TORONTO (Nov. 11) -- In the on-going, entirely-speculative process of surmising who will eventually replace John Ferguson as GM of the Maple Leafs, Glenn Healy's name has surfaced once again -- this time on Hockey Night In Canada, courtesy of former Toronto Sun columnist Al Strachan. I say "once again", because Healy was in the early mix for the job in the summer of 2003, when the Leafs chose to divide Pat Quinn's responsibilities. The late Steve Stavro was no longer prinicpal owner of the club, and Stavro had sworn by Quinn while the big Irishman held the dual role of GM and coach. The new ownership consortium -- Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment -- quickly implemented its plan to appoint a seperate GM.

Healy had retired two years earlier after 16 seasons as a goaltender with Los Angeles, the Islanders, the Rangers and Maple Leafs. He was working as a hockey analyst for CBC, and was one of the first people interviewed by MLSE for the GM's post. Maple Leafs' chairman Larry Tanenbaum was particularly fond of Healy, and he remains so today. In the end, MLSE opted for a manager with some formal experience in the NHL. Ferguson had been Larry Pleau's right-hand man in St. Louis, working his way up to vice-president and director of hockey operations with the Blues. When the CBC demanded exclusivity from Healy -- preventing him from appearing in other media circles -- the ex-goalie moved over to TSN, where he is now undoubtedly the best hockey commentator on television.

In the absence of John Davidson -- another former NHL puck-stopper and a brilliant analyst who left broadcasting to become president of the Blues -- Healy stands alone. Though there are a number of superb commentators on both sides of the border (including Pierre Maguire, Healy's energetic colleague at TSN), no person today brings a better combination of hockey knowledge, voice inflection, and willingness to forcibly state opinion. Though Maguire knows the game inside and out -- and is the most famous hockey media personality not named Don Cherry -- he occasionally stops short of calling out NHL executives, many of whom he's befriended (or worked with) over the years. Healy has no such reservation. While he aspires to be in hockey management one day, there isn't a political bone in his body. No player, coach or executive is immune to Glenn's honest assessment, and I get the impression that if political correctness has any bearing at all on his potential future in the NHL, he'll remain right where he is today, and happily so.

Healy does, however, possess all the qualities to be a terrific GM. The comparison to Brian Burke may be a tad premature, but it has merit. Both men are exceptionally self-assured (perceived cockiness being a by-product), well-spoken, and quick to evaluate trends in the sport. Burke's aggressive nature allowed him to acquire two of the top three defenseman on the planet in his early tenure with the Anaheim Ducks. He left his NHL colleagues in the dust by bringing Scott Niedermayer and Chris Pronger to southern California, and he was justifiably rewarded with a Stanley Cup title last spring. Brian has one more season after this remaining on his contract in Anaheim, and has spoken privately about returning to manage in a hockey-first environment. Several people who know Burke well have whispered that the possibility of running the Maple Leafs one day is very appealing to him.

It is imperative, once again, for me to emphasize that the Leafs' GM post is not available at the moment, nor is there evidence that a vacancy is pending. But, neither does Ferguson have contractual security beyond this season, and his future is minimally tied to the Leafs ending a two-year playoff absence.

Burke will be an expensive and lavish commodity if he makes himself available in the summer of 2009, and the Ducks' ownership duo of Henry and Susan Samueli could well try and extend his deal before it expires. Healy would come as less of a financial burden to a team like the Leafs, and he is intimately familiar with the goings-on in the front office. Mats Sundin, for one, likes and trusts Healy as much as any person outside the organization. Leaf supporters who disparage the ex-goalie do so because he is not afraid to criticize their favorite team. Those who question Healy's knowledge -- or his qualifications to be an executive in the NHL -- simply don't have a clue.

I can tell you this for certain: If John Ferguson's tenure as GM of the Maple Leafs does end before next summer, Glenn Healy will be near the top of the list of candidates to replace him. The scenario would gain even more strength if the Tanenbaum/Rogers Communications amalgam is in position to wrest control of the hockey club from the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan, a 58% shareholder.

Healy has friends and supporters in high places at MLSE. Ignoring his potential is done at your own foolish peril.

E-mail howard.berger@rci.rogers.com

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