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Wednesday, October 31, 2007
The Fergalicious GM: John Ferguson Jr.
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Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Game 13: Washington 7 vs Toronto Holy Shit You Suck...
Wha Happen? Toronto put together 2 great games on the road last week and seemed to have gotten over the hurdle that is defence. But then they show back up at the ACC and it's like they took nothing away from the two road wins...I just don't understand.
Thankfully for Leafs fans the Blue and White are on the road for the next 4 games. Hopefully they'll leave this play here at the ACC and pick up the play they had in Pittsburgh and New York again. If anyone is happy about Toronto's bed shitting extravaganza last night it would be Tucker and McCabe...I bet they were starting to get worried that they might of been healthy scratches when they got back...I'm relieved knowing that that wont happen (sarcasm). Toronto's next opponent is the Devils at their flashy new building "The Prudential Center" Hopefully New Jersey starts their back up against the Leafs and we start someone who can actually stop a puck...maybe I'm wishing for too much.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Game 12: In The Big Apple to Pimp Slap The Rangers
The Second period was (from what I heard) pretty impressive. I was in the car and had the pleasure of listening to Mr. Joe Bowen, which is a million times better then the retarded triple entente that is "Hockey Night in Canada" (Bob Cole, Harry Neale and Cassy Campbell) Jagr scored first for the Rangers but the Leafs came right back strong. About 3 minutes after Jaromir scored Kubina riped a shot from the point that found it's way through Lundqvist to tie it up. Pohl and Antropov also scored to put the Leafs up 3-1 after 2.
something to do with the hostile environment that is the ACC. But with the recent "team" play and productive efforts that have resulted in wins, the sheep in Toronto should finally welcome the blue and white with cheers instead of boo's...well the ones who follow hockey should. I can't speak for the suites that just show up with company tickets and think that Toskala could be rookie of the year...On the bright side...after tonight Toronto will be back on the road for 4...nice...
Friday, October 26, 2007
Game 11: If You Can't Win At Home, Go On The Road...
Toskala was making his second consecutive start and McCabe was out of the line up (because he blows). Despite playing a great first period Toronto fell 1-0 off a Crosby PPG late in the first. This was only Crosby's 3rd goal all year and lucky for us they've all been against the Leafs (you're welcome Sid). After 20 minutes Toronto surprisingly looked like the better team. Strong play in all 3 zones, fast fore checking and solid back checking were very evident. One nice thing about Crosby's goal from a Leafs fan point of view...When he scored he was completely surrounded by Gill and Antropov...and when you saw the replay of the goal there were two things of note..1) This kid has some serious strength shoveling that puck home and 2) Bryan McCabe wasn't standing 6 feet away watching the whole play...humm very interesting...The Leafs play a strong defensive game and McCabe isn't in the line up...how odd.
The second period saw Toronto come out looking just like they did in the first...not like Toronto. They were fast both ways, fighting hard for the puck and creating lots of turnovers.
Steen scored on Fleury when Antropov did all the work and took it to the net. Alex got a huge rebound and put it away quickly to make it 1-1 about half way through the game. Although Toronto looked like they had the edge it seemed as though it was going to be a one goal game. Fleury was making some pretty huge saves (most notably the toe save on Kilger) and although Toronto was playing well it was going to be difficult to come out of tonight's game with 2 points...That is until Toronto let out it's secret weapon...
Okay so he wasn't really a secret weapon...more of a minor league call-up but hey, the way the Leafs have been playing lately they'll take anything. Jiri Tlusti was called up on Wednesday from the Marlies and unlike other call ups (who do very little and create several turnovers) Tlusti made sure everyone leaving the Mellon last night was saying "Who the hell is Tlusti?...no really, who is this douche?"
