Just wanna say that the recent post by Mr.Bone on the Leafs/Rangers game was the best I have seen yet. I think this because I totally agreed with everything he said about Andrew Raycroft, the announcers, Woz, and Antropov. I think Antropov is finally turning into a fantastic player we all knew he had the potential to be, but never produced so everyone has hated him until this year.
Last month, at the end of November, the Leafs conquered a win over the Trashers, and I was saying how they would turn it around in December. Well, at first they really did turn it around and had their A game on and managed to come out with several wins with the help of Vesku's great goaltending.
Going in to 2008, the Leafs better step up their game if they hope to make the playoffs this year. It is coming up on mid season and the Leafs sit in a familiar last place in the division, and are 3rd last in the East, only 3 points ahead of 15th place.
It would be nice to see Toskala return to action as soon as possible, as Raycroft has once again proved he can not lead this team to even one win. Toskala has missed three games, and in those three games Raycroft let in four goals in each of the first two games, and in the third game he played just over 30 minutes, allowing 5 goals on 29 shots. To further rip into "Rayzor"*, over 11 starts in 13 total game appearances, he boasts a goals against average of 3.85 and a save percentage of .876. Ouuchh.
* - Speaking of razors, Raycoft, how about you shave that disgusting, greasy, pedophile moustache before Hulk Hogan becomes disgraced that he has hair on his upper lip, shaves it, and in turn looks like a darker, older version of his daughter Brooke.
Maurice has shaken up the lines BIG TIME for the next game, and the Leafs look like a new team (on paper). It is unclear whether Raycroft or Clemmensen will get the nod, but Toskala should be in on Saturday for sure. This is what the new line combinations look like.
Blake - Sundin - Steen
Ponikarovsky - Antropov - Devereaux
Tucker - Stajan - Bell
Kilger - Tucker - Belak
Kubina - Kaberle
Gill - White
Colaiacovo - Wozniewski
Anton Stralman was sick and did not make practice. Thank you TSN Ice Chips ;).
Try to stay happy for now Leafs Nation. MLSE wont let you down, even if it means making the playoffs in 8th place with a team full of Doug Weights, Curtis Josephs, and Keith Tkachuks. You know they wont settle for a good draft pick come July 1st.
Upcoming Game:
Tampa Bay @ Toronto. Tuesday, January 1st, 2008. 7:30 on TSN.
Good news for the Blue & White, Tampa Bay is in last place in the Eastern Conference and has a league worst road record at 3-13-1. They are also 2-8-0 in their last 10 games, and their 130 goals against is worst in the East.
A little brotherly bonding:
Right now I am visiting Mr. Bone for a few days. So it is cool being able to share thoughts on the Leafs games, and then afterwards post them.
Monday, December 31, 2007
Sunday, December 30, 2007
My Hockey Boner Is Almost Gone. I'm Becoming Hockey Impotent.
I've kinda decided not to do game recap posts until the team gets its head out of its ass. Call it a cop out if you wish, but I don't know what the merit is in going over the same problems that continue to sink the team. In my mind, its blatantly obvious that the current cast isn't capable of playing to the high level needed to do any real damage. Until that changes - that is, until the team makes changes - I'll keep posting about the ups and downs of the team with the knowledge that the Leafs are not capable of achieving anything more than making the playoffs.
With that in mind, here are my random game notes. Slightly different than you're used to - these are word-for-word reproductions of the notes I took while watching the game last night:
- Andy Wozniewski: you get back in the lineup and you respond by taking two bad penalties, one of which resulted in the Rangers' 3rd goal. Tell me this - why the fuck wouldn't Paul Maurice put Anton Stralman back in? You've shown nothing but minor league talent since you've been plucked from the minors.
- Another backup goalie. Another loss.
- I love the fire shown by Nik Antropov when he lost his cool on the bench. Love it. He missed a decent scoring chance - not a spectacular chance by any means - and let himself have it by breaking his stick in frustration soon after. This is more intensity than I've seen from Nik since he joined the Leafs. What this tells me is that Nik expects himself to perform to the level of the 'new' Antropov, and when he doesn't, he ain't happy. And I really, really fucking like that.
- I am fed up with play-by-play men using the "there was no chance for _____ (insert goalie name here) on that play" line when there clearly was a chance to save the puck. It's so overused it might as well be the "I'm not fat, I'm big boned" excuse. The goaltender has a chance on every single puck fired at him - the fact that the puck may have been tipped, or the shot screened, or the scoring chance phenomenal means not that the goalie had no chance - it means his chance to save it was lessened. Not fully taken away.
- Sort of related to the above point - why isn't Andrew Raycroft making himself big on shots that he cannot see? When a 'tender can't see a shot coming at him, the prevailing wisdom amongst goalies is that the best way to save the shot is to spread himself out and cover as much of the net as possible. It's called making yourself big. Raycroft doesn't do it. He goes into the same butterfly crouch that he does on every shot, and the result is generally pretty bad. Did he miss that day in goalie school?
- Another Saturday night humiliation in front of a national audience. This is great news for the change-is-needed-now trade front.
- Raycroft actually looked pretty good on the Rangers' series of 5-on-3's in the second period. But I don't want anyone to forget that he is the reason the team was so frustrated that they took so many penalties. Let's not feel sorry for him. I am so fucking sick of the look Raycroft gives when he lets in a goal - one of these "I can't believe that just went in" looks. Andy, you're just about the laziest goalie ever. If you're so surprised when every goal goes in, why the shit don't you just put a little more effort into the save?
- This is the first game I've ever seen Mats Sundin dog it. But goddam it, he half-assed it. At some point, he has to think to himself: what the fuck am I doing here? Why not let them trade me to a team that might actually win something before the Earth crashes into the sun.
- Kyle Wellwood is absolutely lost this season when not on the powerplay. He's not just lost - he's useless.
With that in mind, here are my random game notes. Slightly different than you're used to - these are word-for-word reproductions of the notes I took while watching the game last night:
- Andy Wozniewski: you get back in the lineup and you respond by taking two bad penalties, one of which resulted in the Rangers' 3rd goal. Tell me this - why the fuck wouldn't Paul Maurice put Anton Stralman back in? You've shown nothing but minor league talent since you've been plucked from the minors.
- Another backup goalie. Another loss.
- I love the fire shown by Nik Antropov when he lost his cool on the bench. Love it. He missed a decent scoring chance - not a spectacular chance by any means - and let himself have it by breaking his stick in frustration soon after. This is more intensity than I've seen from Nik since he joined the Leafs. What this tells me is that Nik expects himself to perform to the level of the 'new' Antropov, and when he doesn't, he ain't happy. And I really, really fucking like that.
- I am fed up with play-by-play men using the "there was no chance for _____ (insert goalie name here) on that play" line when there clearly was a chance to save the puck. It's so overused it might as well be the "I'm not fat, I'm big boned" excuse. The goaltender has a chance on every single puck fired at him - the fact that the puck may have been tipped, or the shot screened, or the scoring chance phenomenal means not that the goalie had no chance - it means his chance to save it was lessened. Not fully taken away.
- Sort of related to the above point - why isn't Andrew Raycroft making himself big on shots that he cannot see? When a 'tender can't see a shot coming at him, the prevailing wisdom amongst goalies is that the best way to save the shot is to spread himself out and cover as much of the net as possible. It's called making yourself big. Raycroft doesn't do it. He goes into the same butterfly crouch that he does on every shot, and the result is generally pretty bad. Did he miss that day in goalie school?
- Another Saturday night humiliation in front of a national audience. This is great news for the change-is-needed-now trade front.
- Raycroft actually looked pretty good on the Rangers' series of 5-on-3's in the second period. But I don't want anyone to forget that he is the reason the team was so frustrated that they took so many penalties. Let's not feel sorry for him. I am so fucking sick of the look Raycroft gives when he lets in a goal - one of these "I can't believe that just went in" looks. Andy, you're just about the laziest goalie ever. If you're so surprised when every goal goes in, why the shit don't you just put a little more effort into the save?
- This is the first game I've ever seen Mats Sundin dog it. But goddam it, he half-assed it. At some point, he has to think to himself: what the fuck am I doing here? Why not let them trade me to a team that might actually win something before the Earth crashes into the sun.
- Kyle Wellwood is absolutely lost this season when not on the powerplay. He's not just lost - he's useless.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Losing The Will To Live
Please excuse my lack of posting. I am stuck in holiday limbo - without the comforts of home at my parents' suburban hell.
A representation of how the Leafs have treated their fans thusfar this year. Look closely. We're the kid middle row left.
I won't do a post-game post today. The team is sliding again and the positives are few and far between. Philadelphia was on a 6-game losing streak before they beat up on the Leafs. The 7-game road trip that concluded against the Flyers - you know, the one that was supposed to make or break their season - ended a disappointing 2-3-2. That's 2-5 in any other league. And simply not good enough in any league, under any circumstances.
The Leafs are now last in their division, despite having played the most games. They're sitting 12th place in the playoff race. Their powerplay is 5th worst.
A few games ago, when Andrew Raycroft started in place of a mysteriously injured Vesa Toskala, I thought that something may have been cooking on the trade front, and that Raycroft was potentially being showcased to potential suitors. I realize it's a very far-fetched theory - Raycroft has almost zero worth on the trade front. For whatever it's worth, this possibility was echoed on Leafs Lunch on Friday afternoon.
If Raycroft's sudden #1 status is anything other than what is being reported (a groin injury to Vesa Toskala), the experiment has failed. Raycroft is again showing that his GAA will always be well above 3, and that his SV% will always be well below .900. If Raycroft had value before, he doesn't now.
On the flip side, there are several media men pondering whether Vesa Toskala's groin injury might be more serious than reported. Howard Berger said it best, via HockeyBuzz.com*:
"Vesa Toskala's groin-strain may be no more alarming than the Maple Leafs are letting on, but this is not a particularly good year to take what the hockey club says at face value. For whatever reason, the Leafs have grossly underplayed their injuries this season. Deliberately or otherwise, the club has been miles off the mark when projecting the return dates of its ailing warriors. From Kyle Wellwood's "minor" groin issue in training camp that required surgery, to Carlo Colaiacovo's "incidental" pain behind the knee that kept him out of the first 37 games, the story-line has been the same. That's why we must all consider, with a grain of salt, the Leafs' contention that Toskala's groin is getting stronger by the minute. Only the goaltender's recovery and performance off the injury will tell the tale."
The conspiracy theorist in me wonders whether Berger (and the others reporting such suspicions) have a little inside info that they are throwing out there so as to bolster their reputations when the actual news breaks.
Consider this: the people that are reporting the possibility of Toskala's injury are the ones closest to the team. They have infinite contacts within the organization. Who is to say that they haven't been given a small nugget of info, and told to keep it on the down low? Casually tossing the information out as if it's a personal theory is a good way to get the message out there without dicking around your source. These reporters are in line to look like prognosticating genii if Toskala's injury is indeed significant.
*Being away for the holidays, I am not on my home computer. After checking hockeybuzz.com (using Internet Explorer, the only browser installed on this machine) I am blown away by the amount of advertising on that site. See, at home I use FireFox; clearly a superior product over IE. FireFox blocks all ads on all sites, which means not only less annoying visual clutter, but faster page loads. If you're still using IE, I have to ask you: what kind of mileage do you get from your horse & buggy? Switch to FireFox. Now.
