Meet the world's smallest bodybuilder

At just 2ft 9in, Indian muscleman Aditya 'Romeo' Dev is the world's smallest bodybuilder. Pint-sized Romeo is well-known in his hometown of Phagwara, India - for his ability to lift 1.5kg dumbbells - despite his overall 9kg body weight. Every day, crowds flock to the local gym to the see the mini-muscleman in training. Romeo said: "I've been training as a bodybuilder for the last two years and by now I think I must be the strongest dwarf in the world.

TSN Hires John Ferguson

TSN has issued a press release announcing John Ferguson has joined the TSN broadcast team as an analyst for the February 26th NHL trade deadline. He is quoted as saying:

"I made many trades over 10 deadlines in management with St. Louis and Toronto. I look forward to plying a new trade with TSN this deadline."

I don't want to sound cruel but hiring JFJ as analyst on NHL trades is like hiring Britney Spears as a parenting expert. I can hear one of the co-analysts turning to JFJ to ask:

"So John, how does that Montreal-San Jose trade compare to your deadline deal of Yanic Perreault and a 2008 5th round draft pick for Brendan Bell and a 2008 2nd round draft pick? Or how does it rank with Andrew Raycroft for Tuukka Rask?"

Blue Jays Start Spring Training

But who really cares when the Maple Leafs are just 6 points out of a playoff spot.

That sucking noise you hear...

...is the sound of the Buffalo Bills reaching into the wallets of Toronto football fans. Some of us were looking forward to welcoming the Buffalo Bills to Toronto. The eight games they'll play here over the next five years could've been the perfect complement to our existing football diet of live Argonauts games and televised NFL matches. Now that the details have been announced, more than a few of us have been priced out of attending. The majority of tickets average into the $350 per game range, and are only available if you ante up for all eight games at once.

Clearly this is a move by Ted Rogers and Larry Tennenbaum to bring NFL football to Toronto on a permanent basis. It's nice to optimistically imagine that there's 30,000 die-hards who'll continue to cheer on every Argos home game, and that the league can remain a viable. But just look at all the empty seats at a Marlie games and you realized Torontonians do not support any team that isn't perceived as big-league.

In the absence of some sort of CFL-NFL agreement being worked out, there's the real possibility that the Argos and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will eventually disappear. The loss of the teams could void the CFL's existing television contract, and the Canadian league itself would be starved out of national advertising and sponsorship revenue by the NFL franchise. It would be crushing to watch the CFL slowly drained of life.

Lookout, Leafs Only 6 Points out of Playoff Spot!!

It's happening again! Each year the Leafs go into a nose dive in mid-winter to the point where making the playoffs is mathematically possible but virtually impossible. Once they reach that point, the pressure to win disappears and suddenly the wins start to come. Of course, they finish just out of the playoffs but everyone is optimistic about next year because of their strong finish.

This past week the Leafs looked liked contenders (if you can ignore the 8-0 embarrassment against the Panthers) by beating Ottawa, Montreal and Detroit. Seems very impressive except that the Leafs will once again not make the playoffs so these games are meaningless. Suddenly, key players (eg., Tucker and Blake) who have done nothing all season, are scoring again so that by the end of the schedule they statistically will appear to have had acceptable seasons.

To make the final playoff spot in the East, you will need at least 90 points. The past 2 seasons the 8th place teams had 92 points. The Leafs currently have 55 points and are tied for 13th spot in the East. To reach 90 points and 8th place they would need to leap frog 6 teams and go 17-7-1 the rest of the way. That would be quite an achievement for a team that needed 48 games to win its first 17 games.

This team can't even lose right. Pushing up to to 9th or 10th place means that at the Amateur Draft in June, the Leafs will not be able to grab an impact player. Hopefully, this nonsense will soon be put to an end by Cliff Fletcher when he trades away the dead weight that finally woke up for the last 25 games of the season.

Storm Finishes Strong

The Storm had another early morning game against the Gilmour (Ceveland)Sabres at the Erie Civic Centre on Sunday. Gilmour had previously lost 1-0 to Camillus and beaten Cazenovia 5-0. They were a big physical team which would make for an interesting match up with the speedy Storm players. As it turned out Gilmour struggled to keep up with the Storm but hung on for a 1-1 tie. It was a scoreless struggle for 2 periods until the two teams exchanged goals in the first 2 minutes of the 3rd period.

The Storm goal was scored by Jackie who was set up by Mari who had just left the penalty box to jump into the rush. The line of Jackie, Sheri and Marley dominated throughout the game and frustrated the opposition by controlling the puck in the Gilmour end. The line scored goals in all 3 tournament games. Genevieve had 2 excellent scoring chances as she easily skated around the slow Gilmour defense.

The 1-1-1 record was not enough to move into the championship game but the weekend was a super confidence builder for the improving Storm team. Final standing based on the tournament point system:

Hamilton 12.5
Camillus 9
Gilmour 8.5
North York 7.5
North Pittsburg 4.5
Cazenovia 3

Championship Game
Camillus 2
Hamilton 0

Dancer Fall Off Stage....The Show Must Go On!

http://view.break.com/447839 - Watch more free videos

NHL union balks at endorsing Thermablades

The revolutionary "hot" new blades being endorsed by Wayne Gretzky have turned out to be duds. Gretzky boasted during a packed press conference at the Hockey Hall of Fame four months ago that $400 heated skate blades developed by a Canadian company would "revolutionize the game of hockey."

Trouble is, the NHL players who have tested Therma Blade Inc.'s heated blades don't agree. Of the five players who were sent the heated blades – Toronto's Mark Bell, Chicago's Martin Lapointe, Detroit's Kris Draper, Edmonton's Marty Reasoner and Calgary's Matthew Lombardi – Reasoner is the only player who professed liking the blades.

This is not good for Calgarian Tory Weber who invented the blades and spent more than $5 million to bring Thermablade to market. The poor reviews from Draper and Lapointe have prompted the NHLPA to balk at signing off on the blades.

Therma Blade has sold 2,500 pairs of blades to Canadian and U.S. stores. The company would try to persuade other NHLers to test the blades.

The Igloo is no Palace

Game 2 in the Erie Tournament was played at the ungodly hour of 7:10 am at a rink called The Igloo. It's a bit of stretch to call the place a rink but we are in Erie. It was actually converted from a supermarket. It has a low ceiling, bad lighting and an elevated ice pad. The refridgeration equipment was installed ontop of the grocery stored floor so you had to step up from the bench to get on the ice.

The Storm played the North Pittsburgh Wildcats and had a very strong start. We dominated in the first 2 periods but only had a 1-0 lead on a powerplay goal by Mari. The Wildcats did not get a shot on net in the second period. The Wildcats did tie the score in the 3rd but Jackie scored the winning goal later in the period and the Storm hung on for the win. Mari had an opportunity to put the game away when the Wildcats pulled their goalie late in the game on a powerplay. She picked up the puck at centre ice and was one-on-one when she fired the puck at the empty net from about 20 feet out. The puck hit the defenseman in the arm and went wide of the goalie-less net. The defense had a strong puck control game in particular Paitra and Lauren N.

Next game will be early early Sunday morning against Gilmour.

Welcome to Erie

I think they call Erie the Mistake on the Lake. Well maybe that's Cleveland but it could apply. At least the shopping is good. Yesterday we opened up the Erie Tournament with a 3-1 loss to Hamilton. We had to come all the way down here to play a team just down the QEW.

Hamilton was is a Bantam A team and although our Storm team was able to skate with them and even outshot them 23-17, we were outclassed in several skill areas including passing and shooting. It was a tied game until late in the 3rd period when we game 2 quick goals and that was it. The only Storm goal was scored by Marley who crashed the net for a rebound to match her sister who scored a goal last weekend.

