11 Blue Points

FREE LEAFS TICKETS! (It's Really Not That Exciting)

2008-07-22T13:40:00.000-07:00

So if anyone made it down to the ACC last Wednesday for the press conference you'd have come away with a pair of Leafs/Sabres tickets for the first pre-season game of the year...

If you didn't go down don't worry. I've got you covered just go here and enter the draw for the tickets. They are giving away all the tickets for this game so might as well try. Why not? It will be a nice treat to see a young offensive team play together for the first time...yes I'm talking about Buffalo...

A New Season and A New Hope

2008-07-18T06:20:00.001-07:00

So today I decided to apply to the Yardbarker Blog Network. I have not posted during the off season nor did I post in the second half of the 07-08 season while I was over in England but rumblings are happening and the season is fast approaching.

The NHL has released the 2008-09 schedule and there are a few exciting (not really) games to mention here...

We'll start with the biggies first. New Years day Chicago will host Detroit in the 2009 version of the "Outdoor Classic". I'm all about these outside games. it's really cool to see how the elements of the outdoors play a factor in the games (see shoot-out from last year) And the best part of it all is that it's going to be in Wrigley Field. Awesome. I've been to Wrigley a few times (baseball games) and it's is hands down the most beautiful stadium I have ever been in. Anyone who's got tickets for this is in for a treat.

Secondly, There will be 4 teams heading to the other side of the pond to start the season. Tampa and the Rangers will play in Prague on October 4th and 5th while The Eastern Conference Champion Penguins and The Joke of a Team from Ottawa will play on the same nights in Stockholm.

Montreal will be hosting the 2009 All-star game...Other than the possibility of an amazing opening ceremony that would be considered the NHL's equivalent of Tuesdays MLB's All-Star game (because of the possibilities of all the Hall of Famers) this will be boring...

Toronto will Open the season facing Detroit. There, now everyone that's been moaning about them never coming here can shut up. Honestly, why would you want the Leafs to play Detroit a bunch of times in a season? Did you see where they finished last year? did you see where we finished? c'mon...smarten up.

And finally...(I'm only picking my top 5 because I'm lazy) The Leafs and Habs Hall Of Fame Game on November 8th. Mats Sundin will score a hat-trick...For Montreal.

Just wait and see...

July 15th and I Decide To Post Again...Whatever...

2008-07-15T06:53:00.000-07:00

So it's been the better part of 7 months since my last post. Just typing again gets me pissed off about The Leafs.

Anyways, thought I'd pass along this little e-mail that I received from Matt Stajan...(you're an idiot if you actually think Matt sent this): *click the image to read the letter*

What the hell is this bullshit? For the first time since I've been born The Leafs have been very open about the fact that they will be doing their best to re-build this year...Cliff got rid of some dead weight (Raycroft, Wellwood, Tucker...) and picked up some young potential (and I use the term "potential" lightly) But maybe this is one of those "Thank you everyone for coming...We're going to be shit this year so we're going to drop ticket prices by 5%. We'll still have the most expensive tickets in the league but now the douchebag that works on Bay St. that makes 45k a year and dresses like he's 6 figures will be able to buy some nice Platinum seats, play on his blackberry and miss the first 6 minutes of the 2nd and 3rd periods 2 times this year instead of just once"...YAY! there's more "Everyone here who took time off work today to come down here and show your on-going support for the Leafs, we thank you. And to show our thanks everyone here will get a FREE Leafs window decal and a hologram sticker. THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!" then all the fat Italian men will cheer and clap and that will be it.

Part of me actually wants to go to this because it's going to be such a shit show but the better part of me knows that it's going to blow and there won't be a single woman in attendance.

...Someone let me know how this goes. Looks like another long year for the Blue and White.

Looks Like I'm Ready For Belak...

2007-12-12T12:58:00.000-08:00

Try it and see for yourself...I'll be posting about the last 3 games tonight...until then...

Game 30: Ohh My God The Lightning Are Shit On The Road...

2007-12-11T06:28:00.000-08:00

The Leafs played an incredibly boring game on Saturday that saw them come out on the losing end of a 2-1 score. I went to a Leafs / Bruins game last year and I'll have to admit that it was one of the most boring games I have ever seen (live or televised) Alex Auld held the bruins in line when the Leafs were pressuring late this time but the result was still the same...Toronto lost.

Last night was a different story as Tampa Bay came into the ACC. Tampa have the best home record in the east but lucky for the Leafs they also have the worst road record.

After a scoreless first period that was more boring than watching "Deal Or No Deal" with my grandma the blue and white came out with an explosive 2nd netting 4 goals. They added 2 more in the 3rd and easily went on to the 6-1 win. It was probably one of the more dominating performances the Leafs have had at home this year. The only shit news is that this was the last home game the leafs will have until late December (next 7 games are on the road)...

I'm still re-cooperating from last night's company Christmas party (or Holiday party for those losers who can't accept people celebrating Christmas) so I'm off to McDonalds to grab some McMuffins...the best medicine for a hang over...

So after a not-too-impressive lost to the Bruins on Saturday, the Leafs are looking to start a new streak....yes, you can bring the green hat snoop da loop.

Game 28: I'm Back and Apparently So Are The Leafs...

2007-12-07T06:23:00.000-08:00

So after a disgusting losing streak that had Leafs Nation calling for the heads of anyone and everyone associated with MLSE the leafs have turned their game around completely and have now won 4 straight...but lets be real here...when they lost 4 everyone was pissed. Now they've won 4 and everyone thinks they're gonna make the playoffs but if you lose 4 then win 4 aren't you just at even after 8 games? It's going to take a lot more to get this team in the playoffs but at least we're heading in the right direction...baby steps...baby steps.

