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It may sound preposterous to many, but I assure you it is true. The Leafs may not have won a Stanley Cup since 1967 -- they may not have made it to the finals since that time, but they sure do make a whack of dough.

When all is said and done, the only thing the owners of the Maple Leafs are after is money. They have almost zero interest in building a winner. Their only interest is stuffing their pockets full of the green stuff and if that means missing the playoffs, so be it. After all the TV packages, merchandising, gate receipts, and sponsorships, the Maple Leafs are doing pretty well. Their revenue is more than the tax receipts of some small countries.

And with the purchase of the Steve Stavro's controlling share of MLSE by TBK, the picture looks even more bleak. Simply put, Toronto Maple Leafs are abusing their fans. This was no less apparent in their recent 7-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Of course, there has to be an end to all this madness. There has got to be some way to send a message to the owners. But there is not. Toronto Maple Leaf fans are among the dumbest in the league. They cheer when they win; they cheer when they lose, they cheer because they don't know what else to do. The harshest criticism by fans occurs when they give a faint boo that can be heard from the nosebleed sections all the way to, well ... the person beside them.

There is only one way to end this conundrum. I announce this: fans, you have power! You can control what happens on the ice. You can determine whether you will forever be watching an also-ran, or a Cup contender.

This means something radical: "Hey Leafer! Don't go to the games!" It's not a complicated philosophy. Every fan in every other city knows to avoid the game when their team is losing. Who wants to support a loser?

Back to the ice, the Toronto Maple Leafs are an aging, overpaid, and pathetic team. It needs a complete overhaul, from start to finish. Sole exceptions include Alexander Mogilny (although aging), Nik Antropov (great player), and Ed Belfour (going to retire soon).

The minimum time frame between Toronto Maple Laughs to Stanley Cup winners is approximately 10 to 15 years. Scary, isn't it? That's how bad they are. And don't think you can just fumble them into a winner. It doesn't happen. They need to start making better trades and reconstruct the team based on youth. It doesn't come easy.

For every year, you see the same team -- aging, past-their-prime losers (on the whole) -- strike that season off the charts as the beginning of the future. Only when the ownership group is replaced and a complete overhaul of the team is complete, will you begin to see results.

As a long-time NHL and Leaf columnist, I see the same things every year and each time I'm disappointed, I feel more and more agitated. Harsh words are the only words that can bring change and this is my contribution to the betterment of Leaf country.

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