Next game is against North Pittsburgh at the cruel time of 7:10 am.

Players not likely to return to the Maple Leafs

It goes without saying that there will be significant changes made to the Toronto Maple Leafs and their lineup to start next season will look signficantly different. Although some fans would like to see the team get rid of everyone and start from stratch, that's just not feasible. So there will be a lot of players returning because their contracts make them impossible to trade or for the only reason that the team needs to dress 23 players. Here is my guess at who will not be back.

Andrew Raycroft: Raycroft represents the biggest disaster from the Ferguson era. The player appears to have no confidence and the team has even less confidence in him. He will be impossible to trade but that won't stop the team from getting rid of him. The last year of his contract will be bought out or he will be waived and sent to the minors.

Mark Bell: His situation is even worse than Raycroft. A combination of his contract, play and injury also make him untradeable. I can't see him coming back so his fate will likely be the same as Raycroft.

Chad Kilger: I have a feeling that Kilger will go at the trading deadline for a low draft pick. His size and checking ability might interest a contender looking for some depth. But no one will give up much for him. His salary is also reasonable.

Wade Belak: Belak is a unrestricted free agent at the end of the season so if no one picks him up at the trading deadline then we will be let loose at the end of the season.

John Pohl: Also an unrestricted free agent in July. Hasn't played much so he will be replaced by a younger player.

Dominic Moore: He is here only because of injuries. Also an unrestricted free agent who won't be signed.

Hal Gill: A big man who can add depth to a contender. You can never have too much defense. Salary isn't prohibitive like some of the others so he may be traded this month.

Kyle Wellwood: The team appears to have lost patience with Wellwood and he is only playing because of injuries. Even then, its on the 4th line. I think he and the team will agree that a change of scenery might help so he will be traded in the offseason.

Andy Wozniewski: Too slow and too error-prone although he could still develop into an NHLer. I just don't see the Leafs investing further in his development. He is an unrestricted free agent and will be given his walking papers this summer.

Nik Antropov: Although he is 2nd on the team in scoring, I can see the team trading him. He is having his first injury-free season and his size, contract and scoring ability will attract some decent offers. Considering his injury history and his lack of speed, a trade makes sense.

There is a remote possibility that Tucker might be moved this month though his injuy problems make it relatively remote. If he can't be physical he won't help a contender in the playoffs. Also Kubina has one of the team's worse contracts. No one will want to take on that contract so its interesting to see what the team will do if he can't be moved.

Right now the team has 17 players on contract for next season for a total of $42 million. If the above players are removed from the roster that will reduce the numbers to 11 players and $34 million. If they can dump Kubina that makes it $29 million on just 10 players. Sundin will be signed for about $6 million and the cap is projected to be $53 million. So the new GM will have $18 million to spend on 12 players. Half of those spots will be filled by young players at about $3 - $4 million. Still leaves $14 million for about 6 players.

Etobicoke Stopped by Storm

Another snow storm threatened a game between North York and Etobicoke but this one got played and produced a 1-0 win for the Storm. Last night was a rescheduled game after the December 23 match had been cancelled as a result of another snow storm. The win means the Storm now have a modest 3 game streak going with 4 games remaining in the season.

The only goal of the game was scored by Sheri who skated along the boards and cut in to the net jamming the puck past the Dolphin goalie. Bianca celebrated her birthday with a well deserved shutout, her second one of the season. The Dolphin team never gave up and forechecked agressively. It was a tense finish to the game as Mari and Lauren N took penalties 16 seconds apart and the Storm played the last 1:40 two men short. Etobicoke then pulled their goalie in attempt to get the tie. When the buzzer went off the puck was actually loose in front of the Storm net with the goalie down. Kudos to Jessica R, Jackie and Jessica B who did a terrific job killing off the penalty.

Cheeseburger in a Can

In my search for the worst junk food on the planet, I think I've stumbled upon it. Cheeseburger in a can. It is an abomination! Would you eat it? Can you imagine what it looks like when you pull it out of the tin? It couldn't possibly look anything like the picture below. And it costs about 4 Euros or $6.


When historians look back at the decline of mankind in future centuries, they will point to this as the turning point.


A review can be found here.

Leafs Falling for Stamkos

With Los Angeles and Tampa Bay winning last night, the Leafs are now just 4 points from last overall as their lottery draft pick keeps looking better and better. Steve Simmons of the Sun joked that the Leafs should play Raycroft the rest of the season to ensure they finish last.

Oh, did you hear the Leafs were blown out again last night. The 7th blow out of the season with the worst losses coming at home:
Oct. 9: 7-1 v. Carolina
Oct. 29: 7-1 v. Washington
Nov. 6: 5-1 at Ottawa
Nov. 24: 5-1 at Phoenix
Dec. 29: 6-1 v. NY Rangers
Jan. 9: 5-0 at Anaheim
Feb. 5: 8-0 v. Florida


I said at the start of the season that the Leafs have the worst defense in the league and have been proven correct over and over again. Ignore what these players are paid, just look at performance. In his post game interview Mats said, "Everyone who wore the sweater should be ashamed of the way we played." After a loss like this, they should also be ready to be traded. Fletcher may have to play the heavy and threaten any player who refuses a trade with being put on waivers and demoted to the Marlies. Playing for Carolina has to be better than bus trips to Albany and Binghampton.

How has the NHL changed since the lockout?

It's been over 2 1/2 seasons since the NHL lockout ended and many people are wondering what has really changed. Remember coming out of the lost season everyone was talking about the new NHL with revamped rules, parity, shootouts, a faster game and more scoring. I've searched for relevant information and this is what conclusions I've made.

Parity through the salary cap
The salary cap (and salary minimun) was supposed to bridge the gap between the haves and the have nots and ensure more teams make money. Parity has in fact been achieved. No one can stock up on all the good players and therefore small market teams are bidding for and signing free agents. It's early February and few teams are out of contention for a playoff spot which is great for local fans. In baseball many teams are out of the pennant race well before the All Star break. However, the cap has been rising rapidly which means teams that were not making money before the lockout are still not making money. And the few wealth teams make even more money because their payroll has shrunk.

NHL is getting younger
The big stars are still making big money so the cap puts the squeeze on all the rest, especially the older players. To save money teams are forced to let go veterans and play younger and cheaper players. The average age of the top 30 NHL scorers was just over 30 in 2000-01. Currently it's 27.5. Daniel Alfredsson and Mats Sundin are the only senor citizens near the top of the league scoring. Instead, what we've got is players 25 or under: Ilya Kovalchuk, Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Ryan Getzlaf, Jason Spezza, Evgeni Malkin, Mike Richards, Paul Stastny, Eric Staal and Corey Perry. That's because the new rules favour speed and creativity and allow players still developing physcially to play at the NHL level. Chicago future star Patrick Kane is only 59" and 165 pounds.

NHL players are getting smaller
Before the lockout, the trend at draft day was to pick BIG kids. With all the obstruction,you needed to be a Todd Betuzzi to get to the net. In 2004, the average height and weight of a 1st round draft pick was 6'2 1/4" and 199 pounds. By 2007 that had dropped to 6'1/2" and 187 pounds. It's quite a contrast and too early to know if it will stick but it appears the rule changes have had an impact. And small players are going in higher rounds now. Where its most noticeable is at defense. When Ian White was drafted he was not expected to make the NHL because of size but his skating skills became more desirable post-lockout.

Scoring hasn't picked up much
There were numerous changes made to increase scoring including cracking down on obstruction, restricting goalies behind the net, moving the blue lines and eliminating 2-line offsides. There was a brief jump as a result of the number of powerplays as players adjusted to new rules. But as the league adjusted scoring has gotten back to close to where it was.

