an upgrade in Toronto..

Posted by Gramps (HockeyTownTodd) from Hockeytown on 06/27/07 at 01:54 PM ET

Brian, some of us can relate, afterall, we are Detroit Lions fans.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 06/27/07 at 09:35 PM ET