just your usual general borschevsky

A Christmas Wish Come True?

2009-12-25T00:35:00.003-05:00

On Wednesday, I wrote a post over at PensionPlanPuppets for their excellent and timely Airing of Grievances series. There are a lot of things in the NHL worth criticizing right now, and there were a lot of great contributions. For mine, I chose to lament about the absence of Bob Cole's voice on Maple Leafs' broadcasts this season, and made a special Christmas wish to have Bob Cole announcing the Leafs' next game against Montreal on Boxing Day. In case you missed it, it went something like this...

I'm very sad that Bob Cole (to my knowledge) hasn't called a single game for the Leafs this season on CBC. I really miss his beautiful voice describing the action as only he can, with the emphasis and intensity measured at the right levels, in all the right places. The last few seasons he may have seemed dull and dim, but I think that's probably a result, and a reflection, of the hockey he's had to witness. Bob Cole always had an acute awareness of the stakes involved, a natural instinct for the game, for relevance, for history. He recognized drama on the ice as it unfolded and translated it effortlessly. His voice would rise in perfect synchronization with the noise of the crowd. He understood the importance of every goal, of every save, of every win or loss, and he never over-sold his passion or faked or forced enthusiasm. If he said "OH, Baby!", he meant it, and you better not have missed it, 'cause it must have been something special.

If I could have one hockey related Christmas Wish this holiday season, it would only be for Bob Cole to call the Leafs' next Saturday game on CBC, the Boxing-Day telecast against the Montreal Canadians. Please CBC, please make this happen. Please grant this one Christmas wish and give that annoyingly plastic Hughson a holiday vacation, and give Maple Leafs fans a real treat for that Boxing-Day match-up. BOB COLE'S VOICE. Seriously. Please bring back Bob Cole to Maple Leafs broadcasts.

P.S. You know I hate your guts Scott Moore, but this is your chance to redeem yourself.

Most of the feedback in the comments was positive and supportive and a couple even suggested that they had seen or heard that Cole was scheduled to do the play-by-play for Saturday. There were no sources to back up their claims, though, so I felt teased.

Could it be true? Could Bob Cole really be coming back on Boxing Day to grant a Leaf fan's Christmas wish? Ever since I read those comments, it's been on my mind, so I've been searching the web and the news feeds for 2 straight days trying to find any mention of Bob Cole working the game on Boxing Day. I even phoned the CBC directly and got pretty far, through a gauntlet of 5 transfers, until finally I was told that the only people who knew the answer were on vacation until January.

Well, I have an announcement to make - I may have found something. Only a few minutes before I began writing this post I finally tracked down what may be confirmation that, indeed, Bob Cole will be announcing the hockey game for Saturday night's Boxing Day match-up between the Leafs and the Canadiens.

I am happy to report that Bob Cole will return to Toronto for the ONLY time this season on December 26th for the Leafs vs Habs game. I heard this about 15 minutes ago on "After the Horn- Leaf Talk" with Andy Frost.
http://communities.sportsnet.ca/message/134300#134300

Andy Frost just said that CBC is bringing Bob Cole back for the next Leafs-Habs game on Boxing Day!
http://tmlfans.ca/community/index.php?action=printpage;topic=64937.0

Andy Frost on Leaf Talk said he got word that Bob Cole will be calling the Leafs vs. Habs on boxing day.
http://hockeyleaks.com/forum2/index.php?topic=5729.0

BOB COLE will call the Leafs Habs game on Boxing Day!! AWESOMMEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/2009/12/1/1181697/maple-leafs-3-v-canadiens-0

Hmmm. Not sure why that last one doesn't seem familiar at all. Anyhow, I'm gonna call this confirmation. I have 3 separate people saying they heard Andy Frost say it, and The Meatriarchy declaring it randomly out of the blue, or maybe he heard it from Andy Frost as well. Who knows. Point is - BOB COLE. And more importantly, BOB COLE"S VOICE will be re-untied with Leafs Nation for the first, and possibly only time, this season.

Rejoice. Celebrate. A Christmas wish has come true.

Have a safe and happy holiday season everybody. Merry Christmas. See you, and hopefully Bob Cole, on Boxing Day!

Seven General Observations

2009-12-21T02:22:00.007-05:00

Eyebleaf has this Deep Thoughts thing going, and a lot of people seem to like it, so I thought I'd try my own and give it my own spin. This is general borschevky's Seven General Observations:

#1. First off, a very general observation about the NHL. The West is the best. So far this season, the West is killing the East, winning 78 games to 58. It took me a while to calculate this but I have the West's record against the East at 78-42-16, while the East is 58-62-16 vs. the West. If we don't count the extra point for OT and shoot-out losses, it's a .426 winning percentage for the East compared to .574 for the West, and .485 compared to .632 if we add the point. That translates over 82 games to a 104 point season vs. an 80 point season. Why the West should be so dominant I don't know, and maybe it'll even out over the second half, but at this rate it will impact the final standings, and specifically the projected totals needed to make the playoffs. Rather then the expected 95 point plateau, teams in the West may have to break the 99-point barrier and have 100-point seasons or better in order to reach the post-season, while a team in the East may qualify for that 8th and final playoff spot with just 90 points, perhaps less. At the moment, 8th-seed in the East is held by Florida, with 37 points after 37 games, 15-15-7, exactly .500, and in the new NHL, the definition (or so we had presumed) of mediocre. I can't believe that 82 points will be enough to secure the last playoff spot in the East, but we're very close to the half-way point in the season and that's what we're on pace for.

#2. So now that .500 is the new .500 again, and not the challenging and awkward .579 that had momentarily usurped it, making the PLAYOFFS!!1 just got a whole lot easier for the Blue and White. For that reason, I'm adjusting my sidebar to show the winning percentages to reach 91 points from the beginning of the season and from where we are today. I may adjust it further if this trend of the West beating up on the East continues.

#3. The Buffalo Sabres, the Leafs next opponent, are the only team in the East with a really impressive record vs. the West. They're 6-0-0 against the opposing conference. Washington is 5-2-1. The Leafs are 3-6-1.

#4. What a weird schedule and what a month of hockey. We've already had the Bruins 3 times in 14 days, now we get the Sabers for the 2nd time in 4 days. We'll also see the Islanders and the Habs for a 2nd time each in December. The Leafs are currently 3 wins under .500 after 36 games, so with 5 games left in 2009, they'll have to go 4-1 against Buffalo, the Islanders, Montreal, Pittsburgh, and Edmonton to get there before the month, and the year, (and the decade?) is out.

#5. A word about the goaltending situation: It's crystal clear who the starting goaltender is on this team. But not because of Vesa's terrible mistake* the other night in Buffalo. Gustavsson's numbers are simply superior, by leaps and bounds. The Monster has run his SV% now up to .907, which is really impressive given all that he has had to deal with this season. Meanwhile Toskala's languishes at .870, the worst in the NHL. Consider that Gustavsson has now seen 14 more shots against, yet Vesa has given up 16 more goals. Each goalie has played 18 games. Those numbers aren't going to turn around. A 40-point differential on SV% amounts to 1 goal for every 25 shots. Given that the Leafs have surrendered 1089 shots, or roughly 30.25 a game, the difference then between Gustavsson and Toskala in net is over a goal per game. Under the Helmet of Slava Duris has an excellent breakdown of the stark contrast between the Leafs' netminders effectiveness when they need it most - on the penalty kill.

*(For what it's worth, I thought there was quite an over-reaction in Leafs-Nation to the Vesa screw up Friday. Yes, it was absolutely brutal, horrible and unacceptable - one of the worst goals I've ever seen. But that's all it was. Just one goal in a game we probably weren't going to win anyhow. Nobody died. People make mistakes and those people have to live with those mistakes. It's nothing for us, as fans, who've seen pucks over the line that didn't count, and pucks that no one saw over the line that did, and goaltender interference penalties that go uncalled, and dubious penalty shots awarded, and at least 3 phantom high-sticks, and on and on and on, not to mention Alfredsson from behind on Tucker, nor The High-Stick That Really Ruined Everything. It was a terribly embarrassing goal, and I'm sure no one feels worse about it then Toskala. Mostly I feel bad for the Vesa 'cause now the illusion has been shattered. He's not going to be considered a good goalie ever again unless he wins the Stanley Cup standing on his head under a constant rainstorm of burning garbage. Still, as fans, I think it's better if we turn our attention and energy toward ridicule and comedy, rather then anger and hate. It's a sad state of affairs for Toskala, but by acquiring Gustavsson, Burke has ensured that we're not at the mercy of one player's abilities. We can laugh about it, and so we should.)

#6. Tomas Kaberle continues to impress. Not only did he score a nice goal on Saturday night, the winner as it turned out thanks to Gustavsson's shut-out, but Kabby was also the first man to go after Boychuk that set off the scrum following the hit on Stajan. Good for Kaberle, showing some guts and coming to the aid of his friend and teammate. I'm not going to moan about it not being a clean hit, though. It was fine. Stajan needs to keep his head up, and I think Kabby knew it was a bit of a suicide-pass as soon as he let it go. I don't think Boychuk was trying to kill Stajan, but he popped him pretty good. Could have been worse. When I compare it to the famous Stevens hit on Lindros, or Bell's hit on Alfie, it doesn't seem that bad or out of line. Still, I was glad to see Tomas sticking up for his mate.

#7. Even better, I was really glad to see that Stajan wasn't too badly hurt and eventually returned to the Leafs' bench. Not that I'm big on unnecessary bravado or machismo, but when a player gets hit like that and leaves the ice in a bloody mess and then returns to the bench and tells his teammates he's ready to battle on, it gives them a huge lift. Did you know that Saturday night was Stajan's birthday? Yup, Matty turned 26 and got smashed, but not the way he expected. He then received the gift of having his teammates stand up for him, and returned the favour with his own display of guts and courage.Happy Birthday, Stajan! With love from Kabby, Kessel, Poni, and Komi, and the rest of the gang.

BoOBbB 2009-2010: Episode III

2009-12-15T00:01:00.017-05:00

Yes, the Battle of Ontario is still a rivalry, and yes, we're still doing the Blow-by-Blow.

The last meeting between these two team was perhaps the Leafs low-point of the season. Since then, both teams have played 13 games and while the Senators have chugged along cosistently with a 7-5-1 record, picking up 15 points, the Leafs have turned a corner and have put together an impressive 8-3-2 record over the same span for 18 points. Consider also, when these teams last met the Sens record was already 8-6-3 while the Leafs were an abominable 3-10-5. Clearly, much has changed as these teams meet for the third time this year, Sens leading the season series already 2-0.

Toskala starts, his 5th consecutive.

First Period

19:45 Senators get the first shot on net.

19:00 Stempniak shot on goal, turned aside.

17:45 Ruutu with a long shot on goal.

17:20 Good save Toskala on a backhand shot from in close.

17:00 3 minutes without a whistle to start the game.

16:49 Kessel draws a slash. Volchenkov goes in the box.

14:50 Penalty ends. Not a single chance for the Leafs with the man-advantage.

13:15 Break in the action after a Leafs shot on goal is held for a face-off. Not much going on in the first 6 and a half minutes. Everybody's skating really fast but not much is developing.

12:20 Two offsides in a row. ACC crowd is quiet.

12:10 An icing.

11:55 A shot on goal! Jason Blake from a bad angle.

10:45 Good chance for the Leafs but Kulemin and Stemniak can't find the puck.

10:15 Mad scramble! Toskala soemhow keeps it out and a hand pass by the Senators stops play.

8:40 Exelby taken heavily into the boards as the Sens pressure the Leafs in their zone.

7:30 White with a good bump on Foligno.

7:15 Toskala well out of his net to make a shoulder save on a point shot.

5:39 Penalty. Leafs get tagged for two many men on the ice.

4:25 Stempniak with a nice defensice play and then nearly gets a chance the other way shorthanded.

2:40 Penalty killed.

2:00 Pace continues but no real chances for either team.

1:05 Two point shots by Finger and Beauchemin are blocked by Sens defenders. Could've been dangerous if either had gotten through.

:50 Toskala way out of his net to make another save.

:15 Another good save by Toskala on a high shot from the slot.

:05 Blake carries the rebound up the ice and leads the rush, passing to Grabbo who misses the net, seconds before the buzzer. Period ends.

(Hagman at the First Period intermission, trying to think of positives: "At least we're not down 2-0.")

Second Period

19;40 Toskala makes another good save against Alfredsson to start the period.

19:10 Beauchemin gets his stick on Alfie's shot, sending it into the crowd to break up a 2-on-1. Blocked shots and deflections have been the story of the game so far.

17:55 Cheechoo knocked down by Exelby.

17:45 GOAL!!! Blake racing down the wing gets a backhand along the ice to go through Elliott's legs. Soft goal for the Ottawa goaltender. Finger and XLB with the assists.

17:20 Fight! Orr vs. Carkner. Orr goes down with Carkner on top of him but I don't think either of them had good footing as the fight lasted a matter of seconds.

17:00 Komisarek runs into his man.

15:30 Stempniak just misses the net with a shot.

14:40 Komisarek shot, Grabbo on the rebound, robbed by Elliott.

13:25 Ottata shot on goal and Toskala finds the puck in his glove and can't believe it. Nearly four minutes without a whistle on that last sequence.

12:00 Beauchemin's shot deflects just wide.

10:30 Stempniak, Primeau just miss on back-to-back chances in front of the goal.

10:10 Big hit on Ruutu by Finger.

9:50 Stajan's high shot stopped by Elliott.

9:36 Penalty. Two many men on the ice for the Leafs. Again.

8:30 Wallin shows some soccer skills and kicks the puck out of the zone on the PK.

7:35 Penalty ends. Leafs 2 for 2 on the PK.