Penalty calls have changed a lot
There was a huge upswing in calls for hooking, holding and tripping after the lockout. The numbers have leveled off now but they are still the most common calls now. That was not the case before the lockout. The most common calls used to be roughing, slashing and highsticking. It didn't really improve the game that much because there were too many whistles. This year is the first year that the number of penalties per game is below the pre-lockout period. There have also been fewer fights because those 4th liners who like to mix it up rarely saw the ice since teams were so often either on the powerplay or penalty kill. The size of today's NHLers really tells the story on how the refereeing has changed the game. I think for the better.

Top Maple Leaf Prospects

Well the season is a right off and likely next year as well. Although the Leaf roster for the first time in years has lots of young players, none are franchise players in the mold of a Mats Sundin. The young Leafs are destined to be 2nd, 3rd or even 4th liners. But what prospects do the Leafs have that might make a difference? Here are what I consider the top 5 prospects. I didn't include Tlusty and Stralman since both have been up with the Leafs for a while. The prospects just don't look that strong.


1. Justin Pogge (3rd round 2004)
In his 1st year on the Marlies he had a rough start and finished with 19 wins and a 3.03 GAA. This year Pogge is doing much better and already has 17 wins and carrying a GAA of 2.26. He is a tall goalie (6'3") that moves around very well. He is projected to be a #1 goalie in the NHL. The question is will he be a average #1 or a very good one.


2. Nikolai Kulemin (2nd round 2006)
Kulemin is a 21 year old winger playing in the Russian League. As a 20-year-old last year he led his team in goal scoring with 27 goals. He is reported to be a good skater and strong defensive player who works very hard. He is not expected to become a scorer and will likely be a 3rd line checker.

3. Chris DiDomenic (6th round 2007)
DiDomenic was the third in rookie scoring last year in the Quebec Junior League. This season he is the leading scorer and was player of the month in September. He is an average skater and projected to be a 2nd or 3rd line player.

4. Tyler Ruegsegge (6th round 2006)
Ruegsegger is incredibly competitive, strong in both ends and can score consistently. His skating is below average, which could be a barrier to his reaching the NHL. He played for Team USA at the Junior Worlds and was their best player. He's called the Rubberband Man because of his great moves.

5. Robbie Earl (6th round 2004)
Earl has now played a game for the Leafs and looked alright. He finished his college career and played his first year as a pro with the Marlies last year. Earl is a tremendously gifted offensive player who is exciting watch. He is an excellent skater with explosive speed. He is not known to like physical play and is not that big. He is another potential 2nd line player.

Spice Girls in Town!

Yes the Spice Girls are back together, on tour and in TO tonight. I'm just glad I don't have to listen to them at home any more. I hear the tour hasn't been going that well and they have just cancelled a bunch of shows for "family and personal commitments". Yeah whatever.

So for those who are nostalgic for the girls here they are.

That's why you play the game

The Storm coaches have always been telling the team that they don't award wins to teams. You have to earn them. That's why you play the game. Yesterday's Super Bowl is a classic example. Everyone assumed it would be a New England Patriot win, except the Giant players. They believed that they could win and produced one of the most exciting finishes in Super Bowl history.

Looking forward over the next 3 weeks. We will be playing 12 games. We have to forget about our record over the past 29 games. There will be teams we will be playing with much better records than ours but that doesn't mean we can't and won't win. We have played well against everyone this season. And we can't go in with the attittude that teams with worse than ours can't beat us. They can and they will unless we play our best starting with Etobicoke on Wednesday.

Below is the play of the game in yesterday's Super Bowl. I can't believe that Manning got loose to get away that pass.

NHL Central Scouting Preliminary Rankings

Here are the mid-term rankings of players eligible for the 2008 NHL Draft by the NHL Central Scouting. The top 5 players look to be extremely strong so the current Maple Leaf slump and injuries will go a long way to help them in the future.

North American skaters

Steven Stamkos, C, Sarnia (OHL); 2. Drew Doughty, D, Guelph (OHL); 3. Zach Bogosian, D, Peterborough (OHL); 4. Kyle Beach, C, Everett (WHL); 5. Alex Pietrangelo, D, Niagara (OHL); 6. Tyler Myers, D, Kelowna (WHL); 7. Luke Schenn, D, Kelowna (WHL); 8. Colby Robak, D, Brandon (WHL); 9. Colin Wilson, C, Boston U. (Hockey East); 10. Cody Hodgson, C, Brampton (OHL).

European skaters

1. Nikita Filatov, LW, CSKA (Russia); 2. Evgeny Grachev, C, Yaroslavl 2 (Russia 2); 3. Mattias Tedenby, W, HV 71 Jr. (Sweden Jr.); 4. Vjateslav Voinov, D, Chelyabinsk (Russia); 5. Roman Josi, D, Bern (Switzerland); 6. Anton Gustafsson, C, Frolunda Jr. (Sweden Jr.); 7. Dimitri Kugryshev, RW, CSKA 2 (Russia 2); 8. Viktor Tikhonov, W, Cherepovets (Russia); 9. Kristoffer Berglund, D, Bjorkloven (Sweden); 10. Tomas Kundratek, D, Prostejov (Czech Div. 1).

Right Now Alex Ovechkin is the Best Player in the NHL

Ovechkin buried the Canadiens last night scoring 4 goals including the overtime winner. He is not only the most explosive scorer right now but a very physical player. During the game he was hit in the face with a stick and later broke his nose but it never slowed him down. You only get to draft players like this by finishing at the bottom of the league for a couple of years.

Fletcher-Sundin Summit has Happened

Howard Berger of The Fan590 reports that the much talked about meeting between Cliff Fletcher and Mats Sundin occured on Wendnesday afternoon in Raleigh. Fletcher is likely meeting with mnay people in the organization in order to initiate some planning for the future but the meeting with Sundin has additional significance.


The Leaf media horde has been obssessed with a Sundin trade and has hounded the Leaf captain for the past 2 months about whether he would waive the no trade clause in his contract. This is the same group of dilusional reporters that has speculated for years that Sundin wanted out of Toronto. Of course nothing could be further from the truth. Sundin does not want to be a rent-a-player. He has indicated that he would not get much gratification from winning a Stanley Cup in a uniform he is uncomfortable wearing. He is not a mercenary-type in the mold of a Roger Clemens or Peter Forsberg. And he is not about to walk this summer as speculated by the same misguided media.


Fletcher did report back that he and Sundin had a lengthy discussion on a number of issues including Sundin's future. Neither Fletcher or Sundin will comment publicly on the discussion over the next month. Of course this will not stop the media from continuing to hound both men.


So what does this all mean? What is significant is that Fletcher did not announce that the Leafs would not be trading Sundin. Had he made that public then all the speculation would end (and shift to other veteran players). Fletcher is very fond of Sundin and my guess is he would be almost as reluctant as Sundin to accept a trade. However, both men understand how a trade can change the fortunes of this team.

I don't think Fletcher will trade Sundin unless someone brings him an offer that literally will blow his mind. Should that happen then Fletcher would likely be able to convince Sundin to go. And whether he re-signs with the Leafs in the summer depends on whether Sundin's comfort level in a new city changes if that team goes deep in the playoffs. If Sundin is not traded then he will be signed for another 2 or 3 years over the course of the spring or summer.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

...is in Cleveland, about 99 miles from Erie.

Unlike figure skating there is no crying in hockey

Losing Streak Ends at Eight

On Sunday we got the "scoring monkey" off our backs. Tonight we said goodbye to the "losing monkey" as the Storm defeated the Vaughan Flames 3-1. Everything went right tonight - good goaltending, enough scoring, a powerplay, and the ability to hold a lead.

