Hello!

I am from south-central Pennsylvania, where hockey is at best an occasional bit of excitement for some (but never many). There are relatively few die hard hockey fans here, aside from some Penguins and Flyers people and Hershey Bears season ticket holders. Myself, I've only ever been to two Bears games and, despite my usual hatred for bandwagon mentalities, I have sometimes followed the Penguins during playoff runs in the last few years. But like most people in my area, hockey only comes onto my radar once in a while.

With that being said, when I do follow hockey, I get pretty engrossed in it. And I'm familiar with many of the current players and much of the league's history.

My chief historical questions is related to the Maple Leafs. Your franchise obviously has had a storied founding, fine tradition, leaders like Smythe, and a heck of a lot of players inducted into the Hall of Fame. You also have none of the disadvantages of a team like Florida, located in hockey nowhere. Rather hockey is king in your neck of the woods.

So, to cut to the chase, my question is this: Why have the Maple Leafs been so mediocre to terrible for so long? Is it all just Harold Ballard's (I am only vaguely familiar with this man, but he sounds pretty awful) fault?

PPP seems like a reasonable and well-kept blog considering, well, how bad the Leafs have been. But I'm new here, so if I'm at all out of line, please let me know.

Thanks.