So it was my birthday recently and I was able to celebrate it in the best way I could have ever imagined. I'm going to the Leafs home game at the ACC against Buffalo tomorrow night as a present from my girlfriend and out of excitement for the game she decided to create a faux-ACC in my basement for last night's game against Boston. She banished me to the living room sitting me in front of the TV with NHL 10 and a beer (Mill St. Tankhouse) while she went to set up her surprise for me. To be honest, I had no idea what was going on at his point but I had nothing to complain about, right? After about 40 minutes I was summoned to the basement and as I walked down the stairs I heard the old Hockey Night in Canada theme song playing. When I got to the bottom of the stairs and looked around my basement I saw what she had planned. She had put up banners showing where us to our seats for the night (the couch, or what she called the "Platinum Section"). She also made a fake-concession stand that had beer and hot dogs for our game dinner. Last but not least, the icing (hockey pun intended) on the cake was to see her standing between the couch and TV in a gorgeous blue Leafs jersey. Could life have gotten any better?
Well actually, it could. The Leafs won. She bought me a Leafs Xmas Stocking with different kinds of beer and chocolates and other delicious treats. She let me fill her ear with ridiculously obscure hockey facts. So pretty much, this was a post fully dedicated to showing off how great it is to 1) have a girlfriend who's a Leafs fan and 2) be able to say I'm going to see the Leafs live tomorrow.
How's that for a perfect Holiday Season!
Go Leafs Go
Bone
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Most Improved: Schenn, Blake Or(r) Kulemin?
Leafs Nation is obsessing over our newfound ability to win, especially with a statistic like 7-2-1 in our last 10. It's always nice to know we're winning but this might be a little premature knowing the teams we're playing. In the past 10 games, we've beaten Columbus, NY Islanders, Montreal, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, Florida, and an unexpected overtime win over Washington. However, we've lost to Boston, NY Islanders (in OT) and Buffalo.
In the list of teams the Leafs have beaten, Washington is the anomaly being the only elite NHL team we've stolen a win from. Montreal is in a playoff spot and so are the Thrashers but neither are likely to make the playoffs come the end of the year. Washington, Buffalo and Boston are the three actually good teams we've played in this rush and we have that many loses. Washington was a win due to an incredible game by Beauchemin and White, while the other two teams beat us.
Buffalo and Boston are divisional teams which makes winning against them all the more important. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem likely at all. Furthermore, we play both teams 2 more times each in December alone. Also, in December the Leafs only have 2 more games against teams that are not in a playoff seed currently. Those teams are the Oilers and the Islanders. Instead, our Leafers are up against Buffalo twice, Boston twice, Washington, Pittsburgh, and the Pheonix Coyotes of Hamilton (...I wish).
What I'm saying is not that the Leafs should have been 10-0 in their last 10 games, but that they need to win games against great teams if they're going to make a run for the playoffs. they have a very hard month coming up and they need to steal some games from elite teams like they did against Washington.
What I hope for from the past 10 games is a confidence booster from players like Schenn, Kulemin, Blake and Colton Orr.
Schenn has been outstanding during this ten game stint, which is being shown by his plus/minus statistic. In the last 5 games alone, Schenn is a +6. He's had games with about 10 minutes of ice time, some with 15, and 2 with 19 minutes. Ron Wilson is beginning to trust the sophomore defender and it seems he's finally finding his confidence.
Kulemin's statistics look quite mediocre for the year, having only 8 points on the year and a -3 to show for it. However, last 5 games, he has 1G and 1A and is a +1. Still, seems pretty mediocre. What everyone's talking about however, is his defensive abilities. This kid has been stellar in his defensive play, throwing his weight around, fighting for the puck while being a disciplined power forward. His development is not close to being over but he's definitely a good player to have on this Leafs hockey team. The looks of some statistics can be awfully deceiving.
Our local MMA hockey player Colton Orr has certainly picked up his play defensively. The whole fourth line has been able to hem the opposing team into their own end and apply enough pressure that the opposing team doesn't pose a threat. In the game against Washington, Mayers, Wallin and Orr kept Ovechkin and his team in their zone for a couple shifts while the Leafs first line had time to rest. Orr has even potted a game-winning goal recently, tying his NY Rangers statistic last year with 1G all season. This 4th line fighter is only a -3 and has been much better in this 10 game stint.
