I received this tonight from Richard Peddie(MapleLeafs.com),
Dear Rob,
Tuesday we made a difficult decision for our hockey club. We announced that John Ferguson's contract as vice president and general manager, which expires June 30, will not be renewed and as a result he has been relived of his duties effective immediately.
These decisions are always difficult from both a professional and personal standpoint. John is as fine a man as you will meet. He's a man of the highest integrity, who withstood often unfair public criticism with dignity and class. He represented our organization and our community in a first class manner. We will always be grateful to John for his passion, dedication and commitment to putting a winning team on the ice. We wish him well in what we expect will be a long and productive hockey career.
But after thorough consideration of the Leafs situation, it became clear that change and a new direction is needed. Regrettably, we didn't win enough games and reach our goal of winning the Stanley Cup. Our record, and our opportunity to be a playoff team and compete for the Stanley Cup, has fallen short of what is expected.
The process highly-regarded by Leafs fans and by hockey people around the world. We have reached out to Cliff and his 50-plus years of hockey management experience to serve as interim general manager of the Leafs.
Cliff will have the autonomy and responsibility for all hockey matters with a focus on establishing a foundation from which the next general manager can build. He is the ideal person to lead this transition. Cliff will join prominent sports attorney Gord Kirke and me on the search team that will recommend to our board of directors the best person to serve as the next general manager of the Leafs.
We believe that being general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs is the top job in hockey. The person who fills this job will be both a long-term builder and a short-term fixer who has an established track record of success on the ice. Along with the foundation of knowledge in the areas of drafting and identifying talent in the professional, amateur and international ranks, he will work effectively with the media and be comfortable within the intense scrutiny that characterizes the Toronto hockey market.
To those of you new to Leafs Nation, Cliff served the Leafs as team president, chief operating officer and general manager between 1991 and 1997, guiding the team to the conference finals on two occasions. There's no better man in hockey to lead us successfully through the upcoming trade deadline and toward the draft and free agent signing period. His expertise affords us the opportunity to conduct our search without the constraints of time deadlines in order to bring the best general manager to Toronto.
This has been a difficult season for all of us - fans, players, coaches, and staff. While the title on my business card reads president and chief executive officer, I'm also a fan. I share the frustrations we all have felt that come with falling short of our expectations. I believe every member of our organization, myself included, can look inside themselves to find things they might have done differently to alleviate the situation we find ourselves in.
I am fully confident that we will achieve both the short-term and long-term success we all desire. And I believe the results of our efforts will bring the Stanley Cup home to Toronto where it belongs. That is the number one priority of every member of the Leafs organization.
On behalf of our entire organization, I thank you for being a valued member of our team.
Sincerely,
Richard Peddie
President and Chief Executive Officer
Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club
Dear Rob,
Tuesday we made a difficult decision for our hockey club. We announced that John Ferguson's contract as vice president and general manager, which expires June 30, will not be renewed and as a result he has been relived of his duties effective immediately.
These decisions are always difficult from both a professional and personal standpoint. John is as fine a man as you will meet. He's a man of the highest integrity, who withstood often unfair public criticism with dignity and class. He represented our organization and our community in a first class manner. We will always be grateful to John for his passion, dedication and commitment to putting a winning team on the ice. We wish him well in what we expect will be a long and productive hockey career.
But after thorough consideration of the Leafs situation, it became clear that change and a new direction is needed. Regrettably, we didn't win enough games and reach our goal of winning the Stanley Cup. Our record, and our opportunity to be a playoff team and compete for the Stanley Cup, has fallen short of what is expected.
The process highly-regarded by Leafs fans and by hockey people around the world. We have reached out to Cliff and his 50-plus years of hockey management experience to serve as interim general manager of the Leafs.
Cliff will have the autonomy and responsibility for all hockey matters with a focus on establishing a foundation from which the next general manager can build. He is the ideal person to lead this transition. Cliff will join prominent sports attorney Gord Kirke and me on the search team that will recommend to our board of directors the best person to serve as the next general manager of the Leafs.
We believe that being general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs is the top job in hockey. The person who fills this job will be both a long-term builder and a short-term fixer who has an established track record of success on the ice. Along with the foundation of knowledge in the areas of drafting and identifying talent in the professional, amateur and international ranks, he will work effectively with the media and be comfortable within the intense scrutiny that characterizes the Toronto hockey market.
To those of you new to Leafs Nation, Cliff served the Leafs as team president, chief operating officer and general manager between 1991 and 1997, guiding the team to the conference finals on two occasions. There's no better man in hockey to lead us successfully through the upcoming trade deadline and toward the draft and free agent signing period. His expertise affords us the opportunity to conduct our search without the constraints of time deadlines in order to bring the best general manager to Toronto.
This has been a difficult season for all of us - fans, players, coaches, and staff. While the title on my business card reads president and chief executive officer, I'm also a fan. I share the frustrations we all have felt that come with falling short of our expectations. I believe every member of our organization, myself included, can look inside themselves to find things they might have done differently to alleviate the situation we find ourselves in.
I am fully confident that we will achieve both the short-term and long-term success we all desire. And I believe the results of our efforts will bring the Stanley Cup home to Toronto where it belongs. That is the number one priority of every member of the Leafs organization.
On behalf of our entire organization, I thank you for being a valued member of our team.
Sincerely,
Richard Peddie
President and Chief Executive Officer
Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club