A representation of how the Leafs have treated their fans thusfar this year. Look closely. We're the kid middle row left.
I won't do a post-game post today. The team is sliding again and the positives are few and far between. Philadelphia was on a 6-game losing streak before they beat up on the Leafs. The 7-game road trip that concluded against the Flyers - you know, the one that was supposed to make or break their season - ended a disappointing 2-3-2. That's 2-5 in any other league. And simply not good enough in any league, under any circumstances.
The Leafs are now last in their division, despite having played the most games. They're sitting 12th place in the playoff race. Their powerplay is 5th worst.
A few games ago, when Andrew Raycroft started in place of a mysteriously injured Vesa Toskala, I thought that something may have been cooking on the trade front, and that Raycroft was potentially being showcased to potential suitors. I realize it's a very far-fetched theory - Raycroft has almost zero worth on the trade front. For whatever it's worth, this possibility was echoed on Leafs Lunch on Friday afternoon.
If Raycroft's sudden #1 status is anything other than what is being reported (a groin injury to Vesa Toskala), the experiment has failed. Raycroft is again showing that his GAA will always be well above 3, and that his SV% will always be well below .900. If Raycroft had value before, he doesn't now.
On the flip side, there are several media men pondering whether Vesa Toskala's groin injury might be more serious than reported. Howard Berger said it best, via HockeyBuzz.com*:
"Vesa Toskala's groin-strain may be no more alarming than the Maple Leafs are letting on, but this is not a particularly good year to take what the hockey club says at face value. For whatever reason, the Leafs have grossly underplayed their injuries this season. Deliberately or otherwise, the club has been miles off the mark when projecting the return dates of its ailing warriors. From Kyle Wellwood's "minor" groin issue in training camp that required surgery, to Carlo Colaiacovo's "incidental" pain behind the knee that kept him out of the first 37 games, the story-line has been the same. That's why we must all consider, with a grain of salt, the Leafs' contention that Toskala's groin is getting stronger by the minute. Only the goaltender's recovery and performance off the injury will tell the tale."
The conspiracy theorist in me wonders whether Berger (and the others reporting such suspicions) have a little inside info that they are throwing out there so as to bolster their reputations when the actual news breaks.
Consider this: the people that are reporting the possibility of Toskala's injury are the ones closest to the team. They have infinite contacts within the organization. Who is to say that they haven't been given a small nugget of info, and told to keep it on the down low? Casually tossing the information out as if it's a personal theory is a good way to get the message out there without dicking around your source. These reporters are in line to look like prognosticating genii if Toskala's injury is indeed significant.
*Being away for the holidays, I am not on my home computer. After checking hockeybuzz.com (using Internet Explorer, the only browser installed on this machine) I am blown away by the amount of advertising on that site. See, at home I use FireFox; clearly a superior product over IE. FireFox blocks all ads on all sites, which means not only less annoying visual clutter, but faster page loads. If you're still using IE, I have to ask you: what kind of mileage do you get from your horse & buggy? Switch to FireFox. Now.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Blake Returns To Long Island, Hands Game To Former Team
It was a real son of a bitch bastard ending to the game last night. The Leafs fell to the New York Islanders - 4-3 in overtime - thanks to a Ponikarovsky-esque giveaway by Jason Blake.
The majority of the scoring took place in the first period, when Andrew Raycroft and Rick DiPietro tried to out duel each other and see who could allow the most shitty goals in the shortest period of time. You expect this sort of performance from Andy, but not DiPietro - one of the top goaltenders in the league. His flat performance made a little more sense when Wade Dubielewicz* took over in the Islanders net thanks to a knee injury to DiPietro. He'd been playing hurt. Translation: Raycroft was outdone by a goaltender barely mobile enough to play.
(*I tried to link to a picture of Stewie Griffin from the Family Guy Viewer Mail #1 episode - you know, where the family gets into some chemical waste and gain super powers, leaving Stewie with a gigantic bald head featuring veins straining to pop out - but Google failed me. Bastards! But yeah, doesn't Dubie look exactly like that Stewie? I can't imagine he gets any ass, even as a professional athlete. Unless he met a girl with a Family Guy fetish. Or glaucoma.)
Some Facts:
[1] The Islanders are the lowest-scoring team in the league.
[2] Their back-up goaltender played the majority of the game.
[3] The Leafs found a way to lose.
This is getting frustrating, no?
The Leafs have shown flashes of being a contending team, but their continued mediocrity toward the halfway point of the season is a reason to panic. There has been no sustained brilliance by the Leafs. Their inability to string together great play is a dead giveaway that this team is built to be rebuilt.
Random Game Notes:
- The Stajan/Steen/Devereaux line again forechecked the Islanders to their wit's end. Steen had two goals, and was joined by Stajan for some rare powerplay time.
- The more I watch the above noted line, the more I see Matt Stajan as dead weight. I've gone easy on him this season because he started well. But, almost halfway through the season, he's settled into a third line role on an average team, yet still often looks out of place. Matt, why the fuck are you such a floppy cock all the time? You play a sport wherein the best players show a drive and determination that propels them above the pack. Your laissez-faire attitude and impotent gameplay are ensuring you'll always be a non-factor. Spend the rest of the road trip with Darcy Tucker, get into a couple of booze-fueled bar fights, and sort yourself out. Show some balls, Stajan! Fuck!
- Pavel Kubina and Tomas Kaberle belong together. I've been impressed by both since they became a pair - both on the ice and off. Awww, isn't that sweet? Man-love!
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Merry Fucking Christmas
I apologize for the late post.
This time of year is always hectic with family obligations that invariably depress me, and crazy schedules that stress me out on top of that. I've never been one to abuse heavy drugs, but during the holidays I fully understand where users are coming from. 'Tis the season for understanding, no?
Almost lost in my grinching was the Leafs' 2-1 overtime win against the Florida Panthers last night. The Leafs broke a three-game losing streak thanks to a Pavel Kubina powerplay goal.
Even before his game-winning goal, Kubina was having a strong game. He led the team in icetime (again), and continued building his two-way game with several solid bodychecks to go along with his top-pairing offensive contributions.
I've heard feedback from some readers about being too 'pro-Kubina'. In other words, I give him too much credit. And I can't say I disagree with that statement. I believe that the shitting on that Kubina gets almost constantly is unwarranted. He is the new Antropov in Toronto. Now that neanderthal Leafs fans can no longer single out Antropov as everything wrong with the team, Kubina bears much of the brunt.
I really think the reason is that Leafs fans are mostly incapable of looking past an ugly skating style and seeing positives. It took Antropov damn near 8 seasons to get any respect - so I don't know why I am surprised.
Sure, Kubina doesn't earn his contract on some nights, but I can't say that's terribly uncommon among $5 million players.
I've also noticed a huge improvement in Tomas Kaberle's game since being paired with Kubina (when McCabe was injured). He has been much more confident with the puck, has made a few highlight reel defensive plays, and has been joining the rush and pinching like it's his job...which it kind of is, I suppose. I refuse to believe that being paired with Kubina hasn't been the single most important factor in Kaberle's recent surge.
Anyway, the rest of the game was fairly average. Vesa Toskala dominated the Panthers, stopping 29 of 30 shots. 'Twas his 12th consecutive start - the longest streak of his career - and he seems to only be getting stronger. It's funny, but I no longer hear anyone in the media questioning his ability to lead a hockey team. You may remember that I never once questioned his abilities. Someone should be paying me for this, at the expense of one of the vacuous toads currently doing the job. Dreger and Millard, I'm gunnin' for ya.
Fittingly, the lone goal that Toskala allowed came as the direct result of a bad Leafs giveaway. Matt Stajan tried to clear the puck along the boards - and I commend him for at least attempting the correct play - but his clearing attempt was about as strong as American beer. Olli Jokinen intercepted and blew the shot past a screened Toskala. Pin the goal on Matt "I can dead lift a ton, but play a weak, vegetarian game" Stajan. Good nickname, huh? I like how well it flows.
Random Game Notes:
- Jiri Tlusty found his way back into the lineup, at Wade Belak's expense. He played just over 10 minutes on a line with Kyle Wellwood and Jason Blake, and even saw a shift on the powerplay. Darcy Tucker, the usual winger on that line, shifted to the 4th line with Chad Kilger and Mark Bell. I don't imagine there is a better 4th line in hockey.
- The Leafs were dominated in faceoffs last night, winning only 41% as a team. The main culprits? Mark Bell (1 of 11, 9%) and Mats Sundin (8 of 22, 36%). Both men are usually far better than that.
- Fair is fair: I have shit on Ian White for subpar play of late, but his play in the last couple of games - and last night in particular - has been top-four defenseman quality. His offensive side is beginning to show again, and that can only be good news for the team.
- It seems I was right about Harry Neale's downward spiral. He has been taken off the national (i.e. Leafs) game on Hockey Night In Canada for most of the season, and sounds like shit during the games he does cover. Last night, he worked the Ottawa game, and sounded as enthused as a Walmart cashier during the holiday rush. So long Harry, it was nice knowin' ya. I'll see you during the Quebec peewee tournament.
This time of year is always hectic with family obligations that invariably depress me, and crazy schedules that stress me out on top of that. I've never been one to abuse heavy drugs, but during the holidays I fully understand where users are coming from. 'Tis the season for understanding, no?
Almost lost in my grinching was the Leafs' 2-1 overtime win against the Florida Panthers last night. The Leafs broke a three-game losing streak thanks to a Pavel Kubina powerplay goal.
Even before his game-winning goal, Kubina was having a strong game. He led the team in icetime (again), and continued building his two-way game with several solid bodychecks to go along with his top-pairing offensive contributions.
I've heard feedback from some readers about being too 'pro-Kubina'. In other words, I give him too much credit. And I can't say I disagree with that statement. I believe that the shitting on that Kubina gets almost constantly is unwarranted. He is the new Antropov in Toronto. Now that neanderthal Leafs fans can no longer single out Antropov as everything wrong with the team, Kubina bears much of the brunt.
I really think the reason is that Leafs fans are mostly incapable of looking past an ugly skating style and seeing positives. It took Antropov damn near 8 seasons to get any respect - so I don't know why I am surprised.
Sure, Kubina doesn't earn his contract on some nights, but I can't say that's terribly uncommon among $5 million players.
I've also noticed a huge improvement in Tomas Kaberle's game since being paired with Kubina (when McCabe was injured). He has been much more confident with the puck, has made a few highlight reel defensive plays, and has been joining the rush and pinching like it's his job...which it kind of is, I suppose. I refuse to believe that being paired with Kubina hasn't been the single most important factor in Kaberle's recent surge.
Anyway, the rest of the game was fairly average. Vesa Toskala dominated the Panthers, stopping 29 of 30 shots. 'Twas his 12th consecutive start - the longest streak of his career - and he seems to only be getting stronger. It's funny, but I no longer hear anyone in the media questioning his ability to lead a hockey team. You may remember that I never once questioned his abilities. Someone should be paying me for this, at the expense of one of the vacuous toads currently doing the job. Dreger and Millard, I'm gunnin' for ya.
Fittingly, the lone goal that Toskala allowed came as the direct result of a bad Leafs giveaway. Matt Stajan tried to clear the puck along the boards - and I commend him for at least attempting the correct play - but his clearing attempt was about as strong as American beer. Olli Jokinen intercepted and blew the shot past a screened Toskala. Pin the goal on Matt "I can dead lift a ton, but play a weak, vegetarian game" Stajan. Good nickname, huh? I like how well it flows.