6:53 Goal. Foligno has a great chance in front stopped by Toskala but Fisher on the rebound strips the puck from Kaberle and scores. 1-1. Boo.

5:54 GOAL!!! Kessel breakaway! Scores! What a shot. Top corner. Beauty goal. Slick goal-scorer's goal. Leafs back out in front, 2-1.

5:25 Spezza lifts one over the net from the side of the goal.

5:00 Solid "Go! Leafs! Go!" chant. First of the game.

4:15 Komisarek with a good hit on Foligno.

3:45 Kovalev stopped by Toskala.

2:45 Good hit by Poni at centre-ice.

2:15 Poni breakaway but he loses the handle before he gets a shot.

1:50 Blake dodges two hits to gain the zone then makes a nice play from his knees to get the puck back to the point.

:00 Poni hits Cheechoo who deliberately left his back open and stops a foot from the glass then smashes face first into it on contact. Seems like an obvious attempt to draw a penalty. Ruutu jumps Poni and a scrum ensues. No idea what the penalties will be here. Period ends.

(Phil Kessel is awesome. The Leafs are awesome.)

Third Period

20;00 Poni and Ruutu get the only penalties, 2 each for roughing. No penalty for the hit on Cheechoo. 4-on-4 hockey to start the Third.

19:17 Penalty. Holding the stick, called agaisnt Stajan. 4-on-3 for a mintue fifteen.

18:48 Goal. Crap. Spezza ties the game, sweeping the puck through Vesa's legs. 2-2. Powerplay goal. 4-on-4 again.

18:10 Grabbo has a chance denied.

17:00 Kulemin just misses on the short side and the Finger is run into hard by Ruutu and immediately goes to bench.

14:50 Quick Kessel shot, immediately off the draw, good save Elliott.

14:20 Stajan's shot from the slot stopped by Elliott.

13:50 GOAL!!! Beauchemin one-timer from the point bounces through traffic and past Elliott. Leafs lead, 3-2. Looked like Grabovski provided the screen and may have tipped it, but the goal is credited to Beauchemin.

13:10 Komisarek takes Kovalev's head off! No Senators respond. Bunch of gutless pukes. Seriously. Nothing. No response. Komisarek nearly decapitates Kovalev along the boards with a borderline elbow and all the Senators skate the other way. From the bench, Kovalev yells at the referee that it was an elbow.

12:40 Oh! Poni nearly gets one through on a dandy rush. Cleared away at the line by Phillips.

10;30 Ruutu with a dirty knee on Stempniak. No call.

9:35 Blake steals the puck in the nuetral zone but then has his shot deflect into the crowd.

8:00 Alfredsson shot from the high slot with a man in front, good save Toskala deflecting the puck into an open corner. Nothing flashy about that save but that was an excellent stop and rebound control by Vesa.

6:50 Blake to Grabbo in front, almost connects.

4:55 Stajan off a turnover, hard shot in the slot, stopped by Elliott.

3:20 Great chance for the Leafs. Grabbo, Kulemin, Blake scramble for a loose puck.

2:20 Loose puck in front of the Leafs goal, cleared by Komi.

2:10 Poni drives to the net the other way.

1:10 Beauchemin clears the zone with a minute ten to go.

:45 Spezza shot stopped.

:35 Goal. Puck is in the net. Referee waving it off immediately. Kicked in by #18, Winchester through Vesa's legs. Play under review. Call stands. No goal. Still 3-2. Things are finally going the Leafs way again.

:20 White clears the puck down the ice for icing. Spezza hops into the dressing room. Senators time-out. 18 seconds on the clock.

:05 White clears it all the way down the ice and just misses the empty goal by an inch, but now it's just an icing and a face-off in the Leafs zone.

:00 Sens win the draw and get a shot on goal but Toskala is there and then the game ends. Leafs win, 3-2. Excellent victory for the Leafs, their fourth win in a row on home ice.

The Third Star, Garnet Exelby

XLB had one of his best games as a Leaf. A plus 3, with 2 assists, Exelby and Finger were strong early in the game, and after the hit that took Finger off the ice, Exelby picked up the tempo even more, combining solid defensive play with a strong physical game.

The Second Star, Mikhail Grabovski

Grabovski was all over the ice tonight, especially in the 2nd Period, and Wilson rewarded him with a ton of ice-time in the 3rd. Despite the game-winning goal being credited to Beauchemin and having a personal 6-game point streak snapped, Grabbo had one of his best games of the season.

The First Star, Mike Komisarek

Komisarek was a tower of power in the Leafs zone and sent a serious message with his hit on Kovalev in the 3rd. I didn't really notice Kovalev after that, not to mention Alfredsson, Fisher, Ruutu, Foligno, or Kelly. After that they all just kind of disappeared. Spezza appeared - one second too late to tap in a puck that was kicked and would have tied the game. And it's the kind of aggressive defending Komisarek showed that causes star players on opposing teams to be one second behind, and tonight it made a big difference. Great job, Mike Komisarek.

Go! Leafs! Go!

Maple Leafs Alphabet Rhyme

2009-12-13T21:35:00.004-05:00

For my two-and-a-half year old daughter. In the tradition of Dr. Seuss;

A is for ACC, the building the Leafs play in,
B is for Blake, or Bozak, or better yet, Beauchemin,
C is for Colton Orr, Christian Hanson, or Carl Gunnarson,
D is for discipline and depth at the defensive position,
E is for Exelby, F is for Finger,
G is Grabovsky, and H is a Hagman hat-trick game-winner,
I is for the ice they play on,
J is for the joy when they win,
K is for Kadri, Kessel, Kaberle, Komisarek, and Kulemin,
and L is for Lee, now that Stempniak fits in,
M is for MONSTER! and mustachulence, too,
N is for Nik, but it's not Hagman, nor Kulemin, who,
I'm thinking of (nor even, is it Antropov),
No, N is for Nikolai Borschevsky, it's true!
O is for OLAS, our Luke and Schenn,
P is for Poni, and I guess Q is for Quinn,
R is for Robert Reichel, no wait, that's terrible, let me try that again,
R is for Ron, our coach, Mr. Wilson,
S is for Stajan setting up Stempniak's shorthanded score,
T is for Toronto, TRUCULENT to the core,
U is for "us", Leafs Nation, united,
V is for Vesa, so don't get excited,
W is for White, a warrior supreme,
X is for XLB, who makes the list twice now it seems,
Y is for Yonge street, written in yellow crayon,
and Z is for Zezel, in heaven, with skates on.

I've Got A Feeling

2009-12-10T03:03:00.000-05:00

Hey everybody! I haven't written a post yet for the month of December but that doesn't mean I haven't been watching - and enjoying - the Leafs play this month. It's been tremendous. Despite losing Mitchell, Gunnarson, and Gustavsson to injury, the Leafs continue to roll and there's a lot of positives worth pointing out.I wonder if anybody's noticed my new sidebar feature? I thought it might be interesting to track the Leafs' progress towards the 95-point plateau. As you can see, their winning percentage is currently .450, and they would have to maintain a .654 winning percentage from here until the rest of the season to reach 95 points. However, in their last 10 games, they've picked up 15 out of 20 possible points and have 4 wins in their last 5 games. After an awful October start, going 1-7-4, the Leafs have since gone 9-6-3, for a .583 winning percentage.

I've noted this before, that inside the Leafs' dressing room are just 4 players who have been with the team since 2005 - Kaberle, Ponikarovsky, Stajan, and White. Another thing these 4 players have in common is that none of them has played for any other NHL team but the Toronto Maple Leafs. This dressing room is the only NHL dressing room they've ever known and the Leafs' jersey is the only NHL jersey they've ever worn. This season, all 4 players have emerged, in their own way, to become significant contributors and leaders.
Matt Stajan: Is on a 3-game point streak, and has been on the scoresheet 4 out of the last 5 games, 7 out of the last 9 games, and 11 out of last 14, scoring 6 goals, 8 assists for 14 points. That's a point-per-game pace for 14 games for Matt Stajan. For the season, he's currently on pace for 25 goals and 35 assists. Tied for second on the team in scoring with Hagman.

Alexei Ponikarovsky: I think maybe Poni reads my blog. On November 25th I mentioned that Poni wasn't "lighting up the score sheet at the same remarkable pace as he closed out last season". The next game he had 4 points. Poni didn't register a point last night against the Islanders, but he still has 9 points in his last 7 games. He leads all Leafs forwards in plus/minus at +7.
Ian White: Even more impressive then Poni's plus/minus is the astounding magnificence that is Ian White and his +11 rating. Astonishing. Scored a beauty last night against the Islanders with a well-placed shot off a nice set-up from Stajan.

Tomas Kaberle: Continues at nearly a point-per-game pace with 29 points after 30 games. Set up Beauchemin's goal in the first period against the Islanders. More importantly, the Leafs' puck possession has looked smooth and confident, at times even dominant. But wait there's more... Two players who struggled out of the gate this season are both showing postive signs and may have turned the corner.

Vesa Tokala: Statistically, he's still the worst goalie in the NHL, but after a dreadful October and posting a horrendous 5.13 GAA for the month, the Vesa bounced back in November with a 2.68 GAA.. In 4 of his last 6 starts, his SV% has been .912 or above, averaging out to .911 over those 6 starts, while Toskala has blanked opponents in 9 of his last 17 periods of play. I'm hesitant to suggest that Toskala's troubles are over because there's still a long way to go for him to save his season, but I also saw him catch a puck with his glove-hand last night, so who knows what the Vesa2010 is capable of next.

Luke Schenn: I really wanted to bring this to people's attention: Luke Schenn is now on the plus side of the ledger. He had been a +1 for 4 consecutive games, including the 7-2 loss to the Bruins, and was a +2 last night against the Islanders. His plus/minus for the season now stands at +1. In the last 7 games, OLAS is +7 overall. And then he drops a bone-crushing bomb to top it all off.

"Just keep believing, I think we're eventually going to get there."
-Wilson

There's still a long way to go, but the Leafs finally seem to be on the right track. They're playing an exciting style to watch and they look capable of winning more games then they lose. Will it be enough to get into the playoffs? Only 5 points back of Montreal for the final spot with a game in hand, believe it or not, they're making a run for it and there's still two weeks before Christmas.

Go Leafs Go

Exelby vs Finger

2009-11-29T23:45:00.009-05:00

I really appreciate the comments that I get on this blog. Sometimes they lead to an even more interesting discussion then the post itself and sometimes they give me ideas for my next post. In my First Quarter Roster Review, several people (well, Belligerent Burkie, Bone, and Kavel Pubina - that counts as several) remarked on the comparison between Exelby and Finger, so I thought I'd take a closer look at that and see what the difference really is.

Finger and Exelby, in my view, seem to be two similar players fighting for one position in the line-up. Before I'd looked into it I'd assumed that if one was in the line-up, the other was out. Indeed, that has been the case for every game this season with the exception of one - a 3-2 loss to Chicago for which they were both dressed. That was the first game after Komisarek's injury, and by the next game, Gunnarson was called up and given Exelby's spot. Gunnarson has remained in the line-up since as the Leafs have gone 3-2-2, picking up points in each of their last 5 games. Exelby returned to the line-up on November 23rd and has now played three consecutive games in place of the injured Finger who's out day-to-day with a "lower body injury". There has not been one game for the Leafs this season without either one or the other in the line-up. That may change soon with the return of Komisarek.

I previously remarked that XLB seemed like a "poor man's" Jeff Finger, capable of doing a few things better then Finger, while Finger does most other things much better then XLB. I also noted that both players have similar plus/minus, but Finger is the only one of the two who contributes offensively at even-strength.

Let's break it down.

Exelby has appeared in 13 games and has 1 point, an assist he recently picked up in the Leafs win against Tampa Bay.

Finger has played 12 games now and has 6 points (1G, 5A), all even-strength. 5 of his 6 points came in 3 consecuitive games against Detroit, Minnesota, and Chicago, November 7-13. Finger was without a point for 4 straight games when he was injured.

Exelby is minus 6, but plus 1 overall in his last 3 games. Finger is minus 8, minus 5 since his personal mini-slump began 4 games ago.

XLB has 17 penalty minutes - 6 minors and one fighting major.

Finger also has one fighting major. He has otherwise not been penalized for any infractions this season.

Finger has 10 shots on goal in his 12 games. XLB has managed 3.

Jeff Finger gives you a lot more ice-time, averaging 17:25 per game. Exelby has the lowest average ice-time of the 8 Leaf defenders that have seen action this year, at 11:01 per game.

Finger has seen minimal powerplay time per game and XLB has seen zero, but both players are used regularly on the penalty kill.

You might think that XLB hits more then Finger but so far that's not true. Finger has 33, or 2.75 per game, XLB has 21, or 1.62.

Finger also gets in the way of a lot of shots: 38. Only Beauchemin has more. Exelby has the lowest total among defenders with just 14. Gunnarson, in just 7 games, has blocked more shots with 16. This is a strong indication that XLB's poor positioning means that he's rarely in a space between the shooter and the net.

Are you starting to get down on XLB? Feeling certain that Finger's better? One last stat to consider: In 13 games with XLB in the line-up, the Leafs have lost in regulation only 4 times. With Finger in the line-up, the Leafs are 3-8-1, 7 points out of a possible 24 for a dismal .292 winning (losing?) percentage. XLB's Leafs are 3-4-6, 12 points in 13 games, a .461 winning percentage. Should the Leafs win Monady night against Buffalo, they could then claim to be a .500 team when XLB's dressed.

So I'm thinking that Finger is obviously overall a better player, but sometimes what the Leafs need from their 5th or 6th defenceman is a little bit of sandpaper, attitude, and unpredictability. Should be interesting to see what Wilson decides to do once Komisarek comes back as Gunnarson seems to have earned the only spot Finger and XLB were fighting for.