So Toronto beat the Rangers last night 6-2. What was more impressive was that they scored 6 times on 16 shots...Compare that with their win over Nashville that saw them score 3 times on 15 shots and you're starting to think that maybe all the leafs success is starting to come from the recent acquisition of their "Shooter Tutor" purchased from Toys R Us for $18...(all figures CAD)

Nik Antropov recorded his second career hat-trick (his first was 8 years ago vs. Florida)...This hat trick really pissed me off...and yes I'll tell you why...

Well the first goal was really nice. it was the result of hard work and going to the net...lucky for him Lundqvist let up a huge rebound and he was there to put it in...good for him...The next 2 are the ones I don't like. Let's pretend that it was Sundin who tipped Whites shot and not Antropov...

White shoots...Sundin tips...puck goes in...Sundin puts his arms up in celebration then points to White and says "Fuck Yeah!"...everyone hugs and there are a few ass grabs.

Now here is what happens when Nik scores:

White shoots...Antropov tips...puck goes in...Antropov looks at the ref and points at himself and says "I tipped it!"...

Antropov...take a cue from "good players" and don't tell the ref you scored when you tip in a goal. It's a team game. You're not in novice house league anymore. Just play...They'll get it right. They always do. The same thing happened on his 3rd goal when he tipped Kubina's shot...he looked right at the ref...really pisses me off...I digress...

So Toronto plays Boston on Saturday and try to extend their winning streak to 5. I'm not going to go looking through stats (mostly because I'm not a fucking dork) but I wouldn't be surprised if the last time they won 5 straight was pre-lockout...The leafs do have trouble with Boston and I wouldn't be surprised if Rask gets the start for them again...Auld is good but for Rask it's personal...I'll be sitting on the couch having a beer listening to Bob Cole fuck every one's name up and get calls wrong. And if I'm lucky enough I'll get to watch that stupid dyke Cassie Campbell make a fool of her self talking about shit no one cares about...I hate her.

CBC had a pretty cool feature about Hockey Bloggers its a pretty cool feature...for some reason they forgot to put me in there...I guess they have my old number or something. Must have been a production error on their end...maybe next time.

See you Saturday.

Games 22 & 23: This Is Really Starting To Suck...

2007-11-26T07:06:00.000-08:00

Toronto blows...if they dont want to try and play then I don't want to try and write about them...fuck em.

Game 22: It's So Nice To See Our Draft Picks Playing So Well...

2007-11-21T07:29:00.000-08:00

Tuukka Rask made his NHL debut last night at the Air Canada Center. Rask was drafted by the Leafs in 2005 and looked very promising for them...That was until he was traded to the bruins for Raycroft. Rask played in and won his first NHL game against Toronto Last night 4-2...is this ever depressing...

The Leafs were about 39 minutes into the game with a 2-0 lead (both goals were shit) but managed to lose in the last 21 minutes...The goodness all started with guess who?...McCabe firing a clearing attempt right into the shin pads of Kobasew who threw it out to Kessel and put it past Toskala to open the flood gates. Here is the video of said brain fart by Bryan

From: www.mccabesucks.com

I played hockey for most of my childhood and into my late teens. I played rep hockey and I was a defence man. One thing that I was taught (probably when I was about 6 or so) was this...Never try and clear it up the middle...the boards are your best friend. I just don't get how McCabe can continuously fuck up...it baffles me...
He needs to waive his no trade clause and get out of here before people start playing with his break cables...This guy is poison. I can complain about Bryan till I'm blue in the face but it wont do any good...I guess all we can do is hope for another groin injury that will take him out of the lineup for an extended period of time.

Anyways, after that gift goal the Bruins came out in the third and put 3 more in to seal the game...and yet again we see a team on Saturday that dominates the Sens then comes back last night and gives up 2 points to the Bruins...I wish TSN still had that "Pepto Bismol upset of the week" segment..Bryan McCabe would be the poster boy for that bitch and would be on for 52 weeks straight (I'm sure he'd find a way to cock slap leaf fans in the off season too)...

Some good news to come out of the game last night...Sundin scored number 399 as a leaf and also passed Mahovolich for sole possession of number 27 on the all time scoring list...Way to eat the clam chowder Mats!

So this weekend Toronto are off to Dallas and Phoenix (Friday and Saturday)...Dallas is doing just as well at the leafs this year and Phoenix is one of only 8 teams with a worse record than the leafs...I truly hope that Toronto will be coming out of this weekend 2-0...It's highly possible with their strong(er) play on the road then at home...by the way, that 4 game week is done as of last night and I predicted a 1-3 record...they went 1-2-1...I win...not like that makes it any better...See ya'll after the Stars game Friday.

Game 21: Toronto Beat Who?! (Ottawa In Case You Missed It)

2007-11-19T08:04:00.001-08:00

Saturday night I found myself at the Christmas potluck for my in-laws extended family (about 75 people)...Somewhere between the half frozen PC shrimp ring and the home made meatballs the Leafs game was on and they we're looking for another embarrassing loss to the Senators only something really weird happened...They won.

I was watching the game on a huge TV that had the reception of an old coat hanger antenna and for 2.5 hours of the night I was in a happy place.