Last but not least, the player that seems to be the most hated on all of the Maple Leafs, Jason Blake. I only put him on this list because he has finally found his scoring touch. In the last 5 games, Blake is a +6 and has 3G 1A on 20 shots. He's a +2 on this Leafs team and scored the winning goal last night against his old team. Everyone in Leafs nation has been hard on him this season but I still must disagree. Although he hasn't been scoring until recently, he has had incredible speed all year that penetrates the opposing zone and allows the team to set up in a dangerous way. He is also a surprisingly great physical presence behind the opposition's net. Look for him to keep up his scoring.
These are the players that have picked up their play the most in this previous 5-10 games and have hopefully really gained confidence from the Leafs' winning. Honourable mention to Vesa Toskala and Wayne Primeau.
Go Leafs Go
Bone
Since we're playing the Caps soon and I spoke of our win over them a while back, I thought I'd include my favourite Washington youtube clip. Ever.
In the list of teams the Leafs have beaten, Washington is the anomaly being the only elite NHL team we've stolen a win from. Montreal is in a playoff spot and so are the Thrashers but neither are likely to make the playoffs come the end of the year. Washington, Buffalo and Boston are the three actually good teams we've played in this rush and we have that many loses. Washington was a win due to an incredible game by Beauchemin and White, while the other two teams beat us.
Buffalo and Boston are divisional teams which makes winning against them all the more important. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem likely at all. Furthermore, we play both teams 2 more times each in December alone. Also, in December the Leafs only have 2 more games against teams that are not in a playoff seed currently. Those teams are the Oilers and the Islanders. Instead, our Leafers are up against Buffalo twice, Boston twice, Washington, Pittsburgh, and the Pheonix Coyotes of Hamilton (...I wish).
What I'm saying is not that the Leafs should have been 10-0 in their last 10 games, but that they need to win games against great teams if they're going to make a run for the playoffs. they have a very hard month coming up and they need to steal some games from elite teams like they did against Washington.
What I hope for from the past 10 games is a confidence booster from players like Schenn, Kulemin, Blake and Colton Orr.
Schenn has been outstanding during this ten game stint, which is being shown by his plus/minus statistic. In the last 5 games alone, Schenn is a +6. He's had games with about 10 minutes of ice time, some with 15, and 2 with 19 minutes. Ron Wilson is beginning to trust the sophomore defender and it seems he's finally finding his confidence.
Kulemin's statistics look quite mediocre for the year, having only 8 points on the year and a -3 to show for it. However, last 5 games, he has 1G and 1A and is a +1. Still, seems pretty mediocre. What everyone's talking about however, is his defensive abilities. This kid has been stellar in his defensive play, throwing his weight around, fighting for the puck while being a disciplined power forward. His development is not close to being over but he's definitely a good player to have on this Leafs hockey team. The looks of some statistics can be awfully deceiving.
Our local MMA hockey player Colton Orr has certainly picked up his play defensively. The whole fourth line has been able to hem the opposing team into their own end and apply enough pressure that the opposing team doesn't pose a threat. In the game against Washington, Mayers, Wallin and Orr kept Ovechkin and his team in their zone for a couple shifts while the Leafs first line had time to rest. Orr has even potted a game-winning goal recently, tying his NY Rangers statistic last year with 1G all season. This 4th line fighter is only a -3 and has been much better in this 10 game stint.
Last but not least, the player that seems to be the most hated on all of the Maple Leafs, Jason Blake. I only put him on this list because he has finally found his scoring touch. In the last 5 games, Blake is a +6 and has 3G 1A on 20 shots. He's a +2 on this Leafs team and scored the winning goal last night against his old team. Everyone in Leafs nation has been hard on him this season but I still must disagree. Although he hasn't been scoring until recently, he has had incredible speed all year that penetrates the opposing zone and allows the team to set up in a dangerous way. He is also a surprisingly great physical presence behind the opposition's net. Look for him to keep up his scoring.
These are the players that have picked up their play the most in this previous 5-10 games and have hopefully really gained confidence from the Leafs' winning. Honourable mention to Vesa Toskala and Wayne Primeau.