Tlusti scored in the third to make it 2-1 TOR. Although it was really a case of being in the right place at the right time. Kubina fanned on the shot that saw the puck drift about 5 feet forward where Steen was waiting to fire the "pass" from Kubina. Steen wired the shot and Jiri was just coasting in front of the net looking for a rebound and before he knew it he had a bruise on his ass (from the puck not rookie initiation) and the puck was behind Fleury...35 seconds later Kubina wired a pass down ice from his own red line to Tlusti who was breaking down the near side (with speed the majority of the Leafs have not seen on their team in quite some time) wired a shot high on Fleury's glove side to make it 3-1...And would eventually be the game winner. Kaberle Scored on a huge slap shot from the top of the circles on a power play to make it 4-1 Toronto and less than a minute after that Deveraux scored on a brutal turnover created Antropov's neanderthal like reach to make it 5-1. Gonchar scored on a 5 on 3 to make it 5-2 but it was too little too late for Pittsburgh and Toronto was just playing too strong.
So Toronto gets their first road win of the season (now 1-1-1) and if they play like this on Saturday in New York then they should be able to come out of this mini road trip 2-0. A few things to note from last nights game...
1) On October 13th when the Penguins won 6-4 Pittsburgh had 52 shots on net. Tonight they only had 25...
2) Gill and Kubina were a combined +3 and on Oct. 13th McCabe alone was a -3...I'm not sayin'...I'm just sayin'
3) McCabe took 3 penalty's on the 13th (holding, interference and tripping) Last night only one penality was given to the Leafs defence and it wasn't because of laziness. Kubina got a delay of game for flipping the puck over the glass...just a brain fart...nothing to do with being slower than your opponent.
4) Pittsburgh started Fleury (the first time an opposing team has started their #1 goalie against the leafs in 7 games)
5) Paul Maurice still looks like a bag of shit and needs to get some sleep. He also needs to get his ties from somewhere other than the salvation army.
So Toronto take on the struggling Rangers on Saturday. If New York was going to have a coming out party (scoring not "scoring") it would be against the Leafs. Let's just hope Raycroft doesn't start...or MaCabe.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Game 10: The Better Team Always Wins...
I am still not a big fan of shootouts...I do think they are exciting but I don't like how two teams play one another for 65 minutes only to have players 1-on-1 with the goalies. It's like having a tied football game and seeing which punter can kick the furthest...I just don't like it. Or maybe i just don't like them because Toronto sucks at them...either way they bug me. This was the first shoot out for either team this year and I'll give you the quick rundown of how the shooters did.
Bryan McCabe With his beautiful overtime winner in Buffalo (on his own net) and sloppy defensive play on recent games (and all the ones before them) he has been Leafs Nation's scapegoat for the past week. Now I can understand him wanting to downplay the own goal to the press since they want to behead him but he really needs to think about what he says before he opens his mouth. The one quote that bugged me the most was the "It's not like it was game 7 of the playoffs...it was game 7 of 82"...yes it was Bryan, but remember what happened last year when you missed the playoffs by a single point?...they all count and I'm really hoping this doesn't come back to haunt us.
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Game 9: Raycroft is back into "Raycroft Form"
Chicago got on the board early with a power play goal by Williams that saw the Toronto penalty killers diving around like Italian soccer players...It was brutal to watch this defensive coverage attempt to penalty kill. They looked like those idiots that put their foreheads on the knob of the baseball bat, spin around 20 times then try to race...unbelieveable...and at the end of it all McCabe is standing by him self (and no one around him by at least 15 feet) watching the whole play...Hey Fucker! get in the game for Christ sakes...you're only getting paid $7M this year...
Sundin came back with a nice short handed goal to tie things up at 1-1 Then shortly after Kaberle threw the puck on net on a 3-3 rush that went off Zyuzin's stick and in...It was a huge break that the Leafs really needed...They haven' been getting any bounces and have been getting stiffed pretty hard in the penalty calls so far this year...For the rest of the period Toronto looked very impressive. They had great back checking, and something I haven't really seen this year was the forwards were really coming back and helping the defence behind their own net with one on one battles...It looked like Toronto was going to really expose the lack of rest Chicago had because of the late arrival in the t-dot the night before.