This is reason #4320 why the leafs piss me off...They beat Ottawa. No, they shut out Ottawa... The first time Ottawa has been shut out since last December. The last 19 match ups leading up to Saturdays game Ottawa was 15-2-2 against the Leafs...Does this mean Toronto is just as good as Ottawa? No way...Does Ottawa have an excuse for losing? nope...Did Toronto deserve to win? You bet...Toronto can play 60 minutes of near flawless hockey against the best team in the league and win 3-0 then Tuesday they'll play Boston and probably lose 5-3. I just don't get how inconsistent the Leafs are this year. No one can really explain why...It just happens...and it blows big time.

A few reason why I think Toronto won:

1) First and foremost...Wozniewski was only on the ice for 7 minutes (2nd lowest TOI for Toronto on Saturday next to Pohl)

2) Toronto converted on 2 power play opportunities in one game (first time all season I think)

3) I don't go back on stats often (I go by memory) but I think this may be only the second time they didn't allow a power play goal in a game...(the first being a Raycroft shutout earlier)

4) Maybe Ottawa came in thinking (assuming) it was going to be an easy win...

5) We had a goalie in net that could make a big save when the Leafs needed it.

I find that a goalie getting a shutout is a lot like a pitcher getting a no-hitter (even though a no-hitter is much harder to do) There are a few things that need to happen...The defence must be solid. The Goalie/Pitcher has to be on top of his game and the defence (goalie for hockey/fielders for baseball) have to make 3 huge plays during the game. Toskala did that making a few giant saves and holding the fort while the leafs were actually skating with Ottawa instead of watching them like they did in the previous 3 games this year.

So before this 4 game week started I was predicting a 2-2 (optimistically) and 1-3 (realistically) record after the game in Boston tomorrow night...Right now they're 1-1-1 so things are looking decent for the time being...I'm really hoping that the win on Saturday can add somesort of morale boost in the Leafs dressing room because as this season grows, it's not gonna get any easier for them.

See everyone Wednesday morning...peace

Game 20: Here's What I Think About The Leafs Game Last Night In Boston...

2007-11-16T12:02:00.000-08:00

So I just spent the entire morning in sensitivity training so pardon me if my post is not up to its standard.

I feel as though the Leafs played poorly last night against the Bruins. Raycroft was not as strong as he has been in previous games and it would be nice to see Toronto play well on Saturday against the Senators. I hope they do...that would be swell...Other than that I can not really say anything else regarding last nights match up...I feel that if I do I might be offending someone so it's best to be quiet.

Anyone seen my balls? I seem to have lost them...

Homo Alert!...Way To Be Discrete Jiri Tlusty...

2007-11-14T08:20:00.000-08:00

Well with the Leafs absolutely shitting the bed this year most fans have seen this team go from bad to worse...That was the good news for Tlusty...Here's the bad...

Jiri Tlusty has been caught with his pants down and the naked images of him leave little to the imagination.

Tlusty, the Leafs rookie is suddenly the centre of hockey attention after naked photos appeared on the Canadian gossip website isthishappening.com. The photos were actually shot by Tlusty on his camera phone, according to his lawyer.

Leafs GM John Ferguson added: "He made a naive mistake as a teenager. It's a lesson in how something private can easily become very public in the Internet age."

My Favourite is Paul Maurice's comments about the situation...

"(Jiri's) handled it as well as anyone could handle it under the circumstances," said Paul Maurice..."It's an excellent learning experience for a young man."

I can see Jiri sitting in his hotel room cowering in the corner being pet on his head by McCabe right now....handle it under the circumstances?...how else can he handle it?...I cant wait till July when the "Gay Pride Parade" is in town and Tlusty is at the top of the float in his thong with a huge Super Soaker squirting everyone...ohh man...never a dull moment in Leafs nation...

read the full story at http://www.torontosun.com/

I also like how this probably (not) would have blown over if the leafs had of just let it play it's course but noooo...Ferguson decides to have a press release so everyone and their fucking aunt knows about it...this is funny...I feel bad for the kid (not really) but only in Toronto would we get this kind of stuff...(and probably Ottawa since there are a dozen or so homo's on the Senators team)...but that's another story...

Game 19: McCabe Out Shines Himself Once Again...

2007-11-14T07:23:00.000-08:00

Last night the Canadiens were in Toronto for "Tuesday Night In Toronto" doesn't really have the same ring as "HNIC" but whatever...

It was a very exciting game. It was both ways the whole game with a lot of speed and lots of good chances...both goalies played great (not much of a surprise for Price) and despite a very hard fought battle for 60 minutes the Leafs only had to look as far as #24 to give Montreal the extra point and the win in overtime.

The rest of the Leafs blue line core desperately need to learn CPR because Bryan McCabe keeps choking so much he's killing the Leafs.

I'm pretty busy at work today so I can't really get into detail about the game...here are a few cliff notes...

1) Wellwood Scored goal #1 and #2 in the second period last night..His 4th game back since the surgery
2) Mark Bell picked up his first point as a leaf (assist) in his 4th game back (since he got suspended for getting shit faced and wrecking his car)
3) Raycroft was really good for once and got the short end of the stick (in the bum) for his efforts
4) Price was wicked and looks promising...
5) Ferguson is a douche (not really related to the game but I felt it needed to be said again)

Here is a Lovely montage to "McKlutz" (as the media calls him) showing why he's worth every penny...

So Toronto are up against Boston on Thursday...let's keep our fingers crossed that McCabe pulls his groin again in practice before then...0-0-1 so far in this crucial 4 game stretch...until Thursday...go to youtube and look up "Lady Punch" it will make you feel better about the O.T. loss.

Avery To Blake: HaHa You Have Cancer...Or Something Like That...

