The NHL Entry Draft is less then a month away and 109 of the top prospects are in Toronto to make one final impression on NHL teams in order to improve their draft rankings.

It's a daunting task for 18-year-olds to go face-to-face with NHL general managers and team personnel for a 20-minute interview but many find the experience thrilling but also stressful.

“You just have to go in there stay calm and be yourself,” said Ben Shutron a defenceman with the Belleville Bulls, who is ranked 16th among North American skaters. “It’s definitely really exciting and tons of fun.”

This is the ninth year for the NHL Combine and what was noticeably different than in past years was that many of the prospects appeared loose and eager prior to their big sitdowns. There’s a reason for that.

“Many of them are being coached by agents and coaches on what kind of questions they will have to answer,” said Paul Dennis, player development coach for the Toronto Maple Leafs. “They are being prepared just like on the ice.”

For defenceman Jordan Staal of the Peterborough Petes, who is ranked second among North American prospects, it was somewhat different. His two older brothers Eric with Carolina and Marc with the New York Rangers have been drafted and are now living their NHL dreams but he didn’t ask them for any pointers.

“I talked to Eric for a bit and I asked him what to expect but no tips or anything like that just what’s the daily routine,” Staal said.

One NHL team did pose an interesting question regarding his older siblings.

“How am I any different than my brothers’ personalities and I didn’t have any idea what to say,” he said with a laugh.

The interview process plays a role in where a team will draft a certain prospect but a bad interview doesn’t ruin the players’ chances of getting drafted.

“The bottom line is what the player does on the ice,” Dennis said. “If he is a good player he is going to play and he is going to get drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs based upon what he does on the ice. If there is something that concerns us during the interview it might mean there might be some issues but we will nurture this person and make him better.”

Prospects didn’t just find themselves meeting with one or two teams, many were meeting with at least 15 clubs while some were as high as 28. Aside from the interviews, players will also undergo fitness testing.

“The schedule is almost overwhelming but it will be a fun weekend,” Shutron said.

All the interviews are different but the majority of the questions surround a player’s background and his off ice activities.

“One team asked about my hobbies and I said fishing and we talked about fishing for the next five minutes and that was pretty fun,” Shutron said. “You would think it would be strictly hockey but they are interested in other things in your life.”

Nick Foligno, the son of former Maple Leaf Mike Foligno, summed it up this way when he was on his way to another interview.

"The possibility of getting drafted is awesome and this is worth it.

Over the course of the 2005-06 AHL season, Paul Maurice had the opportunity to watch 12 of his Marlies players with pride, as they got the call down the street to the NHL. Sometime earlier this week, it was Maurice’s turn to get that magic phone call and truly it couldn’t have happened to a better guy.

After leading the Marlies to a 41 win season, and more importantly preparing six rookies for their NHL debuts, Maurice is heading back to the NHL to step behind the bench of the team he grew up watching.

If ever there was a time for Leafs fans to gather it’s now, because they soon will discover it’s the passion of Paul Maurice that will unite them all.

A lot has been made of the strong character and fun personality that Maurice brings to the rink everyday, but what exactly is it that fans can expect from the new bench boss of the Maple Leafs?

For starters, you’ll get a hard worker who demands the same from his players. There was a great mutual respect with the Marlies and their coach this season, and that got things off on the right foot for everyone.

Maurice expects nothing but the best from his players, and demands hard work day in and day out. He also rewards strong work ethic with opportunity. For example, see players like Kris Newbury, John Mitchell and Martin Sagat.

Maurice is also known as a great teacher. His ability to work with young players and assist in their development has been well documented all season.

The 12 players who got the call this year were well prepared for the experience and put in some great and at times, lengthy performances. See Ian White, Jay Harrison, Brendan Bell, Ben Ondrus, Staffan Kronwall etc. They were all quick to point to their coach as a big reason they were ready to go.

Above all other skills and talents Maurice posses, his strongest might be his ability to communicate. From the media to the players, he can be described as a straight shooting, strong conversationalist. A big reason that Marlies players, who returned from their respective stints in the NHL, avoided the common letdown when being returned to the minors, had to do with the conversations Maurice had with every player when they got back to Ricoh Coliseum. No player ever could say they didn’t know where they stood after holding a conversation with coach Maurice.

With Toronto being the hockey hot bed it is and the media capital of Canada, there is no shortage of pressure for a coach who is on the hot seat all the time. This is an area I can assure you Maurice will handle with style and ease.

He’s already shown how to do it with the Marlies, and the transition to the Leafs won’t be a difficult one. It all goes back to his communication skills and of course respect.

Maurice has respect for the media. He spent some time working on their side and knows why questions are asked. He understands that both sides have a job to do and that’s what makes him so comfortable with the media. From his quick one-liners to a witty sense of humour, Maurice is not afraid to be personable because that’s just the way he is, and he’s doing a part of his job. Same way all the scribes and reporters are. So he’s willing to give the time and answer because he knows they must ask. It’s that case of mutual respect again.

After a full season and round of playoffs working with Maurice, I can tell you he was the utmost professional at all times. From all the highs and lows, seeing players succeed in the NHL, winning streaks and making the postseason, to losing streaks, fighting injuries and battling in a tough playoff series.

Maurice was out there every day, willing to openly speak and maybe even share a good story. You never could hold anything but respect for him, because that’s the way he held you. It was a great pleasure to have the chats and interviews with him on a regular game day basis.

The opening of training camp is months away and there is plenty of work to be done, and no doubt Maurice will get to work shortly. But for a couple of days, you can’t help but think the ol’ kid from the Soo will take a little time to relish his new position with family and friends, and good for him. It’s not every day you are named head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Congratulations to Paul Maurice and best of luck in his new endeavor.