Go Leafs Go
Bone
Since we're playing the Caps soon and I spoke of our win over them a while back, I thought I'd include my favourite Washington youtube clip. Ever.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Another Win Thanks to Dr. Phil
It's nice to know that there's now some distance between the Leafs and Carolina. Even though it's only 4 points, it's hard being thought on the same field as the Hurricanes minus Staal. That's like the Leafs without Kessel, pretty terrible. Also, their lack of Ward is pretty noticeable as well. Superiority complex aside, let's get down to last night.
It's nice to know who our scorers are since it's the same players every night. Kessel, Hagman, Ponikarovsky and Stajan. It's always these 4, except for the odd time Kulemin or White put one in the net. But that's okay, as long as we're getting the points, I don't mind where the goals are coming from. I'm truly starting to like how the Leafs look on a nightly basis - past the 10 minute mark. It's still frustrating to see the Leafs shots directly at the chest of the goalie, but for the last couple games, they've have been able to capitalize on the goaltenders' mistakes because they're putting pressure on them in close and not just taking shots from the perimeter. There have been bodies in front of the opposing teams' net that have finally been resulting in goals. Except for Blake, he just won't score.
Kessel is kinda good, has anyone else noticed this? The one of two forwards with more than 20 minutes on the ice last night, he can really play until the final buzzer. It was his goal in the first period that got the Leafs fired up and by the end of the period it was very likely that the Leafs were going to win. That's one of the very few aspects of Toronto's game that cannot be contested, they know how to make a comeback. With 4 or 5 this year (that mostly ended up with a loss in OT), the Leafs have enough character to stick in the game until we have absolutely lost for sure. Maybe soon we'll actually fight hard enough to get the first goal of the game on a regular basis - that could be asking for too much.
Few things to notice from last night's victory. First of all, I really like this Hanson guy. Yes he was on for a couple goals, but the speed he can generate even with his size is quite useful. On Hagman's winning goal, it was Hanson who dumped it in, won the footrace, qicked it into the corner for Hagman, and then went to the net after Hagman just in case there was a rebound. I haven't seen him play with the Marlies, but I can see that with the style of play he has, points just follow him around because he puts the other team in awkward situations down low. A couple minutes later, he won another footrace for the puck down low that didn't result in a goal but still shows the kid can play.
Ponikarovski was a +3 last night. With a 4 point night (1G, 3A) - he was always in the right place. He used his size in front to gain a solid position in front of Vokoun and got the puck to ricochet off of him into the net. Not the prettiest goal, but he'll take it. He's not going to reach his 61 point total that he reached last year, but this year his plus/minus is his impressive stat with a +4 on a losing team. I've been quite a critic of the guy this year because he doesn't shoot to score but as long as he can plant himself in front of the net like he did last night, he can score a garbage goal from time to time.
Luke Schenn has probably been one of the biggest disappointments for the Leafs this year. We've had a number of them with Blake, Komisarek for the first bit, Beauchemin for the first bit, Stalberg not panning out yet, etc. but Schenn's bad play is finally starting to be dealt with. His minutes are being kept small so he can get his shit together and play like the Luke Schenn the Leafs know and love. He got an assist last night and only played about 12 minutes and +1. If he continues to improve, hopefully we can rely on him the same way we've been relying on Carl Gunnarsson for the past couple games. Wearing my hockey number of #36, he's been repping it perfectly, allowing Wilson to have confidence in him enough to put him out there in all situations. He's the perfect 23 year old to have on a rebuilding team. In the 7 games he has played this year, he's a +4 and has only played one game with under 20 minutes of ice time.
I think having Gunner up with the big club will force Schenn to play like he has to. Wilson has already guaranteed Gunner's place on the team and so when Komi comes back, there's a good chance that Exelby and Finger will be fighting for Schenn's last spot on the D line.
Anyway, riding a 2 game winning streak, the Leafs have two nights off to rest up, sharpen those skates and perfect that familiar Leafs Strategy - GET IT TO PHIL!
Go Leafs Go
OH, I almost forgot. Have you seen this Stamkos kid? He's making it really hard for the rest of Team Canada hopefuls.
...Yea, these Stamkos posts are going to get preeeeetty frequent. As frequent as his goals! HA.
