Maple Leafs fire longtime member after 20 years, turn to Blue Jays replacement
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Toronto Maple Leafs have parted ways with longtime team physician Dr. Noah Forman after two decades with the club.
Blue Jays doctor David Lawrence will be stepping in to lead the department.
Forman had been a fixture inside the Maple Leafs organization since 2005, serving as medical director and head team physician while also overseeing medical care for the Toronto Marlies.
He outlasted several coaching changes, front office shakeups and entire rosters worth of turnover, but his run with the team has now come to an end under new general manager John Chayka.
Lawrence brings Blue Jays and Olympic background
According to a Monday report from the Toronto Sun's Steve Simmons, Chayka's reshaping of the Maple Leafs organization is far from finished, and Forman's exit is the latest example.
Lawrence, who has spent more than eight years as the lead primary care physician for the Blue Jays, now takes over as the Maple Leafs' primary care sports medicine physician.
He also brings international experience, having worked the 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am Games.
Part of a bigger overhaul under Chayka
The move comes amid a broader wave of changes to Toronto's medical and performance staff this offseason.
The club recently brought in Andy O'Brien as vice president of sports performance and Dr. Craig Slaunwhite as director of health and performance integration, signaling a full reset of how the organization approaches player health after a rough run of injuries last season.
Dr. John Theodoropoulos remains as orthopedic consultant.
It's clear Chayka wants his own stamp on every corner of the operation, and the medical department is no exception.
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