Toronto completely dominated the second period but only had Sundin's semi-breakaway goal to show for it. Lalime was huge making some really big stops. Because I am new to blogging I don't really know how to do things...while I watch the leaf games I take little notes to remind myself what to talk about after the game. with about 3 minutes left in the second i wrote to my self 'I think this may be the first period all season (or at least that I can remember) that the Leafs haven't taken a penalty"...well way to go Scott you douche...go a head and totally jinx it. Ponikarovski, Wozniewski and Gill all took penalty's that saw Toronto deal with a 5 on 3 for almost 2 full minutes...they held them off in the second but the Third was a different story.
This is the part of the game where it gets really frustrating to be a Leafs fan. Toronto kills off the 5-3 but as Wozniewski is coming back onto the ice Chicago scores...okay no big deal. It's still 3-2 Toronto and because Wozniewski's penalty was over when they scored that just cancels out Gill's penalty and now we're even strength and still up by 1. Then again, like always, the Leafs defence decides to watch the game instead of play it. Keith comes down the right wing as they're announcing Zyuzin's goal and puts it past Raycroft with ease to tie it up at 3's. Then the flood gates open...Lang scores a brutal goal on Raycroft over his shoulder.
Now when Raycroft first came to Toronto he was pretty good (it didn't last long) all the other teams had to do was go look at some old game tapes and see that he goes down on every single shot...and I'm not exaggerating. he really does go down on every...single...shot. So now teams just shoot high and it's almost a givin' that it will go in (and it does)...and this is why I get frustrated...For the entire second period Toronto completely pwned Chicago but only managed 1 goal from Lalime. When Toronto needs Raycroft to steal a few for them what happens? he shits the bed...I swear...I can not describe the frustration I have with Raycroft. Ohh yeah, Sharp also scored on a brutal deflection to make it 5-3 Chicago. Kilger got one back late but as the Leafs were trying to make a last minute come back all momentum was lost when Ponikarovsky was called for "ghost hooking"...(that's one of those brutal penalty breaks that I was talking about earlier) Lang put in an empty net goal and Chicago ended up winning 6-4 in front of a full crowd of sheep.
So Tuesday Toronto will be playing the Thrashers...I'm really hoping that Toskala gets the start...He doesn't give you that "ohh shit" feeling every time the puck is shot at him like Raycroft does. I know it's still really early in the season (game 9 of 82) but Toronto is already under .500 and have only played 2 away games (7 home games). They've lost both their away games and I'm just thinking to myself...there are some teams who start the season with 7 or 8 game road trips and they are doing fine holding their own...what's going to happen later on this year when Toronto has more away games then home?...They certainly aren't making it easy for themselves early on this year...
One last thing before I go...Tonight was Belak's 400 NHL game and in true Belak style he beat the crap out of Koci...way to go Wade. So despite losing again tonight I leave you with this little video montage of Wade because even if you lose the war, Wade will win a few battles.
Friday, October 19, 2007
Game 8: From Zero To...Well, Less Of A Zero...
To look at Paul Maurice he seems like a quiet, well-mannered guy...probably soft spoken with a little bit of a funny side...Well I'm not sure what was said in the dressing room during the first intermission but it fuckin' worked...He must have gone totally ape shit...I mean absolutely crazy. Throwing stuff, climbing, jumping, running...just all out...Hell, who knows what goes on in the dressing room...he might have gotten all the way down to his high-tops a la Christian Bale...Anyways, The leafs came out on fire and with only 24 seconds gone in the second period the Leafs capitalized on Florida's poor defensive coverage. With Blake losing his glove in the corner he took a rebound off the post and threw it in behind a sprawling Anderson. Blake's goal was from the outside hash marks of the face off circle...I mean it was a really awkward place to score from and had Anderson not been trying to get up from the previous shot it would have been an easy save...but hey, they all count and it was a much needed boost for the leafs who had hit 2 posts in the first period.
With Toronto on the board they looked to even the score with a power play opportunity...well who else would score but Bryan McCabe (or "McKlutz" as the Toronto media have so elegantly put it). In the span of about 8 seconds Toronto fans go from booing this guy every time he touches the puck to hoisting him on their shoulders and carrying him out of the arena (which wouldn't be a bad thing)...Leafs Nation are a bunch of stupid fucking sheep...or more like a retarded golden retriever. They all go from hating him with a passion and ordering him out of town to praising him and going "I knew McCabe could do it...he has the ability to turn it on whenever he wants"...Give me a break.
