Incentivized Intelligence

Why our campaign appealed the results of the SSW nomination race.

I don't want Auston Matthews to leave Toronto. He's the greatest Leaf of all time, even if this is it. I want to see him stay and face the music. I want to see him evolve as a leader and a captain. I want him to change before our eyes and set a tone for the room. I want him to push back. That's Option A for me. Best case scenario. Always has been. When you come into the league as a superstar, you're protected from day one. That's the role of the veterans on the team - you protect the kids. You show them the ropes. I believe that's where Toronto's stars have fallen short. They've never transitioned from the PROTECTED to the PROTECTORS. The battle scars Mike Babcock once told us they'd accrue over time have not paid any dividends. They're the last guys to defend their teammates on a nightly basis. That's a fact and I'll die on this hill. You look at Matthews, Nylander, at Marner before he left. God given talent. They just don't have the grit or the pushback. This drives me absolutely insane because it's the only part of the game that is purely a CHOICE. You can't walk off the street and skate like Willy, or shoot like Auston. But you can come right out of beer league and skate into a scrum with your teammates (not arguing it'd go well for ya). I think they're scared of conflict. I think they're intimidated. And if you think that intimidation doesn't manifest itself in other ways throughout the game, you're sorely mistaken. I'd love nothing more than to see these guys show a level of courage we've never seen before. To lead the charge in pushing back when it's needed. I'd love to see everyone show they've learned the lesson like Easton Cowan did last year. Courage doesn't mean you're never nervous - it means you refuse to let the nerves get in the way of doing what's needed to be an elite competitor and transform your team into a brotherhood. I don't know if that's realistic, but that's always been best case scenario for me. Option A is stay and grow, but we need to see growth from the leaders on this team in ways that have nothing to do with skill. If I knew for certain this could never happen, I've no qualms with Option B. Turn over a new leaf. But man... nothing would be better than seeing these guys suck it up and leave it all out there. Come back with a mean streak. Show us some things we've never seen from ya before. Leave no questions about how much you care.

Nothing surprising here!

New program is a start but just this morning a friend was complaining he can't find workers. For his Landscaping build business in GTA. He said the locals don't wanna work and everyone else leaving. Everyone here working, not a criminal - should have a chance at PR.