Bounty-Gate shows Toronto media is anti-Leafs

Many Leaf bloggers have commented over the years how the media is quick to dump all over the Maple Leafs. If anything bad happens they are more then ready to lead the charge. They'll explain that they are only reporting the news. But if Tomas Kaberle were to donate $1 million to Sick Kids and Tyler Bozak was caught boinking Clarke MacArthur's wife, which story would more likely get picked up by the Toronto media? Boinking for sure.

So this week it's the media that takes some of the fun out of Ron Wilson's 600th win as a coach in San Jose. Sure he offered $600 out of his pocket for the win. Yes he pulled out the cash in front of the media. Sure it may technically be in violation of the collective agreement. And of course the league had to act when it became aware of it. But did the media have to report it and make a big deal about it?

After all there are many things that go on and are said in the dressing room in front of the media that does not get reported. And even after it was reported the Toronto Star just couldn't let go of the story. This was the opening line of a story in the Star today:

There were whispers around the NHL that the Maple Leafs might have violated the league’s salary cap when the head coach posted an undisclosed amount of cash in the locker room prior to Toronto’s win over San Jose as an extra incentive for his team to beat the Sharks.

So who was whispering around the NHL. Other players and coaches? Not likely. How about Star reporters? And then in order to stick that knife a little deeper into the Leafs, the Star contacts Depute Commissioner Bill Daley to ask if the payment was a violation of the collective agreement. So what could the league do once it had been informed of the incident by the media. It had to fine the Leafs which is no big deal. Except the Toronto media blew the whistle on the Leafs. Now the Star defends itself by suggesting its the Leaf's fault because they made it so public.

What a bunch of scumbags!