2007-11-13T05:59:00.000-08:00

For Those of you who have not yet heard about the battle between Sean Avery and Darcy Tucker during the pre-game skate on Saturday night let me throw a few notes at you...

Yesterday Howard Berger of the Fan 590 reported that a player in the Rangers' dressing room told him Avery incited the initial jawing session when he directed a comment at Blake about his medical condition...For those of you under a rock Jason Blake has a (treatable) form of cancer known as chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Berger reported Avery's teammate wanted to "strangle" the pesky winger once he heard what was said. Neither Blake nor Tucker would comment on the words that were exchanged on the ice.

NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell has ordered Avery to meet with him this week to explain himself

For once Darcy Tucker actually looks like the classy one..."I'm not going to get into what was said and what was not said. This is out of our hands now and we'll stay out of it," said Tucker.

During this time Avery has been unavailable for comment...So after 72 hours I'm jumping back off the wagon...Avery is a total fucking douche...It's unbelievable that some one even that juvenile would go as low as making fun of a guy for having cancer...FUCKIN' CANCER!...unreal...

Hopefully the league will punish Avery for this mess and he grows a pair of stones and apologizes to Blake...It's just so hard to wrap my head around the fact that a grown man could be so mentally retarded as to say something like that to a person who is ill...whatever...

Check out the full story here...Canada.com

And here is the video of the Pregame fight for those of you who have not seen it...

Games 17 & 18: 2 Games In 2 Nights Starting To Catch Up To The Leafs...

2007-11-12T06:16:00.001-08:00

Friday night Toronto was at home away from home against Buffalo at the HSBC arena (which for those of you who don't know is about a dong's length from the border). The arena was more than half full with Leafs fans and it was rockin'...I missed the first period because of my commute but I did listen to it on the radio...It sounded like Toronto was getting out played pretty bad and I found myself to not be in a hurry to get home and watch anymore...When I did turn on the t.v. I was pleasantly surprised with Toronto's play. They had great defensive end coverage and were containing Buffalo's speed to the outside for the final two periods. Raycroft looked great (for once) and managed to get the shutout (6th of his career if I heard correctly)...isn't there a guy in Columbus right now who already has 5 this year alone?...I digress...The boys looked great and managed to capitalize on a struggling Sabres team...thank god...

So with Raycroft doing amazingly well on Friday it would make sense to start him on Saturday vs. the red hot Rangers right?...well that's why you're not a millionaire GM...stupid...apparently it makes more sense to start the guy who got pulled in his last two starts vs. the guy who got a shutout the night before...I guess we're all the retarded ones and JFJ is the genius...

Really nice remembrance day/HHOF ceremony before the game...just though I'd throw that in...

The game was pretty exciting...although it was difficult to watch...I'm not sure if it was because of the wet burps induced by my butter chicken dinner or the fatigue that the Leafs were showing but it was awkward to watch...One thing that I noticed on Saturday that really pisses me off about the Leafs...(it's actually reason #4,302) is how they give up their own blue line when the other team is trying to enter...it's so frustrating to watch it drives me nuts...Next time you watch a Leafs game watch how the opposite team lines up on their blue line when the Leafs are trying to enter (usually 3 on the line with a 4th right behind them) the Leafs have no chance of breaking this wall and are always forced to dump and chase...then look at when the opposing team is trying to come into the leafs zone. the Leafs just allow them to waltz right in (much like Paris' vag) and set up shop for their offensive possession...Just baffels me that with the amount of problems they have in their zone they would try and correct something like letting the other team in their zone in the first place...whatever...

Avery was a pest...like he always is...he's good at it...do I hate him? you bet. Would I want him on my team? In a second...you see Avery is the kind of guy that Tucker wishes he was...and blake too if he wasnt so much like Wendell Borton ...Avery got in the face of Leafs players early and often and was also a bastard on the scoresheet setting up Shanny for the first goal and scoring the second himself (span of :45 seconds in the 2nd)...

The Leafs looked tired and New York was skating circles around them (mostly Jagr)...this guy has mad speed...and he's strong on the puck...Pony scored 2 twice late in the second to tie it at 2-2 but New York ended up winning in the shootout...so Toronto got 3 of 4 points this weekend...not bad but could be better...ohh wait it is better...Because Kubina is out with a bummed knee...whheeeeeeee!

So tomorrow (Tuesday) the Canadiens are in Toronto to face the Leafs and then the Buds are off to Boston for one before hosting the Sens again...where they will probably get embarassed again...then host the Bruins next Tuesday. These next 4 games could really help (or potentially destroy) the Leafs...It will be very interesting to see which team shows up to play...Wishful thinking would have the Leafs comming out of this 2-2 but it think it might be more like 1-3...we'll see...

Week 4 Pylon Goes To The Head Richard...

2007-11-09T10:07:00.000-08:00

Or Dickhead if you didn't catch that play on words...So the votes are in and week 4 winner is Richard "Dick" Peddie the head of Maple Leafs Sports & Entertainment...

Not much of a surprise that the fans would pick the guy at the top of the food chain seeing as how all the problems within the Leafs organization start from the top. Hey, where's Aki Berg?

Tonight Toronto is off to Buffalo for another kick at the Sabres McCabe and Tucker should both be in the line up and other than Colaiacovo the leafs will be at full health for the first time since two months into the post-lockout era (end of November 05) for those of you who didn't know when the lock out was...Toronto has a good chance at winning tonight (the only reason I say that is because there aren't too many teams with worse records than the Blue and White.