Random Game Notes:
- Jiri Tlusty found his way back into the lineup, at Wade Belak's expense. He played just over 10 minutes on a line with Kyle Wellwood and Jason Blake, and even saw a shift on the powerplay. Darcy Tucker, the usual winger on that line, shifted to the 4th line with Chad Kilger and Mark Bell. I don't imagine there is a better 4th line in hockey.
- The Leafs were dominated in faceoffs last night, winning only 41% as a team. The main culprits? Mark Bell (1 of 11, 9%) and Mats Sundin (8 of 22, 36%). Both men are usually far better than that.
- Fair is fair: I have shit on Ian White for subpar play of late, but his play in the last couple of games - and last night in particular - has been top-four defenseman quality. His offensive side is beginning to show again, and that can only be good news for the team.
- It seems I was right about Harry Neale's downward spiral. He has been taken off the national (i.e. Leafs) game on Hockey Night In Canada for most of the season, and sounds like shit during the games he does cover. Last night, he worked the Ottawa game, and sounded as enthused as a Walmart cashier during the holiday rush. So long Harry, it was nice knowin' ya. I'll see you during the Quebec peewee tournament.
Friday, December 21, 2007
Another Loss To A Back-Up Goaltender
It's unbelievable how many points the Leafs have squandered against back-up or third string goaltenders this season. Last night they were beaten 2-1 by rookie Karri Ramo and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Leafs didn't shit the bed as they've done the majority of their blown leads. Last night was just a bit of shitty luck. Late in the game, Pavel Kubina broke his stick trying to one-time a puck in the Lightning zone, creating a 2-on-1 for Tampa. The problem for the Leafs was that it was Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier attacking. Tomas Kaberle made a Lidstrom-esque defensive play (i.e. fucking amazing) and the Leafs looked to be out of trouble. But, the Lightning kept the puck in the Leafs' zone, and with Kubina stickless, St. Louis' pass to Lecavalier for the game-winning goal made it through. If Kubina has his stick there, he intercepts the pass.
I guess there is a positive to take from the game: it took a combination of a fluky play and the best player in the league to steal the game from the Leafs. In reality, they played well and - for whatever it's worth - probably deserved to win.
Vesa Toskala
I am going to say it right up front: I never, ever gave up on this guy. When seemingly every Leafs writer and/or fan in the country was calling for his head - due in large part to an almost 4 GAA - I stuck by him. When JFJ was called incompetent because he traded for a 'previously unproven goaltender', I stood up for him.
Now things have changed. Anyone that's seen a Leafs game since the beginning of November has a semi-permanent Toskala boner. He is consistently making ridiculous saves not seen in Toronto since CuJo. His numbers since he officially took over the #1 job have been in Luongo territory, and the amount of highlight reel saves on his resume this year is astounding.
The Leafs have lost three straight and I couldn't be higher on their goaltending. Bones it!
Synergy
I always find it really, really fucking lame when people say "If you look in the dictionary under the word _____, you'll see a picture of _____." Some examples are impotent/Damien Cox, superhuman/Wendel Clark, and fail/this guy.
The thing about that statement is there aren't any fucking pictures in dictionaries. I have no idea why people believe it to be a clever comment, other than the fact that most people are inherently stupid.
With all that said, if you look in the dictionary under synergy, you'll see a picture of the Steen/Stajan/Devereaux line. Holy fuck aren't these gents playing well? Take the sum of their individual talents and you have the equivalent of one NHL player. Put them together and they have been unstoppable. Their forecheck has been at par with the #1 line's forecheck - although they have nowhere near the scoring prowess - and they are more defensively responsible. They have taken over the #2 line status at the expense of the underachieving Wellwood/Blake/Tucker line. Translation: This line needs to stay together.
The Leafs didn't shit the bed as they've done the majority of their blown leads. Last night was just a bit of shitty luck. Late in the game, Pavel Kubina broke his stick trying to one-time a puck in the Lightning zone, creating a 2-on-1 for Tampa. The problem for the Leafs was that it was Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier attacking. Tomas Kaberle made a Lidstrom-esque defensive play (i.e. fucking amazing) and the Leafs looked to be out of trouble. But, the Lightning kept the puck in the Leafs' zone, and with Kubina stickless, St. Louis' pass to Lecavalier for the game-winning goal made it through. If Kubina has his stick there, he intercepts the pass.I guess there is a positive to take from the game: it took a combination of a fluky play and the best player in the league to steal the game from the Leafs. In reality, they played well and - for whatever it's worth - probably deserved to win.
Vesa Toskala
I am going to say it right up front: I never, ever gave up on this guy. When seemingly every Leafs writer and/or fan in the country was calling for his head - due in large part to an almost 4 GAA - I stuck by him. When JFJ was called incompetent because he traded for a 'previously unproven goaltender', I stood up for him.
Now things have changed. Anyone that's seen a Leafs game since the beginning of November has a semi-permanent Toskala boner. He is consistently making ridiculous saves not seen in Toronto since CuJo. His numbers since he officially took over the #1 job have been in Luongo territory, and the amount of highlight reel saves on his resume this year is astounding.
The Leafs have lost three straight and I couldn't be higher on their goaltending. Bones it!
Synergy
I always find it really, really fucking lame when people say "If you look in the dictionary under the word _____, you'll see a picture of _____." Some examples are impotent/Damien Cox, superhuman/Wendel Clark, and fail/this guy.
The thing about that statement is there aren't any fucking pictures in dictionaries. I have no idea why people believe it to be a clever comment, other than the fact that most people are inherently stupid.
With all that said, if you look in the dictionary under synergy, you'll see a picture of the Steen/Stajan/Devereaux line. Holy fuck aren't these gents playing well? Take the sum of their individual talents and you have the equivalent of one NHL player. Put them together and they have been unstoppable. Their forecheck has been at par with the #1 line's forecheck - although they have nowhere near the scoring prowess - and they are more defensively responsible. They have taken over the #2 line status at the expense of the underachieving Wellwood/Blake/Tucker line. Translation: This line needs to stay together.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Update: Leafs @ Lightning
Just a quick update on the game tonight, that is featured on Leafs TV at 7:30pm.
The Tampa Bay Lightning called up goaltender Karri Ramo from the AHL today, and he will get the start in goal tonight against the Leafs.
Usually not big enough to post about, but this is coming off a brutal loss to the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes where we faced a sub-par backup goaltender. Tonight, the Leafs better come out strong, fire plenty of shots on net, and try to have a man in front at all times, as we have a golden opportunity at a win, facing a third string goaltender. Marc Denis is a healthy scratch and Johan Holmqvist will serve as the backup.
Though Tampa Bay sits in 14th spot, 4 points back of Toronto in 9th, Tampa Bay boasts an Eastern Conference best 11-5-2 home record. One more thing to look out for is Tampa Bay's 6th overall in the league powerplay.
Vesa Toskala will get his 11th consecutive start tonight (must be coming up on some kind of record?) for the blue and white.
The Tampa Bay Lightning called up goaltender Karri Ramo from the AHL today, and he will get the start in goal tonight against the Leafs.
Usually not big enough to post about, but this is coming off a brutal loss to the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes where we faced a sub-par backup goaltender. Tonight, the Leafs better come out strong, fire plenty of shots on net, and try to have a man in front at all times, as we have a golden opportunity at a win, facing a third string goaltender. Marc Denis is a healthy scratch and Johan Holmqvist will serve as the backup.
Though Tampa Bay sits in 14th spot, 4 points back of Toronto in 9th, Tampa Bay boasts an Eastern Conference best 11-5-2 home record. One more thing to look out for is Tampa Bay's 6th overall in the league powerplay.
Vesa Toskala will get his 11th consecutive start tonight (must be coming up on some kind of record?) for the blue and white.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Players Not Named McCabe Can't Do Much Worse Than That
Danno covered last night's game fairly well, but I have a couple of comments of my own:
Watching the Leafs' poor powerplay face the Carolina's league-worst penalty kill was painful. It was one big, floppy cock. Impotent versus impotent. The math team versus the chess team in a cage match. The original cast of The View in a hot body contest. You get the point. Technically, the Leafs did get a powerplay goal last night, but it was hardly thanks to their PP efficiency. Tomas Kaberle brought the puck up the ice, dumped it in, chased it down, and scored, all with very little help. It wasn't a powerplay so much as a Kaberle play.
Lost in the dramatic fashion with which the game was lost was that the Leafs failed to hold another third period lead. They'll set some record for late-game futility if they keep it up.
Hal Gill and Pavel Kubina really stepped up in Bryan McCabe's absense. If I didn't know better, I'd have assumed I was watching two of the top defensemen in the league last night. Very well done. 'Tis too bad the game winning goal went off Kubina's stick in OT. A great (and short) article on McCabe came from Ken Campbell at The Hockey News yesterday, basically killing any momentum the Bryan-McCabe-has-played-very-well-lately bandwagon had.
The Leafs dominated the Hurricanes for the majority of the game. Then, Poni's ridiculous 'McCabe' gave away all momentum to the home team. They responded. Their fans responded. The Leafs lost.
Alexei Fucking Ponikarovsky
What is all this talk of goat horns? Both Mike Zeisberger at The Sun and Mark Zwolinski at The Star included some reference to goat horns when describing last night's game, in fairly obvious references to a scapegoat. Here's the thing: a scapegoat is someone punished for wrongs done by others. Not someone that single-handedly fucks everything up.
Alex Ponikarovsky isn't the scapegoat for the loss last night. He was the catalyst for the loss. Calling him a scapegoat means insinuating that he is taking the blame for a collective poor effort. That's a ridiculous way to describe the game. Poni was the only reason they lost. Not only did he Patrik Stefan the puck, he took a brutal, offensive zone penalty in overtime. Paul Maurice put Poni back on the ice in overtime, after his third period mistake - ostensibly to let him make up for his previous gaffe - and he took the opportunity and shit on it. Not even a regular shit, either; the kind of shit one would take after spending fours hours at a $1.99 expired seafood buffet.
Damien Cox constantly berates Poni for taking too many offensive zone penalties, and if he weren't on vacation (at a bath house somewhere, no doubt), I'm sure he'd point it out. In his lieu, I'll do it. Poni, you tripped Tim Gleason. Tim Fucking Gleason. The guy with 0 goals so far this year. The guy that never plays the powerplay. In short, you tripped the player least likely to have an offensive impact. Nicely fucking done. See you Thursday night in Tampa Bay. If you don't score a hat trick, I'm going to set your house on fire.
Watching the Leafs' poor powerplay face the Carolina's league-worst penalty kill was painful. It was one big, floppy cock. Impotent versus impotent. The math team versus the chess team in a cage match. The original cast of The View in a hot body contest. You get the point. Technically, the Leafs did get a powerplay goal last night, but it was hardly thanks to their PP efficiency. Tomas Kaberle brought the puck up the ice, dumped it in, chased it down, and scored, all with very little help. It wasn't a powerplay so much as a Kaberle play.
Lost in the dramatic fashion with which the game was lost was that the Leafs failed to hold another third period lead. They'll set some record for late-game futility if they keep it up.