First Quarter Roster Review

2009-11-25T01:11:00.011-05:00

Well, we're past the first quarter mark of the 2009-10 NHL season and with exactly 60 games to go I thought I'd do a long-winded post where I review each player's individual performances. Please join me. In alphabetical order, 'cause that way I get to do Ian White last.

Francois Beauchemin - A team-worst, -11. Meanwhile, 7 of his 8 points have come on the powerplay. I think Beauchemin is playing well when I don't notice him. Sometimes he seems a little hesitant, like he's having 2 thoughts at once, but I think that could be said of most of the defence, who have taken longer then expected to get used to each other. Beauchemin leads the team in blocked shots with 42.

Jason Blake - I have deep concerns about Jason Blake's ability to contribute. 12 assists, 9 at even strength, is solid, but he only has 2 goals this season and both were scored on the powerplay. Blake has zero even-strength goals after 22 games. Zero. Yet somehow he's tied for third on the team in points. His shooting percentage is at .027. That means if Jason Blake took a thousand shots on goal, he'd only score 27 times. Think about that for a moment. He could take 37 shots by himself in a single game and score just one goal. If you think it's amazing that the Leafs could have 61 shots on goal and only score 3 times, consider; at Blake's shooting percentage, 3 goals could take 110 shots.

Garnet Exelby - Seems to be kind of a poor man's Jeff Finger. I like his toughness, but Finger's no slouch either. Their plus/minus is about the same; -7 after 11 games for XLB, -8 for Finger after 12. The big difference between the two is Finger's ability to contribute to the offence - 1G, 5A, all even-strength, compared with zero points for Exelby and only 2 shots on goal.

Jeff Finger - A rich man's Garnet Exelby and a poor man's Beauchemin. See above. Listed day-to-day with a lower body injury, which could open up ice-time for other players, making it difficult for Finger to get back into the line-up again.

Mikhail Grabovski - Love his hair. Seems to draw a penalty or create a chance on every shift. To be honest, I was expecting a little more crazy from Grabbo and maybe a bit more flash, but he's not off to a bad start, and last year he seemed to get better as the season went on, so there's still hope that Grabbo will have a very good season. He's almost on pace for 20 goals and 40 assists, and if he can top that I think Burke and Wilson will be pleased.

Carl Gunnarson - Has only appeared in 5 games, but I'd say he looks NHL-ready. His positioning looks good, and he plays the puck well, but mostly I like the effect he's had on OLAS who suddenly looks more comfortable and is playing much better.

Jonas Gustavsson - I already love the Monster and given the way Toskala has started the season, thank God we have him. With the Vesa2010 going back to the drawing board for more maintenance, Gustavsson could get the next 4 starts (or more). Looks like an opportunity again for the Monster to grab the spotlight and hopefully a few wins. With games coming up against Tampa (tonight), Florida (Friday), Buffalo (Monday), and Montreal (Tuesday), if he gets on a roll while the team builds confidence around him, he could really make a serious claim on the starters job by Wednesday of next week.

Niklas Hagman - Started the season strong and continues to be a rock for the Leafs up front. Currently leads the team with 9 goals.

Christian Hanson - Will make his season debut tonight with the Maple Leafs. Hanson appeared in 5 games at the end of last season, scoring a goal and an assist, so he already has most of his rookie milestones out of the way. For the Marlies this season, Hanson has been a point a game player, leading the team with 18 points (8G, 10A) in 18 games. Hanson is also a big lad and seems to be getting bigger - listed at 6'3", 202lbs on the Leafs roster and 6'4", 228lbs on the Marlies roster. They also have 2 different birthplaces so it makes you wonder if they just make this stuff up.

Tomas Kaberle - Has been awesome. Leads the team in points with 24. Currently on pace for 82 assists. Tied with Getzlaf for 2nd overall in that category behind only Joe Thornton. Tied with Washinton's Mike Green for highest scoring defenceman in the league after 22 games. Tied with Kopitar and Thornton for the league lead in points on the powerplay. I'm really happy for Tomas and I really hope he can keep this up 'cause so far he's having a terrific season.

Phil Kessel - Just excellent. 9 points in 10 games. 6 goals, 3 on the powerplay, 3 at even-strength. Makes the powerplay look dangerous and makes the other players more dangerous as well.

Mike Komisarek - Has already missed 6 games due to a quadricep injury and hopefully will only miss a couple more. Had a rough start but seemed to be rounding into form just as he was injured. The Leafs could use his solid presence, but it's good to see them playing better the last couple games without him. Despite the games missed, Komisarek is still 2nd on the team in Hits with 41.

Nikolai Kulemin - Doesn't seem to be one of Wilson's favourite players anymore and may be struggling to find his groove. I like Kulemin because he's got a lot of skill and can do a lot of different things on the ice, but he's yet to put it together into a complete package. He seems to require linemates who can lead the play and isn't able to dictate his own style of attack, but maybe that will come with experience. I still have high hopes for Kulemin and I hope Wilson gives him the ice-time he needs to gain the experience that will make him a more aggressive and independent player.

Joey MacDonald - will come up to join the team for practice while Toskala is on the IR, but probably won't see any action. If he does get any ice-time it means something has gone terribly wrong. Hopefully the Monster won't need any help. In 3 appearances this season MacDonald had 3 regulation losses and an .880 SV%.

Jamal Mayers - I'm hesitant to criticize Jamal Mayers too much right now. He doesn't posses a lot of skill but he has been putting in some gritty performances lately and seems much more comfortable with his role on the team. He does what he's asked and as long as he's not asked to do too much I'm happy to have him in a limited capacity.

John Mitchell - Needs to be better, but was improving. The injury comes at a bad time for Mitchel, but maybe won't hurt the team too much if Hanson can excell with the opportunity he's given and Primeau can step up with more ice-time. Mitchell is listed as day-to-day so hopefully it's not too serious and doesn't become a step backwards for him. His first 8 games were awful - no goals, 2 assists, and a minus 6, while the Leafs went 0-7-1. In the last 14 games, Mitchell has 2 goals and 5 assists, and perhaps more significantly, is a plus 2, while the Leafs are 4-4-6.

Colton Orr - I like Colton a lot. I honestly think he's one of the best enforcers in the game and I'm really glad we have him. He does what he does, and he does it well.

Alexei Ponikarovsky - Poni is doin' okay, but he's not lighting up the score sheet at the same remarkable pace as he closed out last season. I was expecting Alexei to be top 3 on the Leafs in all offensive categories, and while 8 goals is a solid contribution and has him 2nd on the team, his 3 assists combines for only 11 poins thus far, making him only as dangerous as Stempniak, tied for 7th. Not enough, Poni. This team needs you. One eyebrow raising stat: with Komisarek out of the line-up, Ponikarovsky has taken over the team lead for Hits with 43.

Wayne Primeau - I didn't like Primeau much at first. He looked slow and unskilled, but in the last few weeks he's grown on me a bit. Still doesn't have an assist, but he has scored 2 big goals (one against Detroit, the other in the last game vs. NY Islanders), and if he continues to be a little dangerous without being a defensive liability (only -2 thus far) then I could see myself warming up to him even more.

Luke Schenn - Schenn has struggled early, so much so that few people are still referring to him as OLAS at the moment. Clearly, he doesn't look the same. But I was never that concerned because sophomore slumps do happen and usually only last for half a season, and because Beauchemin and Komisarek are new partners and they have also struggled. I'm encouraged by the fact that Schenn has looked better recently paired with Gunnarson, and I'm expecting Luke's play to continue to improve throughout the season. Zero panic. He is still OLAS.

Matt Stajan - Second on the team in scoring after Kaberle with 15 points. Once again being asked to do too much but making a noble effort as usual. Only one even-strength goal is a bit of a concern, but he's on pace through one-quarter of the season for 20 goals and 40 assists. If he starts to hit it even-strength or really click with Kessel, it could be really interesting to keep an eye on his numbers again this season. I'm assuming most people will be blown away if Stajan can hit 40 assists again.

Viktor Stalberg - I miss Vik already but maybe he wasn't ready for the NHL. After dazzling us in the preseason Stalberg got hurt in the third regular season game, and then played 5 games when he returned before being sent down. One assist, minus 5, 8 games. It's too bad 'cause there is something very exciting about the way Stalberg plays hockey, and when he's ready for the Big Show he's going to be fun to watch. Seems to be finding his game with the Marlies - 11 points in 10 games (4G 7A).

Lee Stempniak - Has exceeded expectations in terms of people being able to see him and notice his contribution. Indeed, the Visible Ninja has looked far more dangerous then he is deadly. I congratulate Lee on his work ethic and consistent effort so far this season, but I want to see more of a killer instinct and better results. Hopefully Stempniak can learn a few lessons from Kessel 'cause I think he's mastered everything Jason Blake has had to teach him.

Jiri Tlusty - Was called up for 2 games and sent back down again. Failed to register a point and was a minus 2. Probably deserved a longer look, but now that the system is deeper there's no need to rush him in. Second on the Marlies in scoring with 14 points in 16 games.

Vesa Toskala - Has been brutal. As much as I wish it wasn't true, there's no other way to slice it. The first quarter of the season has been a disaster. By any measurable standard, Toskala is the worst goalie currently employed by an NHL team. Including Raycroft. And then, just as the Vesa appeared to be turning a corner, he's back on the IR. Consider: in his previous 3 starts (L 2-3 vs. Chi, L 2-3 vs. Ott, W 2-1 vs. Was) Toskala carried a .920 SV% and for 78 minutes and 53 seconds from the end of the first period against Washington to the middle of the second period against the Islanders Toskala didn't give up a single goal. Seventy Eight Fifty Three. And then somebody remembered to shoot high glove-side and it was over. The illusion was shattered. Three minutes later the Leafs were down 3-0 and four minutes after that, Toskala was bizarrely taking himself out of the game with a little over a minute left in the period with what he later described as "just a little tweak". This, after ending his season early last year for surgery that nobody knew he needed, for his second injury of the season in only 9 starts. Frustrating and sad. If the Vesa can turn it around it will be no small miracle.

Rickard Wallin - A small disapointment. I wasn't expecting much offensively from Wallin but thus far he really provides zero offensive punch. His defensive positioning is sound, even above average, but he has absolutely no offensive zone presence. Makes it really hard for fourth line players like Orr, Primeau, and Mayers to not be able to use the forecheck effectively and to always be on the defensive. Hopefully a little time in the press box will help Wallin figure out how to be a valuable player at both ends of the ice.

Ian White - Possibly the greatest human being alive today. By far, the fastest rising star on the team is Ian White. Fifth on the team in scoring (13P), White is a mind-boggling plus 6. How White can be a plus 6 while Schenn (-6), Kaberle (-6), Exelby (-7), Finger (-8), Komisarek (-9), and Beauchemin (-11) are all well below zero is beyond me and a real mathematical headscratcher. Whatever, I'm not even sure what the question is anymore, but I think the answer is Ian White. He gives a great effort every night and strives to defy expectations, often with dramatic success. Despite Kaberle's truly impressive point totals, I'd say White is the early favourite, based on poise and determination, for the team's MVP.

Matt Stajan And Ian White Have A Long Conversation

2009-11-19T18:06:00.001-05:00

His hands folded behind his head, followed by a heavy sigh, the young defenceman was having a hard time accepting failure and expressed his exasperation. "This has got to come to an end at some point," declared Ian White.

His teammate didn't raise his head, burdened by the weight of recent events and their current situation, yet responded in solemn agreement. "It's tough. We're definitely working hard and getting chances, but, at the end of the day, we've got to find a way to score one more than the other team," said Matt Stajan.

Unable to take it anymore, Ian White lashed out in disgust. "It's as frustrating as I've ever seen – this is brutal," he spat.

The two long-time teammates shared a special bond, forming one half of an elite circle of only 4 players who have been with the Maple Leafs since 2005. The other two, Ponikarovsky and Kaberle, are both Europeans, and though often criticized, rarely face their accusers the way Stajan and White stare down the glare of the media spotlight.

"It's up to us to get out of this little string – well, I guess it's been all year – and make sure we give ourselves a chance to win more games than we have," said Matt Stajan, listening for the sound of conviction in his own voice.

White didn't hear it, and sneered at the weakness of the attempt. "We're not anywhere near where we expected to be," he moaned.

Stajan's lip curled thoughtfully and he decided to measure his words more carefully. When he finally spoke again, his voice was soft as a whisper. "These next two weeks are big for us with a lot of games against teams close to us in the standings."

"We definitely have a massive obstacle to overcome," White interjected.

"We've got to get a lot of points here and slowly eat away at it and hopefully we can keep climbing," continued Stajan, fighting off the anxiety that was slowly eating away at him.

Despite their relative youth, the two players understood that they were often relied upon as leaders and veterans. Yet, never having played for another NHL team, their experiences were limited. The Maple Leafs' dressing room was the only Home they'd ever known.

“These are tough times for our team, but we have to stick together,” said Ian White.

"Maybe we have tried to do too much ourselves and not used each other enough. Sometimes, less is more," replied Stajan.

It sounded awkward, and it made Ian White feel awkward. "So much of this game is mental," he said with a dazed expression.

It was then that Matt Stajan noticed that Ian White's eyes were rarely focused, usually darting this way and that, like a kite caught in the wind. "We're trying. I know we can't feel sorry for ourselves."

White looked up and the two players' eyes met as they nodded in firm agreement."You've just got to keep your head up and stay positive because you'll get through this. It's only a matter of time."

"We all make mistakes out there, it's just a matter of not getting too down on yourself," added Stajan.