-Bone
It's nice to know who our scorers are since it's the same players every night. Kessel, Hagman, Ponikarovsky and Stajan. It's always these 4, except for the odd time Kulemin or White put one in the net. But that's okay, as long as we're getting the points, I don't mind where the goals are coming from. I'm truly starting to like how the Leafs look on a nightly basis - past the 10 minute mark. It's still frustrating to see the Leafs shots directly at the chest of the goalie, but for the last couple games, they've have been able to capitalize on the goaltenders' mistakes because they're putting pressure on them in close and not just taking shots from the perimeter. There have been bodies in front of the opposing teams' net that have finally been resulting in goals. Except for Blake, he just won't score.
Kessel is kinda good, has anyone else noticed this? The one of two forwards with more than 20 minutes on the ice last night, he can really play until the final buzzer. It was his goal in the first period that got the Leafs fired up and by the end of the period it was very likely that the Leafs were going to win. That's one of the very few aspects of Toronto's game that cannot be contested, they know how to make a comeback. With 4 or 5 this year (that mostly ended up with a loss in OT), the Leafs have enough character to stick in the game until we have absolutely lost for sure. Maybe soon we'll actually fight hard enough to get the first goal of the game on a regular basis - that could be asking for too much.
Few things to notice from last night's victory. First of all, I really like this Hanson guy. Yes he was on for a couple goals, but the speed he can generate even with his size is quite useful. On Hagman's winning goal, it was Hanson who dumped it in, won the footrace, qicked it into the corner for Hagman, and then went to the net after Hagman just in case there was a rebound. I haven't seen him play with the Marlies, but I can see that with the style of play he has, points just follow him around because he puts the other team in awkward situations down low. A couple minutes later, he won another footrace for the puck down low that didn't result in a goal but still shows the kid can play.
Ponikarovski was a +3 last night. With a 4 point night (1G, 3A) - he was always in the right place. He used his size in front to gain a solid position in front of Vokoun and got the puck to ricochet off of him into the net. Not the prettiest goal, but he'll take it. He's not going to reach his 61 point total that he reached last year, but this year his plus/minus is his impressive stat with a +4 on a losing team. I've been quite a critic of the guy this year because he doesn't shoot to score but as long as he can plant himself in front of the net like he did last night, he can score a garbage goal from time to time.
Luke Schenn has probably been one of the biggest disappointments for the Leafs this year. We've had a number of them with Blake, Komisarek for the first bit, Beauchemin for the first bit, Stalberg not panning out yet, etc. but Schenn's bad play is finally starting to be dealt with. His minutes are being kept small so he can get his shit together and play like the Luke Schenn the Leafs know and love. He got an assist last night and only played about 12 minutes and +1. If he continues to improve, hopefully we can rely on him the same way we've been relying on Carl Gunnarsson for the past couple games. Wearing my hockey number of #36, he's been repping it perfectly, allowing Wilson to have confidence in him enough to put him out there in all situations. He's the perfect 23 year old to have on a rebuilding team. In the 7 games he has played this year, he's a +4 and has only played one game with under 20 minutes of ice time.
I think having Gunner up with the big club will force Schenn to play like he has to. Wilson has already guaranteed Gunner's place on the team and so when Komi comes back, there's a good chance that Exelby and Finger will be fighting for Schenn's last spot on the D line.
Anyway, riding a 2 game winning streak, the Leafs have two nights off to rest up, sharpen those skates and perfect that familiar Leafs Strategy - GET IT TO PHIL!
Go Leafs Go
OH, I almost forgot. Have you seen this Stamkos kid? He's making it really hard for the rest of Team Canada hopefuls.
...Yea, these Stamkos posts are going to get preeeeetty frequent. As frequent as his goals! HA.
-Bone
Sunday, November 22, 2009
I Bleed Blue and (Ian) White - Leafs/Caps Post Game
Sorry for the long hiatus in posts, it's been a long week with a whole lot happening. Plus I was tired of writing "yet another disappointment from our Leafers". Instead, after a crazy game against Ovie and the Capitals I can say "Finally a win for Toskala and the Leafs". What a game it was. Ron Wilson seems to have a new idea for all his disappointing players - put them on the same line. Grabovski and Blake, who have been nothing but mediocre this season were grouped together with Hagman who can dazzle at times but was a healthy scratch approximately a month ago. Grabo and Blake were brought onto the team to be our offensive strength but Blake, a former 40 goal scorer is at 2 goals right now and Grabo is at 4. The speed on this line was able to keep the Caps stuck in their zone for shifts at a time, shifts that Ovechkin was on the ice for and couldn't get close to our goalie.
