Throwback Monday: On this date in 2003, #Leafs hired John Ferguson, Jr. as GM.

Well, he was experienced. He played pro hockey, had completed his law degree, was a professional scout for the senators by 26, during which time he worked for the NHL hockey ops department during the summers.

By 30 years old he was VP and head of hockey ops for the Blues during which time he was also the president and general manager of the Blues AHL team, the Worcester IceCats.

He did this for five seasons before we hired him. So while fans were upset that Quinn had pulled back from his roll as GM, I recall MSM being pretty enthusiastic about him being a good hire. It all began to deteriorate when folks began questioning his autonomy within the organization (pension plan puppet).

the Ferguson served as vice president and director of hockey operations for the St. Louis Blues, and before that he was assistant general manager for the club for five seasons. In that role he evaluated players at the professional and amateur level and negotiated player contracts. Ferguson was also the president and general manager of the Worcester IceCats and was influential in the negotiation and acquisition of the Blues' top minor league affiliate.

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