Of course, his first order of business, move offices. Do you think it’ll be the streetcar or taxi ride to the NHL?

The Maple Leafs fired Pat Quinn on Thursday, two days after Toronto missed the playoffs for the first time in his seven seasons as coach.

The 63-year-old Quinn led Toronto to a 41-33-8 record this season. It was only the second time in his stellar 19-year coaching career that he missed the playoffs.
Quinn had one year remaining on his contract. Longtime assistant Rick Ley was also fired.

"We did not achieve what we wanted to," general manager John Ferguson said.

Overall, Quinn went 300-222-52 with 26 shootout and overtime losses as Leafs coach, twice leading Toronto to the Eastern Conference final, losing to Buffalo in 1998-99 and Carolina 2001-02.

He's fourth all-time in coaching victories with 657 behind Scotty Bowman (1,244), Al Arbour (781) and Dick Irvin (692).

He also coached Team Canada to Olympic gold in 2002.

Quinn served as general manager of the Maple Leafs before Ferguson replaced him in that role in 2003.

Ferguson is expected to name Paul Maurice - who coached Toronto's minor league affiliate in the AHL this season - as the new coach, but he said he'll consider other candidates. Maurice last coached in the NHL with Carolina.

"Paul is an obvious prime candidate," Ferguson said.

Ferguson was hired in 2003 but was wasn't able to hire his own coach.

Richard Peddie, president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, said Ferguson isn't in danger of losing his job, but they won't extend his contract this summer even though he only has one year left on it.

Quinn became Toronto's 25th head coach in June 1998, inheriting a club that missed the playoffs in successive seasons.

Ferguson and Peddie said Quinn still wants to coach in the NHL.

"He has represented this organization in a first class manner for many years," Ferguson said.

Toronto Maple Leafs forward Chad Kilger was rewarded Monday with a three-year contract worth $2.7 million US.

Kilger, 29, will earn $1.2 million US next season, $800,000 US in 2007-08 and $700,000 US in 2008-09.

He currently makes $475,000 US.

Kilger has combined well with Darcy Tucker and rookie Kyle Wellwood this season, scoring a career-high 17 goals and adding 11 assists for 28 points in 78 games.

Toronto claimed the NHL journeyman on waivers on March 9, 2004.

Kilger has totalled 83 goals and 173 points in 578 games over 10 NHL seasons with the Anaheim Mighty Ducks, Winnipeg Jets, Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens and Maple Leafs.

The Cornwall, Ont., native was drafted fourth overall in 1995.

"It's like having your heart ripped out, that's for sure."

That was Darcy Tucker, moments after he and several Toronto Maple Leafs watched as Tampa Bay's Martin St. Louis scored with about 10 seconds remaining in overtime against Carolina on Saturday. The 3-2 win gave the Lightning 92 points and eliminated the Leafs from Stanley Cup post-season contention.

The night should have belonged to the Leafs. The team had just defeated the Ottawa Senators 5-1 for a fourth straight win. But instead of high-fives and smiling faces, the feeling in the National Hockey League club's dressing room was disappointment.

Toronto, which had won eight of 10 games, had saved its best hockey for when it mattered the least. And an eight-game losing streak in January, combined with back-to-back losses to Montreal last month, were too much for Toronto to handle.

"The wins that we've gotten seem for nothing," said Kyle Wellwood. "It just seems like every time we were winning, you'd look at the scoreboard and the other teams were winning. And finally that was the dagger."

The Leafs have one game remaining against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday night, but it is a formality. The dream of making the playoffs for a seventh straight season is over.

"You live to play in the playoffs," said Tucker.

"There's nothing else that meets those goals in your life. Besides having children and a family, there's nothing else in life that's better than winning hockey games in the playoffs."

Up until January, it appeared the Leafs would be in the playoffs.

Then came the losses. Some were one-goal heartbreakers, while others were embarrassing. Toronto blew a 3-0 second-period lead against Phoenix on Jan. 14, then lost 7-0 and 8-4 to Ottawa and Buffalo, respectively.

With offensive sparkplug Bryan McCabe nursing a pulled groin, the team forgot how to win. After a road swing to Colorado, Minnesota and Ottawa, Toronto had dropped from sixth all the way to ninth.

Good teams rebound, finding a way to win regardless of who is out of the lineup. The Leafs seemed to find solace in the fact their competitors -- mainly the Montreal Canadiens and Atlanta Thrashers -- were struggling just as mightily. But just when Toronto finally turned things around, Montreal, Tampa Bay and Atlanta were doing the same.

"It shouldn't have come down to this part of the season," said captain Mats Sundin. "We should have been in a position where we were in the playoffs. We have no one else to blame for the position we're in."

The Leafs waited until they had already been practically eliminated from the playoffs before playing their best hockey, from goaltending to scoring even-strength goals. Even Sundin, who after scoring just twice in January and February, has 18 goals in the last two months, admitted the effort was too little, too late.

Still, with goaltender Ed Belfour, forwards Eric Lindros and Jason Allison and defenceman Alex Khavanov all injured, Toronto's youngsters surprised many by almost carrying the torch into an unlikely playoff appearance.

Goalie J.S. Aubin, a minor-league callup, did not lose in regulation time in 10 straight starts. Along with 21-year-old defenceman Ian White, sophomore Matt Stajan and a cast of unheralded prospects, a veteran-laden Leafs team received new life.

Sundin indicated that he'd like to see a similar lineup to the one that finished the season strongly.

"Nowadays, the way the game is played, you need young legs and guys that can skate," he said. "The guys that have been called up have done a great job. The future looks good for this team."