I wouldn't be surprised if Raycroft got the start. Toskala has been pulled twice in two games and last time Raycroft was in the Buff he played pretty well...(lost in O.T. thanks to Bryan McCabes over time heroics)
I had a little extra time at work today so I got busy with the photoshop and poked fun at the "Razor"...if you have any funny photoshop ideas let me know...Leaf fans always like rippin into over paid under performing bed-shitting sieves.

Enjoy...and I'll see you all tomorrow morning. Hopefully we'll have something to be happy about...Until then vote for week 5 pylon...(worst player from today till next Wednesday) I'm welcoming back all the injured guys so you can pick who should of stayed on the disabled list.

Peace.

Ohh wait...Big 88 retired yesterday...On behalf of all leafs fans let me say...Thank god.

Game 16: The Boys Are Back...And Stinkier Than Ever...

2007-11-07T07:27:00.000-08:00

Many thought that with the return of Mark Bell and Kyle Wellwood the leafs could triumph to victory and put the amazingly hot Senators in their place at Scotiabank...Those same people were completely wrong.

I'll be honest, I don't even want to write about last nights game. Ottawa has completely dominated us for the past two years...Every time we play them we know they're going to be hard. We know they're going to be fast. We know everything about them yet when the puck drops the Leafs are stuck with the butts of their sticks shoved up each others asses like a College st. Congo line.

If there is any plus side to last night Mark Bell looked great and also took the liberty to make Chris Neil's face a lovely punching bag for the last few seconds of the game...Mark Bell will be a great addition to the Leafs...no doubt about it...Ohh yeah Wellwood had a forgettable performance.

What pisses me off the most is the inconsistency the have had this year. I mean if they were shit the whole time then this would be a little easier to handle but they have played a few games (and not many) this year where they looked as good as the Senators if not better. But they can't carry that type of play from night to night. I hate it...You know what? I'm done. I'll write something about the Rangers / Leafs game on Saturday
...right now I just hate the Leafs...More than Bush hates black people.

At least Toronto only has to play Ottawa 5 more times...we're almost half way there...

Games 14 & 15: Devils Are Boring And Montreal Are The Leafs Bitch Again...

2007-11-05T06:23:00.000-08:00

This weekend the Leafs were down in New Jersey (Friday) and over in Montreal (Saturday) where they lost one and won one.

Down in New Jersey the Leafs had another extremely boring game against the Devils and fell short 3-2 thanks to Toronto's shoddy defence (Wozniewski) and Brodeur standing tall against the leafs. Toronto had held the Devils to only 9 shots through 2 periods and were maintaining a 1-1 tie...The 3rd period (where Leafs points disappear) was the same old song. Giving up a short handed goal to Madden (Leafs 4th of the season) and then letting Parise dig the puck out from in front of Toskala to make it 3-1...Sundin scored from behind the net to make it 3-2 with about 30 seconds left but it was too little too late...
There's a reason why the Devils have shit attendance...It's because they're so fucking boring to watch! God damn...I'd rather watch a CFL game then the Devils. They thought that a new building would be the answer to the attendance in New Jersey but just 3 games into the new building and attendance is back to where it was...just below the brutal line (14,523) The most frustrating thing about this game was that Toronto played very well. They only made 2 real mistakes and they led to the Devils first 2 goals. Brodeur was great again and although Toronto dominated the play for most of the game the came out with no points.

So from one side of the spectrum to the other...Friday night boring Devils hockey to Hockey Night In Canada Saturday night hockey in Montreal.

With the loss to the Devils still fresh they came out against the Habs looking like it was a playoff game...(I think it looked like a playoff game...I can't really remember what they look like) Kaberle scored 1 minute into the game on the power play and played a dominating 1st period and despite giving up a late goal to Komisarik the Leafs still felt good about going into the second with a 1-1 score.

In the second Higgins scored on a 2 man advantage to make it 2-1 MTL and Sundin put another one in from behind the net to tie it at 2's before the third. But this game seemed different...The leafs were not going to fuck this one up and you could just tell...they had this "we can lose to anyone but Montreal" kind of attitude and although they started to look a little sloppy they caught a huge break when Stajan's weak shot some how got past Huet with a buck-thirty left in the game.

Toronto held off the Habs and left "la belle Provence" with the win...Toronto's now 2-0 vs the Habs this season. so I guess that's one positive this year...

Toronto is off to Ottawa tomorrow night to face the Senators where they haven't had much luck since the lockout. It will be a good game. I'm guessing Gerber will get the start because they don't want to waste Emery on a tier two team. I honestly think Toronto will have a chance at winning this game...I'm gonna say the score will be 4-2 Toronto.

In closing I wanted to tell you that I saw the best Halloween costume last Wednesday. It was a kid wearing a Colorado Avalanche jersey with a bloody face and a neck brace...He was Steve Moore...I shit you not...So with that I'm going to give my top 5 Halloween costume ideas...feel free to use them next year.

In no order:

1) The Steve Moore with Avalanche jersey and neck brace with a bloody face

2) The Clint Malarchuk with a Sabres jersey covered in blood, goalie pads and a skate hanging from your neck (for dramatic effect)

3) The Hanson Brothers. Always a great costume when you and a group of buddies are going out...don't forget to tape your glasses, drink a lot and sucker punch a few douche bags

4) A tree with a Ferrari wrapped around it in homage to Heatley

5) The Raycroft...this can be executed by covering yourself in a huge steaming pile of shit....that's all you have to do.