When Ovechkin did get the puck, White was almost always there to shut him down or save yet another goal by blocking a shot behind Toskala. White is every goalie's best friend - other than the post, which bailed Toskala out late in the 3rd period as well. The difference between the shots that Varlamov and Toskala faced is that still, Leafs shooters are taking shots that mostly are at the crest rather than making him move laterally. Toskala had to throw himself at Ovechkin more than once to cut down the angle on him and shut him down. In the first period, Laich had a shot that, if shot harder would have been in the net because Backstrom passed cross-ice. However, also in the first period Stajan made a cross-crease pass to Kessel who couldn't finish the play and hit the post.
I still can't give the upper hand to the Leafs in this game because of the type of chances that the Caps got compared to the Leafs. When the Leafs play elite teams like the Caps, you can see how real scorers look for openings in the net, but thankfully Toskala had a great performance to shut it down. Ponikarovski, Blake and Grabovski are still shooting at the goaltender and need to make the goalie scramble for the puck.
But I digress, there are certain parts of last game that must also be discussed. For example, Beauchemin getting over 27 minutes of ice-time and Ian White's 26 minutes. This defensive pairing was on for the goal against and it was a mistake on Ian White's pinch and Beauchemin being caught with his pants down around his ankles. I have no idea what Beauchemin was doing, but he had no idea where Ovechkin was when he committed to taking Greene. Too bad the pass was wide open and the Leafs went down 1-0. I guess the argument can be made that when you're on for more than 26 minutes each, you're bound to make one or two mistakes, but that can't happen when Ovechkin is on the ice and ends up getting a wide open shot. He never misses those.
November has unfortunately been a month filled with easier teams to play against standings-wise and we haven't gotten the wins we need. Yes we've beaten the Caps but losing to Minnesota and Carolina is unacceptable. December is quite a frightening month, playing 12 teams that currently have a playoff spot. That includes both Washington and Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and most excitingly because I get to go see the game on December 19th, Phil Kessel's old team the Boston Bruins.
Something that I must leave you with, as I stated in my biases in my first ever post, is the beauty and skill that is Steven Stamkos.
Go Leafs Go.... and Stamkos.
When Ovechkin did get the puck, White was almost always there to shut him down or save yet another goal by blocking a shot behind Toskala. White is every goalie's best friend - other than the post, which bailed Toskala out late in the 3rd period as well. The difference between the shots that Varlamov and Toskala faced is that still, Leafs shooters are taking shots that mostly are at the crest rather than making him move laterally. Toskala had to throw himself at Ovechkin more than once to cut down the angle on him and shut him down. In the first period, Laich had a shot that, if shot harder would have been in the net because Backstrom passed cross-ice. However, also in the first period Stajan made a cross-crease pass to Kessel who couldn't finish the play and hit the post.
I still can't give the upper hand to the Leafs in this game because of the type of chances that the Caps got compared to the Leafs. When the Leafs play elite teams like the Caps, you can see how real scorers look for openings in the net, but thankfully Toskala had a great performance to shut it down. Ponikarovski, Blake and Grabovski are still shooting at the goaltender and need to make the goalie scramble for the puck.
But I digress, there are certain parts of last game that must also be discussed. For example, Beauchemin getting over 27 minutes of ice-time and Ian White's 26 minutes. This defensive pairing was on for the goal against and it was a mistake on Ian White's pinch and Beauchemin being caught with his pants down around his ankles. I have no idea what Beauchemin was doing, but he had no idea where Ovechkin was when he committed to taking Greene. Too bad the pass was wide open and the Leafs went down 1-0. I guess the argument can be made that when you're on for more than 26 minutes each, you're bound to make one or two mistakes, but that can't happen when Ovechkin is on the ice and ends up getting a wide open shot. He never misses those.
November has unfortunately been a month filled with easier teams to play against standings-wise and we haven't gotten the wins we need. Yes we've beaten the Caps but losing to Minnesota and Carolina is unacceptable. December is quite a frightening month, playing 12 teams that currently have a playoff spot. That includes both Washington and Pittsburgh, Buffalo, and most excitingly because I get to go see the game on December 19th, Phil Kessel's old team the Boston Bruins.