In the 3rd it looked as though the Leafs would be faced with another overtime but with just under 30 seconds left Antropov scored to put the leafs up 3-2...The Panthers were complaining (like Jacques Martin always does) because Ian White was trying to pick a fight with Stumpel...Stumpel not wanting anything to do with him refused to drop his gloves and the fight never developed while White skated back to the bench...Florida was pissed that there should have been a penalty called on White for dropping the gloves and because there wasn't the Leafs came back and scored. I don't know if it's because Martin used to coach the Senators or not (it is) but every time i see that fucking piece of shit humpty-dumpty I just want to grab his ears and rip them off his fuckin' head...*calm down Scott*...god damn I hate him
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
The Votes Are In...Week One Pylon Goes To...
Vessa Toskala! With a win and two losses in the first week Vessa has rounded into true Blue and White form posting a 4.48 Goals Against Average and an amazing .878 Save %...well done...John Ferguson must be happy with the situation of his team...Last in the North East and #1 in the league for goals allowed. Looks like another 82 game season while the Senators make another legit run for the cup...Fuck you Brian Murray and your stupid lisp...
Toronto is playing Florida tomorrow night and it will be interesting who's gonna win here...what happens when a tier two team plays another tier two team? do they both start their back ups? I guess for Toronto they don't have to worry seeing as how they have two back ups and no starter...
I truly believe McCabe will have a good game Thursday. (there is no possible way he could have another shit game) and I'm hoping Maurice plays Raycroft. I mean this guys been doing everything he can to try and win...just the defence is so brutal that not only are they not preventing goals...They're scoring on their own net!...It's truly frustrating being part of this Leafs Nation...
Monday, October 15, 2007
Pre-Game...Cross Dressing?!
Tonight the Leafs are in Buffalo where they're looking to lose again...I'm sure Raycroft will get the start and I'm making an uneducated guess in saying the final score will be 6-2 for the Sabres. I also wouldn't be suprised if the Leafs are wearing jills instead of jocks tonight judging by the way they were checking the Pens on Saturday...Thank god I'm missing tonights game (going to see Queens Of The Stone Age tonight) but I'm sure once I watch my highlights and read my paper tomorrow morning I'll be just as depressed as the rest of you...
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Game 6: Dear Bryan...You Blow
Normally I won't single a player out (yes I will) because as the saying goes..."You win as a team and you lose as a team"...Well that saying doesn't apply when McCabe is part of that team. Bryan McCabe litterally handed that game over to Pittsburgh. All night he was just standing around with is dick in his hand...He was a minus 3 (-3) tonight with 3 penalties (6 PIM). Obviously I can't show replays on my blog but on the 3-3 goal by Talbot it seriously looked like McCabe was trying to help him score...Toronto fans are very quick to pass judgement when a Leaf fucks up...sometimes it's deserved and sometimes it's not...tonight it was deserved when the ACC started booing' McCabe. I just had to shake my head in disgust and drink my beer...
It was a sloppy game all round Toronto was playing like...well Toronto and Pittsburgh was playing to the caliber of their opponents...there was tonnes of missed defensive assignments on both sides of the ice and in the end it all came down to who took advantage of those errors more...I'm sure the Pens are happy with the win but I doubt they're happy with the way they played (defensively).
One last thing before I go...before the game started I believe is was Scott Oak (or maybe Bob Cole but I think Bob is too stupid to accurately deliver stats) who said "Crosby is still looking for his first goal of the season"...well guess what Scott...If anyone is in an offensive slump the best way to get them out is to play the Leafs...i mean come on...I dare you to find me one single Leaf fan that was thinking "ohh Crosby hasn't scored yet?...well he sure won't start tonight!"...what a fucking joke the leafs are...I'm done...I'll see everyone Tuesday morning...
Friday, October 12, 2007
Game 5: Leafs Win!...Sundin Passes Sittler...No He Doesn't...Yes He does!
