First I'll defend him as a player. He garnered his contract by being an offensive powerplay specialist. This is justified by his average over the past six NHL seasons-had he played a full 82 games each year-at 50 points per season. He was named Second-Team All-Star in 2004, and potted 68 points in 73 games in 2005, do we remember many people on his case those years? I don't. If these doubters would stop to think long enough to consider that McCabe suffered a broken arm this season and missed significant time due to the injury, they might come to understand that a player can get rusty over a couple months of not being able to handle a puck. Players train throughout the entire offseason and still come into the season opener a little below par because they've lost the edge from not having NHL-caliber game situations to keep them sharp. In essence, McCabe had to go through that twice this season, and still managed almost half a point per game. Sure, he had a few glaring mistakes that directly led to goals that cost Toronto some games, but nobody would've heard about it if he weren't swimming in a fishbowl with scads of skeptic, jaded fans watching his every move, just aching for someone to blame . On top of that, the media made it a point to show highlight after highlight and run story after story about how McCabe made that one mistake that "cost the game." How many of you out there can honestly say they actually excel in that kind of environment? In addition, since when does one play decide an entire game? People are quick to argue that McCabe is terrible at defense. To counter that, I could direct you to his career stats, where he's finished a season on the negative side of the plus/minus stat only twice since coming to Toronto, his worst being a -2. Considering he's a powerplay specialist, most of his points come on the powerplay where you are not rewarded with a "+" for being on the ice for a goal scored. A plus-rating is a lot harder to come by when most of your points come on the powerplay. Also keep in mind that he had two pretty reliable weapons taken away from him, as he is still trying to get used to not being able to use his patented Can-Opener, or his devastating hip-checks, as the league has cracked down on both in recent years. Despite these setbacks, he's still managed to be relatively effective. If you're basing your opinion of McCabe on overall stats, consider that Niklas Lidstrom had a "mere" 38 points in 81 games back in '03/04, maybe the 'Wings should've cut him loose before he could do more damage to their progress.
Now, I can't claim to know Bryan McCabe personally, but when it comes to his stand against Leafs management on the no-move clause, I back him completely. The Leafs are making this issue public because they feel that they can use the media and fan base against McCabe in an effort to run him out of town in order to save a few million dollars on a contract that they originally signed in good faith. If he has a contract that states he has full control over when and how he's moved, then he should be entitled to that without scrutiny. Put yourself in his situation. You are working for a business that has signed a contract with you that states you will be with the company as long as you want. It also says that the company has the option of negating the contract with a preset amount of cash up front. You spend a few years in the company, get accustomed to the city, start a family and settle down there, thinking that you're safe. Then you make a few mistakes and your company suddenly decides you're expendable. If they asked you to move to a different city would you go quietly, or would you want to be paid the predetermined buyout before you left? Let's also say that the buyout can be stated in millions. Could you see yourself giving up a few million dollars "for the good of the company" just to appease the shareholders? If you answered "yes" I would have to call BS. I agree to a point that he should probably go to a different team, but only because he's been publicly called out by Cliff Fletcher and I can't see him giving 100% for a team that doesn't want him there, but why take one for the team if they don't want to be your team? The fact remains that the Leafs signed him to a contract, they should honor the terms. Here's another analogy: A couple agrees to a prenuptial agreement where the spouse getting dumped gets a majority of the estate in a one-sided divorce, but after a few years the wife asks the husband to waive the prenup and move out so she can find a new, younger man. I don't imagine the public would be raging that he should just leave quietly so she can be happy. Why would it be any different in a sports relationship? A contract is a contract....if you can't live with the terms, don't sign it.
Speaking of spouses, a common opinion is that McCabe should go back to the Islanders, because his wife is from the area. Believe me, if she really wanted to move back there, Bryan would be begging for a trade...just ask Chris Pronger.
Even if McCabe had the worst season ever recorded in NHL history, I would back him in his seemingly old-fashioned stance to force his employer to adhere to its contractual obligations. Give the guy a break.
Before I go, need to say one thing: For all you professional sports attendees, if you think your players are overpaid; stop buying tickets. That's the easiest way to cut salaries. Don't pay hundreds of dollars per game just to sit there and gripe about how much athletes make to play. It's contradictory.
Keywords: Bryan McCabe, buyout, Cliff Fletcher, contract, rebuilding, salaries, Toronto Maple Leafs