The Storm's revamped lineup continually pressured Vaughan and created good scoring chances and some goals. In the first period Amanda and Mari combined for one of the nicest goals on the season on a high wrist shot by Mari over the goalies shoulder. Near the end of the second period Vaughan scored a powerplay goal after several unsuccessful attempts by the penalty killers to clear the puck out of the Storm zone. However, early in the third period Lauren N moved in from the point to score while on a man advantage. It was Lauren's second powerplay goal in the past 2 games. Jackie finished the scoring with on an empty net.

Next game is in Orillia on Saturday.

Pogge vs. Rask

When Ferguson traded Tuukka Rask for Andrew Raycroft he essentially decided that Justin Pogge was a better prospect than Rask or would develop sooner. Pogge is in his 2nd year in the AHL and Rask is a rookie. At the AHL All Star break here are their numbers:

Pogge
24 games
16 wins
3 losses
4 overtime/shootout losses
2 shutouts
2.27 G.A.A
.910 Save %

Rask
22 games
16 wins
5 losses
0 overtime/shootout losses
0 shutouts
2.33 G.A.A.
.898 Save %

Not much difference really. Pogge's save percentage is better. They play on two of the strongest teams in the AHL so neither has an advantage in that area. Still too early to tell. I bet both will be better than Raycroft real soon.

Leaf Offer from Rogers Cable

Storm Comeback Falls Short

The Storm finally discarded that albatross they had been carting around for the past 4 games by scoring three times against Clearview. The Storm fell behind by three goals but came back to tie in the third period. It was a sloppy game but the Storm never gave up and slowly chipped away at the Clearview lead.

Rebecca opened up the scoring with a long shot that just fooled the goalie. With 7 seconds left in the 2nd period Kailee crashed the net off the faceoff and shovelled the puck past the Cleaview goalie. In the 3rd period on a powerplay, Lauren N fired the puck from the point through a crowd to tie the game. It looked like the game would end in a tie but with just over a minute left in the game a Clearview player picked up a loose puck in the corner, skated to the front of the net and jammed the puck past Bianca.


It was an unfortunate ending but at least it wasn't another 1-0 game. As well, it shows that this team hasn't completely forgotten how to score.

Do the Maple Leafs Have to Trade Sundin?

The last few Stanley Cup winners (as well as their opponents in the finals) have consisted of excellent core players (ie., with big salaries), excellent cheap young players, a great goalie and smattering of role players that don't cost too much. The Leafs don't have too much of these things right now.

I think everyone realizes that the key to rebuilding the Leafs is unloading anyone who doesn't fit in any of the above categories. Lets ignore no trade contracts for the moment. Sundin can be a keeper because he earns his pay and he could be traded because his market value is high. And lets face it the most tradeable players are Sundin, Kaberle and Antropov for the very reason is they are good value. The least tradeable are McCabe, Blake, Kubina and Tucker because they are grossly overpaid and have long-term contracts.

Fletcher's goal over the next month is to create some cap space for the future and collect more young talent. So trading the dead weight will be difficult not just because it will be difficult to find a dumb manager to take them off your hands but the cap even prevents the dumb ones from making this mistake. A team that has only $2 million in cap space cannot take on Blake's salary without unloading at least $2 million in excess salaries. Calgary has been rumoured to be interested in Sundin but would expect Toronto to take back Tanguay to take on Sundin's contract. Not exactly what the Leafs have in mind.

So don't be surprised if the Fletcher isn't that active at the trading deadline even if players agree to waive the no trade provision in their contracts. When you are rebuilding you trade anyone who you think will get you back more than you are giving up. So a Steen or Stajan should be moved if the return is good enough. However, these aren't the players who are likely to go anyway because they are still "works in progress" where teams are looking for depth. So some of the Leafs larger players could move to help contenders (Kilger, Gill) though some of the larger players are hurt (Ponikarovsky, Bell). In fact your only untouchables should be Toskala, Colaiacovo and Stralman. That's because the team would be a disaster without Toskala in net and the two young defenseman still have huge upsides.

So there you have it. Trade who ever you can. Don't expect the Leafs to move the big contracts. They will have to be unloaded by either waiving the players and sending them down to the Marlies or buying them out.

Unusual Shirt

1-0, AGAIN!

Mother Nature was kind to us to start the Huronia hockey weekend but the Puck God was not so nice. The weekend started off in Midland to face the North Simcoe Head Lice. A familiar pattern settled in quickly. The Storm pressed and produced good scoring chances but no goals. The opposition gets a break and wins the game.

The refereeing was a factor in this game. There were 12 penalties in a very tame game. A total of 7 roughing or body checking penalties were called as any incidental contact resulted in an infraction. The frequent whistles and disrupted lines affected the flow of the game until the 3rd period when the referees finally put away their whistles and let the players play hockey. In the game before, the same referees called 18 penalties which is more than one every two minutes.

The winning goal was scored while the Storm was playing 2 men short and of course the penalties were borderline.

NY Rangers Retire Brian Leetch's Number

Brian Leetch was the best defenseman to play for the Maple Leafs since Borje Salming. Unfortunately he only played 15 games for them.

The one thing I noticed was Tie Domi (far right) was involved in the ceremony. Sort of odd to see him in a Ranger sweater when he claims he is such a die hard Leaf that he bleeds blue. Also why would be involved in the ceremony when he only played 82 games for the Rangers over 3 season. You never know with Domi, he may have lobbied for an invite.

Worst Sportscaster Ever

Richard Peddie is so Creepy

In the video below, at the 4-minute, 43-second mark of the Fletcher press conference, Peddie unmistakably begins mouthing along with Fletcher as he reads his statement. Cliff says: “I’d like to thank Richard and the board for making me…” and then Peddie’s lips start moving. Peddie looks away from Fletcher, then turns his attention back to him at the 5:09 mark of the video. And, again, he begins mouthing the words Fletcher is speaking…. “move the club ahead to the next level so it can compete with all the top teams in the league, so it can eventually lead to playoff success.”

Did MSLE write Fletcher's remarks. Is Peddie still pulling the strings? It makes you wonder. Until Peddie is completely out of the picture I wonder how much will change for the better.

UPDATE: It has been reported that the media approached Peddie regarding his strange behaviour at the press conference. He claims it is a nervous habit that he has. I prefer when his lips move and nothing comes out over when he actually says something.

John Ferguson's Legacy with the Toronto Maple Leafs

Below is pretty much all the transactions by John Ferguson during his tenure as Maple Leaf general manager. Much blame has been put on Richard Peddie and the MLSE board for the current state of the Maple Leafs. But it was Ferguson who came up with these trades and negotiated these contracts. Very few have worked out in the Leafs' favour. So many of his free agents signings are now out of hockey. There haven't been a lot of trades but they have all included draft picks.

2003-04
August 29 - Leafs named John Ferguson general manager.
September 27 - Signed free agent Ken Klee for 1 year.
October 28 - Signed free agent Clarke Wilm for 1 year.
January 10 - Claimed Craig Johnson off waivers from Anaheim.
February 11 - Traded Ric Jackman to Pittsburgh for Drake Berehowsky.
March 3 - Acquired Brian Leetch from the Rangers for Max Kondratiev, Jarkko Immonen and a 2004 draft pick.
March 9 - Acquired Ron Francis from Carolina for a 4th round 2005 draft pick.
March 9 - Signed a retired Calle Johansson.
March 9 - Claimed Chad Kilger off waivers from Montreal.

2004-05
Season lost to lockout.

