Without naming names or pointing fingers or telling absolute stories, are you starting to sense yourself that there is a greater interest among players in playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs than two years ago?
Shanahan: I?ll tell you a story I told someone earlier today. A couple of years back, we were in the running for a free agent. I was driving my son to school and he was 12 at the time. I said, ?He chose another team over us.? This was one of the top teams in the NHL. My son ? 12 year olds can sometimes be so blunt ? said, ?Well, do you blame him?? We didn?t, at the time, have Mike Babcock or Lou Lamoriello. We ourselves were in our infancy stage. The answer is yes, having good players and having a better environment certainly makes it a safer, more attractive place for other players.