Hal Gill and Pavel Kubina really stepped up in Bryan McCabe's absense. If I didn't know better, I'd have assumed I was watching two of the top defensemen in the league last night. Very well done. 'Tis too bad the game winning goal went off Kubina's stick in OT. A great (and short) article on McCabe came from Ken Campbell at The Hockey News yesterday, basically killing any momentum the Bryan-McCabe-has-played-very-well-lately bandwagon had.
The Leafs dominated the Hurricanes for the majority of the game. Then, Poni's ridiculous 'McCabe' gave away all momentum to the home team. They responded. Their fans responded. The Leafs lost.
Alexei Fucking Ponikarovsky
What is all this talk of goat horns? Both Mike Zeisberger at The Sun and Mark Zwolinski at The Star included some reference to goat horns when describing last night's game, in fairly obvious references to a scapegoat. Here's the thing: a scapegoat is someone punished for wrongs done by others. Not someone that single-handedly fucks everything up.Alex Ponikarovsky isn't the scapegoat for the loss last night. He was the catalyst for the loss. Calling him a scapegoat means insinuating that he is taking the blame for a collective poor effort. That's a ridiculous way to describe the game. Poni was the only reason they lost. Not only did he Patrik Stefan the puck, he took a brutal, offensive zone penalty in overtime. Paul Maurice put Poni back on the ice in overtime, after his third period mistake - ostensibly to let him make up for his previous gaffe - and he took the opportunity and shit on it. Not even a regular shit, either; the kind of shit one would take after spending fours hours at a $1.99 expired seafood buffet.
Damien Cox constantly berates Poni for taking too many offensive zone penalties, and if he weren't on vacation (at a bath house somewhere, no doubt), I'm sure he'd point it out. In his lieu, I'll do it. Poni, you tripped Tim Gleason. Tim Fucking Gleason. The guy with 0 goals so far this year. The guy that never plays the powerplay. In short, you tripped the player least likely to have an offensive impact. Nicely fucking done. See you Thursday night in Tampa Bay. If you don't score a hat trick, I'm going to set your house on fire.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Ka- BOOOM!!!!
That's the sound of the Leaf game blowing up a game they had in the palm of their hands. Also goes by the term of munsoning or munsoned.
Within the last two minutes of the game, the Leafs exploded BIG TIME. Giving up two quick goals after having a near perfect game. Then, Carolina's momentum carried over to overtime and they finished us off on a two-man advantage to win the game 3-2. A two man disadvantage for the Leafs in OVERTIME? Unacceptable. The refs seemed to be having some fun out there, calling two penalties on the Leafs in overtime, which usually doesn't happen. Both calls, tripping on Poni, and hooking on Antropov, were usual everyday calls, but it doesn't seem quite fair when the Hurricanes committed two of the same kind of plays in overtime as well.
The TSN turning point for the worse for the Leafs, was when there was half a minute left in overtime, Poni crossing the blue line with Antropov with the wide open net. Cory Stillman takes the puck off Poni, takes it down the ice, and the rest is history. Jesus christ Poni, the least you could do was take a shot at the net, even if it is of Hal Gill calibre, or even dump it in the corner. There is only 30 seconds left!!
The Leafs clearly dominated the ice for a full 58 minutes, getting up 2-0 with goals from the help of Devereaux and Kaberle. Im sure the Leafs wish they could take back those last two minutes.
Goaltending:
- Vesa Toskala had a shutout for 58.5 minutes, shutting down the 'Canes stellar offensive strengths, always being square to the shot, and deflecting the puck to the Leafs players.
- Yet again the Leafs faced a backup goalie, this time possibly one of the worst goalies in the league. John Grahame is 3-4-1 this year with a 3.91 GAA and .869 SV%. Far below average, and the Leafs made him look like a #1 goalie.
Game Notes:
- The Leafs played a great defensive game again, with the whole squad stepping up with the absence of McCabe. Kubina replaced Caber's minutes by playing 32+ minutes, along with Gill and White playing larger roles.
- Rod Brind'Amour missed tonights game, and Carolina still found a way to embarass the Leafs. The Leafs went 28/53 on the faceoff dot, not incredible, but it would've gone the other way if Rod had played, as well as the better part of the game.
- Ponikarovsky should be demoted ice time and giving a stern talking to about that game. For onezies, he should have cleared the puck late in the 3rd period and I'd be writing about good things right now. For twozies, he took an idiotic, meathead penalty in overtime right in front of the ref, and pretty much tackled the Carolina player. What do you think Poni? Those aren't new rules, that's a routine penalty.
- Kubina stepped his game up to the big man on the 1st line, as well as 1st powerplay unit, with Kaberle, and made us forget that we were even missing McCabe.
- The Leafs need to do a better job of recovering offensive rebounds, especially when facing a goalie like John Grahame. Many shots on Grahame were juicy rebounds, and the Leafs were unable to capitalize on their opportunities.
All around a very good game by the Leafs, but a once-a-year blow up caused the Leafs to lose the game in disgusting fashion, leaving everybody angered with the sloppy last 2 minutes + overtime, but looking back at the game as a whole, they came out strong.
Next up, the Leafs head into Tampa Bay on Thursday to play Vinny Lecavalier and the Lightning. Toskala and the defenseman will have to step up the play yet again to stop their big 3, and maybe after the game we will get another crazy comment from 'Anonymous'.
Un. Fucking. Believable.
It's 9:20, and the game is still on.
I've just watched the second worst play of the season. Ponikarovsky just Patrik Stefan'd and Carolina tied the game with the goalie pulled. Nice fucking going, Poni. Fag!
More to come...
I've just watched the second worst play of the season. Ponikarovsky just Patrik Stefan'd and Carolina tied the game with the goalie pulled. Nice fucking going, Poni. Fag!
More to come...
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Trade Rumours. Thoughts.
The day after McCabe suffers a long term injury to his hand, the rumours are swirling already in Leafs Nation.
Some thoughts from Eklund in his latest blog at HockeyBuzz.com, he goes over the rumours that the Leafs are in need of a defenseman, and Raycroft is on his way out. I think it is absolutely ridiculous to believe that the Leafs need another defenseman, just to replace McCabe for the next two months. Seeing how we have one of the most expensive blue lines in the league, with about $20 million committed to them this year. Plus they have depth all the way down to the Toronto Marlies, so a move is not needed.
In his blog, he said:
"The word on the street this morning is that McCabe's injury will REALLY further open the trade floodgates....Derek Morris is a guy to look to and it may come at the expense of Raycroft either being moved or placed on waivers.
The team that would pick up Raycroft on re-entry waivers is likely Pittsburgh...."
Come on Ek, stop spewing words out of your ass, nobody wants to pay $2 million dollars to back up Bryzgalov in Phoenix, and you can guarantee he wont take over the #1 job there. Also, the Leafs don't need to make drastic changes because their mistake-making, 30 minute-a-game defenseman is out. Possibly a smart move by Pittsburgh, but you shouldn't worry about the Leafs taking another d-man under their wing. And as Mr. Bone said, you will probably see Kronwall come up to join the big club once again.
But let's keep our fingers crossed that the Leafs put Raycroft on waivers, because he has shown that he is incompetent of coming through when the Leafs REALLY need him, and I think the Leafs have found their #1 goalie already. He comes in the name of Vesa Toskala. The move would clear up some cap room, and then the Leafs could bring up Scott Clemmensen or Justin Pogge to back up Vesku.
Don't expect any moves soon though, Eklund has 10 rumours a day, and it doesn't even say this one is from sources.
Some thoughts from Eklund in his latest blog at HockeyBuzz.com, he goes over the rumours that the Leafs are in need of a defenseman, and Raycroft is on his way out. I think it is absolutely ridiculous to believe that the Leafs need another defenseman, just to replace McCabe for the next two months. Seeing how we have one of the most expensive blue lines in the league, with about $20 million committed to them this year. Plus they have depth all the way down to the Toronto Marlies, so a move is not needed.
In his blog, he said:
"The word on the street this morning is that McCabe's injury will REALLY further open the trade floodgates....Derek Morris is a guy to look to and it may come at the expense of Raycroft either being moved or placed on waivers.
The team that would pick up Raycroft on re-entry waivers is likely Pittsburgh...."
Come on Ek, stop spewing words out of your ass, nobody wants to pay $2 million dollars to back up Bryzgalov in Phoenix, and you can guarantee he wont take over the #1 job there. Also, the Leafs don't need to make drastic changes because their mistake-making, 30 minute-a-game defenseman is out. Possibly a smart move by Pittsburgh, but you shouldn't worry about the Leafs taking another d-man under their wing. And as Mr. Bone said, you will probably see Kronwall come up to join the big club once again.
But let's keep our fingers crossed that the Leafs put Raycroft on waivers, because he has shown that he is incompetent of coming through when the Leafs REALLY need him, and I think the Leafs have found their #1 goalie already. He comes in the name of Vesa Toskala. The move would clear up some cap room, and then the Leafs could bring up Scott Clemmensen or Justin Pogge to back up Vesku.
Don't expect any moves soon though, Eklund has 10 rumours a day, and it doesn't even say this one is from sources.
Leafs' Play Stinks Like a Dirty Vag
You've already been updated on the biggest news to come out of last night's game, that being Bryan McCabe's broken wrist. In other, slightly less rough news, the Leafs were beaten handily last night by the Montreal Canadiens; final score 4-1.
Tomas Kaberle: Vesaaaa, I didn't get an enema for nothing, hurry up and put it in!
There weren't many positives to come from last night's game. The Leafs played exactly like a team that had played the night before. Scratch that - the Leafs played like a team that had taken on Spartan Warriors the night before. Beat Atlanta on Friday, then dine in hell on Saturday. The team looked sluggish almost from top to bottom.
I won't do too much analysis from the game. The team performed badly, and there isn't much else to say about it. I will say, however, that Vesa Toskala was hung out to dry like the morning wash. Two of Montreal's four goals were tipped in. Another one was one of the worst defensive breakdowns in league history. So, blame not Mr. Toskala for this game.
CBC showed an interesting stat about Vesa last night. During his first 12 games with the Leafs, his save percentage was 0.875. I know that isn't technically a percentage, but that's how it's written in hockey. I have no idea why 0.875 is considered any better than a true percentage of 87.5. Whatever. In his last 13 games (not including last night), his save percentage was 0.943.
This may not seem like the hugest swing to someone not totally familiar with the stat, but a save percentage of 0.900 is generally considered the benchmark for an NHL-calibre goaltender. That is, save 9 shots of every 10 and you're OK. The difference between 0.875 and 0.943 is the difference between a career minor league goaltender and a superstar NHL goaltender. In other words, the difference is fucking huge.
As for the abovementioned defensive breakdown, I think it merits some discussion. Pavel Kubina and Tomas Kaberle were the culprits. Kubina lost his stick, forcing Nik Antropov to give him his. With Antropov stickless, Montreal was effectively on the man advantage. They controlled the puck in the Leafs' zone and sustained pressure. Somehow, both Kubina and Kaberle - apparently mesmerized by the puck movement - abandoned the front of the Leafs net...with Saku Koivu there. Koivu got the puck not too soon after, and deked a helpless Toskala for the eventual game winning goal. Seriously, that kind of shit doesn't happen in peewee hockey. Just. Fucking. Brutal.
The McCabe Injury
Paul Maurice's reaction:
"He's got three broken bones in his hand, it's bullshit."
"He's too good a player to lose that much time on a bullshit play like that."