Something that I must leave you with, as I stated in my biases in my first ever post, is the beauty and skill that is Steven Stamkos.
Go Leafs Go.... and Stamkos.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
I've Had Phaneuf Of This
Last night's game against Calgary was another disappointment. Taking 20 shots in the second period alone, there should not have been a one-goal deficit going into the third. The Flames were giving turnover after turnover in goal-scoring areas but it never amounted to a tie-game. Miikka Kiprusoff played a stellar game but nothing close to the extent that was celebrated by the game's commentators. We did with Kipper exactly what we did with Luongo in Vancouver, Niittymaki in Tampa Bay and a few other goalies this year - make them look good.
Granted, Kiprusoff played a great game and Luongo... is Luongo, but it doesn't help that our shooters play target practice with the other team's crest. Shot after shot from Ponikarovsky, Stempniak and Grabovski being placed in exactly the same place - the goalies chest. This has to stop. Poni had 3 great chances from point blank without a defenseman hindering his movement and he shot right at the 'Flaming C'. Kiprusoff is a good goalie but with shots like that, he's going to stop 19 out of 20 shots, like in the 2nd period. One thing is to celebrate a high number of shots but another is to start asking yourself why they aren't going in. Kessel, the only player on the team who has any glimmer of hope as an offensive player, is doing his job hitting post after post and taking shots from anywhere that make the opposing goalie sprawl for the puck.
That's the kind of shot that we need, shots from anywhere that will make the goalie move and get out of position. For example, on Stajan's goal last night the rebound came from a Phil Kessel shot that was taken as he was falling to the ground. He got the shot off and Kiprusoff was too far out of his net to get the rebound. Beauchemin's goal was just a blast from the point with a screen in front. Too many times, Gunnarsson or Ponikarovsky were shooting right at the goalie after he's gotten set for the shot. It's not effective hockey and it's not going to win games.
As a Leafs fan, I'm tired of using the excuse that a goalie just had a good game when really we're forcing the good game on to him. Make the goalie move, force him to make mistakes and maybe we'll win a couple games. Even against their best pairing of Phaneuf and Regehr, we were capitalizing on their turnovers with scoring opportunities but not doing anything about it. I've had Phaneuf of this.
Granted, Kiprusoff played a great game and Luongo... is Luongo, but it doesn't help that our shooters play target practice with the other team's crest. Shot after shot from Ponikarovsky, Stempniak and Grabovski being placed in exactly the same place - the goalies chest. This has to stop. Poni had 3 great chances from point blank without a defenseman hindering his movement and he shot right at the 'Flaming C'. Kiprusoff is a good goalie but with shots like that, he's going to stop 19 out of 20 shots, like in the 2nd period. One thing is to celebrate a high number of shots but another is to start asking yourself why they aren't going in. Kessel, the only player on the team who has any glimmer of hope as an offensive player, is doing his job hitting post after post and taking shots from anywhere that make the opposing goalie sprawl for the puck.
That's the kind of shot that we need, shots from anywhere that will make the goalie move and get out of position. For example, on Stajan's goal last night the rebound came from a Phil Kessel shot that was taken as he was falling to the ground. He got the shot off and Kiprusoff was too far out of his net to get the rebound. Beauchemin's goal was just a blast from the point with a screen in front. Too many times, Gunnarsson or Ponikarovsky were shooting right at the goalie after he's gotten set for the shot. It's not effective hockey and it's not going to win games.
As a Leafs fan, I'm tired of using the excuse that a goalie just had a good game when really we're forcing the good game on to him. Make the goalie move, force him to make mistakes and maybe we'll win a couple games. Even against their best pairing of Phaneuf and Regehr, we were capitalizing on their turnovers with scoring opportunities but not doing anything about it. I've had Phaneuf of this.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Leafs Defensive Personalities: The Kid, The Creep and the Komi
It's been 16 games already this season, and Leafs Nation is starting to see some of the players' personalities come through in interviews and off-ice escapades. Of course, the Leafs don't have a player like Ovechkin who will drive through the arena on a golf cart or drive a zamboni through the streets of NYC, but personalities of Schenn, Exelby and Komisarek have been shining through lately in recent weeks.