Side-stepping the argument about wether it was really a matter of time or a matter of not getting too down, White continued gracefully forward. "You have to try and take some positives out of every day,” he said philosophically.

Stajan could feel the mood in the room beginning to change. "We know we can be a lot better."

White smiled, encouraged by the sudden certainty in Stajan's voice. He tried to temper his friend's optimism with a dose of reality, but the message was still very warm and positive. "Any day you get to live your dream is a good one, but not every day will be a success."

As usual, White's wisdom seemed empowering to Stajan. Suddenly he stood up and climbed out of the jacuzzi-pool, water dripping from his athletic body and splashing the tile floor, making it slippery and wet under his bare feet. He grabbed a towel bar to steady himself, and then feeling White's gaze, glanced down below his own waistline, his confidence rising. "We're men here, we want to prove we can be a lot better," he said proudly.

White was also getting out of the jacuzzi now. He ignored Stajan's bold exhibition and reached for a towel, wrapping it around his waist and turned to face the mirror. With careful precision, White used a small pair of scissors to delicately groom one or two stray hairs on his mustache before stepping back to admire his own reflection. At last, he turned towards Stajan, ready to shed his doubt and forget his concern. "Personally, I feel good," he said with a devious grin.

BoOBbB 2009-2010: Episode II

2009-11-18T00:45:00.007-05:00

Have you ever read DownGoesBrown's How I Stopped Worrying And Learned To Love The Loss? If you haven't, now might be a good time. Except - ignore the part that says "I accept that now, it's all about the draft pick." Pretend that part's not there and it's still a wonderful read. Ten months later. Ugh. If you're new around here you might also want to read Apathy Vs. Despair: Believing In Something That Sucks, which I wrote 4 and half months into last season, and sums up where I'm at a month and a half into this season.

Just like you probably are, I really question the whole point of doing the BoOBbB right now. Tradition, I guess. It's not for me, and it's probably not for you, but maybe there's somebody else out there, somebody who cares, or maybe that person is you, reading this now, and you know who you are, and I don't need to tell you how you feel...

First Period

20:00 Kessel, Poni, Stajan start up front for the Leafs.

19:20 Toskala makes the first good save early.

17:50 Stempniak's hard shot from the perimeter is stopped.

17:40 A Sens' chance grazes the post.

17:20 Mayers nailed at the Leafs blue line.

17:11 FIGHT! Finger fights Winchester. We'll call that a draw. Good to see Finger stepping up for his mates.

15:50 Grabbo-Hagmna neat rush, can't thread the needle.

14:00 This is by far the best crowd the Leafs have had all year. I wish this crowd was at every Home game.

12:30 Poni with a nice back hand feed sets up Grabbo for a nice chance that just misses.

11:52 Goal. A loose puck in the slot that Fisher fluffed on fools Toskala like a low-velocity knuckle-ball, and once again for the17th time in 19 games, blah blah blah.

10:50 GOAL!!! Wow. Kessel scores. What a goal. Hard shot, quick release in the slot. A harmless looking rush ties the game, 1-1. Kessel is awesome. 5 goals in 7 games, already 3rd on the team in goals.

9:56 FIGHT! Orr with his best scrap of the season scores a decisive victory over Carkner.

8:57 FIGHT! Neil goes after Schenn and hits him with a highstick, then goes after Stempniak and nearly pushes him through the Sens' gate. Schenn comes in, forehead already bleeding, and scraps with Neil. Leafs go on the powerplay for Neil's highstick.

8:00 Big save Toskala with the glove. Terrible giveaway by Kaberle led to the scoring chance and a hooking penalty. Kaberle goes to the box and the powerplay is over.

6:50 Stempniak has an excellent shorthanded chance denied.

5:15 Stajan with a nice feed from behind the goal misses Poni, but Kaberle is there and has a great chance but can't get the puck through a crowd.

3:20 A good chance by Kulemin deep in the slot is stopped.

2:35 Kovalev has a chance for the Sens and freezes, unable to pull the trigger on the open goal.

Second Period

20:00 Kessel, Poni, Stajan start up front.

19:05 Blake centres to Grabbo, good chance from the slot but the shot is deflected out of play.

18:46 FIGHT! Schenn hit hard by Ruutu. Mitchell then jumps Ruutu. Long fight. I think Ruutu got the best licks in. The hit on Schenn was clean and frankly, could've been a lot worse. Mitchell gets the extra two for instigating, plus a 10-minute misconduct.

17:45 A chance for the Sens on the powerplay. Finger helps Toskala keep the puck from going in the short side off a scramble.

17:05 Great play by Hagman to one-hand the puck towards the net and force Leclaire to make a shorthanded save and freeze the puck.

15:35 Kessel nearly able to jam it in after good work by Poni behind the goal.

14:40 GOAL!!! Hagman retrieves a loose puck in the corner, wheels into the slot and fires through a screen. Leafs lead, 2-1.

13:45 Whoah. Beauchemin lined up Fisher, and just misses a big open-ice hit just inside the Leafs' zone. Players are really trying to ht each other hard and this game is getting dangerous.

11:40 Schenn knocks his man down at the Sens' line.

10:50 Terrible turnover by Hagman in the nuetral zone leads to a breakaway by Foligno. Toskala with a good stop. Hagman gets called for hooking on the backcheck.

10:20 Nice shot block by Mayers.

9:35 The booing of Alfredsson on the Ottawa powerplay is hilarious.

8:50 Goal. Seeing-eye goal. Wrist shot from the point goes through, deflected by Michalek. 2-2.

8:35 Leafs get a good chance, Poni and Kessel on a 2-on-1, but don't score. Kessel tripped up, no call.

5:50 Goal. Oh God. Fisher with a rocket that catches everybody sleeping. Incredible shot. 3-2 Sens.

5:30 Good hit by Finger along the boards.

5:20 Stajan can't redirect Kaberle's pass into the open net.

3:00 Sens dominating the play. Leafs look like they've lost their legs and their confidence.

2:20 Big save by Leclaire on Poni, set up by Kessel.

0:25 Beauchemin runs over Foligno.

Third Period

20:00 Stajan, Poni, Kessel up front again for Toronto.

19:10 Blake, set up by Grabbo, fires a million miles wide.

18:35 Great defensive play by Ian White to break up a 2-on-1 chance for the Sens.

16:45 Great chance by Stajan. Stopped by Leclaire.

14:55 Deflected point shot, Toskala makes the stop.

14:30 Kessel not on the Leafs bench.

14:05 Kessel's back! Disaster averted.

13:25 Stempniak can't find a loose puck as the Leafs nearly score.

THERE IS NO CLOCK

11:05 Toskala makes a good save off of a hard point shot.

8:45 Stempniak hits the crossbar behind Leclaire and it bounces out, harmlessly into the corner.

7:40 Scramble. Loose puck in front of the Sens' goal. Blake has a great chance but has no idea how to actually score a goal and does a spin-a-rama instead.

6:40 Leafs pressing. White point shot deflected just wide.

5:00 Leafs are looking desperate. Nice shot by Grabbo stopped, Blake just misses the rebound.

2:30 Hagman with a good chance coming out of the corner and bats the puck out of the air. Caught by Leclaire.

2:10 Kessel with a long shot, Leclaire makes a good save.

1:25 Great shot by White from the point but it doesn't find a hole.

Final minute: The Leafs look like they have no idea what to do when they need a goal and are unable to generate a genuine scoring opportunity with Toskala pulled for the extra-attaker. The clock reaches zero without much drama and the Leafs lose, 3-2.

Crap.

I'm not gonna do the Three Stars for tonight's game - it's kinda pointless. Lecalire was the Sens' best player but they also got solid performances from Ruutu, Foligno, Fisher, and I hate to say it, Neil. For the Leafs, Toskala was okay, nothing eye-popping or spectacular, and still not good enough to get his first win of the season. His SV% tonight is consistent with his season average at .857. Stempniak, as usual, had the most scoring opportunities, but wasn't able to make any of them count. I thought Hagman was the best Leaf forward, but his giveaway that led to the Sens second period powerplay goal, was the turning point of the game.

Overall, I thought the Leafs played a solid game compared to their last 3, They showed a lot of fight and really competed with the Seantors for most of the game. The second Fisher goal to give the Sens a 3-2 lead seemed to really deflate the Leafs and rattle their confidence. In the third period they played with some real desperation but that backfired and degenerated into sloppy, nervous hockey. Despite controlling the play, at no point did they threaten to run the Sens out of the building, and Leclaire only had to make a few tough stops, but no real heart-stoppers.

So, I guess we just shrug our shoulders and move on. My expectations for this season have hit rock bottom. I don't really expect anything to change. I just expect to hear more lies and see more losses. The Leafs have too many players playing hopelessly below expectations that were set unreasonably high, and have almost nothing to show for too many games played well enough to win. Pretty soon my only interest will be, how ugly will it get? Oh well, another loss, another post published, another season of suffering and misery.

The next BoOBbB is 4 weeks away, with 13 games for the Leafs between now and then. I know that eventually, somehow, someway, enthusiasm will find a way to return. I hope you do too. Thanks for stopping by.

Behind The Monster

2009-11-08T01:51:00.005-05:00

I like the word unfathomable. It's a good word to describe the effect that the Monster is having on the Toronto Maple Leafs.Last night Gustavsson turned aside 35 of 36 shots, and despite the fact that the Leafs managed to score 5 goals, it's the goaltender's stats that are fascinating me at the moment.

In his last 3 starts, Gustavsson has faced 104 shots, turning aside 99, for a .951 SV% and a 1.66 GA while the Leafs have picked up 5 out of 6 points.Three games is a small sample size, but so far the Monster looks comfortable at the ACC with 1-1-1 record and a stunning 1.65 GA and .941 SV% in three home games.

The Leafs are currently on a 7-game point streak that began with the return of the Monster to the line-up in Anahiem. Gustavsson has started all but one since then - a 5-4 OT loss to Montreal - as the Leafs have picked up 10 of a possible 14 points.
In 5 starts, Toskala has allowed 4 goals once, 5 goals twice, 7 goals once, and was yanked once after allowing 3 in the opening period. Gustavsson has allowed 4 in one game only - an OT goal against Dallas - and has kept the opposition to 2 goals or fewer four times in seven starts.

"He's made big saves at key times. When you've got that in goal, it gives you confidence."
Beauchemin

"The way Gustavsson played was unbelievable. I don’t know what to say about him, doing that two games in a row."
Kessel “When you do get saves and the goalie bails people out, obviously you appreciate him even more."
Wilson

"The whole bench gets pretty excited when they see the saves he can pull off."
Wilson, again"

We get excited. He's been outstanding. He's making key saves at key times and he did a tremendous job all night."
Blake
"He's made some saves that I call game-changers. Right at the key times and they've been outstanding. Last night and tonight, he was the difference. It was good to see."
Blake, again

"He has been huge for us the last five or six games, he just never gives up on a play. Even in practice, you think you have him beat and he just slides over and makes a big save."
Komisarek

Shoot To Kill

2009-11-04T17:05:00.001-05:00

Here's a problem: The Leafs are 0 and 5 in extra-time so far this season. That's 5 points left on the table, and worse, 5 additional points surrendered to the opposition. Distressingly, 4 of those losses were to Conference rivals, and twice it was the Habs.

The Leafs are a better team then their record indicates... blah blah blah. If the Leafs keep playing this way, the wins will start to come... blah blah blah. Once again, the Leafs outplayed their opponents for most of the game... blah blah blah. Boring.

If the Leafs had won those games, we'd have 12 points after 13 games, and more importantly, we'd be just 2 points out of a playoff spot. We'd also be equal to Montreal (who'd have 12, not 14) with still 2 games in hand. In fact, those dastardly Habs are a frustrating contrast. ALL BUT ONE of their wins have come in extra-time, and they have yet to surrender a loss in overtime or the shoot-out. 4 OT wins, 2 shoot-out wins. 6 additional points acquired on top of the 12 points split evenly with their opponents. The Habs record could look like: 1-8-6 and 8 points, almost exactly the same as the Leafs 1-7-5 and 7 points. Instead, the Habs are 7-8-0 and 14 points and tied for 8th in the East. That seems like a pretty significant difference for two teams that match up evenly after 60 minutes.

The Leafs last night again displayed an alarming lack of finish, despite the presence of Kessel. One game is too soon to expect a solution, but there is promise that the problem is being fixed. Kessel looked dangerous all night, unleashing 10 shots on goal over nearly 24 minutes of ice time. As long as he can stay out of the trolley tracks, he should be producing plenty, and soon.

Our heroes are on a 5 game point-streak, which sounds great, picking up 6 points out of a possible 10. That's a .600 winning percentage, which over 82 games translates into 98 points and a playoff spot. Unfortunately, Leaf opponents have taken 8 of a possible 10 points in those same 5 games and are therefore playing .800 hockey. Welcome to the post-lockout NHL, where .500 means you suck.

"We have to persevere. We can't change what we're doing, because we're right there knocking on the door. We've just got to find a way to knock the door completely down."
-Wilson
The Leafs have found the right level of intensity that allows them to compete with their opponents for 60 minutes, giving themselves a chance to win for 5 straight games now, but like the old cliche, we need one hundred and ten percent. We need to go to 65 solid minutes of hockey, if that's what it takes. We need more then just desperation, we need a killer instinct. Stop knocking on the door fellas - you have to let yourselves in, make yourselves at home, and have sex on the carpet.