My reaction:
The play looked fine. It sucks to lose the player that plays the most for you, but that's the way she goes sometimes. I really don't think the play was dirty - maybe a little illegal, but I'd be really surprised if Kostitsyn was suspended over it. The good news of it all is that Staffan Kronwall is likely to be called up to replace McCabe on the roster. Kronwall was sent down recently despite having outplayed Andy Wozniewski by a great deal. Hopefully this latest stint will see him stay with the Leafs at Woz's expense. Bones it!
Tomas Kaberle: Vesaaaa, I didn't get an enema for nothing, hurry up and put it in!There weren't many positives to come from last night's game. The Leafs played exactly like a team that had played the night before. Scratch that - the Leafs played like a team that had taken on Spartan Warriors the night before. Beat Atlanta on Friday, then dine in hell on Saturday. The team looked sluggish almost from top to bottom.
I won't do too much analysis from the game. The team performed badly, and there isn't much else to say about it. I will say, however, that Vesa Toskala was hung out to dry like the morning wash. Two of Montreal's four goals were tipped in. Another one was one of the worst defensive breakdowns in league history. So, blame not Mr. Toskala for this game.
CBC showed an interesting stat about Vesa last night. During his first 12 games with the Leafs, his save percentage was 0.875. I know that isn't technically a percentage, but that's how it's written in hockey. I have no idea why 0.875 is considered any better than a true percentage of 87.5. Whatever. In his last 13 games (not including last night), his save percentage was 0.943.
This may not seem like the hugest swing to someone not totally familiar with the stat, but a save percentage of 0.900 is generally considered the benchmark for an NHL-calibre goaltender. That is, save 9 shots of every 10 and you're OK. The difference between 0.875 and 0.943 is the difference between a career minor league goaltender and a superstar NHL goaltender. In other words, the difference is fucking huge.
As for the abovementioned defensive breakdown, I think it merits some discussion. Pavel Kubina and Tomas Kaberle were the culprits. Kubina lost his stick, forcing Nik Antropov to give him his. With Antropov stickless, Montreal was effectively on the man advantage. They controlled the puck in the Leafs' zone and sustained pressure. Somehow, both Kubina and Kaberle - apparently mesmerized by the puck movement - abandoned the front of the Leafs net...with Saku Koivu there. Koivu got the puck not too soon after, and deked a helpless Toskala for the eventual game winning goal. Seriously, that kind of shit doesn't happen in peewee hockey. Just. Fucking. Brutal.
The McCabe Injury
Paul Maurice's reaction:
"He's got three broken bones in his hand, it's bullshit."
"He's too good a player to lose that much time on a bullshit play like that."
My reaction:
The play looked fine. It sucks to lose the player that plays the most for you, but that's the way she goes sometimes. I really don't think the play was dirty - maybe a little illegal, but I'd be really surprised if Kostitsyn was suspended over it. The good news of it all is that Staffan Kronwall is likely to be called up to replace McCabe on the roster. Kronwall was sent down recently despite having outplayed Andy Wozniewski by a great deal. Hopefully this latest stint will see him stay with the Leafs at Woz's expense. Bones it!
Saturday, December 15, 2007
McCabe Update.
I'm gonna let Mr. Bone do the business tonight, but first I have a few things to say.
As if Montreal didn't already did the dagger deep enough in the Leafs, news on McCabe is that he has three broken bones in his hand from the hit by the Habs player late in the third period(not bothered to check who, not important). The hit smashed Caber's hand right into the boards because of the akward collision, and Caber headed straight to the dressing room, favouring his left hand. I hope those faggy, euro-trash, Habs fans are happy.
The update (first heard from TSN), is that McCabe will miss 6-8 WEEKS. Thats right, TWO MONTHS. Fuckin' brutal. As if the 4-1 ownage wasn't bad enough, our top line defenseman is out until February.
If you can, check out a sports brodcaster soon and check out Paul Maurice's reaction about the hit on McCabe, worth a watch, and you can already guess that he isn't too happy about it and there are a lot of bleeps.
Look to see Kubina see a lot more ice time, and racking up big time points on the powerplay. Don't get too sappy about McCabe being gone, as Kubina was Tampa Bay's #1 defenseman when they were the balls, and McCabe is constantly coughing the puck up and routinely makes bad defensive mistakes.
Now, I hand it off to Mr. Bone. Hopefully he rips into the Leafs, and their inability to create good scoring chances against their group of 4th liners (thanks for saying it to the public, Guy Lafleur).
Fuck I hate the Habs. Almost as much as I hate their loser fans.
As if Montreal didn't already did the dagger deep enough in the Leafs, news on McCabe is that he has three broken bones in his hand from the hit by the Habs player late in the third period(not bothered to check who, not important). The hit smashed Caber's hand right into the boards because of the akward collision, and Caber headed straight to the dressing room, favouring his left hand. I hope those faggy, euro-trash, Habs fans are happy.
The update (first heard from TSN), is that McCabe will miss 6-8 WEEKS. Thats right, TWO MONTHS. Fuckin' brutal. As if the 4-1 ownage wasn't bad enough, our top line defenseman is out until February.
If you can, check out a sports brodcaster soon and check out Paul Maurice's reaction about the hit on McCabe, worth a watch, and you can already guess that he isn't too happy about it and there are a lot of bleeps.
Look to see Kubina see a lot more ice time, and racking up big time points on the powerplay. Don't get too sappy about McCabe being gone, as Kubina was Tampa Bay's #1 defenseman when they were the balls, and McCabe is constantly coughing the puck up and routinely makes bad defensive mistakes.
Now, I hand it off to Mr. Bone. Hopefully he rips into the Leafs, and their inability to create good scoring chances against their group of 4th liners (thanks for saying it to the public, Guy Lafleur).
Fuck I hate the Habs. Almost as much as I hate their loser fans.
Leafs Hot In Hotlanta
The Leafs handed the Altlanta Thrashers their asses last night, with a 4-0 win. The image below is Kari Lehtonen after he shit the bed on Boyd Devereaux's short-handed goal. Every goalie mishandles the puck sometimes, Kari, but fer fucksakes the least you could do is give half an effort to get back into the net to bail yourself out. Why the fuck didn't you dive there? If I am a Thrashers fan, I let Lehtonen have it after that display. That is, after I am done fondling my friends' junk. You know, cause I'd be gay if I liked the Thrashers. Meuh!
The Leafs sustained significant offensive pressure for much of the night. The #1 line of Sundin, Antropov, and Poni had 8 points last night. Atlanta's defense was simply not up to the task of handing their size or strength. Moreover, when the #2 line (Wellwood, Blake, Tucker) came over the boards, Atlanta's D was ill-equipped to handle their speed. I'd love to call Paul Maurice a genius for assembling his lines this way - two top lines that can control the attack in two very different ways - but I think last night was an extreme example of his line combinations working. Atlanta's defense looked piss poor; it was like watching Toronto's D earlier in the season.
Toronto's powerplay again looked as strong as an adolescent vegetarian. In the first period, the Leafs were up for 4 minutes, and managed zero shots. Not only that, they sustained no pressure in Atlanta's zone and generally made the Thrashers look like penalty killing specialists. Great even-strength forechecking and solid goaltending again bailed out a supremely shitty powerplay. Had the Leafs lost last night, every writer in the city would be citing the powerplay as the main issue.
Random Gamed Notes:
- Marian Hossa: did you play last night? Jesus fucking christ, you were invisible!
- Every single time that I watch Ilya Kovalchuk play, I say to myself something along these lines, "Wow, this guy is really, really fucking good". He didn't mark up the scoresheet, was team worst -3, and I'd still call him Atlanta's best player last night. He is that good. His skill set is unparalleled in the world - nobody can do what he does with the puck. He gives me a boner.
- When Vesa Toskala stopped Kovalchuk on a partial breakaway in the second period, I about shit. Did you about shit? Toskala summoned some awkward Curtis Joseph acrobatics to make the save, and it looked fantastic. When I see Kovalchuk in high percentage attacks such as that, I assume a goal is automatic. Small birds saw Toskala's save, and immediately fell from the sky, dead.
- Two players surprised me with their play. Darcy Tucker, who has been getting the piss taken out of him recently for poor play - including here at The Blue & White - looked energized last night. He was finishing checks, going hard for the puck, and playing with tenacity that we haven't seen for a month or so.
- On the other hand, Alexei Zhitnik appears to think he's playing old-timers hockey. Wow, has this guy ever fallen from grace. Picked up last year for top-level prospect Braydon Coburn, Zhitnik hasn't scored a point in nearly two months, and often plays less than 10 minutes per game thanks to his shitty play. Seeing as Don Waddell is now coaching the team as well as acting as general manager (he was the one who traded for Zhitnik last year), I imagine he is feeling a little terrible for trading away Coburn for a guy that looks finished...and is taking his frustration out on Zhitnik's icetime.
The Leafs sustained significant offensive pressure for much of the night. The #1 line of Sundin, Antropov, and Poni had 8 points last night. Atlanta's defense was simply not up to the task of handing their size or strength. Moreover, when the #2 line (Wellwood, Blake, Tucker) came over the boards, Atlanta's D was ill-equipped to handle their speed. I'd love to call Paul Maurice a genius for assembling his lines this way - two top lines that can control the attack in two very different ways - but I think last night was an extreme example of his line combinations working. Atlanta's defense looked piss poor; it was like watching Toronto's D earlier in the season.
Toronto's powerplay again looked as strong as an adolescent vegetarian. In the first period, the Leafs were up for 4 minutes, and managed zero shots. Not only that, they sustained no pressure in Atlanta's zone and generally made the Thrashers look like penalty killing specialists. Great even-strength forechecking and solid goaltending again bailed out a supremely shitty powerplay. Had the Leafs lost last night, every writer in the city would be citing the powerplay as the main issue.
Random Gamed Notes:
- Marian Hossa: did you play last night? Jesus fucking christ, you were invisible!
- Every single time that I watch Ilya Kovalchuk play, I say to myself something along these lines, "Wow, this guy is really, really fucking good". He didn't mark up the scoresheet, was team worst -3, and I'd still call him Atlanta's best player last night. He is that good. His skill set is unparalleled in the world - nobody can do what he does with the puck. He gives me a boner.
- When Vesa Toskala stopped Kovalchuk on a partial breakaway in the second period, I about shit. Did you about shit? Toskala summoned some awkward Curtis Joseph acrobatics to make the save, and it looked fantastic. When I see Kovalchuk in high percentage attacks such as that, I assume a goal is automatic. Small birds saw Toskala's save, and immediately fell from the sky, dead.
- Two players surprised me with their play. Darcy Tucker, who has been getting the piss taken out of him recently for poor play - including here at The Blue & White - looked energized last night. He was finishing checks, going hard for the puck, and playing with tenacity that we haven't seen for a month or so.
- On the other hand, Alexei Zhitnik appears to think he's playing old-timers hockey. Wow, has this guy ever fallen from grace. Picked up last year for top-level prospect Braydon Coburn, Zhitnik hasn't scored a point in nearly two months, and often plays less than 10 minutes per game thanks to his shitty play. Seeing as Don Waddell is now coaching the team as well as acting as general manager (he was the one who traded for Zhitnik last year), I imagine he is feeling a little terrible for trading away Coburn for a guy that looks finished...and is taking his frustration out on Zhitnik's icetime.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Criticism!
Fucking finally!