First of all, earlier this week TSN showed a clip of Trish Stratus teaching yoga to Exelby and Schenn. Randomly, Garnet Exelby seemed to be as close to a yoga pro as you're going to find on the Leafs, while Schenn struggled standing on one foot without falling over. It was a fluff piece of news, but it was still a nice way for Leafs Nation to look into the dressing and to see the Leafs are in good spirits.
Schenn seems to be "The Kid" of the team, still getting accustomed to the media frenzy that is the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was thrown into the Leafs line-up last year and averaged over 20 minutes a game. It was like Michael Jackson skipping his childhood and always being under the spotlight. Schenn had to play like a veteran during his rookie season and now, during his sophomore year is finally playing like a rookie should. He's making bad mistakes every once and a while but can still play well day-in-and-day-out while getting used to Toronto media. After the yoga lesson, he joked around about Exelby trying to get Trish to push his butt back into position.
As I've stated in a previous post, even the name Garnet Exelby strikes fear in my heart being one of the hard hitting defensemen brought onto the team during the off-season. He may not play positional hockey but he does what he was hired to do - hit. After the yoga lesson with Trish Stratus, he gave the media one of the creepier interviews I've seen by an NHL hockey player about trying getting Trish to correct his butt's positioning. Of course it was a joke, but instead of laughing during the interview, he simply had a smirk on his face earning the nickname "The Creep".
Komisarek, or for this piece "The Komi", showed his personality during a post-game interview after playing the Montreal Canadiens. He was speaking in regards to all the booing that rained down on him during his second game in the Bell Centre this season. The Habs fans were relentless, letting him have it for leaving them for their rivaling team. His response was to say something along the lines of "If they're booing me after I left, I must have been doing something right while I was here". Yea Komi, that'll shut 'em up. This kind of comment is what the Leafs need. Komisarek's arrogant personality is one of competition and the love for winning. Although the Leafs are struggling, this kind of talk from Komisarek shows that his competitive spirit is going strong.
Too bad he's out for 3 weeks. Let's see what kind of personality Carl Gunnarsson will bring to the team while Komi's injured.
Go Leafs Go!
First of all, earlier this week TSN showed a clip of Trish Stratus teaching yoga to Exelby and Schenn. Randomly, Garnet Exelby seemed to be as close to a yoga pro as you're going to find on the Leafs, while Schenn struggled standing on one foot without falling over. It was a fluff piece of news, but it was still a nice way for Leafs Nation to look into the dressing and to see the Leafs are in good spirits.
Schenn seems to be "The Kid" of the team, still getting accustomed to the media frenzy that is the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was thrown into the Leafs line-up last year and averaged over 20 minutes a game. It was like Michael Jackson skipping his childhood and always being under the spotlight. Schenn had to play like a veteran during his rookie season and now, during his sophomore year is finally playing like a rookie should. He's making bad mistakes every once and a while but can still play well day-in-and-day-out while getting used to Toronto media. After the yoga lesson, he joked around about Exelby trying to get Trish to push his butt back into position.
As I've stated in a previous post, even the name Garnet Exelby strikes fear in my heart being one of the hard hitting defensemen brought onto the team during the off-season. He may not play positional hockey but he does what he was hired to do - hit. After the yoga lesson with Trish Stratus, he gave the media one of the creepier interviews I've seen by an NHL hockey player about trying getting Trish to correct his butt's positioning. Of course it was a joke, but instead of laughing during the interview, he simply had a smirk on his face earning the nickname "The Creep".
Komisarek, or for this piece "The Komi", showed his personality during a post-game interview after playing the Montreal Canadiens. He was speaking in regards to all the booing that rained down on him during his second game in the Bell Centre this season. The Habs fans were relentless, letting him have it for leaving them for their rivaling team. His response was to say something along the lines of "If they're booing me after I left, I must have been doing something right while I was here". Yea Komi, that'll shut 'em up. This kind of comment is what the Leafs need. Komisarek's arrogant personality is one of competition and the love for winning. Although the Leafs are struggling, this kind of talk from Komisarek shows that his competitive spirit is going strong.
Too bad he's out for 3 weeks. Let's see what kind of personality Carl Gunnarsson will bring to the team while Komi's injured.
Go Leafs Go!
