Ian White
John Mitchell capturing fastest skater honours was the revelation of today's team skills competition. I could've predicted the team with Jason Blake and Dominic Moore would've won the event but I'm surprised Mitchell clocked in with the best individual time. Here's the team press release containing the results:
Nothing beats slaughtering Cindy "headjerk" Crosby and his fellow flightless Birds. Nothing.
I think we've come to learn that - play your back-ups against the Blue and White as much as you want on any other night - don't underestimate the Maple Leafs if it's Saturday night. The Leafs now boast a 9-5-1 record on Hockey Nights in Canada as compared to their 12-20-9 record during the rest of the week. So as much as they may exacerbate your already depressing work week, at least they don't ruin your weekends. On this Valentine's day affair, the lowly Leafs were by no means their lovable selves from the opposition's perspective.
At a time when the Alex Rodriguez steroid issue is making the rounds around the sporting world, I'm wondering if Leaf coach Ron Wilson has some of that "magic stuff" stashed inside that doghouse of his. After Ian White and Jason Blake were healthy scratches early on during the season, both players have been playing exceptionally well of late. Ian White is logging a ton of very efficient ice-time on the blueline, while Blake is almost singlehandedly carrying the Maple Leaf offense. [more…]
There are a ton of rumors flying around on the Toronto Maple Leafs. Some a downright ridiculous and some may very well have merit. This is a close outlook on a few of those rumors and speculation. We’re under 2 months away from Hockey Christmas, where all the wonderful surprises of wanted and undesired gifts are passed around. A shopping list is what we all hope the Leafs are after, but sometimes there’s other plans that could be in place which may not seem so attractive at first. Consider that the following is merely speculation and rumors.
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A combination of terrible goaltending and suspect defensive coverage undid the Maple Leafs tonight as they sat on an early 3-0 lead thinking they would ride it to the finish line, failing to take into the account the fact that, with a goaltender that's seriously struggling between the pipes, leads can disappear on the turn of a dime, let alone over the course of 40 minutes. The end result is one which will please neither side of tanking/playoff spectrum.
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So the Maple Leafs extend their tank-friendly stretch of non-success with a convincing 4-1 loss at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers tonight, marking their seventh loss in their last nine games. As I snicker while watching Mats Sundin look equal parts lazy, fat and slow (yeah, he scored an empty net chance, so what), here are a few thoughts about tonight's pedestrian performance from the Blue and White:
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I don't care where in the tanking/playoff spectrum you stand, beating the Ottawa Senators is always sweet. Especially in a game riddled with physicality and controversy, against a rival considered at season's dawn a contender vastly more talented than the re-building Maple Leafs.
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Here's an interesting little excerpt from Eric Smith's (Columbus Blue Jackets Blogger) blog over at Hockeybuzz, (props to TML35 for the heads up) that might spur a little armchair GM fantasizing:
"With the 2-0 start to the season hinging road trip, Howson looks like he is sharpening his pencil and putting the wheels in motion for a trade. The Jackets have 2 scouts in Toronto tonight [more…]
The Holiday break is as good a time as any to take a peek at who the Maple Leafs' leaders are in the major statistical categories, and how they stack up against the league leaders as of December 24th.
Toronto Maple Leafs’ prospect, Chris Didomenico (or Dido for short) is set to make his World Junior Hockey Championship debut this Friday as the team prepares for its first pre-tournament exhibition match against Team Sweden.
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The Maple Leafs look to extend their two game winning streak Tuesday night as they entertain the New Jersey Devils sans Martin Brodeur. Rookie Jeremy Williams looks to continue a streak of his own having scored in each of his first two appearances this season.
