Randy Carlyle Fired

Randy Carlyle the Head Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs was officially relieved of his duties today. Less than three years into his role as the Leafs bench boss Carlyle was let go. This begs the question. Who is running the show now? The Leafs management team has stated that Peter Horachek the current Assistant Coach will now take over for the interim. I don't believe that management is looking to keep Horachek as the permanent head coach. Yet I don't understand why Carlyle was pulled in the middle of the season. Yes the Leafs have hit a slump over recent weeks but as we have all come to expect from the Buds this is something that happens. We are still in a decent place in the standings, comparatively speaking. There is no reason to suggest that the season should be given up on. However by firing the Head Coach without an adequate replacement it someone how seems like management has done just that. Carlyle has recently spoke to the media about his concerns that his players were not buying in to what he was selling. This sounds eerily similar to other coaches and managers in the past. Is it possible that maybe what is needed here is an ownership change? Wouldn't it be nice if we could change the owners and put a group of individuals in with different ideas on how the team should be managed. It doesn't matter who you get to run the Leafs if the overall authority is the same. If you look at recent years I see the same scenario playing out. Experienced professionals are brought into the organization to turn it around but it always ends up in failure. Wilson, Burke, Maurice, Carlyle all come to mind. Wholesale changes with players year in and year out as well. What is the only thing that hasn't changed in this time period. The ownership. Is this just a coincidence, because I see no one left to blame. If everything else has failed then what is left. Is it possible that the people pulling the strings behind the curtain are the ones who are driving this franchise into the ground every year? They are good business people I will give you that. The Toronto Maple Leafs is one of the most successful franchises in history. But does being a good business minded person make you also a good hockey mind. I would argue not. So maybe it is time for ownership to stop pulling the strings and give someone like Shanahan the leverage to make this team as truly great as everyone in Leaf Nation knows they can be.