Leafs done. Quinn done. Jesus not...?

despite their dreadful play in January and early February, the Leafs were in playoff contention into the Easter weekend. well, mathematical playoff contention certainly isn't a reflection of competitiveness, as the playoff-making Leafs would surely be a five game speedbump for either Ottawa or Carolina. so while the Leafs survived past Good Friday, they didn't make it to Easter Sunday. and Pat Quinn didn't even make to Jesus' resurrection.

so if you are scoring at home that is:
Leafs 0
Quinn 0
Jesus 1

in any event, MLSE just held the press conference announcing Pat Quinn's firing, which could have only been less surprising if Leafs TV had spliced footage of Pat walking to the rink with Sean Penn in "Dead Man Walking" and played it on the ACC Jumbotron.

so yes, we all saw this move coming - a move precipitated with the unceremonious revoking of his general manager duties in the summer of 2003.

but there is one surprise and that has to do with the timing of it all. rather than wait until saturday when the playoffs are in full swing or until after the marlies are eliminated from the playoffs, MLSE springs this announcement and all of its related intrigue on the toronto media today.

today there are no nhl games, no nba games, and no jays game. heck, they did this while the Raptors were just down the hall cleaning out their lockers. quinn's firing is the entire media's focus. is it any wonder that fergie was being grilled today? every media person was there. what was the announcement by the media relations department today? "chris bosh will be answering a couple of questions. oh, and while you are here, just down the hall..."

(btw: it was somewhat funny to see fergie lob up vague softball sized answers to journalists and not expect a pointed followup question. you could see fergie visibly tighten up whenever steve simmons had the floor. and when a sportswriter who is the antithesis of a 60 minute investigative journalist makes you cringe, you know your answers really are that empty. "we won a record 26 games at home this season." the outcomes are more absolute under the new rules. ties don't happen. of course records for wins would be broken, john.)

so now, we have the entire toronto hockey world speculating as to the coaching candidates, as well as the direction of the club, and looking for answers from any and all sources. wouldn't you love to be paul maurice trying to prepare the marlies for the playoffs today?

my prediction like everyone else in the sports world:
-current Marlies coach Paul Maurice gets a "promotion" to Leafs Head Coach once his team is eliminated by Grand Rapids
-former Leafs assistant coach turned candidate for other position in the organization Keith Acton becomes the Marlies head coach.
-Toronto Star writer Damien Cox sets a record for number of times he uses the "i told you so" face on television appearances.

this was the clandestine plan Fergie had all along. it's a shame that the Leafs entered the first post-lockout NHL season without putting this plan in motion and rather relying on the GM's assertion that that they will be competitive. but those talking points are just par for the course. after all, resurrecting a franchise nearly four decades removed from hockey dominance seems to have become more about faith than action.

hey, maybe Jesus is available?

np - The Libertine by Patrick Wolf