2005-06
July 31 - Acquired Jeff O'Neill from Carolina for a conditional 2006 draft pick.
August 6 - Signed free agent Tie Domi for 2 years.
August 6 - Signed free agent Jason Allison for 1 year.
August 11 - Signed free agent Alexander Khavanov for 1 year.
August 12 - Signed free agent Eric Lindros for 1 year.
August 18 - Signed free agent Jean-Sebastien Aubin for 1 year.
September 10 - Signed free agent Mariusz Czerkawsk for 1 year.
November 6 - Traded Nathan Perrott to Dallas Stars for a conditional 2006 draft pick.
February 11 - Resigned Thomas Kaberle for 5 years.
March 8 - Acquired Luke Richardson from Columbus for either a 2006 5th round draft pick.
March 8 - Traded Ken Klee to New Jersey for Aleksander Suglobov.

2006-07
June 24 - Acquired Andrew Raycroft from Boston in exchange for Tuukka Rask.
June 29 - Re-sign Bryan McCabe for 5 years.
June 30 - Bought out Tie Domi and Ed Belfour.
July 1 - Signed free agent Pavel Kubina for 4 years.
July 1 - Signed free agent Hal Gill for 3 years.
July 18 - Signed free agent Mike Peca for 1 year.
July 18 - Signed free agent Bates Battaglia for 1 year.
October 7 - Signed free agent Signed Boyd Devereaux for 1 year.
January 10 - Claimed Travis Green off waivers from Anaheim.
February 27 - Acquired Yanic Perreault and a 2008 5th round draft pick from Phoenix for Brendan Bell and a 2008 2nd round draft pick.
February 27 - Sign Darcy Tucker to 4 year contract extension.

2007-08
June 23 - Acquired Vesa Toskala and Mark Bell from San Jose for 2007 1st and 2nd round draft picks and a 2009 4th round pick.
June 26 - Signed free agent Simon Gamache for 2 years.
July 2 - Signed free agent Jason Blake for 5 years.
July 10 - Signed free agent Scott Clemmensen for 1 year.
January 11 - Claimed Dominic Moore off waivers from Minnesota.
January 22- John Ferguson is fired.

Same Score, Different Team

It was a different night, a different arena and a different opponent but the final result was the same. The Storm managed to lose yet another game by the score of 1-0 to the Aurora Panthers.

With each game, the team plays harder and has begun to dominate games without scoring a goal. The Aurora coaching staff were very complimentary of the play of the Storm team and admitted they had stolen a win. Because of a few illnesses, there were new line combinations that worked out very well. The line that stood out was a new combination of Jessica R at centre between Maryssa and Marley. The line was dangerous all night and stripped Aurora defensemen of the puck on a regular basis. Kendra also played an exceptional game and could not be faulted on the goal that ended up being the only goal in the game.

Fortunately the team continues to be very positive despite the mounting losses. And there is a lot of positive things happening with this team. The goaltending has been quite good and has allowed more than 2 goals only once since the new year. The defense has been doing a great job in moving the puck out of the defensive zone up to the forwards. As a group the forwards are likely the fastest in the division and continue to put pressure on opposing teams. Now if only someone would score.

This weekend are two long road games to Midland and Camp Borden. Hopefully the roads will be good and some scoring will materialize.

So What's Next?

This season has actually been a revelation in terms of unmasking just how much of an effect the MLSE board — and Larry Tanenbaum and [MLSE president] Richard Peddie especially — have on the running of the Maple Leafs. First, there was the whole senior adviser ridiculousness in the summer, which culminated in last weekend's revelation that the deal was basically in place to bring in Scotty Bowman but Peddie decided three weeks before the season he wanted to see where the team would go.Then during the Leafs' first tough stretch, there was Peddie again, this time making ill-advised (read: stupid) comments that hiring Ferguson was a mistake. Finally, there is now the entire “Fire JFJ” saga which has gone from a seeming no-brainer move last summer to a daily drama that has made Ferguson a figure of sympathy and MLSE into a classless monolith that can't even fire a GM properly.

First it appears that Fletcher is only here on an interim basis. That could still change. What is his mandate? Is it to make a run at the playoffs or start rebuilding? Has the MLSE board changed its view on rebuilding the team? Does everything have to do through Peddie and then the board? Will Mat Sundin finally agree to a trade or will he stick to his pathological desire to stay a Leaf? Because there isn't much else to trade.

Gord Kirke (an excellent hockey person) is leading the search for a new GM and not Fletcher. Will the new GM still report to the board through Peddie? Will he be free to make hockey decisions without interference? The MLSE press release states that the new guy will have complete autonomy and should be "a long-term builder and a short-term fixer". Thank goodnes Punch Imlach is not available.

I'm not optimistic as long as a pension plan is the majority owner of the team and every decision is based on revenue and profit.

New Maple Leaf GM Announcement May Be Wednesday

The Fan 590's Howard Berger reports the MLSE board of directors held a lengthy meeting earlier today at the Air Canada Centre, hoping to iron out the details of a contract for Fletcher. He is looking to assume a presidential-type role (not interim), with full authority to hire the next general manager of the Maple Leafs. Cliff would remain at the top of the hockey department, and would have meaningful input into all matters relating to the team. Final authority, however, would be the domain of the GM, as in all functional organizations.

Fletcher is apparently looking for the MLSE board to move aside once a budget is in place. That means no approval of trades and free agent signings.

One further snag is minority shareholder and company chairman Larry Tanenbaum, who was instrumental in Fletcher being dismissed by the Leafs in May, 1997. Though no one will confirm this, it is believed Tanenbaum does not want Fletcher to return. In the latest round of his on-going internal squabble with CEO Richard Peddie, Tanenbaum is apparently trying to rally enough board members to offset the directors affiliated with Peddie, and the company’s prime shareholder, the Ontario Teachers Pension Plan.

I'm not thrilled about bringing Fletcher back. He had his good points but also a lot of weaknesses. But I do like the idea of eliminating all the political interference. If that can be accomplished, even my dear sweet mom would stand a chance to improve the Leafs.

Giants over the Packers

From Coming to America (1988)



Just call him Eddie "Nostradamus" Murphy.

At Least Someone is Enjoying the Weather

Irrefutable Proof the Group is Lip-Synching

Maple Leafs Win 3rd Straight Game

...Toronto Mayor David Miller digs out plans for a Stanley Cup Parade.

Toronto Maple Leaf Team Photo - 2007/08

All Stars by Nationality

Here is the breakdown of 44 All Star Game players by nationality:

Canada 23: Jason Arnott, Martin Brodeur, Brian Campbell, Sidney Crosby, Ryan Getzlaf, Dany Heatley, Shawn Horcoff, Jarome Iginla, Ed Jovanovski, Duncan Keith, Vincent LeCavalier, Manny Legace, Roberto Luongo, Rick Nash, Chris Osgood, Dion Phaneuf, Chris Pronger, Mike Richards, Martin St Louis, Marc Savard, Jason Spezza, Eric Staal, Joe Thornton

Russia 7: Pavel Datsyuk, Sergei Gonchar, Ilya Kovalchuk, Andrei Markov, Evgeni Nabokov, Alexander Ovechkin, Sergei ZubovSweden 4: Daniel Alfredsson, Nicklas Lidstrom, Henrik Sedin, Henrik Zetterberg

Slovakia 3: Zdeno Chara, Marian Gaborik, Marian Hossa

USA 3: Rick DiPietro, Scott Gomez, Paul Stastny

Czech Republic 2: Tomas Kaberle, Tomas Vokoun

Finland 1: Kimmo Timonen

Slovenia 1: Anze Kopitar

Over half the players in the game will be Canadian. Which makes me think that an interesting format might be Canada vs. The World. The number of Russians in the NHL has dropped off considerably as many are choosing to stay at home and play in the Russian Super League. There will be only 7 Russians in the All Star Game but considering there are only 31 Russians in the NHL this year, that means almost 25% are All Stars. Slovenia has only produced one NHL player ever in Anze Kopitar and he is in the All Star Game.

source

Storm Shut Out Again

The Storm had another very strong effort but once again came up with no goals and no points as they fell to Orillia 1-0. Aside from a 3-goal effort against Scarborough game, the powerplay continues to be unproductive. The team had 3 powerplay opportunities against Orillia and produced few good scoring chances. The closest the Storm got to scoring was a backhand shot by Sheri that beat the goalie was went off the post. After the game the frustration was evident in the faces in the dressing room. However, the players are doing the best and we all have to be patient until some forwards find the back of the net.

