The Beginning of the End for Raycroft?

[GLG]

Back to back, these last two outings by Rayzor are his worst, and his best outings all year. Most fans agree that he stole that win in Tampa - for a change.

But he's still 29th in the league for GAA with 3.05, and 32nd in save percentage with .893.

After seasons with Cujo and Belfour, and even some solid backup performances, we're not used to having a goalie that ranks near the bottom of the league. He's definitely earned the disdain he's been given lately.

Don't tell his teammates that.

Many of them have come to his defense and gone as far as calling Leaf Nation boo-birds "stupid" for reacting the way they did to his performance. There's been a lot of debate about whether or not booing is a respectful way to voice our displeasure.

We all remember Larry Murphy's time as a Leaf. Boo'd every time he touched the puck. It's been used by fans of other teams as the best example of Leaf Nation stupidity.

But how else can it be done? How else can Leaf Nation show MLSEL and the Leafs that they're not happy with a player's performance? Does anybody think Richard Peddie is listening to Leaf Talk on AM640 after the games?? (Thank God for us if he isn't! )

The waiting list for seasons tickets is still long. Most games are still sold out, even during 5-game-losing-streaks or longer. It's pretty safe to assume that the Leafs will continue to have nearly 20,000 people in the stands no matter what happens on the ice. The cashflow will continue to come in.

In a sense, the ONLY way to let the Leaf brass know what we think is to become a boo-bird.

But we are a fickle bunch, for the most part. We'll boo Belfour all the way through preseason, then shove a pedastal under him 20 games into the regular season. Any player that earns Leaf Nation's wrath can also be redeemed by improving their play on the ice. Any player.

Had Murphy managed a heroic performance or two after the boo-birds targeted him, he, too, would have been eligible for a pedastal. But perhaps he was not able to handle the intense scrutiny well enough to do so. The microscope was too strong, and the booing killed his confidence. We won't know.

It's probably more likely that the booing could kill a 26-year-old's confidence before a seasoned vet like Murphy. Indeed, everyone witnessed no lack of confidence in Murphy as he assisted the Wings in earning another cup. No doubt Murphy was heading for the HOF before he even became a Wing.

What happened in Boston to suck the confidence out of a Calder-winning young goalie named Raycroft, anyways?

Some have suggested it was former GM Sinden's fingering of players after their playoff exit just before Hockeygeddon. His Thornton trade certainly was a head-scratcher, and hasn't helped Boston reverse their fortunes any. It's been suggested that Rayzor and Thornton were good friends, and that sending Thornton away hurt Rayzor enough to make him not want to even bother trying anymore. In any case, Rayzor has continually said he's glad to be out of Boston.

But is it any better under the microscope in Toronto?

"I [have] definitely developed a realization of what it's like here," he said. "But at the same time, it's a lot of fun because [the fans] care -- everyone cares here. And it's enjoyable to be part of that.

"There's so much passion for the Leafs. Being in Boston, people didn't care. They didn't have that same passion. And it's fun to be part of that."

Source

"Fun," he says...

He's displayed a touch of arrogance lately as well. Telling us that "goalies aren't supposed to steal games" and grinning as we boo the sixth goal let in on the 21st shot. Some have turned on him simply because of that.

Many of us won't excuse Raycroft's 29th / 30th standing in the league, either, even after a game he clearly stole. Oh no. He needs to do that more often before we exhonorate him. And he knows that.

"You don't ever want to let anybody down, and I felt like that a bit [after Saturday's game against Vancouver]," he said. "It was nice to come back and have a good effort. I think it's important for all of us to go out and bounce back, especially in the next few months. We're going to have some tough losses and we're going to have to be able to bounce back, especially me.

It's true that he hasn't done any better than his last year in Boston, where he brung up the rear league-wide for starting goalies. It's true that he's not playing at the same level that earned him a Calder not long ago. It's true that he needs more consistency in his play to win over Leaf Nation.

At this point, two points out of the eighth and final playoff spot, it's do or die for Rayzor.

He can either end his inconsistent play, or begin his descent out of Leaf Nation on the wings of boo-birds.

The choice is his.

[OnceProud]

very eloquent post GLG I think Raycroft is in over his head.
He is Jim Carrey relived IMHO
hindsight can be tough, telly looks pretty good down in the desert by comparison.
T.O. fans got spoiled by Cujo and Belfour. It became common place for your goalies to steal games.
Times are togh now, but there are few if any options. Either Raycroft regains his calder form, or it could be a long year.

[GLG]

Originally Posted by OnceProud

very eloquent post GLG

Don't say that too loud! lol!

Originally Posted by OnceProud

hindsight can be tough, telly looks pretty good down in the desert by comparison.

I'm not sorry to see Telly go. Sure, he may look good now in Phoenix, but he had his chance here, and blew it. Not just once, either. Several times over.

Your Habs home-at-home series last year was the best example of how teams could walk all over his inconsistency here.

Maybe one could argue we could have / should have gotten more for him than we did, but all thirty GMs in this league know what we know about him. He wasn't going to get us a top pick, that's for sure.

I'm glad he's doing well in Phoenix, but frankly, I don't expect it to last.

Originally Posted by OnceProud

Times are togh now, but there are few if any options. Either Raycroft regains his calder form, or it could be a long year.

Exactly.

Even before bringing Raycroft here, the pickings were not as great as we'd like to believe. And like we agree, the ball's in Rayzor's court.

[CNuckleHead]

Raycroft didn't have a chance against the mighty Canucks