"He's gotta make plays, he can't be content to be on the ice..."
-Wilson

The coach is talking about Tlusty there, after he was called up, but he could be talking about the entire team's approach to extra-time. Stajan, Blake, Stempniak, Hagman, White, Kaberle, Kulemin, Grabovski, and Ponikarovsky, not just Kessel, need to kick it up a notch. We can't just be happy for the point. We can't just be satisfied to have played a decent game. We gotta make it happen, and overtime is just as much our opportunity as it is anyone else's. There's a point up for grabs and it's five minutes and then it's a shoot-out. We can't be content to be on the ice.

We need to smell blood and finish it.

Respect

2009-11-01T00:45:00.000-04:00

Tomas Kaberle has 13 points in his last 5 games, all on the road.
12 games into the season, he is the highest scoring defenceman in the NHL, with 17 points, now 4 ahead of San Jose's Dan Boyle.

He is the league leader in assists with 15, 1 ahead of both Joe Thornton and Nicklas Backstrom.

He leads the league in powerplay points (12) and assists (11), and he's doing it without Kubina, Antropov, Sundin, McCabe, Tucker, Wellwood, etc,. Stajan is the Leafs 2nd-deadliest weapon on the powerplay with 6 points (tied for 24th overall).

Kaberle's 17 points leads the Leafs in scoring while Grabovski is 2nd - 7 back - with 10.

Currently, Kaberle is tied for 6th overall in NHL scoring.

He now has 450 career points for the Leafs, putting him 15th on the all-time list, just 2 back of Dougie Gilmour (452), and now 9 ahead of Wendel Clark (441) whom he passed rather quietly the other night in Anahiem when he registered 5 points.

Kaberle is just 9 points away from eclipsing Tim Horton (458) to become the 2nd highest scoring defenceman in Leafs history.

It now seems very likely that he'll surpass Gilmour, Horton, Lanny McDonald (459) and Norm Ullman (471) this season to move all the way up to 11th on the all-time list for all positions. Catching Rick Vaive (537) for 10th would require a 104-point season.

He's currently on pace for 116.

Respect.

Welcome Back

2009-10-27T21:09:00.002-04:00

One hundred and ninety-eight days. That's how long it's been since Leaf fans were able to celebrate a regular season win. That's how long it's been since we've known what 2 points in the standings felt like. God, it's good to be back in the win column. Oh, how we've missed you, Defiant Maple Leaf. Welcome back, my friend.

And a very special welcome back to the Monster, who provided the Leafs first true act of defiance on the night when he denied the Ducks an early strike with this spectacular save:
Sensational. Now that is defiant. What a difference a Monster makes.

Later, Anaheim's dubious opening goal of the 1st period would set the stage for the Leafs second act of defiance. Just 7 seconds after the goal - a bench minor for abuse of officials at 10:35, assessed during a TV timeout, presumably for over-zealous chirping about the missed goaltender-interference call on Marchant. Could have been quite costly if the Ducks had scored to go up 2-0, but the Leafs continued their defiance with a gutsy and determined penalty kill.

In fact, before the penalty-time had even expired, the Leafs third significant act of defiance occurred. A minute and a half into the Ducks' powerplay, Beauchemin drew a slash from Bobby Ryan, and then, after standing his ground against his former teammate, drew the attention of Corey Perry. Within seconds, the game's hat-trick hero Hagman, along with Stajan, became involved as gloves and sticks fell to the ice. When it was all sorted out, Hagman had the lone Leaf penalty for roughing, while Ryan's initial slashing minor was accompanied by a double-roughing minor to Perry for separate mix-ups with Beauchemin and then Hagman.

Three minutes, forty-two seconds and 2 quick powerplay goals later, the Leafs were in the lead.

In the 2nd period, there was a similar moment, with similar execution. With the Leafs already on the powerplay, Stempniak takes a terrific run at Anahiem's crease-crashng-culprit, Marchant, absolutely ninja-popping him into the boards. As Niedemayer reacts and comes in to engage Stempniak after the hit, our favourite Weeble-Wobbler, Rowdy Grabbo intercepts and jumps on the old warrior's back. Grabovski, who'd scored the Leafs first goal, loses his helmet in the scrum, yet Niedemayer is the one assessed the only penalty for roughing and the Leafs go to their 2nd 5-on-3 advantage. Once again, Hagman makes them pay.

A great save. A bench penalty. An aggressive penalty kill. A dangerous powerplay. Team courage and toughness.

Defiance. Truculence. Victory.

And 2 points.

Writing's On The Wall

2009-10-19T16:20:00.009-04:00

"When you believe in things that you don't understand,
then you suffer..."

I believe in the Leafs. I don't understand why, especially when they're this bad. And then, yes, I suffer, especially when they're this bad. But it doesn't stop me from believing that my believing and suffering will somehow help. Of course, it doesn't actually help, but I still act like it does. I guess you could say I'm a little bit - superstitious.

Can you make out this image? It's kinda grainy, dark, and fuzzy, and it sorta reminds me of photos of the Loch Ness Monster, or Bigfoot, or flying saucers. It's kinda fitting that it should be such poor quality because it represents the (sketchy at) best evidence that I've been able to acquire that proves that the Leafs are indeed CURSED.
Is this any better? Not really, now it's just a bigger blur. This image was taken from a still-frame of an obscure video on youtube, laser printed onto hard-copy white paper, digitally photographed using sub-standard Fido technology, then e-mailed across cyberspace, downloaded to a secure hard-drive and then uploaded to this blog page. You might question the wisdom of these methods, but please consider that many Bothans died to bring us this information, so a little respect, okay. We're dealing with the Paranormal here.

This will give you the best look of all at what I'm talkin' about. Pause the video at the 24 second mark and then again at the 25 second mark. Go ahead, I'll wait... What you're looking at is the NY Rangers third goal on Saturday, putting them ahead 3-0, effectively taking the Leafs out of the game. This is the goal that bothers me more then any other this season because for the life of me, I cannot figure out how this one goes in the net.

The two Leaf players in front of the Rangers' shooter are Beauchemin and Stempniak. They're doing exactly what they're supposed to be doing - lining up to block the shot. Their positioning is excellent. In fact, from my point of view, it's perfect. They've played it beautifully. And then... THE PUCK GOES THROUGH THE GOALTENDER'S LEGS!

I don't see how that's possible. I don't see a path along the ice to the net that would allow the puck to reach MacDonald without hitting Beachemin or Stempniak. There just isn't one. I've watched the video again and again - and again, and again. I even watched the referee to make sure he didn't throw a decoy puck into the back of the net. I just don't understand how it went in. And yet...

The goal was scored by Michael Del Zotto, an Ontario-born teenaged-rookie, playing his first game in Toronto, in front of 70 family members and friends. That's how it happened - that's EXACTLY how it happened!! There's your explanation. It was, as it always is, destiny.

Watch the video again - the puck actually loses material substance and form, right before your eyes, and DISAPPEARS, only to REAPPEAR on the other side of Beauchemin and Stempniak, directly below MacDonald's open legs and then into the back of the net. It didn't go through their sticks and skates - it wasn't even there! Spooky shit. Some goalies would like to have that one back, but you can't control fate and you can't fault a goaltender when there's nothing any mortal could possibly do. It works the same way for returning players in their first trip back to the ACC - did you see Tucker's goal against the Leafs last Tuesday? After he scores, he tilts his head back and looks up at the ACC ceiling with reverent appreciation. Tucker knows the score...

This is pretty serious, folks. I don't want to downplay this at all. The Leafs have an infinite amount of bad luck. It truly is a Curse. It's magical - Black Magic of the evilest kind - and it's more powerful then the... what? Watch another video? Seems highly unusual, but I suppose...

What the heck was that? Was that Ian White saving a goal? But the shooter was Colorado's Matt Duchene, another Ontario-born rookie playing his first game in Toronto, and that would have been his first NHL goal! And Ian White stopped it...!

Oh. My. God.

It's the 'stache! That freakin' mustache has the power to defy destiny! White didn't even have a grip on an NHL career until that 'stache came along. What wonders! It's a miracle. A MIRACLE, I tell you. Hey, wait a minute - what happens immediately after the Del Zotto goal? Oh... my... Less then 30 seconds later, Ian White scores a goal, the only Leaf goal of the game. Well, I don't need any further proof. I know the answer. I believe in the Mustachulence!

Good Golly! That hockey puck threw itself at Ian White's face after he scored that goal! Behold, the power of The Curse, and yet, behold, the power of the 'stache is greater! White went down but he got back up. The Curse went for a knock-out blow against its greatest challenger but the 'stache wouldn't stay down.

Again, I don't want to understate the importance of these cosmic events. This is an epic battle being waged to regain spiritual control of Leaf Nation's karma and fortune. I suggest that EVERYONE should start growing a mustache today - even the women and children. If you can't grow at least a half-decent mustache by Saturday night, then wear a fake one. We need everybody on the same page and pulling together in the same direction. Together, we can break this awful Curse - with mustaches!

Defeat The Curse.Grow Your 'Stache.

How To Get To Tomorrow Before Today Becomes Yesterday

2009-10-14T16:00:00.009-04:00

Is it already too late to save the season?

JoeyMac had something interesting to say last night:

"We had a lot of young guys last year just coming into the league, trying to prove themselves every single night," MacDonald said before the game. "So they were working hard. Here, I think we're working, but we're working at times, and not a full 60 minutes."

If I'm reading this right, MacDonald is suggesting that last year's Islanders worked harder then this year's version of the Leafs. The difference, according to the third-string journeyman goaltender, is youth. The young guys. Players that want to "prove themselves, every single night."

One wonders how much Jason Blake feels he has left to prove to anyone. He proved it all 3 years ago when he scored 40 goals. He proved it again last year when he bounced back and had a terrific season. He's at the end of an 11-year career. He knows what he's done and what he can do, 'cause he did it. Four million dollars, please. What's there left to prove?

Dominic Moore was an excellent pick-up who spent the entire season last year trying to prove his worth. He didn't get the big paycheque that he was looking for but he did try to earn it. He set his sights high, above the expectations of others, and he worked hard to prove them wrong. Moore possessed a defiant, competitive desire to succeed that made him, Jason Blake, and the whole Leafs' team, better.

But Blake's not the only Forward whose energy and competitive fire is missing its spark. Mayers, Mitchell, Stajan, and Hagman all seem less interested in (or incapable of) establishing their roles on the team, nevermind dominance on the ice.

(I'm hesitant to include Stempniak in this group. I think he does have something to prove and is playing that way. Success is yet to come, but the effort is there. It could be that he's just not that good, but he is trying to show that he belongs.)

Darcy Tucker, bless his bat-shit crazy soul, is off to a great start this seaon and looks re-energized and ready to compete again. Tucker helped the Avalanche defeat the Leafs last night with a goal and an assist, moving his team to the top of the Western Conference standings. In 6 games, Tucker has 5 points (3G, 2A), 11 penalty minutes, and 12 shots on goal. So why does Tucker look younger, and not older, then he did the last 2 seasons?

"I’ve got two guys (Matt Duchene and Ryan O’Reilly, both 18) who sit beside me on the road all the time and in the dressing room. They have a lot of questions and things I have to answer. That’s helped me out. They play with some good spunk and it’s actually elevated my game a little bit.”

Stalberg has already shown us that he belongs on the team. In fact, he sometimes looks like the Leafs' best player. Now he wants to see how he measures up to the rest of the NHL. You can feel it every time he touches the puck, he's trying to make something happen, testing himself against his opponents, and trying to be better then they are.

Bozak also looks like he's ready to show us what he can do. Hanson and Tlusty, maybe even Gunnarson, and how about one last shot for Frogren? We need to get as many of these fresh faces into the line-up as possible. We need to replace the fear of growing old with optimism and dreams.

The future is now. Every game and every shift should be a demonstration of who wants to be on the ice for the next game, the next shift.

Thanks to MacDonald for his honest appraisal, and best of luck to a rejuvenated Darcy Tucker.

*UPDATE * 10/16 11:00am

Darcy Tucker continues to praise the injection of youth into the lineup. From the Gazette:

“Our young guys not only bring a really good skill level, but an energy about them. We have to pull them off the ice half the time. It’s infectious.”

What The Heck Is Wrong With Francois Beauchemin?

2009-10-09T21:45:00.005-04:00

Maybe not everyone has noticed, but there's a new poll down below. I'm trying to find out who Leaf fans think should be the next Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs. So far, there's been only 14 votes, which tells me that there's a certain amount of apathy out there towards this decision, and maybe I should've had "no Captain" as an option. But Wilson seems poised to make a decision and since I've already made mine, I thought I would consult the fan base - which, as far as I can tell, consists of me, you, eyebleaf, and maybe a dozen other people.

So far, one thing I've learned from this poll is that no one seems to like Francois Beauchemin. At least, no one has voted for him to be the Captain yet. Right now it's a dead-heat with all 14 votes split evenly between Kaberle, Komisarek, and Schenn. So, what do we do if there's a tie? Is there overtime? I honestly don't know. I thought OLAS might be the darkhorse on the outside since he isn't one of the 3 players Wilson chose to wear the "A". Maybe he should have been. Beauchemin seems to have already dropped out of the race.

"Beauchemin is the new Larry Murphy."
-Karina, on PensionPlanPuppets

I really thought we decided it was Toskala. Okay, maybe this "Larry Murphy" is in the context of an over-paid, useless defenceman, but really the analogy that works best with that meaning would be who's your Bryan McCabe now? Larry Murphy was ridiculed, yes, but he was also booed mercilessly as a central target for fan frustration when the team was awful and poorly managed. I'm not sure Beauchemin has earned that level of collective scorn yet. Again, I think it's Toskala who's assumed the weight of the team's fortunes on his shoulders, representing both our over-optimism and impatience for success, and when the revolution turns ugly he'll likely be the first one up against the wall.