You Can't Put the Blame on the MLSE Board

Buried in a story from Dave Perkins in Wednesday's Toronto Star is this little tidbit from JFJ:

"The worst thing we did was finish a point out of the playoffs last year and get the 13th draft choice. The year before we missed by two points and got the 13th pick, which we traded away,'' said Ferguson, clearly indicating that a team gone deep in the tank can at least take solace in eventually landing a top draft choice.

"That wouldn't be the worst thing in the world,'' he said of a quality pick, adding that a plan to sacrifice present for future as a method of rebuilding was proposed a couple of years ago – presumably to the same Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment board of directors now said to be shopping his job around.

"That plan was not approved."

So what JFJ is suggesting is that had been allowed to blow up the team they would have been much better. I do feel some sympathy for the guy as he is being allowed to twist in the wind. But I can't accept that his plan would have worked because a capable GM would have still pulled off some good deals. I can't think of even one. Look at all the players he signed or traded picks for that aren't even playing in the NHL anymore - Lindros, Allison, O'Neill, Francis. Or just overpaying for players that aren't producing much - Belfour, Raycroft, Blake, Kubina, Tucker, McCabe.

Fire Richard Peddie

You can sign the online petition here.

Very Nice Goal By Rick Nash

Sharks Bite!

The Storm played one of their best games of the season but again couldn't put the puck in the net. The dominated that Barrie Sharks but lost another game by a 1-0 score. Not that there weren't some good chances as the Storm badly outshot the Sharks but there goalie came up big. In one play Marley was stopped point blank from in front of the net. Same thing happened to Lauren N on the powerplay. Mari and Sheri also had great chances. The Storm played a very aggressive game and had a season high 5 penalties which impacted on the flow of the game and the lines.

Next game is on Saturday against Orillia. If they team keeps playing this hard they will have to have more success.

First Mcdonalds Ad was Pretty Creepy

Now how abuot this McNugget ad...

Vintage Maple Leaf Ad (1937)

It was a disappointing period in Maple Leafs history as the Leafs did not win the Stanley Cup between 1932 and 1942 but you could get into the Gardens for less than a dollar.

Is Ovechkin's Contract Too Long

James Mirtle who writes for the Globe has done a lot of analysis on the impact that the Ovechkin contract could have on Washington by the time it expires. Some people are calling Ovechkin O-Rod because its hockey's equivalent to the Alex Rodriguez contract.

Since he entered the NHL, he has been the league's most prolific goal scorer. Mirtle points out that only two modern players, for instance, sit ahead of his .632 career goals-per-game average (Mike Bossy and Mario Lemieux). And the fact he's notched 252 points in his first 207 NHL games. But Ovechkin's 13-year contract expires when he turns 35. It's a risky contract because the history of the NHL suggests that 50 goal scorers do not remain as elite players for that long of a period.

Only 87 players in NHL history have scored 50 goals in a season, and that's a group that includes the majority of the game's top-producing players of all time. If you eliminate the 18 that are still active the number falls to 69. Here are some interesting stats:

1. Over half had their last 30-goal season before turning 31.
2. 78% had their last 40-goal season before turning 31.
3. Eleven of the 69 played their last 60-game season before turning 30.
4. Average age they last played 60 games in a season: 33.3
5. Average age they last scored 40 goals in a season: 28.5
6. Average age they last scored 30 goals in a season: 30.5

There is no way of knowing when Ovechkin's production will drop off. Brett Hull and Marcel Dionne were productive for a long time. Mike Bossy and Cam Neely did not last nearly as long. But they were all great players.

This contract has no risk for the player and lots for the team.

My Top Candidates to Take Over the Maple Leafs

1. Scotty Bowman
Bowman is a no brainer. He is the most knowledgeable hockey person on the planet (including myself). Some will argue that Bowman at 75 is too old and that his success has been as a coach not as a manager. The value of bringing Bowman into the organization is that he gives the Leafs instant credibility. There are many hockey people that are not interested in working here because it is so dysfunctional. That perception changes once Bowman is in charge. He will not need to be around for a long time, only to rebuild the organization from top to bottom. He is the best judge of hockey talent in the league and will be able to evaluate what assets to keep and which ones to move out. Bowman could be enticed to come to Toronto but not until the off season. He is committed to Detroit until June.

2. Ken Holland
Holland is recognized as the best manager in the NHL. The Red Wings consistently win. They know which players to draft, trade or sign. Detroit is really the only big market team that seemed to transition into the salary cap world without any bumps. That has not been the case for the other big spenders New York, Toronto, Philadelphia, Colorado and St. Louis. I doubt Holland would want to leave the great Red Wing environment. I get the feeling even money might not entice him.

3. Brian Burke
Burke is quite the blustery individual and like Pat Quinn tough enough to deal with the Toronto media frenzy. Burke has plenty of experience as a player agent, manager and NHL executive. He showed a lot of savvy in building a Stanley Cup team in Anaheim so quickly. But Anaheim is on the west coast so Burke lured to Toronto because of its location and history.

4. Darcy Regier
I love what Regier has been doing in Buffalo. He has always kept his team stocked with young, good, cheap talent before there was a salary cap. His only misstep was the loss of Drury and Briere in the summer. It's hard to know if there was anything he could have done to retain them and trading them at the deadline was never a consideration when you have a shot at the Cup. On Buffalo players are held accountable for their performance. In Toronto that has never been the case which is why the Leafs are a great team to play for unless you want to win. You wonder if Regier would be interested in coming to Toronto. When the franchise was brankrupt and in trouble, I would have said definitely yes. But maybe not any more.

5. Lou Lamoriello
New Jersey is the only franchise that can match Detroit's success over the past 10 to 15 years. Lamoriello is a big reason they have all those Stanley Cups during that period. Now he has had some help over that period since his team owned the greatest goalie in the game (Martin Brodeur). Lou had enough sense to hang on to Brodeur unlike Mike Millbury who traded away Roberto Luongo who has taken over from Brodeur as the NHL's best goalie. The only reason Lamoriello would leave the Devils is for the challenge in turning around the leafs.

Age 1 to 100

Dangerous Situation

When will the chaos end?

Pink Rink

For those of you who like their pink laces, pink sticks, pink hockey socks and pink tape, how about playing on pink ice?

The Norfolk Admirals played the Hartford Wolf Pack of the AHL played the first Pink in the Rink event on Saturday.The surface, along with other events during the game, was designed to increase breast cancer awareness and education. The event also helped raise money for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure, an organization that helps breast cancer survivors and encourages research.

Is it So Important the Maple Leafs Act Right Now?

More often than not, the media circus surrounding the Toronto Maple Leafs is more entertaining than the team on the ice. The media hype goes into gear during modest winning streaks, losing streaks and every Leaf playoff game. The latest hype has to do with the lame duck manager and coach and it seems the consensus is that both be fired immediately and rebuilding start right away.