Yesterday, there was an anonymous comment left in response to my A Good, Old-Fashioned Shit Kicking article. I've linked to it, but it's the article directly below this one so it isn't hard to find. To view the comment, click where it says 1 comments.
Side note: The reason I have allowed anyone to leave comments, and for those comments to be fully visible by anyone that visits the site, is that I look forward to this type of criticism, and hope it sparks a debate. It lets me know what people like, or - much more likely - dislike about the site. So, to Anonymous: thanks!
Anyway, Mr. (or Mrs.) Anonymous really ripped into me. Almost as bad as the way visible minorities are ripped into in small town Ontario.
Anonymous had a few issues, and I'm going to go over them here.
"people dont come to this site to see totally irrelevant pictures of retards hitting on 70 year old ladies and its not related to anything."
I disagree. I think people come to this site to get a mix of [1] Leafs news [2] Leafs opinion [3] Wit, however little. Anonymous suggested that I place a photo directly related to the game instead of the one I posted. Fair enough. But to me, it gets a little tired seeing the same photo with every post. It's either the Leafs winning, or the Leafs losing. There are only a certain amount of pictures taken for each game, and even fewer of those are available to use (i.e. not copyrighted). Fuck, I've already had to resort to pirating; fully half of the images I use are pirated. So, if I want a little break in the monotony - in this case to see a puddinhead thug - I'ma post it. See, it's the look on the young man's face that does it for me. You may see typical Down's Syndrome facial expressions, but I saw typical thug ridiculousness. I really don't think that a picture has to be relevant to have merit. Case in point:
"i havent heard of this antropov power outage from the media, stop making shit up mr. bone"
I really don't know what to say about this one, except that I have heard of it. On several occasions. I've said it before, but I make an effort to read or watch everything Leafs on a daily basis. Many writers mentioned Antropov's lack of production, including big names Damien Cox and, if I remember correctly, Howard Berger. I'd check, but I'm not ambitious enough - ever look through newspaper or website archives? Fuck that! In any event, The term power outage came from Joe Bowen / Greg Millen on Leafs regional broadcasts, and I ran with it.
"thats two posts know that you have come up with nothing to write about so you just starting writing what you are doing"
You're probably right. I find that I lose readers when I get technical. So, I try to spread those comments out. And as a result, posts can be as thin as an Asian dink. If you have suggestions as to what you'd like to see (anyone, not just Anonymous) I'm all ears.
"HOW DO YOU MISS HAL GILL'S MONSTEROUS GAME? HE SHUT DOWN LECAVALIER AND ST.LOUIS THE WHOLE GAME!!"
Wow. Anonymous was pretty steamed about this one. All caps? That's a bold statement. Monstrous game? Is that you, Pierre McGuire? Are you Mr. Anonymous? Gill's play over the last several games has been really fucking fantastic. Like, Bruce Lee fighting Chuck Norris in Way Of The Dragon fantastic. I probably should have mentioned his play in my post. I don't however, think he single-handedly shut down Lecavalier and St. Louis like he did Jaromir Jagr a few games ago. Against Tampa Bay, the forwards on the ice against the #1 line were given shadow roles to play. This was especially evident when the 3rd (Stajan) and 4th (Bell) lines were on the ice. When the top two Leafs lines were out, they were mostly in the Tampa Bay zone, neutralizing the Tampa offense through their own. So, maybe Gill deserved a mention, but I think Anonymous took it a little far.
"You must have missed the game and only watched the highlights."
I did see the game, although I admit to tuning it out a bit in the third when the game was mostly out of reach. When I don't watch the games, you'll see Danno posting instead of me. I'd never post about a game I didn't watch. I'd speak to that ruining the integrity of the site, but I don't believe the site has any. So, I'll just say that it'd be a really shitty thing to do. I've recruited Danno for exactly that reason.
So, Mr. (or Mrs.) Anonymous, I hope this satisfies you. I look forward to more of your comments, and maybe next time you'll sign your own name.
Yesterday, there was an anonymous comment left in response to my A Good, Old-Fashioned Shit Kicking article. I've linked to it, but it's the article directly below this one so it isn't hard to find. To view the comment, click where it says 1 comments.
Side note: The reason I have allowed anyone to leave comments, and for those comments to be fully visible by anyone that visits the site, is that I look forward to this type of criticism, and hope it sparks a debate. It lets me know what people like, or - much more likely - dislike about the site. So, to Anonymous: thanks!
Anyway, Mr. (or Mrs.) Anonymous really ripped into me. Almost as bad as the way visible minorities are ripped into in small town Ontario.
Anonymous had a few issues, and I'm going to go over them here.
"people dont come to this site to see totally irrelevant pictures of retards hitting on 70 year old ladies and its not related to anything."
I disagree. I think people come to this site to get a mix of [1] Leafs news [2] Leafs opinion [3] Wit, however little. Anonymous suggested that I place a photo directly related to the game instead of the one I posted. Fair enough. But to me, it gets a little tired seeing the same photo with every post. It's either the Leafs winning, or the Leafs losing. There are only a certain amount of pictures taken for each game, and even fewer of those are available to use (i.e. not copyrighted). Fuck, I've already had to resort to pirating; fully half of the images I use are pirated. So, if I want a little break in the monotony - in this case to see a puddinhead thug - I'ma post it. See, it's the look on the young man's face that does it for me. You may see typical Down's Syndrome facial expressions, but I saw typical thug ridiculousness. I really don't think that a picture has to be relevant to have merit. Case in point:
"i havent heard of this antropov power outage from the media, stop making shit up mr. bone"
I really don't know what to say about this one, except that I have heard of it. On several occasions. I've said it before, but I make an effort to read or watch everything Leafs on a daily basis. Many writers mentioned Antropov's lack of production, including big names Damien Cox and, if I remember correctly, Howard Berger. I'd check, but I'm not ambitious enough - ever look through newspaper or website archives? Fuck that! In any event, The term power outage came from Joe Bowen / Greg Millen on Leafs regional broadcasts, and I ran with it.
"thats two posts know that you have come up with nothing to write about so you just starting writing what you are doing"
You're probably right. I find that I lose readers when I get technical. So, I try to spread those comments out. And as a result, posts can be as thin as an Asian dink. If you have suggestions as to what you'd like to see (anyone, not just Anonymous) I'm all ears.
"HOW DO YOU MISS HAL GILL'S MONSTEROUS GAME? HE SHUT DOWN LECAVALIER AND ST.LOUIS THE WHOLE GAME!!"
Wow. Anonymous was pretty steamed about this one. All caps? That's a bold statement. Monstrous game? Is that you, Pierre McGuire? Are you Mr. Anonymous? Gill's play over the last several games has been really fucking fantastic. Like, Bruce Lee fighting Chuck Norris in Way Of The Dragon fantastic. I probably should have mentioned his play in my post. I don't however, think he single-handedly shut down Lecavalier and St. Louis like he did Jaromir Jagr a few games ago. Against Tampa Bay, the forwards on the ice against the #1 line were given shadow roles to play. This was especially evident when the 3rd (Stajan) and 4th (Bell) lines were on the ice. When the top two Leafs lines were out, they were mostly in the Tampa Bay zone, neutralizing the Tampa offense through their own. So, maybe Gill deserved a mention, but I think Anonymous took it a little far.
"You must have missed the game and only watched the highlights."
I did see the game, although I admit to tuning it out a bit in the third when the game was mostly out of reach. When I don't watch the games, you'll see Danno posting instead of me. I'd never post about a game I didn't watch. I'd speak to that ruining the integrity of the site, but I don't believe the site has any. So, I'll just say that it'd be a really shitty thing to do. I've recruited Danno for exactly that reason.
So, Mr. (or Mrs.) Anonymous, I hope this satisfies you. I look forward to more of your comments, and maybe next time you'll sign your own name.
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
A Good, Old-Fashioned Shit Kicking
Them's the words of Tampa Bay Lightning coach John Tortorella, after the Leafs beat his team 6-1 last night at the ACC. The Lightning's road record is now 2-11-1 - good for dead last in the league - so keep that in mind before you start melting down gold to make statues of the Leafs.
The Leafs scored 4 goals in 4:42 in the second period. Boner! Two of those were powerplay goals, which were badly needed to give confidence to the Leafs' 29th ranked powerplay. Because of the two PPG, the Leafs' PP moved up a spot to 28th. Nothing huge, obviously, but it's making moves. Speaking of making moves...
A lot is being made of Brad Richards' leg injury. He slid into the boards with Tomas Kaberle on top of him and looked to have slammed his left knee into the boards without padding helping him out. It would have fucking hurt, if you ask me. The reality, however, is that it was 4-1 after the second, and bringing Richards back into a game that is basically out of reach is asinine. Why would he bother to come back? Why not rest him until the next game? It makes absolutely no sense to put him back into the lineup for an (almost) sure loss. Don't panic yet, Lightning fans; I'm not convinced he'll be out long.
Random Game Notes:
- Tomas Kaberle's pass that sent Sundin in on a breakaway (Sundin scored) was something only a select few defenseman can do.
- Media folks, both newspaper and television, have been pointing out that Nik Antropov has been quietly slowing down since his quick start. They're calling it a power outage; I really don't understand this term. It's fucking cliché and garbage. To them, I give this: Antropov has 6G in his last 5 games, and is on pace for 40. Moreover, he has 7 powerplay goals, good for 9th place in the league, only 2 behind league co-leaders Alex Ovechkin and Tomas Holmstrom. He is 2nd in team scoring to Mats Sundin's career year and actually averages the most icetime of any Leafs forward. Power Outage? More like a Power Onage! Meuh!
- Methinks its time that Darcy Tucker is made a healthy scratch. Any typical Leafs fan will tell you that Tucker is the heart and soul of the team, bleeds blue and white, should be captain, blah blah fucking blah. The only excuse for his play is that he's apparently playing hurt. Honestly though, he has done nothing all year, and is floundering out there, almost every shift. When I was typing 'shift', my fingers typed 'shit'. Freudian slip, I am sure. Even my subconscious thinks Tucker has to improve.
- Mats Sundin went 17-3 in faceoffs last night against very competent Lightning centres. You won't see numbers like that for the rest of the season.
The Leafs scored 4 goals in 4:42 in the second period. Boner! Two of those were powerplay goals, which were badly needed to give confidence to the Leafs' 29th ranked powerplay. Because of the two PPG, the Leafs' PP moved up a spot to 28th. Nothing huge, obviously, but it's making moves. Speaking of making moves...
A lot is being made of Brad Richards' leg injury. He slid into the boards with Tomas Kaberle on top of him and looked to have slammed his left knee into the boards without padding helping him out. It would have fucking hurt, if you ask me. The reality, however, is that it was 4-1 after the second, and bringing Richards back into a game that is basically out of reach is asinine. Why would he bother to come back? Why not rest him until the next game? It makes absolutely no sense to put him back into the lineup for an (almost) sure loss. Don't panic yet, Lightning fans; I'm not convinced he'll be out long.
Random Game Notes:
- Tomas Kaberle's pass that sent Sundin in on a breakaway (Sundin scored) was something only a select few defenseman can do.