So why no support for Francois? Being a team-low in plus/minus doesn't sell too many Beauchemin jerseys I guess. On the other hand, he and Kaberle are far-and-away the team's leaders in ice-time. Beauchemin's even-strength ice-time is equal to Komisarek's, but he's so far getting more time on the powerplay. He's third on the team in shots on goal, leading all defenceman in that category, and though he hasn't found the back of the net yet, he did come close to tying the game Tuesday against Ottawa when he rattled one off the posts in the 3rd. He also picked up an assist in that 3rd period, his second of the year. While the chemistry with Schenn isn't there just yet, the effort is.

Maybe Leaf fans were expecting more form Beauchemin. I think a lot of heavy expectations have been placed on this team from fans starved for success. From Toskala, to Beauchemin, to Schenn, to Grabovski - there's not a lot of room for failure and disappointment. I've already heard grumblings about Grabovski's play in the first 3 games, yet Grabbo is tied for the team lead in plus/minus and points. I'm sure that if he, along with Stajan, Poni, and Kaberle, kept up the point-a-game pace they're on out of the gate, and all 4 of them finished with 82-point seasons, we'd be pretty happy overall with their efforts. But expectations are for wins, and the Leafs don't have any, and frustration falls on those who were expected to deliver them to us.

Just so we don't get ahead of ourselves, let's look at what type of a player Beauchemin is. His best season was 4 years ago, 2005-6, his second year in the league (61GP, 34Pts). The following year was also a success as he helped his team win the Stanley Cup. Last season, Beauchemin missed 62 games with a torn ACL in his left knee, but returned to the Ducks in the post season, appearing in 13 playoff games. In 20 regular season games plus those 13 playoff games, Beauchemin had 5 goals and 1 assist. Yes, you read that right - 33 games, 1 assist. So far this season he already has 2 assists. So in 3 games he's doubled the number of assists he achieved last year in 33 games. That's like an eleven-hundred percent improvement, statistically. And still he's not measuring up to our expectations.

C'est la vie, Francois. Welcome to Toronto.

So, seriously, is there anybody out there who thinks Beauchemin should be Captain? Vote!

Battle of Ontario Blow-By-Blow, 2009-2010: Episode I

2009-10-07T02:22:00.003-04:00

Welcome Leaf fans! The BoOBbB is back in business! Last season I did a series of posts recapping every critical moment (well, most of them) of every game (except one) of the Leafs-Sens season-series. For this game, however, something different - I'm actually at the game! Sec 324 Row 10 Seat 17. Greens in the corner. Not the best seats in the house, but I have a good view of the action and I'm pretty excited. The Leafs-Sens rivalry doesn't have nearly the same importance or intensity as it once did, but the Leafs are still looking for their first win of the year and they've already lost once at home to a division rival, so this should be a good one.

Questions in my mind 6 minutes before puck drop:

*Poni has a goal in each of the first two games. Can he keep the streak going and find the back of the net again to make it 3 in a row?

*Kulemin is in for his first game. How will he do?

*Blake hasn't done much yet (no goals, 1 assist). Will he break out tonight?

*And the big question - who will get the start? Buzz is that it's Gustavsson.

Two minutes to go. Refs are on the ice. Building starting to fill up nicely.

The MONSTER! is out of the tunnel first, leading the Leafs onto the ice! Whoohooo!!1

"Monster" chant in the upper bowl.

Gary Roberts tribute. Seems very fitting for a pre-game ceremony between these two teams. Last time I was here at the ACC I saw Sir Gary. All the players (including the Senators) are watching the video highlights of Roberts destroying the Sens in the playoffs, except Gustavsson who's skating around in big circles in the corners.

Roberts drops the ceremonial opening face-off between Stajan and Alfie.

First Period

20:00 Stajan, Blake, and Stalberg up front. Kaberle Beauchemin on defence.

19:20 Sweet moves by Kaberle leads to the first chance. Good first shift.

18:20 Poni, Grabbo, Hagman together. Sens can't get anything going.

17:45 The Monster makes his first stop. A wrist shot into the chest from a bad angle for an easy save.

17:30 A point shot gets through and the Monster is there for another save.

16:47 Coincidental minors for roughing. Seems like the ref is setting the bar a bit low. Nothing happened there at all, but Orr and Ruutu will go to the box.

16:30 Blake and Fisher come together hard and both go down.

15:40 Grabbo, around the net - off the post.

14:30 Leafs control the puck but can't create a rush or get over their side of centre.

14:10 Mitchell with a good chance. Good save Leclaire.

13:20 Komisarek shot blocked at the point, leads to a rush the other way for the Sens. Scoring chance, rebound, good save Monster.

13:04 Chris Kelly gets called for interference. Leafs go on the first powerplay of the game.

12:15 Nuthin' doin' with the man-advantage so far.

11:30 Point shot by White doesn't get through. That was the best scoring chance of the powerplay. Blah.

10:45 Good hit by Kulemin behind the Leaf net.

9:30 Stajan breaks in on the left side. Shot saved, deflects into the crowd.

9:00 Leafs continue to control the puck well, but the shots are even, 6-6.

8:20 Poni, in front, has the puck, can't figure out which way he's going, loses the puck into the corner.

7:15 The Leafs get away with a sloppy line change, and then more sloppy play for about a minute.

6:30 Exelby gets away with a hit-from-behind.

6:00 Orr with a partial breakaway, gets a shot on goal. Not sure that's what he was out there to do that shift.

5:40 Blake gets levelled deep in the Leafs' zone and then Stalberg gets clipped at the line.

4:55 Good save, Monster, on a hard slap shot. No rebound. He looks solid.

3:00 Blake-Schenn give-and-go creates a good chance.

1:55 Stalberg gets crunched at the Sens blueline.

:30 Poni gets a chance off a nuetral zone turnover. Shot goes high, out of play.

:10 Hagman shot nearly finds a way to the net. Period ends. 0-0.

Intermission thoughts: I thought the Monster looked good. Kaberle carried the puck well in that period. Shots are 8-8.

Second Period

20:00 Mitchell replaces Stalberg on the top unit.

19:25 Poni, with a chance at the side of the goal, is stopped.

18:10 Kaberle's shot is deflected, misses just wide.

17:50 Hagman at the side of the goal with the puck, can't finish.

17:25 Good chance for Kulemin in the slot, Leclaire with the save.

16:10 Orr breaks his stick on a hit by the bench, retrieves new one, stays on the ice with Stajan and Mitchell.

15:20 Blake with Poni and Grabbo. Wilson mixing things up.

14:10 Blake gets hit at the Sens' blue line after a long shift, looks hurt.

13:35 Stempniak pushed off the puck coming into the Sens' zone.

13:15 Goal. Ottawa scores an ugly, ugly. God, that goal was brutal. Leafs defence looked terrible as the Sens were allowed several attempt to bang a loose puck out of scramble and into the net. No one knocked anybody down and no one fell on the puck. Defenders are allowed to use their sticks, feet, and even hands to clear away pucks, and are given considerable leniency for physical play in front of the net - these types of goals just shouldn't happen in the NHL. Angry.

Play is under review. Ian White was indicating that it was knocked into the net with a glove.

Boo! Call stands. Terrible goal for the Leaf defenders. Donovan gets the credit, from Ruutu and Kelly.

12:38 Penalty shot for the Sens! Brutal call. I thought Schenn did a great job defending on what was only a partial breakaway. The Senators player is hurt on the play, I think it was Michalek.

They just showed the replay. There's no way that's a penalty shot. Schenn is equal distance to the goal as the Senator, and uses his stick and body to push him off to the side. Oh no! Plus a high-sticking penalty? Wow. The refs are suddenly screwing the Leafs.

Alfie takes the penalty shot. Boo! Scores. Goal. Fuck. Brutal. 2-0, Senators.

12:10 Chance for Foligno.

10:45 Point shot from the Sens doesn't get through, puck cleared, Schenn's penalty ends. Sens have had 7 shots in a row. Shots are 15-10 for Ottawa.

10:15 Kulemin shot in the slot, saved. Looked like a good chance, but a weak shot.

9:45 Good save, Monster. Sens carrying the play for a shift.

9:10 Grabbo-Hagman work the puck down the ice well but don't get a shot.

8:00 Kulemin on the ice now with Stajan and Blake but can't get anything going.

7:40 A quick shot off the draw and the Monster makes a big save.

6:45 Sens attacking. Point shot nearly gets through, goes wide. Rosehill talking to Neil at the face-off.

6:00 Rosehill throws a hit in the Ottawa zone.

5:25 Schenn with a nice hit.

5:20 Stempniak hitting.

5:00 minutes left in the 2nd. Leafs' offence really needs to get going.

4:30 White throws a clean hit.

4:15 Great chance for Hagman on a one-timer, stopped by Leclaire.

3:50 Nice tip attempt by Mitchell just misses.

2:55 Good Leaf pressure but then Mitchell almost gives the puck away to Spezza.

1:44 Grabbo steals the puck in the slot, gets a shot off Leclaire's shoulder.

:30 Sens control the play for about a minute, ending in a shot from the point that's stopped by the Monster with no rebound. Schenn and Beauchemin look like they still haven't got things figured out.

Intermission thoughts: The penalty-shot call was crap. I was expecting Gustavssn to stop it though. Very deflating when he didn't. Mitchell seems to be getting a lot of ice-time again. Leafs were horribly outshot in that period, 13-5.

Third Period

19:35 Poni takes a hit at the Leafs' blue line, still clears the zone.

16:20 Not much happening. I think Stalberg is hurt. Didn't see him at all in the 2nd and he's not on the bench. Could be bad news. (I've highlighted in bold two hits Stalberg took in the last 5 minutes of the 1st)

15:17 Poni battles to take the puck to the net and draws a holding penalty. Picard goes to the box.

14:55 Good point shot by Beauchemin. Rebound is loose for a moment and then smothered.

14:24 GOAL!!! Powerplay goal for Matt Stajan, finishing off a nice tic-tac-toe play to finally get the Leafs on the board. Beauchemin-Kaberle with the assists.

13:20 Neil nailed at centre-ice. Crowd back in the game.

12:15 Big hit by Beauchemin.

10:55 White takes out his man. Good defence.

10:35 Beauchemin hits the post! Point shot nearly ties the game.

9:30 Nice moves by White in the neutral zone to start a rush. Leafs are looking better, more dangerous.

8:30 Stempniak out with Grabbo and Poni. The Senators come close on a chance at the side of the goal.

8:20 Monster with another good save.

7:55 Stajan takes a bump in the defensive zone.

5:50 Stempniak trying to carry the puck through the nuetral zone with one hand. Leafs can't get anywhere.

4:20 Blake loses his wheels in the offensive zone.

3:50 Good shot by Ian White from the point is stopped by Leclaire.

3:00 Shot by Beauchemin misses wide. Grabb can't jam the wraparound.

2:25 Good save by the Monster on a high, hard shot.

1:40 White's point shot goes through everyboy, misses wide.

1:00 Garbage.

:50 Gustavsson to the bench.

:10 Leafs can't build a rush. Mild scramble near the crease area but no one can find the handle.

:05 Roughing penalties. Mitchell and Foligno. Leafs call a time-out.

:00 Leafs actually win the draw to get an excellent chance, but Kaberle misses. Game over. Leafs lose. Disapointment abounds. Final score Senators 2, Leafs 1.

The city really wants this team to win so bad. This loss is hard to swallow. Ottawa is not an especially good team, and Gustavsson played a very solid game, yet still the Leafs lost. Good luck on Saturday against the Penguins with the Vesa back in goal. The Leafs got a little screwed again by the refs, but that's small potatoes 'cause they didn't outplay the Senators nearly enough to deserve the win. There's a difinite lack of fire power here, but also emotion.

Shots were 14-7 in favour of the Leafs in the final frame, 28-27 for Ottawa overall. Not one fight.

The Third Star

Tomas Kaberle carried the puck well all night and had an assist on Stajan's goal. It's was a hard choice 'cause not many Leafs really stood out or had a great game.

The Second Star

Nikolai Kulemin had a few chances, but was also the only forward who threw body checks in all three zones on the ice

The First Star

Jonas Gustavsson. The Monster looked solid. He seems to have excellent poise to go along with his size, always looking relaxed and comfortable and big in the net. The Leafs as a group need to be better in front of their goaltenders. And they need to be the aggressors and to play with emotion.

Hopefully the Leafs will be a much-improve hockey team when these two "rivals" square off again.

Sex With Numbers

2009-10-05T01:01:00.006-04:00

Hard to do a statistical analysis after just a couple games, and frankly it's probably a bit pointless, but I went ahead and did it anyhow 'cause I like numbers and I like looking at them and I like the way they make me laugh sometimes. Sadly, most of the Leafs' numbers so far will make you cry.

Stajan and Poni need to shoot more. It's great that they both have 2 goals each already, and their shooting percentages are a sparkling 50%, but that means that they've each only taken 4 shots a piece total in the first 2 games. Not enough. Not when they should be leading the offence as they did last year. Both "top-six" forwards shouldn't have 7 players (Hagman, Beauchemin, Stempniak, Blake, Grabovski, Primeau, Stalberg) ahead of them in shots after 2 games.

Hagman has been our most complete player after 2 games. 1 goal, 1 assist, for 2 points, a plus 2, and leads the team with 10 shots on goal.

People complain that plus/minus is a meaningless stat, but I find it sometimes helps you see things that you wouldn't have noticed otherwise. Grabovski, Ponikarovsky, and White are all an eyebrow-raising plus 3 after the first 2 losses.

Beauchemin is a team-worst minus 4. Offensively though, he's second in shots-on-goal, with 8 from the blue line after just 2 games.

John Mitchell leads all forwards in ice time (19:33/g).