I'm not sure why the urgency. The season is lost and so is next season at the very least. But opportunities are lost by not acting right now? Well, as I see it only trading Mat Sundin. He is a unrestricted free agent at the end of the season so no trade is possible during the off season. But no trade is possible now since he has a no-trade contract. Sundin has clearly stated he intends on staying but it doesn't stop the media from speculating that he would go. Other than Sundin all assets are locked in for next season and could be traded during the off season as long as they don't have a no-trade contract and there is a buyer out there.

The argument against making a move is that the list of possible candidates is larger during the off season. Some teams will allow you to approach personnel under contract during the summer but will not provide permission during the hockey season. So right now the list of candidates for manager and coach is quite small - ie., hockey people not working in hockey (mostly on radio and TV). More knee jerk reactions is not what this team needs. They need a solid plan devised by the best manager that is available out there.

It's also interesting how the Scotty Bowman story exploded over the weekend. The media search for the next Leaf GM or President (the media provides this service for free) landed on Bowman's doorstep. He was interviewed by Hockey Night in Canada and revealed his involvement in the Leafs' abandoned search for a consultant over the summer. This actually is not a new revelation. Bowman is a guest analyst every Tuesday morning on The Fan 590. He has been asked about the search on numerous occasions. He always indicated on The Fan that he wasn't very eager to leave the Red Wings and never indicated he would have taken the position of President if it had been offered. He was clear he never would have taken the consultant's position.

Storm are Edged Out by Scarborough Tournament Champions

The Storm came away from the Scarborough Tournament with 4 very strong games and began to realize their potential. The Ottawa Ice were the Pool B winners with 3 straight wins coming into the semi final game with the Storm. It was a close battle with the Ice squeaking by with a 2-1 win.

Ottawa scored early in the game and picked up a second goal in the 2nd period. The game also featured a penalty shot which was called when a Storm player fell on the puck in the goal crease. Kendra came out to challenge the shooter who rang the puck off a post. With 3 minutes remaining in the game, Mari finally put one behind the Ottawa goalie. The Storm pulled their goalie and were generating some great scoring chances when the buzzer went to end the game.

In the other semi final game, Whitby edged out Barrie by a score of 2-1.

Championship Game:

Ottawa 5
Whitby 0

Latest Maple Leaf Rumour

The second coming of Cujo may take place if Toskala's groin continues to give him problems. Stay tuned.

For the Sake of Humanity

Storm Qualify for Semi Finals

Although the Storm lost the final game in the round robin portion of the Scarborough Tournament, their record in the previous games was good enough to move on to face the powerful Ottawa Ice in the semi finals.

The game against Barrie was similar to the regular season games between these teams featuring fast, open and clean hockey. Barrie open up the scoring mid way through the first period when a Shark forward banged in a rebound past Bianca. However, Sheri scored only 11 second later as she crashed the net off the faceoff. Late in the second period, Barrie scored their second goal on a feed from behind the net. The two team exchanged some great chances in the final period by the score ended 2-1.

The line of Genevieve, Marley and Maryssa had some excellent chances but couldn't get one past the Barrie goalie. And the line of Sheri, Amanda and Lauren F crashed the net all night long.

Final Pool A Standings
1. Barrie 3-0-0, 8GF 1GA, 22 PIM
2. North York 1-1-1, 6GF, 3GA, 8 PIM
3. Mississauga, 1-1-1, 4GF, 5GA, 18 PIM
4. Scarborough 0-3-0, 3GF, 12GA, 36 PIM

History of First Round Maple Leaf Draft Picks

Well it appears that the Leafs will end up with a high pick in Amateur Draft this June. Coming last doesn't guarantee the first pick anymore because it's based on a lottery. Below is a 20-year history of Leaf first round picks. Even when they keep their pick, the player doesn't become the impact player you would expect from a first rounder. If they can move some players this year for a first round pick, it will be the first time since 1989 that they will have more than one pick in the first round. Those picks didn't turn out so well anyway.

Year, Prospect, Rank
2007 – Traded for Toskala
2006 – Tlusty (13)
2005 – Rask (21) trade for Raycroft
2004 – Traded for Leetch
2003 – Traded for Nolan
2002 – Steen (24)
2001 – Colaiacovo (17)
2000 – Boyes (24) traded for Nolan
1999 – Cereda (24)
1998 – Antropov (10)
1997 – Traded for Clark
1996 – Traded for Yushkevich
1995 – Ware (15)
1994 – Fichaud (16)
1993 - Jonsson (12)
1992 - Convery (8)
1991 - Traded for Kurvers (turned out to be Niedermayer)
1990 - Berehowsky (10)
1989 - Thornton (3), Rob Pearson (12), Bancroft (21)
1988 - Scott Pearson (6)

Storm on a Streak

The Storm tied Mississauga 0-0 tonight and are now undefeated in the past 3 games including the first 2 games at the Scarborough Tournament. Goals were harder to come by in the second game of the day although there were numerous opportunities. The Storm put on tremendous pressure in the 3rd period but couldn't get the winning goal. The best chance of the game was with 0:35 remaining in the game when Mari found Jackie alone in front of the net but was unable to get a good shot away.

Kendra earned her second shutout of the season and for the 4th time this season the Storm had a penalty-free game.

The other game in Pool A had Barrie defeat Scarborough 3-0. The standing are:

Barrie - 4 pts, +6
North York - 3 pts, +4
Mississauga - 1 pt, -3
Scarborough - 0 pts, -7

Storm Stomp on Scarborough

The opening game of the Scarborough tournament was against the host team and they turned out to be quite hospitable. A rejuvenated powerplay scored 3 times to power the Storm to a 5-1 win, the biggest win of the season. Mari lead the way with 2 goals and 2 assists. Jackie had 2 goals and Genevieve had the other goal.

Much of Thursday night's practice was dedicated to cycling the puck on the powerplay and it was obvious the lesson sunk in. Both of Jackie's goals as well as Genevieve's goal were scored on the powerplay. The Scarborough defense was totally confused and continually left the front of the net open allowing Storm forwards to skate right into goal crease.

The other Pool A game was Barrie over Mississauga by a score of 3-0. Standings are:

North York - 2 pts, +4
Barrie - 2 pts, +3
Mississauga - 0 pts, -3
Scarborough - 0 pts, -4

What's Happened to Darcy Tucker?

With everything that has gone wrong for the Leafs this season, the one thing that stands out for me is Darcy Tucker. GM John Ferguson showed complete faith in Darcy by nearly doubling his salary and giving him a no-trade clause in his contract. There was some basis to the contract since Tucker has a reputation as a hard-nosed irritant with 6 20-goal seasons.

So with all that security, Tucker is on pace to score 8 goals and 19 points, his worst season since he broke in 11 years ago. I had a very bad feeling when Tucker was signed last year. He's a small player that plays a physical game. I thought even if he was slowed by injuries and age, he would at least provide some passionate leadership. Instead we got nothing. Absolutely nothing.

No scoring. No body checks. No passion. No leadership. Nothing. Each game he just goes through the motion of pretending to be a professional hockey player. He seems perfectly happy to collect his paycheck and go home every day to drive his kids to school or hockey.

That's how life goes for members of the country club they call the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Polar Bears on Hard Times Because of Global Warming

Even Grandpa was a Punk at one time

Tonight Chelios Becomes 2nd Oldest Player in NHL History

Chris Chelios' age on Monday was 45 years, 347 days. That's significant because it's the exact age at which Moe Roberts played his final NHL game in 1951. Chelios is currently third on the list of oldest players to participate in an NHL game, but the next time he takes the ice (tonight's home game against Colorado will be the first opportunity), he'll pass by Roberts for second place on that list. Gordie Howe is the oldest player ever in the NHL, playing his final game at age 52 years, 6 days.