- Media folks, both newspaper and television, have been pointing out that Nik Antropov has been quietly slowing down since his quick start. They're calling it a power outage; I really don't understand this term. It's fucking cliché and garbage. To them, I give this: Antropov has 6G in his last 5 games, and is on pace for 40. Moreover, he has 7 powerplay goals, good for 9th place in the league, only 2 behind league co-leaders Alex Ovechkin and Tomas Holmstrom. He is 2nd in team scoring to Mats Sundin's career year and actually averages the most icetime of any Leafs forward. Power Outage? More like a Power Onage! Meuh!
- Methinks its time that Darcy Tucker is made a healthy scratch. Any typical Leafs fan will tell you that Tucker is the heart and soul of the team, bleeds blue and white, should be captain, blah blah fucking blah. The only excuse for his play is that he's apparently playing hurt. Honestly though, he has done nothing all year, and is floundering out there, almost every shift. When I was typing 'shift', my fingers typed 'shit'. Freudian slip, I am sure. Even my subconscious thinks Tucker has to improve.
- Mats Sundin went 17-3 in faceoffs last night against very competent Lightning centres. You won't see numbers like that for the rest of the season.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Leafs Waive Bye To Battaglia
The headline may be lame, but considering that Sportsnet went with "Leafs roster de-Bated", I'm way ahead of the game.
In any event, Bates Battaglia has been placed on waivers by the Leafs. No real surprise here, as Battaglia hasn't played much at all this season. The Leafs are likely sending Bates down to the Toronto Marlies, but he must first clear waivers in order for them to do so.
In 13 games this season - he spent the other games as a healthy scratch - Bates had 0G 0A for a whopping 0 points. He averaged only 4:46 of icetime, so its hard to fault him too much for the lack of offense. But when you factor in his -6 rating, the fact that he wasn't pulling his weight becomes obvious.
The reality is that Boyd Devereaux plays almost the same game as Battaglia, except that Boyd is faster and more tenacious. The good news for Battaglia is that the Marlies are kicking some ass in the AHL, and he'll get to play for a winning team. Could be worse, I suppose.
See how his picture says Not for public use? I didn't, I swear.
In any event, Bates Battaglia has been placed on waivers by the Leafs. No real surprise here, as Battaglia hasn't played much at all this season. The Leafs are likely sending Bates down to the Toronto Marlies, but he must first clear waivers in order for them to do so.
In 13 games this season - he spent the other games as a healthy scratch - Bates had 0G 0A for a whopping 0 points. He averaged only 4:46 of icetime, so its hard to fault him too much for the lack of offense. But when you factor in his -6 rating, the fact that he wasn't pulling his weight becomes obvious.
The reality is that Boyd Devereaux plays almost the same game as Battaglia, except that Boyd is faster and more tenacious. The good news for Battaglia is that the Marlies are kicking some ass in the AHL, and he'll get to play for a winning team. Could be worse, I suppose.
See how his picture says Not for public use? I didn't, I swear.Saturday, December 8, 2007
Belak's Scoring Touch Gone, Leafs Lose.
The Leafs lost tonight, 2-1 to the Boston Bruins.
The Leafs were given every opportunity to win tonight; Glen Murray alone took four poor penalties in the second half of the game. The Leafs scored on none. It was as if the team became bored of winning and chose to half ass it tonight against Boston.
Boston started Alex Auld. You've heard of him: he's the goaltender that filled in adequately for Dan Cloutier in Vancouver a couple of seasons ago, then was traded to Florida in the Roberto Luongo deal, then shit the bed, then lost the starting job to a 40+ year old Ed Belfour, then was let go by Florida, then signed with Phoenix, then shit the bed again, then was traded to Boston this week for a mediocre minor league player. Yep, that Alex Auld...he beat the Leafs tonight. Son of a slut.
The Toronto powerplay again looked as impotent as a 90 year old alcoholic watching a Bea Arthur goatse. This is where the team is supposed to excel. They have invested big money on powerplay specialist defensemen, and their return on investment is lower than Enron stock.
Nearly every team in the league would give up a significant amount for Tomas Kaberle, and I really think that trading him is a great idea. This isn't a sour statement because the Leafs lost. Tomas Kaberle is the Leafs' most prized asset; Mats Sundin is the better player, but Kaberle is younger, is locked up long-term, and is signed below market value. There is no player on the Leafs that would fetch higher trade value than Kaberle. And, since the Leafs have zero chance of winning the Cup this year (or any year for the duration of Kaberle's contract) why not stock up on young talent or prospects or draft picks...or all of the above?
I'm not going to take the piss out of Ian White again tonight. He is what he is. I do think, however, that Paul Maurice agrees with me about White's play of late. Pavel Kubina's return to the lineup has meant decreased playing time for Ian White. In other words, as soon as there was an option other than Andy Wozniewski, White sat on the bench. Enough said, I reckon.
Chuck Kobasew's goal was of the type that we haven't seen from Toskala much this year, if at all. A shot that wasn't screened, tipped, or tricky in any way. It simply beat him. Vesa has been extremely solid on shots of that type. It sorta sucks that he let one in tonight (that ended up being the game winner), but I am pretty damn thankful that he routinely makes those shots look routine. Why am I saying routine so much? I dunno, its part of my routine, I guess. Routine.
Post Script: Milan Lucic and Zdeno Chara could pass for identical twins...the ugliest goddam twins you'll ever see. If they were born 100 years before they were, they'd have been sold to the circus. And circus patrons the world over would have cringed at the sight of the two dog-faced giants...after seeing the lobster boy and the FeeJee Mermaid.
Post Post Script: I am pretty sure that the giant from Big Fish was molded after Chara. Mug shots below.
The Leafs were given every opportunity to win tonight; Glen Murray alone took four poor penalties in the second half of the game. The Leafs scored on none. It was as if the team became bored of winning and chose to half ass it tonight against Boston.
Boston started Alex Auld. You've heard of him: he's the goaltender that filled in adequately for Dan Cloutier in Vancouver a couple of seasons ago, then was traded to Florida in the Roberto Luongo deal, then shit the bed, then lost the starting job to a 40+ year old Ed Belfour, then was let go by Florida, then signed with Phoenix, then shit the bed again, then was traded to Boston this week for a mediocre minor league player. Yep, that Alex Auld...he beat the Leafs tonight. Son of a slut.
The Toronto powerplay again looked as impotent as a 90 year old alcoholic watching a Bea Arthur goatse. This is where the team is supposed to excel. They have invested big money on powerplay specialist defensemen, and their return on investment is lower than Enron stock.
Nearly every team in the league would give up a significant amount for Tomas Kaberle, and I really think that trading him is a great idea. This isn't a sour statement because the Leafs lost. Tomas Kaberle is the Leafs' most prized asset; Mats Sundin is the better player, but Kaberle is younger, is locked up long-term, and is signed below market value. There is no player on the Leafs that would fetch higher trade value than Kaberle. And, since the Leafs have zero chance of winning the Cup this year (or any year for the duration of Kaberle's contract) why not stock up on young talent or prospects or draft picks...or all of the above?
I'm not going to take the piss out of Ian White again tonight. He is what he is. I do think, however, that Paul Maurice agrees with me about White's play of late. Pavel Kubina's return to the lineup has meant decreased playing time for Ian White. In other words, as soon as there was an option other than Andy Wozniewski, White sat on the bench. Enough said, I reckon.
Chuck Kobasew's goal was of the type that we haven't seen from Toskala much this year, if at all. A shot that wasn't screened, tipped, or tricky in any way. It simply beat him. Vesa has been extremely solid on shots of that type. It sorta sucks that he let one in tonight (that ended up being the game winner), but I am pretty damn thankful that he routinely makes those shots look routine. Why am I saying routine so much? I dunno, its part of my routine, I guess. Routine.
Post Script: Milan Lucic and Zdeno Chara could pass for identical twins...the ugliest goddam twins you'll ever see. If they were born 100 years before they were, they'd have been sold to the circus. And circus patrons the world over would have cringed at the sight of the two dog-faced giants...after seeing the lobster boy and the FeeJee Mermaid.
Post Post Script: I am pretty sure that the giant from Big Fish was molded after Chara. Mug shots below.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Another Win, Really?
I almost can't believe it myself...the Leafs are on a 4 game winning streak, after beating the New York Rangers 6-2 last night. This was no ordinary beating, either. This was damn near a Rodney King.
Oh, and speaking of kings, King Henrik looked like King Ralph last night, allowing 4 goals on 10 shots.
Nik Antropov ripped a hat trick last night, his first since his rookie season. It prompted The Sun to run a "Nik Does The Trick" headline, and The Star to run a slightly less irritating "Antropov Does The Trick" headline. If you think about it, they're actually really insightful headlines...for autistic pre-schoolers. But seriously, Antropov was dominant-and-a-half last night and I pretty much get a boner every time he steps on the ice.
Random Game Notes:
- First and foremost: Hal Gill had his best game of the season. Not only did he totally shut down Jaromir Jagr, but he picked up 2 assists. Bones it!
- Pavel Kubina returned from roughly a month off due to injury. He played just under 20 minutes and picked up an assist.
- I still find the Rangers' centre situation puzzling and fucking hilarious at the same time. This is a team that goes out to spend tens of millions of dollars on free agent centremen, only to play noob Brandon Dubinsky on the top line with Straka and Jagr. What that means is that one of Scott Gomez or Chris Drury is, in effect, their #3 centre. Ouch. It's a good thing the Leafs' total lack of depth at centre ensures they'll never have that problem.
- Staying with Gomez, he dominated the faceoff circle last night, going 13-2. Insane numbers!
- Vesa Toskala wasn't as spectacular last night as he was his previous game versus Nashville, but he was every bit as solid. He seems to be getting better every week. And, don't look now, but his goals against average - just under 4 for the first month of the season - is officially under 3.
Oh, and speaking of kings, King Henrik looked like King Ralph last night, allowing 4 goals on 10 shots.
Nik Antropov ripped a hat trick last night, his first since his rookie season. It prompted The Sun to run a "Nik Does The Trick" headline, and The Star to run a slightly less irritating "Antropov Does The Trick" headline. If you think about it, they're actually really insightful headlines...for autistic pre-schoolers. But seriously, Antropov was dominant-and-a-half last night and I pretty much get a boner every time he steps on the ice.
Random Game Notes:
- First and foremost: Hal Gill had his best game of the season. Not only did he totally shut down Jaromir Jagr, but he picked up 2 assists. Bones it!
- Pavel Kubina returned from roughly a month off due to injury. He played just under 20 minutes and picked up an assist.
- I still find the Rangers' centre situation puzzling and fucking hilarious at the same time. This is a team that goes out to spend tens of millions of dollars on free agent centremen, only to play noob Brandon Dubinsky on the top line with Straka and Jagr. What that means is that one of Scott Gomez or Chris Drury is, in effect, their #3 centre. Ouch. It's a good thing the Leafs' total lack of depth at centre ensures they'll never have that problem.
- Staying with Gomez, he dominated the faceoff circle last night, going 13-2. Insane numbers!
- Vesa Toskala wasn't as spectacular last night as he was his previous game versus Nashville, but he was every bit as solid. He seems to be getting better every week. And, don't look now, but his goals against average - just under 4 for the first month of the season - is officially under 3.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Leafs Win 3rd Straight, Belak Scores, I'm Sober. One Of These Is False...
...but don't they all seem very unlikely?
Just as the Leafs appeared to hit rock bottom, they've now won three straight and earned 7 of the last 8 possible points after beating Nashville tonight.
I don't fucking get it.
