I’m sorry but isn’t this comment 100% contradiction? I understand the concept of going with youth but shouldn’t they do that when the youth is ready for the show? What kind of management would throw kids who are unproven to play against talent level they never played with? I don’t know about you but having the stomach means dealing with the time it takes for kids to properly develop in the AHL before jumping to the NHL, not lets watch these kids get slaughtered every night but they’ll learn to adapt mentality. I’m sorry but exposing kids to the crap that is this team and losing is not what I would want to be exposed to. These kids need time in the AHL to develop and not rushed into the big show to only ultimately fail. That is what stomaching really means and clearly there are many fans and MSM reporters fail to recognize.

The Canucks ‘98-’99 season saw them finish 23-47-12 for 58 points. In ‘99-’00 they ended up 30-29-15-8 for 83 points.

Unless Cox is including the ‘97-’98 season I’m not sure how the comment makes any sense.

To wit:

“” After the last-second blowing of the Carolina Hurricanes game, Wilson said, in his usual caustic way: “We need more commitment from some people who are feeling sorry for themselves.”

Yet it was him who had a minus-five Nikolai Kulemin on the ice to help blow it.

Perhaps Wilson should be sent to the minors.”

Nikolai Kulemin wasn’t a -5 on the night in question. He was even, INCLUDING the goal scored to tie the game. He had 2 assists, and was one of the best players for the leafs during the game.

He’s a -5 on the season, but then Rickard Wallin is -5, Lee Stempniak is -6, and Matt Stajan is -7… somehow I doubt that would be a trio the writer would object to as being on the ice in the final minute for this Leafs group.

Mikhail Grabovski is -3, Jason Blake is -2, and Phil Kessel is +2, so is the argument that they would have been better choices to be on the ice with the game on the line? I don’t really think so.

Arguing that Ron Wilson is a bad coach because the team blows a lead they capture with 36 seconds remaining in the game, is a bit beyond the pale frankly.

“Interestingly, Gretzky shares Burke’s philosophy on the need for toughness in the sport and enforcers on the ice.” Yeah, they kept him while he played!

“Burke elected not to go that way. He didn’t break the whole thing down and go with kids, he went a non -traditional route of being half pregnant.” Nice.