ADB

Add another one to the tally.

Not enough imo....should have been the rest of this year plus playoffs and 25 games next year...

They could kick him out forever, for all I care.

He is not needed in the NHL at all.

If anybody outside of the GTA finds x-raps on sale and in large quantities, let me know.

Depending on how many you can get your hands on, I can make it worth your while to pick them up for me.

Cooke's suspension: the rest of the season + 1st round of the playoffs.

I would think your wrath should be at Le Barons were you bought the reel. Even then it seems it should be little if any. Le Barons has offered to trade it in for you but the others were defective. I would ask them to trade it in for a future shipment if they are not also poorly made. I can't fault the makers of the Quantum since they have offered to make it right. They are only asking for you to return the reel for a new one. That seems pretty fair to me.Yes you will be paying the shipping to them and they will pay the shipping back to you. It was their fault for putting a reel out that had a flaw and it was your fault for not looking closely at a non returnable item. I think that the quantum line should not be faulted because you want them to do other than what is fair to both parties. I Have dealt with companies that reside in Canada and when I had a warrentee issue it was requested that I send it back to Canada. I had no issues with that because it is were the companies experts are who evaluate the product for warrentee issues. I know this is a catch 22 issue who made the first mistake and what should have been done but hind sight here will not move the issue forward. Best to box it up with a note and take them up on their offer of meeting you half way.

 

Art

I'm sure they would do that, but I'm guessing it's not what he wants.

The problem with asking for a future shipment is the frequency (or infrequency) of the orders placed. They tend to do a few large orders instead of many smaller ones.

In terms of turnaround time, he would be much better off sending it to the states.

No hard baits on sale at the CTC in Guelph on Stone Road.

I should be checking one out back home in Richmond Hill tonight.

That is a shame because it is a really sweet reel.

Obviously there was a bad batch produced, so hopfully Quantum gets enough complaints to get them off their

Done and done.

Greg...I don't have any advice for you, but it looks like an awesome trip.

I'm heading up in that direction to Nipigon this summer.

Enjoy, I know I will.

I think this is just a little overstated... When you figure you have a mile or so of water its not that many people. The key is not standing in a crowd of 5 people chasing the same 5 fish... there's plenty of water if you are prepared to walk a bit

Funny how the best spots are always closest to the road, eh?

Ding-a-ling-ling.

Well... I never called Illich a genius but having hockey smarts, past business success and knowing when to hire the right people is what makes a successful a good owner. He hired Ken Holland, that wasn't just one good decision that was an outstanding decision. He's also made many more before it. Hiring Scotty Bowman wasn't exactly a bad one. MLSE hires JFJ (Illich would NEVER have hired JFJ)... That gave us Toskala as our starting goalie when Belfour ran dry. That gave us Maurice when they got rid of Quinn.. It's been 7 years, they've made a lot of mistakes in the first 5 and it'll take years before they ever get back to over 100pt/season again.

 

Oh yea, also how are those Raptors doing too? MLSE you rock.

Hiring Scotty Bowman...a real diamond in the rough...

And further to my last post - Illitch probably would have never hired JFJ in the first place!

I would love if Balsillie bought them, although sadly I doubt the NHL would let him.

I don't agree with you on the "wanting to win" argument. To me, there are lots of owners who want to win as bad as Illich, but it doesn't translate into Stanley Cups.

Can't agree with you more on JFJ though. Hiring/firing management is huge, and MLSE obviously failed with JFJ.

Players take pay cuts to play for a winning team. The team wins because Illitch does not accept defeat very well.

 

MLSE has a funny way of demonstrating their desire for post-season activity! Spending to the cap isn't the only thing a good owner should do - it's the minimum required.

Lol...I still have a hard time seeing the argument here. Illich does not accept defeat very well? What does that mean?

If spending to the cap is the minimum...then what is the maximum?

Mike Illich must be a wizard, because from what you guys say he just thinks of what he wants, and then he gets it.

Ontario Pension Plan took controlling interest of MLSE in 2003. They hired John Ferguson, Jr. who left the team in shambles giving away terrible no trade contracts & making awful trades. The year before the lockout leafs posted their best regular season in franchise history before missing playoffs for 5 straight years... In today's NHL (and past) owners have to make the right decisions when it comes to who runs the business. One or two bad decisions up top and a franchise can be ruined for a very long time AKA the leafs. This is why Detroit is also where they are today, good decisions from a good businessman. Hiring Burke and giving him full realm to make decisions on his own was a good start - I'm not a Burke hater.