Two weeks ago, the Leafs would have lost a game to the last place team from a vegetarian league. Now, they can't be stopped. Don't get me wrong - I love watching the Leafs win, but this winning streak after the pathetic display they'd just shown defies all logic. Rather than try to figure it out, I'll grab myself another Schlitz. I had a Scarborough Suitcase during the game, so forgive me if I'm off tonight.
So, this is what I noticed about the game when my eyes were temporarily able to focus on the TV.
- Bryan McCabe is playing too much. Over 30 minutes again tonight. It's either that Paul Maurice is showcasing him for trade, or overcompensating for the public lashing out at him weeks ago. There is no excuse for him to play more than Tomas Kaberle (as he does...consistently). Well, unless Kaberle dies or sumthin. And even then, it's a toss-up.
- The Leafs' powerplay in the second period - when Radek Bonk was in the box for Claude Lemieuxing Staffan Kronwall - was disgusting. No offensive pressure. A clumsy attack. No cohesiveness. They looked even strength at best. There is about 10 million dollars in salary manning the point during Leafs powerplays; wasn't the man advantage supposed to be a strong point?
- Vesa Toskala looked pretty fantastic tonight. Did you fucking see those saves against Jason Arnott? To those that believe Andrew Raycroft should still be #1 in Toronto - you ignorant ditch diggers - believe this: Jason Arnott would have scored tonight if #1 was #1.
- Alex Steen. Bag O' Shit. That pretty well sums up his game.In the first minute of the third period, he missed a net more wide open than your mom backstage at a Motley Crue concert. Then, he was directly responsible for Nashville's only goal of the night. When Vesa Toskala cleared the puck around the boards to him, he totally fucking missed it - under no pressure at all, mind you - and Shea Weber put the puck on goal with perfect results. Alex, that was practically impossible to fuck up - how'd you manage?
Greg Millen The Good: On Mats Sundin's record threatening 16th straight home game with a point, "In a hockey market this big, I am very surprised how unnoticed this streak by Sundin has gone." Touché. All the media this team gets and this streak gets no play. For shame! It should noted, I guess, that The Blue & White hasn't mentioned it either. There are too many bad Damien Cox articles to take the piss out of I suppose.
Millen The Bad: On Bryan McCabe's huge playing time lately, "30 minutes again, he's been great." What the christ? What Bryan McCabe have you been watching, Greg? Since McCabe's playing time has increased , he's been making fewer mistakes, sure, but that does not mean he's been great, and it also does not mean he's earning his contract. It really only means that he's been less shitty. I hope that's not what's passing for great in Toronto.
Just as the Leafs appeared to hit rock bottom, they've now won three straight and earned 7 of the last 8 possible points after beating Nashville tonight.I don't fucking get it.
Two weeks ago, the Leafs would have lost a game to the last place team from a vegetarian league. Now, they can't be stopped. Don't get me wrong - I love watching the Leafs win, but this winning streak after the pathetic display they'd just shown defies all logic. Rather than try to figure it out, I'll grab myself another Schlitz. I had a Scarborough Suitcase during the game, so forgive me if I'm off tonight.
So, this is what I noticed about the game when my eyes were temporarily able to focus on the TV.
- Bryan McCabe is playing too much. Over 30 minutes again tonight. It's either that Paul Maurice is showcasing him for trade, or overcompensating for the public lashing out at him weeks ago. There is no excuse for him to play more than Tomas Kaberle (as he does...consistently). Well, unless Kaberle dies or sumthin. And even then, it's a toss-up.
- The Leafs' powerplay in the second period - when Radek Bonk was in the box for Claude Lemieuxing Staffan Kronwall - was disgusting. No offensive pressure. A clumsy attack. No cohesiveness. They looked even strength at best. There is about 10 million dollars in salary manning the point during Leafs powerplays; wasn't the man advantage supposed to be a strong point?
- Vesa Toskala looked pretty fantastic tonight. Did you fucking see those saves against Jason Arnott? To those that believe Andrew Raycroft should still be #1 in Toronto - you ignorant ditch diggers - believe this: Jason Arnott would have scored tonight if #1 was #1.
- Alex Steen. Bag O' Shit. That pretty well sums up his game.In the first minute of the third period, he missed a net more wide open than your mom backstage at a Motley Crue concert. Then, he was directly responsible for Nashville's only goal of the night. When Vesa Toskala cleared the puck around the boards to him, he totally fucking missed it - under no pressure at all, mind you - and Shea Weber put the puck on goal with perfect results. Alex, that was practically impossible to fuck up - how'd you manage?
Greg Millen The Good: On Mats Sundin's record threatening 16th straight home game with a point, "In a hockey market this big, I am very surprised how unnoticed this streak by Sundin has gone." Touché. All the media this team gets and this streak gets no play. For shame! It should noted, I guess, that The Blue & White hasn't mentioned it either. There are too many bad Damien Cox articles to take the piss out of I suppose.
Millen The Bad: On Bryan McCabe's huge playing time lately, "30 minutes again, he's been great." What the christ? What Bryan McCabe have you been watching, Greg? Since McCabe's playing time has increased , he's been making fewer mistakes, sure, but that does not mean he's been great, and it also does not mean he's earning his contract. It really only means that he's been less shitty. I hope that's not what's passing for great in Toronto.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Leafs Win...And I Post Nothing
Yours truly was one of the lucky few (thousand) that was at the Air Canada Centre on Saturday night to see the Leafs beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-2. OK, the game really wasn't great, but the good guys won - despite a partial 3rd period collapse - and I was fall down drunk in my fancy standing room "seats". Boner of a night.
Sidney Crosby was absolutely invisible during the game. If I didn't know better, I'd have assumed he was a run-of-the-mill 2nd or 3rd line player based on his performance on Saturday. Once-in-a-generation players aren't supposed to disappear for entire games like that, and it furthers my theory that Crosby is not. Crosby is absolutely a franchise player - the type of player you build a team around - but I am still not convinced he is in the Bobby Orr / Wayne Gretzky / Mario Lemieux mold.
Let me get one more thing off my back: Gary Roberts. This is a player that is still regarded as a nice rental player for any team planning to do damage in the playoffs. A player that will make any team he is on better. I am here to tell you that Gary Roberts is finished, and has been since his last season in Toronto. Before you attack me, let me say this: Roberts has produced for a long time in the NHL, and overcome things that deserve a standing ovation when he hangs the skates up. Moreover, he is a great character guy and leader. But, as a player, he is done. Roberts looked terrible on Saturday night, taking 3 penalties and going -1. He is still capable when within 10 feet of the opposition's net, but is a liability everywhere else. Watching Roberts in Toronto was agony; he simply can no longer do the things that an effective player can, but you want to cheer for him because he's a great guy who has overcome a lot. Saturday night was a little easier as he was on the opposing team, so his mistakes only helped the home team.
The best Maple Leafs article you will read all season:
Bold statement, sure, but CBC's Alex Shprintsen (writing for The Globe & Mail) took a look at the Leafs' draft history over the past 20 years as an explanation of their futility over the same period. Go read it. Now.
Eklund's ramblings:
Seems Eklund at hockeybuzz.com is hot with rumours (again). This time, there are rumblings of a shake-up in Tampa Bay that may see Vinny Lecavalier dealt. The Leafs and Canadiens are apparently the two most interested teams. The short version is here:
"So does that mean that Vinny LeCavalier, perhaps the best player in the world, could be gone?
Sources say yes, and point to the the fact that a ransom could be gotten that could include a young goalie and several top players for Vinny. All of who could be slotted into the Tampa line-up and make the team more affordable...and maybe even more of a contender."
I'd love to blow some smoke up your ass about how the Leafs can land Vinny, but the simply reality is that Montreal can offer much more than can the Leafs. The talk of a young goaltender than can immediately play for the Lightning is the nail in the coffin; the Leafs simply don't have that. Montreal has both Carey Price and, more realistically, Jaro Halak as trade bait. The Leafs have the less talented Justin Pogge but he is not NHL-ready as of yet.
Of course, this doesn't even speak to the 'top players' mentioned by Eklund. Montreal can offer better young players than can Toronto. Moreover, Toronto's top players have contracts that make trading them quite difficult. And, considering that Tampa Bay is trading Vinny mostly due to financial reasons, I really can't see the Lightning taking on significant contracts in return.
In short, trading for Vincent Lecavalier would be a franchise-altering move, and would be the first time in the history of the Leafs that they have employed the best player in the league (while he was on the top of his game)...but don't hold your breath waiting for this move to happen.
Sidney Crosby was absolutely invisible during the game. If I didn't know better, I'd have assumed he was a run-of-the-mill 2nd or 3rd line player based on his performance on Saturday. Once-in-a-generation players aren't supposed to disappear for entire games like that, and it furthers my theory that Crosby is not. Crosby is absolutely a franchise player - the type of player you build a team around - but I am still not convinced he is in the Bobby Orr / Wayne Gretzky / Mario Lemieux mold.Let me get one more thing off my back: Gary Roberts. This is a player that is still regarded as a nice rental player for any team planning to do damage in the playoffs. A player that will make any team he is on better. I am here to tell you that Gary Roberts is finished, and has been since his last season in Toronto. Before you attack me, let me say this: Roberts has produced for a long time in the NHL, and overcome things that deserve a standing ovation when he hangs the skates up. Moreover, he is a great character guy and leader. But, as a player, he is done. Roberts looked terrible on Saturday night, taking 3 penalties and going -1. He is still capable when within 10 feet of the opposition's net, but is a liability everywhere else. Watching Roberts in Toronto was agony; he simply can no longer do the things that an effective player can, but you want to cheer for him because he's a great guy who has overcome a lot. Saturday night was a little easier as he was on the opposing team, so his mistakes only helped the home team.
The best Maple Leafs article you will read all season:
Bold statement, sure, but CBC's Alex Shprintsen (writing for The Globe & Mail) took a look at the Leafs' draft history over the past 20 years as an explanation of their futility over the same period. Go read it. Now.
Eklund's ramblings:
Seems Eklund at hockeybuzz.com is hot with rumours (again). This time, there are rumblings of a shake-up in Tampa Bay that may see Vinny Lecavalier dealt. The Leafs and Canadiens are apparently the two most interested teams. The short version is here:
"So does that mean that Vinny LeCavalier, perhaps the best player in the world, could be gone?
Sources say yes, and point to the the fact that a ransom could be gotten that could include a young goalie and several top players for Vinny. All of who could be slotted into the Tampa line-up and make the team more affordable...and maybe even more of a contender."
I'd love to blow some smoke up your ass about how the Leafs can land Vinny, but the simply reality is that Montreal can offer much more than can the Leafs. The talk of a young goaltender than can immediately play for the Lightning is the nail in the coffin; the Leafs simply don't have that. Montreal has both Carey Price and, more realistically, Jaro Halak as trade bait. The Leafs have the less talented Justin Pogge but he is not NHL-ready as of yet.
Of course, this doesn't even speak to the 'top players' mentioned by Eklund. Montreal can offer better young players than can Toronto. Moreover, Toronto's top players have contracts that make trading them quite difficult. And, considering that Tampa Bay is trading Vinny mostly due to financial reasons, I really can't see the Lightning taking on significant contracts in return.
In short, trading for Vincent Lecavalier would be a franchise-altering move, and would be the first time in the history of the Leafs that they have employed the best player in the league (while he was on the top of his game)...but don't hold your breath waiting for this move to happen.
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