If you don't know who Moe Roberts is (he was a goalie), that's because he only played 8 games in the NHL. The first seven of those games came by the time that Roberts was 27 in the 1930s. On Nov. 25, 1951, Chicago's Harry Lumley was injured during a game against Detroit. The call went out to Roberts, who was the Blackhawks' assistant trainer. Roberts played the final 20 minutes of the game and didn't allow a goal.

Source

Storm Invades Fierce Hockey School

Storm Bounces Back for a Win

The Storm won its second game of the season up in foggy Camp Borden with a 1-0 squeaker against Clearview Ice Cats. Although the score was close, the Storm dominated the play. In fact, the Ice Cats failed to register a shot on net in the first period.

The winning goal was scored by Jessica R who fired what looked like a knuckleball that the Clearview goalie was unable to handler with 0.2 seconds in the second period. Bianca shut the door and earned her first shutout of the season.

The new line of Sheri, Amanda and Lauren F played a strong game and had quite a number of scoring chances throughout the game. All three line played with a lot of energy and provided very few scoring chances for the opponents on this night.

Storm Starts New Year With a Loss

Storm literally had a battle on their hands against the hoodlums from Orangeville. Orangeville jumped into an early 4-0 lead and coasted to a 4-1 win. The game had 11 penalties with Orangeville receiving 8 including 2 game misconducts.

During the last 2 periods the Storm played even with Orangeville and in fact out scored them 1-0. The lone Storm goal was scored by Mari on the powerplay. A number of forwards continue to be unable to capitalize on scoring opportunities. Hopefully that will change soon. Other strong performers were SK, Rebecca, and Amanda.

Juniors Win 4th Straight Gold

Matt Halischuk scored the overtime winner to give Canada a 3-2 win over Sweden. Canada took an early 2-0 lead in the first period but couldn't hold off the Swedes in the 3rd. The tying goal was scored with just 38 seconds left and the Swedish goalie pulled for an extra attacker.

Goalie Steve Mason and defenceman Drew Doughty were named to the tournament all-star team.

Canada has only lost one game over the past four tournaments.

Canada in Gold Medal Game!

The Canadian juniors beat the undefeated Americans by a score of 4-1 to advance to the championship game tomorrow. This was really unexpected as the Canadians although balanced lacked experience and star players. In fact, two leading scores John Tavares and Steven Stamkos are only 17 years old and received limited ice time.

Goalie Steve Mason was Canada's player of the game and lost a shutout with less than 7 minutes remaining in the game. Canada was out shot by the Americans 34-25. The Americans ended the game playing 5 on 3 with two Canadians in the penalty box. Strangely, the Americans never pulled their goalie for a 6th attacker.

Canada will play Sweden for gold. The Swedes beat the Russians 2-1 in overtime. Last year it was the same match ups in the semi finals only the Russians beat Sweden and Canada won over the Americans after a 7-round shootout. The Russians and Canadians had met in the gold medal game for 3 straight years.

Time for the Toronto Maple Leafs to Raise the White Flag

So here we are at the half way point of the NHL season and the Toronto Maple Leafs are not even at .500 (16-17-8). In fact they are 26th out of 30 teams. Even the most loyal Leaf fan knows this team is not going to make the playoffs for the 3rd year in a row. John Ferguson knows it and is probably busy updating his resume.

I've posted several views on what is wrong with the Leafs - over value and over pay players; trade away draft picks leaving them too reliant on free agents; poor work ethic; not physical enough; horrible team defense. Few players are performing as expected. I considered who was performing "Above Satisfactory", "Satisfactory" and "Below Satisfactory" and this is how I rate the team.

Above Satisfactory: Sundin, Toskala, Antropov, Gill, Devereaux

Satisfactory: Kaberle, Stajan, Steen, Ponikarovsky, Kubina, McCabe, Kilger, Colaiacovo, Belak

Below Satisfactory: Tucker, Bell, Blake, Wellwood, Raycroft, White, Wozniewski, Tlusty, Pohl

Just not enough quality to win on a consistent basis. The only solution is to dismantle this team much the way the Flyers did it last year. Let's face it, once Sundin's play declines they will drop to the bottom of the league. The time to start rebuilding is over the next few weeks leading up to the trading deadline in February.

So who should they trade and who should stay? Better yet, who is tradeable in the NHL marketplace?

Raycroft is not tradeable with 1 year left in his contract because I doubt any GM sees him as a starting goalie and no one is will pay $2 million for a backup.

Few teams can pick up high salaried players because of the cap. Anyway McCabe and Tucker have no trade contracts and I doubt they would want to leave the country club atmosphere. That's why they signed here.

Perhaps you can move Kubina. Someone would have to find over $2 million in cap space for the rest of the season.

If you can teams looking for some grit going into the playoffs then move Gill, Devereaux, Kilger, Belak and/or Bell for draft picks or prospects.

But the player who has to be moved is Sundin. He needs to be persuaded to waive the no trade provision in his contract. Many GMs would be eager to give up a very good package to land Sundin considering his durability, production and leadership. I would expect you can get what Nashville gave up to land Forsberg last year. With so few prospects in their system, it's a trade the Leafs have to make.

So I would hang on to Stajan, Steen, Kaberle, White, Colaiacovo, Ponikarovsky, Antropov, Tokala, Tlusty and who ever you can't move.

Battle of the Sexes

Canada Moves on to Semi Finals

Canada's junior team got enough offense today to move on to the semi-finals on Friday against the undefeated Americans. Canada beat Finland 4-2 in a very close game. Goals came from John Tavares of the Oshawa Generals, Steve Stamkos of the Sarnia Sting, Brad Marchand of the Halifax Mooseheads and Stefan Legein of the Niagara IceDogs (in the empty net).

John Tavares now has 4 goals and 1 assist with very limited ice time. Guelph Storm defenceman Drew Doughty had two assists and was named Canada's player of the game.

The other semi final game will be between Sweden and Russia.

NHL Winter Classic 2008

The outdoor game at Rich Stadium yesterday was an excellent idea. It got the NHL world-wide coverage and positive coverage for once. It was front page news every where. Too bad it was going opposite a couple of college Bowl games. It showcased the NHL's premiere talent, Sidney Crosby and he did not disappoint. You could see how excited the players were to be playing a game outside just like when we were all kids but in front of 72,000 people. The snow flying around only added to the game.

Some people have been critical of the game. They thought it was boring and poor quality hockey. The game reflected the original roots of the game and although the play was slower than usual due to the conditions, it was great to watch. I love to watch NFL football in a snow storm because the challenges presented by weather make the game different than most and to me more interesting. Although I wasn't thrilled about all the delays to fix the ice and resurface in the middle of periods. When I played in outdoor rinks we would put a pylon over holes and you just skated around them. The game took 3 1/2 hours to play.

Now I watched the game in the United States and therefore got to watch the NBC coverage. They used the game to promote their NHL schedule which begins January 20th. NBC used Bob Costas to cover the game and had Mike Milbury doing colour commentary. I thought Milbury was terrible. The low point of the telecast was a promotion for the January 20th game which is between the Boston Bruins and NY Rangers. NBC showed an old clip of Milbury when he played for Boston, where during a brawl he climbed into the stands to fight with a Ranger fan and beat the fan with is shoe (see video below). Obviously this was done with Milbury's consent and he appeared proud of the moment. The piece was an embarrassment for the NHL and only took away from the landmark game being televised.

UPDATE: NBC is happy with the ratings so we can expect more outdoor games in the future.