I agree that JFJ was a mess...but how does one bad decision make MLSE terrible owners, and one good decision in hiring Ken Holland make Mike Illich a genius?

I think Burke is the first good thing they've done in a long time.

 

Should have never Fired Quinn if you ask me....

I kind of agree about Quinn.

The whole point of firing Quinn was because he couldn't coach youth [see Edmonton last year] and the team was supposed to be rebuilding with younger talent.

However, that youth rebuild never really happened with Maurice at the helm, so it kind of made that firing a waste.

Do you think Mike Illitch would let the Leafs flounder as they have in recent years, if he was the owner?

 

 

Good ownership surrounds themselves with good management. (GM, Scouting, development)

Good ownership cares about winning, first and foremost.

Good ownership hates losing.

Good ownership exists to serve the PRIMARY purpose of the team (which is winning). Shareholders are also important, but a successful team should take care of them, especially in a market like Toronto.

Good ownership has a face, not a 4 letter acronym.

Most of what you're saying is intangible. Just because an owner wants to win, doesn't make it so.

Your only argument thats I agree with is surrounding the team with good management. But if you think Brian Burke was a bad hire, then we simply have different opinions.

Uhmmm... I'll chime in - Mike bought the team in the 80s when they sucked (Detroit Dead Wings). That family has spent spent millions on the team and turned them around by the 90s when they brought in Bowman. The management is family run, his son is the President & CEO making actual decisions that matter. Since the lockout players have also taken pay cuts to play there (Which keeps them competitive). There are a lot more players in line wanting play for the Red Wings than Leafs and I believe a lot of it has to do with ownership. Having owners that care and want to make them win long term because they love hockey is crucial to any successful team (minus luck of the draw).

 

It's also been said from league experts many times over that he's the best owner in the NHL, by far (MLSE being the worst of course)

Most of that is true.

But...

The only reason players take "pay cuts" to stay in Detroit is because they are a proven winner. I'm sure good ownership plays a role in that, but if they team was finishing in last place, no one would want to take take pay cuts to play there, no matter how nice Mike Illich et al are.

I think having "good" owners contributing to winning teams is really a myth in the post-lockout era. If you look at the Leafs, what more can MLSE do to make the team a winner? I've said it on here before...they spend to the cap, they'll put players in the minors [Jeff Finger], they'll buy players out [Darcy Tucker, Andrew Raycroft], and they hired Brian Burke, which not many argued was a bad move at the time.

Everything people hate about MLSE has to do with being a fan - high ticket prices, the corporate atmosphere, etc. None of that really builds a championship team. If Mike Illich took over Toronto tomorrow, things wouldn't really change in terms of the product on the ice.

You don't think MLSE wants to get to the playoffs? Talk about a business that basically has little growth potential without a winning team. Trust me, they'd love nothing more for a few home playoff dates where they can double ticket prices.

If someone can suggest something concrete than an owner can do in today's NHL that gives them an edge, I'm all ears.

Detroit Red Wings.

 

Pre-lockout, Post-lockout....take yer pick. Good ownership has everything to do with it.

I'd really like to know what good ownership has to do with the Wings being competitive, especially post-lockout.

Enlighten me.

Great report, Mike.

I need to drag myself out for some of those.

For those interested, I found out from someone I know from when I used to work there that Le Baron will now carry both Live Target and Gary Yamamoto worms.

Most Live Targets are $11.76 and the Yamamotos are $7.63.

I was pretty surprised as they always resist change at that place.

I hated the texture. They literally slide off the hooks in some applications.

My brother got the Torch through Rogers. It kept freezing and whatever, so he had them replace it.

The replacement wasn't any better.

He now has the new Bold and hasn't had any problems.

The two with the treble hook could do pretty well up here during salmon season...

(I know what they were doing was legal and I have nothing against it.)

This is a private website owned by the Administrators.

There is a difference between a private site where one can post their opinions knowing full well that there won't be any direct discourse, and a website that features a discussion forum where opinions will obviously be...well, discussed.

Whether or not the forum is technically private isn't really the point.

Much needed win tonight...we couldn't afford to give away the two points.

Leafs haters really amaze me. Last time I checked, being in 10th place, 4 points out of the playoffs, with 21 games to go means you're right in the thick of the playoff race. But because its the Leafs...

I'm not saying that they will make it or that they won't make it, but anyone who thinks they don't have a somewhat realistic chance is delusional.