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By HOWARD BERGER

TAMPA (Feb. 28) — With the Mats Sundin waive/no-waive saga having run its course — and with the passing climax of the NHL trade deadline – Paul Maurice now becomes the most intriguing story on the Maple Leafs. Relegated to an observer in the switch of general managers from John Ferguson to Cliff Fletcher, and in the frenzy surrounding the five Leaf players with no-trade clauses, Maurice has tried his best to maintain focus behind the bench in his second season as coach of the hockey club. It is generally conceded that there will not be a third season for Maurice, because Fletcher’s replacement this summer as full-time GM is expected to hire his own coach. But, if the curtain is coming down on the good-natured Maurice, he certainly is not bowing out with a whimper.

He and I had a long chat at the St. Pete Times Forum here in Tampa late this afternoon. I’ve always admired Maurice as a person and a coach, dating to his years behind the bench of the Hartford Whalers/Carolina Hurricanes. He has an engaging sense of humor that allows him to maintain decorum in tough circumstances, and nothing in his big-league career has been as difficult as the events of this season. The GM that brought him back to the NHL was fired last month, and the new manager — already in the hall of fame — has fundamentally written off the team he is now coaching, with six weeks still remaining in the schedule. Try working under those circumstances.

Fletcher uttered his most revealing comment on Tuesday, when he claimed that his plan to disassemble the Leafs will not be affected “whether the team misses the playoffs by three points, or makes the playoffs by three points.” In order to qualify for the post-season with a three-point cushion, the Leafs would have to play at something like a 14-3 clip over their final 17 games — a gargantuan task. Given the current, three-game win streak, Maurice’s club could finish the campaign with 17 wins in 20 outings… and he’d still be looking for work this summer. What a way to make a living.

More than likely, however, these Maple Leafs — while temporarily unburdened by playoff expectation — will do as they’ve done twice before: Tease their fans with a hollow, late-season charge that will situate them a rung or two beneath the post-season cutoff. The propensity to become world-beaters after the fact is the number-one reason why Fletcher believes a complete overhaul of the roster is necessary.

Maurice, though, isn’t about to get into the blame-game, or to start bemoaning his probable fate. The coaching segment of professional sport is about as secure as George Bush’s approval rating, and nobody knows it better than Maurice. He was fired in Carolina by his acknowledged “best friend” — Jim Rutherford — and though he claims to not have any first-hand knowledge, it was strongly rumored that Ferguson attempted to replace him in his final, desperate moments as Leafs’ GM. So, the notion of a new manager in Toronto casting him aside has not engendered insomnia. “After almost 15 years, there are no more surprises in this racket,” Maurice said today with that wry smile of his.

But, what a spot to be in right now. If you win, people are calling you losers because you don’t know how to win when it matters. If you lose, it’s pretty much expected. For his part, Fletcher refuses to get into the business of grading Maurice, as he won’t have much to do with the coaching end of the Leafs’ operation. That will be left to his successor. Fletcher’s appraisal of the club, however, would seem to absolve Maurice. If the Silver Fox believes the on-ice problems result from a lack of personnel — and he does — presumably no coach would be able to succeed with this group. Others contend that Maurice’s NHL resume is not playoff-heavy enough to consider him near the top of his profession. Yet, he remains as grouded as ever.

“I think the assessment they’re going to make after the season isn’t going to hinge on being in or out of the playoffs,” Paul acknowledged. “I figure they’ll say: ‘This is the team we have; this is the coaching staff we have; can we make it work with one, the other, both, or none?’ And, I’ve got to be honest with you, that happens in every [NHL] building, all of the time. After awhile, it just doesn’t register anymore. All I want to do is see our team play hard and try to win, because it’s a whole lot more fun being at the rink with the Toronto Maple Leafs when you’re winning, than when you’re losing.”

What about being in a lame-duck position between the appointment of general managers? Maurice cannot possibly like his chances of staying on with the new GM, though there is a precedent just down the hallway at the Air Canada Centre with the NBA Toronto Raptors. Bryan Colangelo came over from Phoenix to run the basketball team and he retained the existing coach, Sam Mitchell. That decision paid off when Mitchell won NBA coach-of-the-year honors last season. But, the thought has clearly crossed Maurice’s mind that he is coaching his final games with the Maple Leafs.

“Sure it has, but I think it’s all based on winning and losing,” he said. “I really don’t believe it has anything to do with the new general manager. I mean, if we can put together a good run here; get into the playoffs, and maybe do something along the way, then there’s nothing to be particularly concerned about. My heart is here and I want to coach the Toronto Maple Leafs. I want to win a Cup. Whether it happens in two years or 10 years, I just want to get it done. But, I’m not concerned about who comes in and the decisions he makes.”

This also tells you why it’s absurd to suggest that Maurice should somehow pull back and encourage his players to lose a few for the good of the franchise. Any coach with that mindset wouldn’t make it past the minor-peewee level, let alone to the NHL. “I would never walk into that locker room and make a coaching decision based on a draft pick, rather than doing my best to win,” he said. “People wonder why I’m using Vesa [Toskala] and not [Andrew] Raycroft. It has nothing to do with Andrew. Vesa is simply playing great. As a result, he’s going to play. There isn’t a coach I know that would do it any differently. So, I’m not going to walk into that room and give anyone the impression that I’m doing anything other than trying to win games.”

With that in mind, does Maurice believe he is somehow auditioning himself right now, even though he’s been around the NHL for much of the past 15 years? “No, I don’t feel that,” he said. “Clearly, there’s a new set of relationship rules, but Cliff has been outstanding. He’s been very open and has allowed me to express my opinion on our players, and where I think we can get better. And, most importantly, he’s never given me the impression that he wants us to do anything but win. I appreciate that.”

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 28th, 2008 at 6:35 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.