Week 3 Pylon Goes To...Everyone! (Almost)

2007-11-01T10:00:00.000-07:00

Well with the voting numbers in the hundreds (not really) I was surprised to see a 5-way tie for week 3 "pylon of the Week" so here they are as chosen by you...
McCabe, Stajan, Toskala, Gill and Kubina...which all but one (and you can guess) had me a little surprised...this group has an impressive +15 with 7 goals and 19 assists...but Take McCabe out and the line changes slightly...mostly in the +/-. +21 with 5 goals and 17 assists...so really who misses Bryan (other than Darcy Tucker)...Tucker had his PR to speak on behalf of him and she had the following to say:

LEAVE BRYAN ALONE!!!

Anyways, we'll see everyone in beautiful New Jersey tomorrow night...a few things to look forward to: 1) Bell's last game to serve in his suspension 2) McCabe is still out 3) Newly constructed Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey...Let's see some road wins (I'm not going to hold my breath though) And this weeks pylon voting has started so get your votes in...because unlike an American vote...these all get counted.

The Fergalicious GM: John Ferguson Jr.

2007-10-31T06:54:00.000-07:00

So no game tonight...and I don't usually post on days where there are no games (mostly because I post my blog entries at work and I waste enough time as it is) but I found this video over on TheScore.com It's a pretty funny video comparing the similarities between Fergie from the "Black Eye Peas" and Fergie (John Ferguson Jr.) from the Toronto Maple Leafs Take a look...

If the embed doesn't work you can always go and check it out right

HERE!

it's good...don't be lazy...go look at it...the guy on the left looks like Mike Myers' estranged bastard child. Before I go I just want everyone to know that I was reading the paper and got some pretty deep inside information regarding M.L.S.E. and Ferguson...if the leafs don't make the playoffs this year he's probably gone...wow what a story...Toronto media will write about anything as long as it has to do with the Leafs...even if absolutely nobody cares...maybe on an off day you could write about something constructive like maybe the Marlies or the CHL...where the talent is coming from...rather than re-hashing b.s. stories that are a year old...just a thought.

Game 13: Washington 7 vs Toronto Holy Shit You Suck...

2007-10-30T08:59:00.001-07:00

Funny story...so yesterday I had Indian buffet for lunch and after work I had roughly 4 beers before the game...I got home took the dirtiest shit imaginable and guess what came out?...The Leafs defence...

Last night Toronto got romped 7-1 by the Capitals in a game that saw 5 Capital players score their first goals of the season and one Capital score his first career goal in the NHL (Toronto seems to be good at making those dreams come true for opposing players) and Alexander Ovechkin threw two in to add insult to injury. The Leafs have now allowed 51 goals this season...That's the most in the NHL for those of you who were wondering...

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.

"Hey Kubina, You're having enough problems playing defence as it is...let's not put too much on our plates and try to play forward too". Pavel Kubina was jumping into every single rush last night and he was getting caught deep in the offensive zone quite often. You piss me off Pavel...you have my pylon vote this week...I dont care if you scored in New York

Halloween costume of the evening goes to Andrew Raycroft for looking exactly like Vesa Toskala and sneaking in net to let in the first 4 goals of the game (it's the only way he's going to get any playing time) And runner up for second best costume goes to Vesa Toskala for looking (and playing) exactly Like Raycroft and letting in the final 3 goals...good job guys!

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.

Game 12: In The Big Apple to Pimp Slap The Rangers

2007-10-29T05:56:00.000-07:00

So during the melee that was Saturday I managed to catch 2/3 of the hockey game (Toronto vs Rangers). I watched the first period which saw a very fast paced two way game. The Leafs had New York's top guys in check for the most part and created several opportunities for themselves...but came out with nothing.

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.

Toronto fans know all about the two goal leads that seem to disappear. But Saturday was different. I don't know why...it just was. Maybe because Toskala was in net and continuously looking stronger every game. Maybe it was because McCabe is out with the groin injury (insert Bryan groin joke here) Or maybe it was because Tucker was out again with whatever injury he suffered when he ran into the boards like a child learning to stop on skates. What ever it was the Leafs recognized it and made sure it wouldn't happen again. They came out pretty strong and instead of letting the Rangers come to them they kept applying pressure and making sure New York never really got any chances. Kilger scored on an empty net (which was a result of good hustle and negating an icing call) and the Leafs left the big apple with 2 well deserved points...

So with a 2-0 road trip (with impressive play in both games) the leafs are now 2-2 on the road this season and 3-2-3 at home...which makes me ask Washington...Can we play at your place tonight? Toronto's looking good on the road and it might have
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...

ohh Bryan, stay out for a bit...we're doing fine without you. Stralman was the only Leafs defenceman with a plus/minus in the red (-1)...Kubina, the second slowest defenceman on the team (next to McCabe) had a +3...no really...he did.

Game 11: If You Can't Win At Home, Go On The Road...

2007-10-26T05:56:00.000-07:00

With Toronto desperately needing to get out of town they found themselves in Pittsburgh last night for the first of two consecutive road games. Toronto and Pittsburgh were meeting for the second time this season. The first coming in Toronto when the Penguins handed it to the Leafs 6-4 two Saturdays ago.

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.

Game 10: The Better Team Always Wins...

2007-10-24T06:09:00.000-07:00

So Toronto's last home game before their much needed mini road trip saw the Basement dwelling Thrashers take on the sinking (stinking) Leafs. The Leafs had Toskala in net and even the last place team in the league put their back up goalie in to face the Leafs (Hedberg). Sundin scored 13 seconds into the first and Toronto was playing a very "fuck you" kind of game. They were skating hard, winning battles in the corners, using their size against Atlanta's speed and it seemed to be working...for the first 4 minutes anyways. Tobias Endstrom threw a soft one on net that slipped by Toskala and with less than a minute left in the period, Ilya Kovalchuck just skated around every one like pylons in a drill and with an off balance wrist shot that found the back of the net it was 2-1 ATL after one.