Luke Schenn leads the team in Hits, with 8. Right behind him is Komisarek with 7. Jeff Finger, who threw 5 in one game against the Caps, is third. I say we keep Finger in for now if he's gonna play like that. In the opener against Montreal, Exelby is credited with just 1 Hit.

Mike Komisarek is on pace for 697 PIMs this season, which would catapult him all the way up to 22nd on the Leafs' all-time list of penalty minute leaders.

Jonas Gustavsson earned his first-ever NHL loss on Saturday because the Leafs scored more then 2 goals but less then 7. The NHL credits the goalie who gave up the game-winning goal (Washington's 5th) as the loser, so despite the fact that the Leafs actually outscored the Caps 4-3 while he was in the net, the Monster earns his first loss of the season and his career. Nice one, Vesa. Meanwhile, Toskala is still sporting a nifty-looking .500 record at 0-0-1.

Ray Emery is 2-0-0 with a GAA of 1.00 and a .963 SV%.

Bozak, Hanson, and Tlusty all went pointless in their first game with the Marlies. It's not all bad news though - Joey MacDonald is now 1-0-0 with a 1.85 GAA and a .941 SV%.

So, if you're wondering about the title of this post - well, are you feeling screwed yet?

Friday Night Ramble

2009-10-03T04:20:00.009-04:00

A new hockey season is here! Spirit is Everything again, except even more this time, with less losing, hopefully. A very warm welcome to any new readers here in the General Area. I'm going to try and spin out posts with a little more consistency again, but I usually get a little depressed in January/February, so we'll see how it goes.

First of all, let's kick things off with a little house-cleaning: I have a few announcements.

Francois Beauchemin won the poll for "favourite new Leaf" in a tight race over Kadri and Gustavsson. Bozak and Stalberg, for some reason, were left off the list, so we'll never know how that would have effected the voting. Congratulations Francois, I'd say you deserved it. Judging only what I saw in the pre-season, it looks like Beauchemin is a very solid defender.

The other poll I conducted recently was your favourite goaltending tandem. The winners were Potvin and Rhodes, with Vesa and Gustavsson close behind. Thanks to everyone for voting. I was gonna do a "Larry Murphy" poll, but ended up doing the goaltending one instead. I think it's safe to say that, with a late surge, the Vesa would have won the "Larry Murphy" trophy by a landslide.

Last announcement before I begin rambling: There's a new poll up. Wilson has announced his 3 Alternate Captains for the season (or, the time being) and (gasp!) none of them are Luke Schenn. Even more puzzling is the fact that he suggested the issue would be revisited again in a month, with a full-time Captain possibly being named in November (when it really matters! Oh wow, The Berger Prophecy is true?!). So - who do you think should be Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs? One of Wilson's chosen Alternates; Kaberle, Beauchemin, Komisarek, or my (our) choice, Luke Schenn. If we don't decide, Ron Wilson will do it for us. You have 30 days. Go.

Okay, enough with the formal pleasantries, let's get ready to RAMBLE!

MON 4(OT), TOR 3

Disappointing result, but Montreal loses Markov for four months, so there's a big picture here. The Leafs controlled the play well, but couldn't finish and seemed to lack the killer instinct needed to put it away. They worked hard for that 3-2 lead and then let it slip through their grasp. Do I sound like I'm talking about a Paul Maurice coached-team? Shudder. C'mon Wilson, Hanta Yo, Baby.

MATT STAJAN

...is on pace for 162 goals. Awesome. That joke is going to be hilarious for about another 15 hours. Unfortunately, Matty didn't register an assist on opening night so I don't see how he's going to repeat his 40-assist performance this year when he's currently on pace for zero. In all seriousness, Stajan played a great game and was maybe the best Leaf on the ice. His first goal was a beautiful deflection off an equally beautiful feed from Tomas Kaberle on the powerplay. His second goal, also on the powerplay, came from going hard to the net and cashing in a loose puck off a Jason Blake stuff-in attempt.

.852

The Vesa's save percentage is off to a rocky start. Do you think it'll go up or down after they play Washington and OV? Not that he was to blame for Thursday's loss, uh... entirely, but he didn't exactly impress too much either. Some good saves, but no biggies, and ultimately, one less then we needed. Still, we did get a point, which keeps Toskala's bizarre individual streak of not having lost an NHL game in regulation alive and up to 14 games. His last recorded defeat in regulation goes all the way back to a 2-0 loss to Carolina on January the 19th. His record over those 14 games is 4 wins, 1 OT win, 2 Shoot-out wins, 4 OT losses, 2 Shoot-out losses, and one no-decision.

Penalties

The Zebras were not our friends on Thursday night, but in Toronto they never are and they're never going to be. We have to make our own rules. If Komisaerk has to spend 15 minutes in the box to get the point across, so be it. The main thing is to get the penalty-killing to the next level. If opponents know they will be punished for crossing the line, and realize that taking the punishment for the sake of a powerplay is mostly pointless, the payoff will be well worth it by December.

I Could Go On...

...and I guess I will. Primeau (4:22, -1) was on the ice too much doing too little, and Orr (1:28, 5PIM) wasn't on the ice enough...

...the Leafs had 46 shots but most of them were soft...

Are you playing SPG? I had Poni in the 1st period for the goal. I'm gonna be ultra-competitive about it this year 'cause I heard the winner gets Chemmy's job. Don't blame me if that isn't true...

There's a lot of really good new blogs out there. I've tried to keep up and added quite a few to the sidebar. The Blogs of Distinction will probably stay the way it is for awhile, but the Web of Distraction continues to grow and grow and there's a lot of really good material worth exploring. If you think you should be in there and for some reason I've missed you, drop me a link in the comments...

Also, THE TRUTHULENCE is fun and doing pretty well, so I think I'll keep that up. I'm hoping by the end of the year it'll make an awesome coffee table book. I've added all the blogs to the blog roll over there, and as you'll see if you check it out, the Barilkosphere has gotten HUGE. Congrats to everyone, keep 'er goin', and best of luck this season.

Don't forget to vote in the poll. Thanks for dropping by.
Go!Leafs!!Go!!1

The Vesa Strikes Back!

2009-09-27T16:20:00.003-04:00

First off, if you haven't seen it yet, it's absolutely mandatory that you view the video below and introduce yourself to what the Monster can do:

Amazing. Unbelievable. Everything you dared to dream. The Monster is for real. A good assessment of his talents is found here:

"When I look at the leg extension involved in that save from the overhead camera it’s not the distance his right leg covers that’s amazing, but the angle at which it travels from his body to the post. Look at it and pause it. It’s insanity. He cuts off angles like I’ve really never seen before…his style is unique for sure. Sick."
-TheAvalancheGuild

But this post isn't about Jonas Gustavsson, as I'm sure many, if not most, of the others will be. Instead, I feel compelled to add some balance, particularly in regards to good ol' Mr. Dogshit, my dear friend, the Vesa.

I was as hard as anybody last season on Toskala. I wrote post after post after post demoralizing the Leafs' starting goaltender. And then I wrote another, and then another on top of that. And yet oddly, despite an uninspiring preseason, I find myself cheering for the Vesa again, and even , dare I say it, believing in him.

I'm not crazy. I do remember that Toskala did suck. I do remember his habit for soft goals and his terrible tendency to let them in off the first shot of the game. But did you know that in the Vesa's last 15 starts before surgery, the Leafs lost only twice in regulation? One of those losses was actually credited to Joseph who replaced Toskala and surrendered the winning goal, while the other was a game in which the Leafs were shutout 2-0 and Toskala made 32 saves.

7 wins. 2 losses. 6 overtime losses. 20 points of a possible 30. A 666. winning percentage and a .907 save percentage over that time.

He was on a roll and getting better. Toskala's last 5 games before surgery were his best performances of the year. All five went to overtime or a shoot-out:

Feb. 21, 2009. The Sundin game. A 3-2 shoot-out win for Vancouver. 35 saves for Toskala.

Feb. 22 and 25, 2009. Back to back coach-killing victories over the NY Rangers, one in overtime, one in shoot-out. 39 saves and 31 saves.

Feb. 26, 2009. A 5-4 shoot-out victory over the NY Islanders. 40 saves.

Mar. 3, 2009. A 3-2 overtime loss to New Jersey. 49 saves.

3-0-2. Eight of ten possible points. A .941 save percentage.

.941

Despite a season with numbers no better then that horrible Raycrap, there's no comparison between the two goalies. For one thing:

He's maybe not up there with Todd Gill in terms of heart, and he's nowhere near Wendel Clark, but the Vesa kinda resembles Ian White in soul and spirit, and we saw the way he turned himself around with the right mentors and teammates.

It's actually a really good scenario right now. Either Gustavsson pushes Toskala to be a better goalie, or he just takes the starting role on his own merit. One thing is for certain: the Leafs' starting goaltender will be better then he was last season. Which reminds me - let's go back to one of those old posts and see what MF37 had to say at the time:

"Perhaps the best case scenario for the Leafs and Toskala is hanging on to him to platoon with Pogge, lessening his workload and hopefully repairing his game."

Mm-hmm. The Bitter Leaf Fan is a smart guy, obviously. Well, what did I say?

"...let him share the duties with Pogge until next year's deadline. With another year off his contract he might seem more attractive to other NHL teams, and with a decreased workload, it's not unfathomable that he might rebound and have a stellar year."

Uh-huh.

...

Who the fuck is Pogge?!

**UPDATE**

Okay, so the Vesa just gave up 7 goals tonight on 24 shots and the Leafs end up losing their last preseason game to Buffalo, 7-6. A brutal performance. Quite horrifying, really. Toskala's preseason save percentage is so depressing I can't be bothered looking it up. It's might be under .700. Doesn't matter what it is, he doesn't appear ready.

Does it change the way I feel? Not too much, but it has accelerated my interest. Toskala's time is up. If he starts on Thursday in the opener against Montreal (and I think he will), he has to perform right away. The pressure from the fans is on his shoulders like never before and tolerance for Raycrapian-style nights, like the one we just witnessed, will be non-existent.

So, it doesn't look good for the Vesa, but I'm still cheering for him anyways. I can't help it, I love rooting for the underdog, especially when they have their back up against the wall. It's a huge part of what makes me a devout Leafs fan, and right now, Toskala is the biggest underdog of all.

He's also winning the Larry Murphy race.

The Top Twelve Toronto Maple Leafs Goaltending Tandems Since 1970

2009-09-22T00:12:00.023-04:00

Special thanks for this post goes out to Vintage Leafs and Goalie Cards for providing most of the pictures below. The rest were found using Google Images.

#12. 1990-91 Peter Ing and Jeff Reese

22-42-11

Peter Ing 16-29-8 3.84
Jeff Reese 6-13-3 3.86

Okay, this tandem was pretty brutal and easy to forget about. The only pair that ranks lower in my mind is the awful combination of Raycroft and Tellqvist - who didn't make the list and come in dead last. Reese would eventually find a place for himself in Maple Leafs' lore by being included in the Gilmour-trade with Calgary. Peter Ing, meanwhile, disappeared into wikibscurity.

#11. 1982-83 Mike Palmateer and Michel Larocque
24-31-10

Mike Palmateer 21-23-7 3.99

Michel Larocque 3-8-11 4.89

These two make the list based on name-recognition and not their stats. Palmateer's comeback was less then sparkling, barely able to keep his goals-against under 4 through 51 decisions. "Bunny" Larocque, meanwhile, had a cool nickname and a cool helmet, but really wasn't a very good goaltender, able to win only 3 out of 22 decisions. Ouch. This pairing didn't last long as Larocque was traded to the Flyers for Rick St. Croix midway through the season.

#10. 1986-87 Ken Wregget and Allan Bester
32-42-6

Ken Wregget 22-28-3 3.97

Allan Bester 10-14-3 3.65

Despite their crummy statistics, this duo is often fondly remembered. The Leaf teams they played for were rock-bottom terrible and this tandem were often required to stand on their heads just to keep the games respectable. Both goalies, however, brought an attitude of "gamesmanship" to the ice, that sometimes produced stunning and spectacular saves at completely meaningless moments of games long out of reach. The stats above are actually from their best season together; the following year they would combine for an astonishing 20 wins and 47 losses.

#9. 1971-72 Bernie Parent and Jacques Plante

33-31-14

Bernie Parent 17-18-9 2.56

Jacques Plante 16-13-5 2.63

I'll be honest, I don't know much about this pair or this season. I recognize their names but I never saw them play in Leaf uniforms. Parent played one season as a back up and then one season as the Leafs' starting goaltender, with the 42-year old Plante as his back up. Parent would then jump to the newly formed WHA for a season before Toronto traded his rights back to the Flyers, where he made a name for himself as a premier goalie and immediately won 2 Stanley Cups. The Leafs had trouble in the early '70's finding a durable, dependable unit between the pipes, but for one year, this tandem turned in a combined winning record and kept their goals-against under 2.65.

#8. 1976-77 Mike Palmateer and Wayne Thomas
33-31-14
#7. 1975-76 Wayne Thomas and Gord McRae
34-29-14
#6. 1977-78 Mike Palmateer and Gord McRae
41-29-10

Mike Palmateer(77) 23-18-8 3.21

Wayne Thomas(77) 10-13-6 3.86

Wayne Thomas(76) 28-24-12 3.19

Gord McRae(76) 6-5-2 3.70

Mike Palmateer(78) 34-19-9 2.74

Gord McRae(78) 7-10-1 3.29

So, I'm cheating a little by doing the next 3 all in one paragraph. Positions 6, 7, and 8 on the list are the same 3 players in three different pair-sets over three consecutive years. In '76, Palmateer arrived on the scene with his infamous declaration that the Maple Leaf "hunt for a goaltender is over". His style was flashy and acrobatic and highly entertaining, making him instantly popular. He was young and talented and fun to watch. The previous year's starter, Wayne Thomas was demoted to back up. While Palmateers' numbers were indeed good, Thomas' dropped off significantly, the end result being that their combined numbers were no better then the combination of Thomas and McRae from the previous season. So, for the following year, McRae reclaimed his familiar role as back up, this time behind Palmateer. That final pairing seems to have been the best fit as the duo combined to top 40 wins in 77-78.

