Poulin/Loiselle Out – Hire Younger

Anyone that say’s today’s sport isn’t for the youth should have a look at what the Maple Leafs are doing in Toronto.

Making changes are what pro sport is about and if you fail to make the playoffs for not one, but several seasons in a row – changes have to be made – that’s business!!

Two executives have been removed and a new face has been hired as the Toronto Maple Leafs restructure more of their front office, following a disappointing year in which they missed the playoffs.

Earlier in the week the Leafs removed Dave Poulin (VP of hockey operations) and Claude Loiselle (Assistant GM) as they were no longer required to be with the organization.

This comes a mere three months after the Leafs officially hired Brendan Shanahan as President and Alternate Governor and if you understand anything about hockey, you knew changes would be made.

They never had to travel far and going a bit north and sticking in the OHL they hired the GM of the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds.

So youth has it privileges and one would think they are looking for him to advance in the organization and if not, he could be the fall guy should the Leafs continue to run amuck.

His name is Kyle Dubas and at the young age of 28 he offers a fresh start to the struggling organization that last won the Stanley Cup dating back to 1967.

I am told that he worked as a hockey operations assistant for the Greyhounds as a 14 year old, then worked as a scout while he went to college.

This hire comes a while after Sault Ste. Marie police investigated and laid the charges after a woman alleged three players had raped her, but the charges have not been proven in court.

It’s interesting that nowhere on CHL, OHL or the Sault Greyhounds websites is there any mention of the sexual assault charges laid on Aug. 25 against Greyhound players Nick Cousins, Andrew Fritsch and Mark Petaccio.

Aug. 28 — three days later, Boston University released a report describing a “culture of sexual entitlement” that exists among BU men’s ice-hockey players.

The Report on Men’s Ice Hockey task force was commissioned by Robert A Brown, president of the university, after two hockey players were charged with sexual assault in the space of three months.

On September 2/12 Dubas then the GM of the Greyhounds told the media “We’re still going through the process of collecting information and this is so far beyond a hockey situation we have not even thought ahead to training camp.”

So he is clearly not one to shy from confrontation and the media, so let’s see how his role plays out and I wish him all the best.

Other Leaf News:

Former Vancouver Giant Cody Franson (26) agreed to terms on a contract with the Leafs and a last minute agreement see’s both sides pleased with the deal

His new contract is the same length as his previous two — a one-year deal — and it will reportedly provide a decent salary increase, to US$3.3-million.

Toronto is on the move, but so far on paper, I think the Canucks are winning!!