In the second frame the Leafs came out strong again and were rewarded with another goal. This time we saw Hal Gill step into a howitzer that beat Hedberg high to tie things at 2-2. Blake and Perrin exchanged goals and with the score 3-3 going into the 3rd it looked like any one's game (and by anyone I mean Atlanta's)

Going into last night's game, Toronto had been outscored 16-8 in third periods. I believe this has to do with a few things...Toronto's lack of speed. With other teams skating around them in the defensive zone (Kovalchuck was a prime example of this last night) the leafs get tired because their defensive coverage is so poor that they resort to holding, interfering, slashing, hooking, tripping and pretty much anything else a big dumb slow guy would do with a stick to slow down a skilled speedy European. This proved to be the case when Todd White and Eric Perrin had 2 2 on 1's in one rush...as they passed the defence twice they arranged a very nice 2-0 and easily put the puck passed a helpless Toskala. With about 2 minutes left Toronto found that great play they lost at the 4 minute mark of the first and came on very strong completly dominating the Thrashers. With a huge scramble in front of Hedberg and just over 9 seconds left, Ponikarovsky shoveled a lose puck past Hedberg to send it to overtime. The ACC was going Bananas.

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.

Leafs 1st: Antropov Scores 5-hole

Thrashers 1st: Kozlov Scores

Leafs 2nd: Sundin poke checked (not like it matters though because he would have just shot it at Hedberg's chest)

Thrashers 2nd: Hossa Stopped

Leafs 3rd: Blake stopped on a shit move

Thrashers 3rd: Kovalchuck comes cross ice and puts it back over Toskala's shoulder for the win.

So Atlanta get their first road win of the season (glad we could help) and improve to 2-1 since Bob got fired. Toronto's off to Pittsburgh Thursday then New York to take on the Rangers on Saturday. Pittsburgh will prove to be tough again (especially if they don't play down to the leafs caliber like they did last time) and the struggling Rangers will have a good chance vs the Leafs because...well the leafs just blow.

And one last thing before I go today. Week two pylon as voted by you goes to...

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.

Game 9: Raycroft is back into "Raycroft Form"

2007-10-20T18:41:00.000-07:00

So tonight we saw the Chicago Blackhawks come into the ACC to take on the Leafs for Hockey Night In Canada...Again the opposing team decided to start their back-up goalie (Lalime) against Toronto, who in turn started their starting goalie who acts like a back up (Raycroft). The last time Lalime was in the ACC he got lit up in game 7 of the 2004 Eastern Conference quarter-final playoffs while allowing some brutal goals in. That was the last game he ever played as a Senator...Way to go Joe Nieuwendyk!...Wow, I actually forgot what playoffs were like...

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.

Game 8: From Zero To...Well, Less Of A Zero...

2007-10-19T06:03:00.000-07:00

For the first 10 minutes of last nights game (Florida and Toronto) it looked like the leafs were in for another long night. They were standing still in the defensive zone and creating little opportunity offensively. McCabe was still getting booed and the leafs looked totally dejected all round. Olesz and Booth both scored quickly for the Panthers (Olesz's was a PPG) and Florida had a 2-0 lead after 20.

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

So after 8 games the leafs are 3-3-2...Toskala got first star (as he should have) Nathan Horton got second star (despite getting totally pwned by Hal Gill in a fight) and Antropov got 3rd...Toronto play Chicago on Saturday...should be good for two reasons...1) Original 6 is always exciting and 2) The wife is gone for the weekend so I can get shit-faced by myself, watch the game in peace and maybe watch scrambled porn afterwards...See you all Sunday morning.

The Votes Are In...Week One Pylon Goes To...

2007-10-17T07:59:00.001-07:00

Well the polls have closed for "Week One Pylon"...thanks to everyone who participated. We will be doing this each week...Our winner this week was...

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...

Pre-Game...Cross Dressing?!

2007-10-15T12:40:00.000-07:00

I am not going to get too deep into this because it is for a very good cause (Breast Cancer Research) but I think Kyle should of spoke to someone before auctioning off his game worn Bra...I mean we all know that the Leafs have been playing like a bunch of bitches this year so far but to actually go ahead and sell their undergeaments is a little much... You can go to Here to chek out the auction for Wellwood's "milk bubble holders"...

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...

Game 6: Dear Bryan...You Blow

2007-10-13T18:49:00.000-07:00

I have come to the realization that the Toronto Maple Leafs are officially the same caliber as the Florida Panthers, Boston Bruins and the Lightning. How do I know this?...because teams are starting their back-ups against them. Toronto fell behind quickly 1-0 on a shot by Christensen that Toskala is still looking for but they came back strong and turned a 1-0 into a 2-1 lead. All was looking good till Sabourin had to leave the game with a cut on his head...Fleury came in when it was 2-1 Toronto and ended up holding the fort while his team shat on Toskala for a 6-4 win.

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).

If there is any good news to come out of this it's that Blake scored his first goal...as did Tucker. Gamache, Sundin, Stajan, White and Antropov all had solid games. Vesa looked kind of doo doo on a few of the goals...and a little off topic...I'm not quite sure why Raycroft didn't get the start...I mean if he won on Thursday shouldn't he get the start again? I know he had a pretty high goals against average against the Pens last season but I seriously believe that they (upper management) want him out of Toronto...They are totally tea-baggin' this guy...

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...

