Toronto Maple Leafs Hot Stove

by Alec Brownscombe on May 22, 2013 in Morning Mashup - 238 Comments

I was just getting back into the playoff swing of things and looking forward to taking in a Marlies game at the Ricoh, hopefully... Then the Marlies gave up three goals with under ten to go in Game 6 last night and lost out to the Grand Rapids Griffins. Meanwhile, the Bruins are walking over the Rangers in their round 2 matchup. I'm sure how to feel about this. It's kind of bittersweet. Sweet in the sense that it's impressive the Leafs did have these Bruins - who are probably the favourite to emerge out of the East at this point - on the ropes, and bitter in the sense that the Leafs would've had a pretty good chance, I think anyway, of advancing to the Conference Finals if they closed.

Bahh, back to hockey hibernation. [more…]

by Jon Steitzer on May 20, 2013 in Morning Mashup - 518 Comments

Over the course of the year I have been tracking the Leafs goals in a spreadsheet, largely for the purpose of looking at primary/secondary assists but also for tracking situational statistics. It was through this spreadsheet that I noticed the most amusing fact of the season; that Tyler Bozak finished the year never having had a primary assist on a James van Riemsdyk goal. Amazing since he was his centre for most of the season, and presumably at some point he might have tried passing to him instead of Kessel. I’ll build my case against Bozak some other time, so instead I put together an infographic of Leafs scoring data. Hope you find it interesting. The spreadsheet of data can be found here (2011-12 data is here.) [more…]

by Alec Brownscombe on May 17, 2013 in Morning Mashup - 472 Comments

I'm finding the playoffs much harder to enjoy now that I've been reminded what it's like with the Leafs in them.

Links after the jump. [more…]

by Aaron Chan on May 16, 2013 in Morning Mashup - 334 Comments

I hope everyone is starting to feel a little better this morning.  Plenty of eulogies were written and the last couple of days have been brutal to say the least. I haven't seen the Game in 6 or any of the player interviews. I barely have any idea what's going on in the playoffs right now, even as two two-way titans, Toews and Datsyuk, square off in the West.

Two things in my mind were abundantly clear following Monday night. You know that cliche players like to use after a tough loss? "Oh yeah, that was a character building game for our team..." Monday night was a character building game for Leafs Nation. In one game, we were subjected to the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows. The conclusion of the series had us scrambling emotionally, grasping for answers and words that just wouldn't come.

Although we may have experienced heartbreak, they do say that one must know bitter defeat before one can saviour the sweetness of victory, and there's plenty of historical examples across the world of sport that attest to that adage. For a young team like the Maple Leafs to start their comeback from 3-1 down and yet find a way to ultimately throw the series away, it now has a better idea both of what it takes to succeed in the playoffs while being dealt the harsh lesson that it's going to take that little bit more. [more…]

by Declan Kerin on May 15, 2013 in Morning Mashup - 313 Comments

Just a little over 24 hours since the Game 7 letdown, it’s become clear to me I am way too emotionally involved with a damn hockey team; so much so that I start to wonder about myself for being this brutally devastated over a game. But I want to say that Leafs Nation is a special, special thing. I enjoy the fans of this team almost as much as I enjoy the team itself. That's a weird statement to make, but for those that don't live here or haven't experienced playoffs in Toronto, it's a beautiful, crazy thing. Just as the weather seems to turn a corner, sun dresses are dawned, beers consumed on patios, car stereos are cranked a little louder (mandatory windows down) and Leaf flags start appearing everywhere you look. [more…]