Having been out scored 7-1 on Tuesday the Leafs paid it forward to the Islanders in an 8-1 romp. Gamache scored his first goal as a Leaf, Wozniewski scored his first goal as a...anybody and Sundin got an assist to pass Darryl Sittler as the all time points leader as a leaf...There were standing ovations,
tears, a montage the whole nine yards...That's what made it so funny when they took his assist away a few minutes later thus tying him with Sittler again...Haa Haa
Having felt the achievement of being the Leafs all-time scorer only to have it taken away moments later Sundin was like a dyke at a craft show...He was determined to score...and at any cost too. Of his 390 goals this one is probably ranked somewhere between 7th and 12th as being the ugliest...but hey, they all count. They made him 3rd, 2nd and 1st star (I had never seen that before)...Raycroft must have enjoyed seeing that 2nd and/or 3rd star slip away from his grasp...what the fuck does this guy have to do to get a fuckin' bone in this city?!
Dubowitz looked like a back up goalie...where was this type of performance last spring when he absolutely robbed the leafs of a playoff spot?...I digress...8 different Leafs scored on him but the best goal of the evening hands down goes to...Thomas Kaberle...what a move...he absolutely made the Islanders look like ass...it was amazing.
The Leafs have a much more difficult opponent on Saturday vs the Penguins but with the offensive outburst last night there might just be a bit of much needed morale booster. Before I go I just wanted to mention how stupid the reporters sounded last night when saying "This is a must-win game for the Leafs"...what?! this is game 5 of fuckin' 82!...let's pace ourselves people...
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Game 4: Final Score: Carolina - 7 vs. Toronto - Sucks...
Warning: The following paragraph talks about Marty York...reader discretion is advised...
I had an opportunity to pick up a pair of tickets for yesterdays game...I'm glad I didn't because it would have been a total waste of money...$180 for a pair of Greens...And that's face value! I was coming into work this morning on the GO and got to Marty York's words of wisdom that seem to find their way into the sports section of the metro...somewhere inside his verbal vomit of CFL news that no one cares about was an Interesting stat (not surprising, but interesting): The Leafs top the NHL with the highest average ticket price at $88.32...Holy shit! No Kidding! Has this not been the topic of discussion since like 1998? The thing that did surprise me was that Buffalo charges the second lowest at $33.56. If you've ever been to a Sabers game you know how fun it is. If I didn't live so far east of Toronto I would be making frequent trips over the boarder to see Buffalo in action. It's a great atmosphere and apparently WAY fuckin' cheaper than a Leafs game (ohh and the on-ice quality is better too....but you already knew that)
A few mile stones of note from last nights game:
1) Toronto Actually scored another power play goal
2) Sundin tied Sittler for most points as a leaf as well as earned second place on the all-time assists list
3) ....nope that's it...just two notes.
It really seemed as though the "I have Cancer" Blake delivered would have been a huge momentum builder but that was not the case last night as they looked completely flat after the first goal. Carolina beat Toronto on every 1 on 1 assignment in the corners, out skated and all round out played the leafs last night....Toskala can't be blamed for all 7 goals at all...(2 by my count) And Sundin's "we played like horseshit" kind of summed it up...I thought I saw Raycroft smirking on the bench after the 6th goal...or maybe he was just trying to repress the tears that the 8 year-old heckler behind him was causing....Rayyyyyy-craaawwwwffffft Rayyyyyy-craaawwwwffffft. Kids can be so mean...
Hopefully the Blue and White get their shit together for Thursday night when the Isles drop by...maybe Blake will score his first goal against them...maybe (and this as a long shot) the Leafs could win again...we'll see. Until next time - "Keep Fit And Have Fun!"
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Game 3: Good News - Leafs Win, Bad News - Blake has Cancer...
Ian White scored in the first, Kaberle in O.T. and Alexei Ponikarovsky netted 2 goals which has some people in agreement that if Sundin can set up 2 goals a game for Ponikarovsky and Antropov then who cares if he scores #390?
