I don't know but I think the BlackHawks were something like 20 years out of the playoffs... total humility there. But a change in ownership who actually cared about winning paid off for them. I'm not sure of their ownership status when they won that most recent cup for the first time (was it 2010), but from what I remember they came under the control of an individual owner/group that wasn't corporate, that really wanted to win a championship and that cared about the sport. That's why they won.
The Leafs? They've come under ownership that does internet service, tv service, phone service, runs the Blue Jays, publishes magazines and books and internet sites, and is trying to manage a 5.2 billion dollar television deal with the NHL. So what does all that mean? It means the Toronto Maple Leafs are now just a small portion of their portoflio. Who here thinks that the Leafs are the priority on their radar?
Not even close. The Leafs are far down on their list of "things to do". It wasn't this way when they were owned by MLSE or the Teachers before them... back in those days, the Leafs were "top dawg" and the primary focus of their owners was always set on them. Not now. Sorry, but it's 2015 and times have now changed. Their owners are now greedy giants who are focused on many other things and have swallowed up the Maple Leafs. All of a sudden, the Leafs have taken the back seat while their owners focus on a television deal that they still have no idea how to handle or understand what they've gotten in to.
The days of the Leafs being the main focus are long, long gone. They've been shuffled to the bottom of the priority pile. Get used to it Toronto. I honestly hate to say it, but I really think things have become a lot worse for this hockey team since being aquired by Rogers, and I said it back when it happened. It's already starting to show. I really think the Leafs have now become lost in a sea of corporate greed and the focus is not on them any more, which is pretty well what I stated above. I truly believe this is just the beginning of something very bad for hockey in this city. But time will tell.