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
The End of Our Roll
We really shouldn't have lost last night against Minnesota. It was a major game to win since they're the worst team in the Western Conference. Two deflections off our own defensemen in one game resulting in goals; this seems to be a theme for the Leafs this season. I feel as though the only reason one didn't go off Komisarek's helmet or shin pads is that he went off in the middle of the first period from an injury. That was really bad luck, forcing the other 5 defensemen to play extra minutes.
What truly broke the backs of the Toronto Maple Leafs last night was a bad coaching decision by Ron Wilson right before Koivu scored to make the game 3-1 nearing the end of the 2nd period. The Leafs had been hemmed into their end for a while, with Schenn and Finger being on the ice for well over a minute. Finger, with his last gasp of energy whipped the puck down the ice and was as a result called for icing. It was right here that Wilson faced the decision to either call a time-out and give Schenn and Finger a break or to let them fend for themselves. He chose the latter. Right off the draw, Schenn was battling in the corner to the right of Gustavsson and lost because of fatigue. Then, out of exhaustion Schenn lolygaged on his way to the front of the net while Finger went to fight for the puck on the left side of Gustavsson. This left Koivu wide open in front to shove the puck into the back of the net. Wilson should know that Schenn has been struggling this year and an exhausted second-year defensemen would not be good in that situation.
This goal made it a 2 goal deficit, which has been a back-breaker for the Maple Leafs this year and reminded me of their play at the beginning of the year. Thankfully however, we have Phil Kessel to at least pull us up by the bootstraps and fight on, scoring late in the third to make the game 4-2. To put the bad-tasting cherry on the not-so-awesome sundae that was this game, Owen Nolan scored a shorthanded empty net goal to make the game 5-2 with 3 seconds left on the clock.
This game was a pretty major loss because the next team the Leafs play is the Chicago Blackhawks. They are, to be put bluntly, better than the Leafs especially now that they have Toews back from injury. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if Toskala gets put in net after a couple games off watching Gustavsson show him up. The Monster has had several games to start in a row, including two back to back last weekend.
This game against Chicago will be a major test for the Leafs as it's the first game against a top-8 team-in-their respective-conference team since their loss to the Dallas Stars. With offensive forces like Toews, Kane, Versteeg etc., the Leafs will have to dig deep defensively and keep Kessel scoring.
Let's pray for 'em.
Bone
What truly broke the backs of the Toronto Maple Leafs last night was a bad coaching decision by Ron Wilson right before Koivu scored to make the game 3-1 nearing the end of the 2nd period. The Leafs had been hemmed into their end for a while, with Schenn and Finger being on the ice for well over a minute. Finger, with his last gasp of energy whipped the puck down the ice and was as a result called for icing. It was right here that Wilson faced the decision to either call a time-out and give Schenn and Finger a break or to let them fend for themselves. He chose the latter. Right off the draw, Schenn was battling in the corner to the right of Gustavsson and lost because of fatigue. Then, out of exhaustion Schenn lolygaged on his way to the front of the net while Finger went to fight for the puck on the left side of Gustavsson. This left Koivu wide open in front to shove the puck into the back of the net. Wilson should know that Schenn has been struggling this year and an exhausted second-year defensemen would not be good in that situation.
This goal made it a 2 goal deficit, which has been a back-breaker for the Maple Leafs this year and reminded me of their play at the beginning of the year. Thankfully however, we have Phil Kessel to at least pull us up by the bootstraps and fight on, scoring late in the third to make the game 4-2. To put the bad-tasting cherry on the not-so-awesome sundae that was this game, Owen Nolan scored a shorthanded empty net goal to make the game 5-2 with 3 seconds left on the clock.
This game was a pretty major loss because the next team the Leafs play is the Chicago Blackhawks. They are, to be put bluntly, better than the Leafs especially now that they have Toews back from injury. Also, I wouldn't be surprised if Toskala gets put in net after a couple games off watching Gustavsson show him up. The Monster has had several games to start in a row, including two back to back last weekend.
This game against Chicago will be a major test for the Leafs as it's the first game against a top-8 team-in-their respective-conference team since their loss to the Dallas Stars. With offensive forces like Toews, Kane, Versteeg etc., the Leafs will have to dig deep defensively and keep Kessel scoring.
Let's pray for 'em.
Bone
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