#5. 1992-93 Grant Fuhr and Felix Potvin

38-24-11

Grant Fuhr 25-15-7 2.50

Felix Potvin 13-9-4 3.14

The best duo we never knew we had. This is kind of a fantasy tandem 'cause they didn't really spend that much time together, but the Cat did get in there enough to prove himself and get comfortable, eventually giving Fletcher the confidence to deal Fuhr to Buffalo for the all-important Andreychuk. Even though Fuhr was traded mid-season, I included this pair because when you look at their combined numbers from this season, they're excellent, especially Fuhr's 2.50 goals-against.

#4. 2003-04 Eddie Belfour and Trevor Kidd

40-24-8

Eddie Belfour 34-19-6 2.13

Trevor Kidd 6-5-2 3.26

If this list was a personality competition, this combo would win hands down. I'm really surprised there weren't more fireworks when they were around, 'cause they seem like two really fun guys that know how to have a blast. Kidd and the Eagle worked well together for a couple of years, but I picked this season because both goalies have winning records combining for over 40 wins, and Belfour's goals-against is a staggering 2.13.

#3. 1999-2000 Curtis Joseph and Glenn Healy

45-30-7

Curtis Joseph 36-20-7 2.49

Glenn Healy 9-10-0 3.04

Hard to argue with the success of this pair. Healy was a capable back up to the superstar Cujo and their two personalities seemed to compliment each other very well. Indeed, Joseph's confidence and passion paired with Healy's maturity and poise produced a combined 45 wins, the highest total of any tandem on this list. It was a good fit for the Leafs, and for two players who took their roles seriously.

#2. 1993-94 Felix Potvin and Damien Rhodes

43-29-12

Felix Potvin 34-22-9 2.89

Damien Rhodes 9-7-3 2.62

My favourite Leaf goalie of all-time paired with my favourite back up goalie of all-time. The Cat was obviously amazing in his best years, and hugely popular, while Damien Rhodes was the quiet, capable, charming and unassuming back up who provided solid relief when called upon, the way you'd expect. Their combined record speaks for itself as both goaltenders produced winning records and goals-against under 3 while combining for over 40 wins. Finally, as far as I can recall, Rhodes is the only back up goalie who ever held a press conference and cried for the media after getting traded. Every kid in Toronto was dreaming of playing with Doug Gilmour and Felix Potvin, and I guess Damien Rhodes was no different.

#1. 2009-10 Vesa Toskala and Jonas Gustavsson

- - -

"What in the Bozak of Stajan is goin' on?! Have you lost your Stempniak?!" Maybe. Allow me to step out-to-lunch for a moment and PREDICT that this year's tandem is going to be the best we've seen in over three and a half decades. I must be a little loopy 'cause it makes me dizzy just thinking that. But before you go and decide to never read one of my posts ever again, let me spell out the criteria that they would need to achieve.

1) To get on the list at all, they only need to be better then Raycroft/Tellqvist and Ing/Reese.

2) Both goalies with goals-against under 3. I don't just think that's possible, I think it's a reasonable expectation for what might be a low-scoring, tight-checking team.

3) Both goalies with winning percentages. Not going to be easy, but if the Leafs are going to make the playoffs, it'll have to happen. I think it can, and I think they can do it.

And 4) Combined wins over 40. Thanks to the league's system of having a win for every game on the schedule and zero ties, this is actually easier to accomplish with a little help in the shoot-out and overtime. If they can achieve the 2nd and 3rd conditions, 40 wins is a done deal.

So, it's not really an honest list so much as a projection. Still, can you believe how much work I did just to make the point that I think the Vesa and the Monster are going to make a great tandem and have a great season? No, me neither. It took like three days.

The Blood Of My Chief, Vol. V: Time In Between

2009-08-15T01:41:00.005-04:00

It was The Year Without Hope.

An entire season without a Captain. For one night, however, we welcomed back our former Chief, the Great Sundin, and although he dressed in our rivals' uniform, there was indeed a celebration worthy of this reunion. Despite some discontent from the riff-raff, his return received the most honourable of ovations, worthy of the noblest man.
At last, when the time came for Sundin to strike the fatal blow, delivering our points in the standings to our enemies in sacrificial martyrdom, he did so like a champion. The saga was over, once and for all, with Sundin leaving as the victor, the last goal ever scored while his skates were on the ACC ice - his.

Of the 5 Alternates that were named to share leadership at the beginning of the season, 3 have not survived. Antropov and Kubina have travelled very different paths to get to the same destination. The Rebel, Moore, went off in search of the horizon and was never heard from again. The two remaining Alternates were Mayers, a weathered journeyman who could fight proudly but was unable to carry the team, and Kaberle the Quiet, the longest serving tribesman; hugely popular, yet an uncomfortably valuable asset that promised new blood. Though he now seems destined to remain with the team, part of the mystique and magic that is Kaberle is his unassuming nature and passive precision. A terrific and subtle weapon, but not the next Captain.

Yet our tribes spirited effort to reclaim its proud identity did not go for long without a symbolic figurehead. A face that stood for a franchise, a player we longed to follow as a generation, began to emerge. No torch had been passed, and yet, a light was shining brightly, ever clearer, leading the way.Luke Schenn. The name is like a switch. It turns you on. Say it out loud and people will notice. It feels important, profound. You want more. You want it again.

As our second season without a Captain approaches, there is comfort and solace in the knowledge that a noble young warrior has come forward, with unanimous approval of the Nation, to assume the role of Saviour. Uniquely capable of crushing the will of his opponents, yet also of lifting the spirits of the cynical and inspiring the bitter to love again, there are only two words left to describe Luke Schenn:

Next Captain. The question is no longer who?, but when?

This post dedicated to the memory of Ted "Teeder" Kennedy, one of the Leafs' most important Captains, who passed away today at the age of 83. Captain from 1948 to 1955 and 1956-7, Kennedy won 5 Stanley Cups in 13 seasons, all with the Blue and White. There's some great photos here from Somny at Vintage Leafs, including one of Teeder about to fight Gordie Howe.

1925-2009

Nope, Not Gonna Be Him Either

2009-08-10T01:11:00.004-04:00

Do the Toronto Maple Leafs need a Captain? Are they ready for one? Do they have anyone that qualifies? This post is really a sequel to last summer's smash-hit, "Well, It's Not Gonna Be That Guy". Maybe it'll end up being a series. Running with the same theme, I'm not really looking for the right choice, but trying to present the best arguments for the worst choices you could make. An exercise in anxiety release. Not meant to be taken seriously.

Lee Stempniak should be named Captain of the Maple Leafs.

Great leaders are often responsible for deeds that go unseen or unrecognized. Many would suggest that there must be more to Lee "2 for 1" Stempniak then meets the eye. Not one to showboat or draw attention to himself (in any way, whatsoever), Stempniak quietly, rather, silently goes to work without flare or quarrel, or even a solid physical form. Putting a "C" on his sweater would help the fans recognize Lee's omnipresent contribution, and so would giving him a red and yellow helmet with a windwheel on top.

Matt Stajan should be named Captain of the Maple Leafs.
Stajan is from Mississauga, and damn'it, that's local enough. He had 40 assists last season, and double-damn'it, that's a lot. While maybe not a legitimate top-six or bottom-six player, Stajan is the prototypical middle-six forward. Meaning - he eats up a lot of quality ice-time in between the stuff that happens, allowing the game to flow without a whistle at a steady pace. Stajan is the team's media darling and Toronto's MSM writers would certainly react to "their choice" with euphoric elation and dangerous levels of intoxication and fornication, perhaps ending in tragedy, though no one would actually use that word.

Mike Van Ryn should be named Captain of the Maple Leafs.
This is just an opportunity to recycle my old Carlo jokes: Blood and guts effort; inevitable sacrifice; the whole team gets a turn at the rotating captaincy as Van Ryn inspires them to lift their spirits again and again, from the surgery ward recovery room.

Rickard Wallin should be named Captain of the Maple Leafs.
Rickard Wallin is a centre, and he's from Sweden. Not much more to it then that really. We should also let him wear number 13 - just to see what happens. Just to see what it feels like. Seems to possess remarkable decision-making capabilities.

Ian White should be named Captain of the Maple Leafs...
...for possessing facial hair truly worthy of a Captain. Really, we're giving the "C" to White's mustache, but it would look ridiculous dangling from his lip so we'll sew it on to his sweater. I personally really like the idea that when a contentious call is made, Wilson can send White over to the referee with the instructions, "Tell them to explain it to the mustache".

Vesa Toskala should be named Captain of the Maple Leafs.
Naming goaltenders the Captain is totally in vogue right now, and being in vogue is totally the Vesa. Hey, why not let the goaltender have completely all the pressure? He can handle it. The weight of the world is nothing compared to 21 hockey players on your back. Being on the ice for the entire game gives Toskala the unique ability to influence its outcome. When the team needs a big hit, or a sustained attack, Toskala will be there on the ice - usually 180 feet away from where it needs to happen... and unless, of course, it's the final minute and we actually need a goal, in which case he'll be headed to the bench, to lead the team from there. Hmmm... maybe this one needs to be thought out a little better. People in Vancouver must be high as kites 'cause I'm really stoned and I still can't imagine how a goalie can be Captain.

Make Way For The Viking

2009-08-05T21:29:00.014-04:00

I'd like to introduce you to Jonas Frogren.

Around here we call him the "Viking". In Sweden, they call him the "Fridge". By sheer coincidence, y'know, my fridge is a Viking.

He's one of my favorite Leafs, yet he's currently buried on the Leafs' depth chart under 8 NHL defenceman that all have greater experience and qualifications. I want to keep cheering for Frogren in the Blue and White, but I don't see how he's going to find a spot in this line-up.

In fact, I don't even see his name listed on the Leafs' roster at the moment, nor is he listed "In The System". His name does appear though on the Marlies' roster on their official site. It could be that Frogren isn't really in the Leafs' plans this year and is destined to serve out the rest of his contract in the minors. I hope that's not true. I hope there's a way to keep him around and find him a spot as the Leafs' 7th or 8th defenceman.Frogren is fearless when it comes to blocking shots (41 in limited ice-time) and he also hits hard, and often too. 74 hits in 41 games - only Schenn and Finger throw bodychecks from the blue line with greater frequency. While he doesn't fight much, Jonas can and will put little pukes like Jarkko Ruutu on their back with authority.Burke said recently that if the Leafs are going to be a playoff team, then they'll need eight defenceman. Assuming Kaberle (10 days...), Schenn, Komisarek, and Beauchemin are safe, that leaves White, Finger, Exelby, and Van Ryn. Frogren could be number 9, but don't forget Oreskovic who also deserves a chance. Unless Burke can swing a deal for one of these defenders, or until Van Ryn's inevitable bone-a'splosion, there just isn't room onboard for the Viking.

Here's a suggestion for Wilson that would have the side benefit of helping Jonas stay on the team: Let's move Ian White up to forward. The Leafs lost 2 solid players up front at the trade-deadline last year and have only replaced Antro and Moore thus far with Orr and Primeau. That still leaves a huge offensive hole that hasn't been filled. Hanson, Wallin, and Bozak have promise but are unproven. White's got the right skills to be a tenacious forechecker and dangerous weapon - a stylish combination of grit and grace, or as Chemmy declared it, "moustachulence". He's shown he can put the puck in the net at the right time, like he did November 2nd, 2008, the first goal of the game in the 1st period of the first game he played all year, the Leafs' second game in November, and therefore one of the most important goals of the season. Moving White to forward would immediately improve the scoring depth up front while opening up a spot on the crowded blue line.

Frogren's contract ended up hurting the Leafs and his contribution was minor and interrupted by injury. Maybe he doesn't deserve to be on the Leafs or even in the NHL, but here's why I want him on my team: He sets the bottom line. No defender is allowed to be worse then he is. At the same time, and much like Todd Gill - He. Tries. So. Hard. With every shift, he's trying to prove he belongs here. That kind of effort and sacrifice from the bottom up enforces accountability throughout the lineup.

Also, he seems to be something of a motorcycle enthusiast. I'm not sure why that's cool, but it is.

Here's a clip from one of Frogren's best games, scoring his first NHL goal and laying a solid hit on Evgeni Malkin. Below that is a clip with a nice interview to help you get to know the Viking a little better.

I think keeping Frogren down on the minors would be a waste of a good asset, especially after the trouble gone through to acquire him, and a sad conclusion to a long journey.

"This is my adventure," roars the Viking. "I've got nothing to lose and to be playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs is just so cool."

Nice. I hope it continues, Jonas. Good luck in September.

Rowdy Grabbo And Cowboy Colt

2009-08-02T01:05:00.004-04:00

Just wanted to share something funny I noticed thanks to a comment by DGB at, where else, PensionPlanPuppets.

"When did Grabbo turn into Roddy Rowdy Piper?"

Well, if Grabbo is Rowdy Roddy Piper, then Colton Orr must be Cowboy Bob Orton.

The resemblance is striking and the roles are about the same.

"We're real men... We're the kind of people that come out to fight."

Should be a fun year with Rowdy Grabbo stirring things up like a hilariously popular super-villain now that he has a bodyguard in Cowboy Colton Orr to stand in his corner and watch his back. We may not win every match, but at least our rivals will hate us even more, and we will always, always, have the last laugh.