Quinn gone, Ted Nolan rumour season kicks off

With yesterday's firing of Maple Leafs coach Pat Quinn, the 2006 Ted Nolan Rumour Season got underway in earnest.

So far, there've been no hard reports of Nolan being interested in coaching the Leafs or any other team.

Or of the Leafs being interested in him.

But with Nolan's background and his current success with Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, some Toronto fans are hollering for the Pride of Garden River.

"It's not that Mr. Quinn is a bad coach," writes Nicholas Bartha in the online edition of the Toronto Sun. "He's a great coach. But it is time to switch because the other coaches know how he coaches the Leafs. They know his system and have adapted to it. Hire a young coach because this game is a young man's game. Hire Ted Nolan!"

"Pat Quinn has lost touch with today's players," writes another Sun reader, Hilton Wilson. "He never called a timeout when things got out of control or motivated his players with an encouraging word. He chewed his gum and complained to the refs, which in turn was the reason so many Leafs yapped to the refs. He also was insanely loyal to a group of veterans who had no business playing. Bring in a younger, motivating coach like Ted Nolan. He would have taken this team as it stands to the playoffs."

Stay tuned.

The lip-flapping is just getting underway, and it could be as much fun as the Stanley Cup itself.