Post by mscaniac on Nov 28, 2007 10:22:29 GMT -5
Might as well start off this rumor topic with a bang...
Quote:
MAPLE LEAFS: HURRICANES' RUTHERFORD AVAILABLE
TIM WHARNSBY (Globe and Mail)
November 28, 2007
If the board of directors of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment decides to relieve John Ferguson as the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, expect one of the first calls to be to Jim Rutherford.
The Globe and Mail has learned that even though the Carolina Hurricanes' general manager signed a five-year contract extension with the Hurricanes last April, club owner Peter Karmanos would not stand in Rutherford's way if the Leafs wanted to court him.
"I'm not going to comment on that possibility," Rutherford said yesterday.
Two sources have said recently that Rutherford would be willing to listen to MLSE's pitch.
"All the Leafs have to do is look at the way they hired their basketball executive," the source said. "If you really want people, there always is a way [to hire them]."
The Toronto Raptors, also owned by MLSE, hired Bryan Colangelo as the president and GM on Feb. 28, 2006, a day after he resigned from the same position with the Phoenix Suns.
There has been plenty of guesswork about a possible replacement for Ferguson, who is unlikely to survive past this season. But the names bandied about in the past 48 hours - Mark Messier, Steve Yzerman, Joe Nieuwendyk, Colin Campbell, Glenn Healy and Ron Francis - have been pure speculation.
These rumoured candidates have something in common: no experience. MLSE president and chief executive officer Richard Peddie not only said that his NHL franchise made a mistake in hiring inexperienced Ferguson in August of 2003, but yesterday he questioned the ability of the names that have surfaced in the media.
"I see the names that have been thrown out there," he said. "Other than their having a really nice on-ice pedigree, are they really equipped to run a franchise? It is a much different business. It's big business. It's a market in which we need experienced people."
Rutherford, 58, has long coveted the Leafs' GM position. The former NHL goaltender was raised in nearby Beeton, Ont., and played part of the 1980-81 season with the Leafs. He has been running the Hurricanes since June of 1994, when the franchise was still the Hartford Whalers.
In Rutherford's 12-plus seasons, the Hurricanes have advanced to the Stanley Cup final twice, prevailing over the Edmonton Oilers two springs...etc
Quote:
MAPLE LEAFS: HURRICANES' RUTHERFORD AVAILABLE
TIM WHARNSBY (Globe and Mail)
November 28, 2007
If the board of directors of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment decides to relieve John Ferguson as the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, expect one of the first calls to be to Jim Rutherford.
The Globe and Mail has learned that even though the Carolina Hurricanes' general manager signed a five-year contract extension with the Hurricanes last April, club owner Peter Karmanos would not stand in Rutherford's way if the Leafs wanted to court him.
"I'm not going to comment on that possibility," Rutherford said yesterday.
Two sources have said recently that Rutherford would be willing to listen to MLSE's pitch.
"All the Leafs have to do is look at the way they hired their basketball executive," the source said. "If you really want people, there always is a way [to hire them]."
The Toronto Raptors, also owned by MLSE, hired Bryan Colangelo as the president and GM on Feb. 28, 2006, a day after he resigned from the same position with the Phoenix Suns.
There has been plenty of guesswork about a possible replacement for Ferguson, who is unlikely to survive past this season. But the names bandied about in the past 48 hours - Mark Messier, Steve Yzerman, Joe Nieuwendyk, Colin Campbell, Glenn Healy and Ron Francis - have been pure speculation.
These rumoured candidates have something in common: no experience. MLSE president and chief executive officer Richard Peddie not only said that his NHL franchise made a mistake in hiring inexperienced Ferguson in August of 2003, but yesterday he questioned the ability of the names that have surfaced in the media.
"I see the names that have been thrown out there," he said. "Other than their having a really nice on-ice pedigree, are they really equipped to run a franchise? It is a much different business. It's big business. It's a market in which we need experienced people."
Rutherford, 58, has long coveted the Leafs' GM position. The former NHL goaltender was raised in nearby Beeton, Ont., and played part of the 1980-81 season with the Leafs. He has been running the Hurricanes since June of 1994, when the franchise was still the Hartford Whalers.
In Rutherford's 12-plus seasons, the Hurricanes have advanced to the Stanley Cup final twice, prevailing over the Edmonton Oilers two springs...etc
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