This is candy, just dandy. You got to love it as a Hab fan.
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www.slam.ca/Slam021108/col_strachan-sun.html~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Corson's show of force. Attempts to fill Leafs power void going offside
By AL STRACHAN -- Toronto Sun
In the sportswriting business, it's always risky to expose the relationships between players on a given team.
For one thing, a team is like any other group of 23 people. Alliances have their ebb and flow, and yesterday's outsider can soon become tomorrow's trend-setter.
For another, you risk alienating certain players, and to be done right, the sportswriting business demands some nifty tightrope walking. You have to be close enough to the players to get the inside information, but not so close that once you find out what's happening, you keep it to yourself out of a sense of friendship.
A report yesterday suggested that Leafs winger Shayne Corson was unpopular with most of his teammates, which to some extent is true -- though none would say so publicly.
Corson is one of the more forceful members of a four-player clique that includes Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Travis Green.
In general, Tucker and Green are the followers. Corson and Domi the leaders. But of the latter two, Corson is seen as the decision-maker and it is in this context that he has aggravated some of his teammates.
Corson is now what he has always been. In a word, he is a throwback -- a gritty, hard-nosed, hard-living, two-way forward. Like every other player worth having, he wants a lot of ice time.
So far, no problems.
But Corson, whether he wants to admit it or not, is as subject to the advances of Father Time as anyone else. This year, he has two goals and two assists in 13 games, but ranks third among Leafs forwards in ice time.
The now-infamous bickering on the bench last Saturday was precipitated by Corson loudly demanding more ice time for himself, a demand that was not well received by some of his more productive teammates.
On Tuesday, Corson simply took the ice time. On the first power play, he, Tucker and Green stayed out for 1:59 (fruitlessly) while Mats Sundin, Alex Mogilny and the rest of the forwards languished on the bench.
His teammates could, should they choose to do so, confront Corson. The problem with that approach is that they're fully aware that Corson is a notorious scrapper -- and not only on the ice.
Everybody knows someone like Corson. He's the kind of guy that you love to have as a friend -- but you sure don't want to have to work with him.
There was an inkling of the problem last year when it was reported on the radio that Corson and Tucker had demanded of coach Pat Quinn that Jonas Hoglund be taken off the top line.
As is so often the case in a story like that, it was only half right. Corson and Tucker were simply demanding more quality time for themselves. They didn't particularly care at whose expense it came.
But let's be realistic here. If you're a coach and you have a player who doesn't want more ice time, the best thing you can do is unload him as quickly as possible.
The problem that has developed in the Leafs' room is that Corson and friends are perceived as being too forceful.
Even though Sundin is the captain and conducts himself well in that capacity, it was Gary Roberts who kept the room under control, who took charge and made sure that some of the more vocal players toned down their demands.
When the need arose, Roberts would challenge anyone in the room, Corson and Domi included.
The absence of Roberts created a void in the power structure that Corson assumed for himself. But Corson doesn't have Roberts' leadership qualities.
Therein lies the cause of the resentment.
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What are their trade value's? Nothing. Who wants trouble makers in the room?.