Game 5: Leafs Win!...Sundin Passes Sittler...No He Doesn't...Yes He does!

2007-10-12T06:02:00.000-07:00

With a total cock slap givin' to Leafs Nation on Tuesday by the Canes, Toronto was looking to rebound in the biggest way against the Islanders last night...and they did.

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...

Game 4: Final Score: Carolina - 7 vs. Toronto - Sucks...

2007-10-10T06:10:00.000-07:00

Let me start off by saying I didn't watch the game (Stupid regional coverage). But I did listen to it on the radio for 90% of the first period and all of the second. I did catch the highlights on "The Score" last night and it looked bad...really bad...(I'm talking about the game highlights not the stretched out video they put on air) I don't know what was worse...listening/watching the leafs lose 7-1 to the Canes or spending the rest of my evening watching "Reign Over Me"

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!"

Game 3: Good News - Leafs Win, Bad News - Blake has Cancer...

2007-10-09T06:18:00.001-07:00

With a dramatic overtime win on Saturday night the critics have tamed for now. Much to the please of Toskala, Ferguson and Maurice. Kaberle Scored the overtime winner on a power play (first power play goal of the season) making Toronto now "0 for 18" on the power play. They would be "1 for 18" if it wasn't for that brutal short handed goal they allowed in the second period to Markov.

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!

Game 2: 0-1-1...Not Bad...For The Leafs

2007-10-05T06:08:00.000-07:00

Well the Leafs escape the the home and home series with a loss and...well, another loss. No one will argue that the leafs didn't play well. but at the end of the day they are still 0-1-1. Toronto needed a few bounces, a few breaks on the penalty calls and 2 starts from Toskala and things could be a lot different right now. I'm not worried...we still have 80 more games and only 6 are against Ottawa.

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.

Game 1: New Year...Same Old Song

2007-10-04T13:25:00.000-07:00

So last night was the first game of the regular season for the leafs. And what better way to get things started then a huge media circle jerk before the game even starts.

Everyone was asking (actually everyone was fearing) Who's gonna start in net for the Leafs season opener...Drum roll please...

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"

Anyone who watched the game last night saw Raycroft let in two really soft goals in the first...He did however manage to save a little face by stopping several 2 on 1's and a breakaway or two. The defence looked really slow...McCabe was up to his old antics and very skillfully turning the puck over while Thomas Kaberle looked uncharacteristically sloppy. I was impressed with Hall Gill for the amount of ice he got and Kubina actually looked like a 3rd line defenceman...money well spent.

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.

The Leafs are going to lose in the Nations Capital tonight (we all know that)...on the bright side, after tonight we only have to play Ottawa 6 more times this season.

Listen to what I have to say...

2007-10-03T10:29:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my Toronto Maple Leafs Blog for the 2007-2008 season.

This Blog is my soap box...In this blog I will bitch, moan, complain and sulk about all things leafs. From Owners to Managers to Coaches to Players to Trainers to Fans to Ushers to Ticket takers to Shovel Sluts all the way down to the bottom of the list where Raycroft stands.

I am a leafs fan. And I HATE leafs fans...I fucking can't stand them. There are several types of leaf fans within "Leafs Nation" and as much as I love cheering for the blue and white I also love bashing these douches...

01. The sketchy middle aged Italian guy that always seems to get tickets from a "buddy". These guys always tend to sit behind you at every fucking game and spew coaching wisdom as if they were Paul fuckin' Maurice. These guys cheer louder for a free t-shirt than an overtime goal. They smell like old spice and always have one of those beers with the stupid sippy lids on them. They also have: Harry ear lobes, Leafs jerseys on under their leather jackets, that curly hair that's half black and half grey but completely resembles old man pubic hair on his junk (not that I've seen this before) If this is your dad/brother maybe tell him that his Purple section coaching is not helping and no one wants to hear it. and if this is you...then you suck.

02. The 16 year old "fanboy" with the "Domi" jersey on while his 14 year old girlfriend wears that cute pink (it's not really cute, it's actually a huge joke) maple leafs jersey. This kid probably got his tickets from his mom who in turn got them from some guy at her office that wants to bone her. This fanboy usually has the matching leafs hat that conveniently sits on top of his hair leaving enough room for his gay bangs to hang out the front. They'll sit in the Gold section while she sends text messages on her cell phone and won't see the goal being scored but will cheer just as loud as everyone else to fit in. He'll sit there thinking the whole game about how he'll try and hold her hand on the train ride home and maybe, just maybe squeeze her boob during that kiss goodnight...I guess I really can't get mad at the fact he got tickets from his mom. But I can tell you that if I have kids that dress like that and waste a ticket on his flavour of the week girlfriend I'll punch him in the throat.

03. The 20-somethings that get shitfaced at the game off $11 beers, wear toques that resemble Jofa hockey helmets and chant "go Leafs go" in the train station after the leafs lose 4-1. These guys are so involved in trying to look like a fan that they have no fucking clue whats going on. I'm not even going to get into this one. These are the ones that truly piss me off...They don't follow the leafs on a daily basis and only rehash stuff they heard from Pierre McGuire on TSN. Stuff like "Antopov's a Monster!" and "Sundin is gonna look good this year"...wow...thank you for nothing you stupid fucks.

You don't have to prove to anyone your a fan of the team. Especially me. So don't wear your leafs jersey over your winter jacket in February at an East Side Mario's before the game because we get it. you like the leafs...no one cares.

Follow along with me this year as we watch the leafs shit the bed again. Post comments and let's start something here...(non sexual) because weather you want to admit it or not...you love the leafs...you homo