So the leafs are now 1-1-1 but that kind of took a back seat after morning skate yesterday (Monday) when Blake announced that he has a rare form of leukemia known as "Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML)" Although it's "highly treatable" it does come as a huge shocker. I mean it sucked last year when we were missing players because of injuries but now they might start dropping with fatal illnesses...In all seriousness though, I'm sure everyone truly hopes that Jason Blake...scores his first goal soon.
The Leafs play Carolina tonight here in the T-dot. I went to the last game these two played against each other last season. It was a must win for the Cannes and Toronto destroyed them like 6-2. After that Carolina was out of the playoff race. I really hope Toskala gets the start again (I'm sure he will because he certainly played well Saturday) and Maybe we can ride the high of the o.t. win tonight for a second win of the season...Bee-otch!
Friday, October 5, 2007
Game 2: 0-1-1...Not Bad...For The Leafs
Vesa Looked like a number one starter last night. One thing I like about Vesa is the modest yet confident attitude he carries in the media scrum. After his "Raycroft-esq" pre-season, reporters (and only reporters) were worried that maybe he was another one of Ferguson's off season fuck-ups. He was quick to reply "Don't worry I'll be fine when the season starts"...and to me...he was. Does anybody remember Belfour looking brutal in the pre-season then looking...well less brutal once the season started. Toskala will be in fine form on Saturday and with the Leafs / Habs rivalry coming to the ACC I'm sure this will be win number one for the blue and white this season.
Sundin scored? holy shit....Hallelujah...It's not that he sucked at the end of last year. He just wasn't getting any breaks. with goal number 389 under his belt (and early in the season too) he can leave that mental baggage behind and hopefully get plenty more bounces to go his way.
I'll also make my first confession of the season...I have a man-crush on Blake. This guy is the balls. Or as Pierre would say "He's a MONSTER! with DEXTERITY!"....Monsters and dexterity?...this isn't dungeons and Dragons Pierre, Get your shit together...But Blake is looking really good. He was a total pest again and had a great two-way presence in both games. On the opposite end of the scale Tucker needs either new skates, vertigo treatment or one of those little plastic chairs that 4 year-olds push around the ice when they learn to skate. Is it just me or does he look like a house league call up? He's flopping all over the ice and backchecks like Jason Allison. Tucker needs to smarten up. What a little bitch.
I truly hope Saturday is win number one for the blue and white. I also hope Toskala stays in net. Get some rest Maurice, lose those bags under your eyes...Saturdays gonna be a good one.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Game 1: New Year...Same Old Song
Raycroft?!
Why the hell did we pick up Toskala in the off season if we didn't want to make the playoffs? Paul Maurice has been giving it the old "it's his job to lose..." Hey, Fuck Face, Did you not see what he did last year? He lost this job before he even left Boston. I do agree "Razer" was the better of the two in pre-season but give me a break...everyone and their retarded kid sister knew Raycroft wouldn't stand a chance against the Sens. Put Toskala in and see if he'll lose the job. It's really a pick your poison kind of situation so far. I hope tonight Toskala gets the start. It will really put thing into prespective...on one hand it will be "wow Vesa's a lot better than that bitch-face, sarcastic prick Raycroft"....or it will be "Holy shit did Vessa ever shit the bed...With no goal tending and molasses-slow defence, here's hoping for a high draft pick"
As far as forwards go I'm gonna say that Blake was impressive. Great two-way skating and was a total fuckin' pest in the offensive zone. I wont be suprised if he matches last years numbers...this guy is what we thought Darcy Tucker was going to be...Tucker's just missing a few things (like balance and skill) other than that he's on his way. Sundin looked old...that's all I'm gonna say about that. Kilger, Steen and Pohl looked good...I hope they do well this season and Matt Stajan needs to learn how to skate with his fucking head up! CAR!
The Senators looked much like they did last year when they played the leafs...fuckin' good. Danny Heatley wrapped one around Raycroft and in (lake a Ferrari around a tree) and also scored the overtime winner...Leaf fans will have nightmares about this guy for years now that he's signed a new extension with the Senators that will see him there for at least another 6 years. Lets hope they let him drive the team bus.