Who the Maple Leafs Should Bring Back Next Year

My loyal blog readers have expressed their views on what moves the Leafs should make this summer. Now it's my turn. A total rebuild is no guarantee of success. Successful franchises like Detroit and New Jersey never seem to rebuild. While other franchises are constantly rebuilding. In today's cap world you need the most bang for your buck. There is little room for error. Even when you've spent wisely, injuries can destroy an entire season.

Looking at the Leafs, I think you hang on to players 1) who provide value relative to their salary; 2) fill a specific need; 3) are cheap; and 4) may not provide much value right now but will likely in the future. If you don't fall in one or more categories than you need to go. I'm also not big on buying out contracts. You are limited to only 3 buy-outs under the current collective agreement and the cost of a buy-out limits you financially for years. For example, the Leafs are still carrying the Belfour buy-out this season. So here is my list:

Vesa Toskala: An elite first string goalie is a necessity in the NHL. Toskala fits that description and will earn his $4.0 million salary that kicks in next season.

Andrew Raycroft: He earns $2.2 million next season, which is too much for a back up. He should be shipped to the Marlies to free up cap space. Perhaps if he bounces back some NHL team may show some interest. His replacement could be Scott Clemmensen or any other cheap back up available over the summer. Justin Pogge has been sharing the net with Clemmensen because he has not shown enough to win the first string job. He should stay with the Marlie until he establishies himself as a #1 goalie.

Mats Sundin: Sundin is looking at the Leafs on a season to season basis. Frankly its hard to rebuild a team when a key player will not commit beyond one season. I would be happy if he retired and those dollars go to a younger free agent who you can sign for a longer period (eg., Hossa).

Nik Antropov: Brittle and slow. But he has size and a scoring touch. His $2.15 million salary for next year makes him a bargain if you can get 70 games out of him.

Alexei Ponikarovsky: Good skater and good size. Average scoring ability. Salary is reasonable and he will be a decent 2nd line player.

Darcy Tucker: We all know that Tucker plays with a lot of heart and emotion - when healthy. When he is banged up all his shortcomings become very noticeable - lack of size, speed and defense. You can't get rid of everyone so he is worth bringing back after a summer of R&R.

Jason Blake: Ferguson's worst free agent signing and you knew it the day it was announced. Giving a 5 year contract to a small 34 year old forward who is not really good enough to play of a 1st line makes no sense. You will never be able to move this contract. Maybe they can find a centre for him that will help get a little more offense out of him.

Alex Steen: Just signed a new deal. He has moments of great hockey interspersed between a lot of mundane hockey. Easily pushed off the puck. He will never live up to a first round pick but is a decent 2-way player who will fill in on a 2nd or 3rd line. He is still young.

Mats Stajan: Developing into a solid 2-way player. Will be an excellent shutdown centre who can contribute offensively. A definite keeper.

Mark Bell: I cannot see him earning his $2.5 million salary next season. Would look much better in a Marlie sweater.

Kyle Wellwood: He has been awful but at 24 he is too young and his hands are too good to write off quite yet. He is a RFA this summer and won't be earning a raise. He needs to improve his fitness level, drop some weight and play with more intensity. If a good trade offer comes in, grab it.

Boyd Devereaux: Strong skater and defensive player who can chip in with some scoring. Not sure why the Red Wings didn't keep him around. Next year's salary is $0.6 million which is good value for a 4th liner.

Dominic Moore: Very fast and a gives you 100% effort on every shift. Very good on face offs. He is only 26 and although an UFA in the summer will be cheap to resign. Good value as a 4th liner.

John Pohl: Not as good as Moore and 2 years older. Will be an UFA this summer. I would let cut him loose.

Jiri Tlusty: He should have been with the Marlie all season getting lots of ice time. Unless he can earn a spot on one of the top 3 lines, I would have him play next season on the Marlies. Another season of 8 minutes of ice time per game will not benefit the team or Tlusty.

Jeremy Williams/Kris Newbury/Darryl Boyce/Alex Foster: Young players at various stages of development. One or more might win a spot. Right now, the Leafs seriously lack toughness and only Newbury provides that.

Tomas Kaberle: Best defenseman on the team and is paid a reasonable salary. The offense and powerplay would seriously falter if he is moved and fortunately he vetoed a trade. At 29 he has years of good hockey left and has few injuries. He seems to make his defense partner play better by doing all the puck handling or them.

Pavel Kubina/Bryan McCabe: The Kubina signing made no sense. You don't pay a 3rd defenseman $5 million because he will never get enough ice time to justify that salary. So one of these two players has to go. I don't really care because neither is worth the money. Kubina has a provision in his contract that gives the Leafs a 6-week window to trade him this summer. Alternatively, McCabe may agree to move to a New York team in a trade if they will have him. Maybe the Leafs might get lucky this summer.

Carlo Colaiacovo: Very talented so you need to stick with him. He is only 24. However, he is one of those players who you would move for the right offer.

Ian White: Only 23 years old. Why would you give up on him?

Anton Stralman: The type of player you rebuild around.

Andy Wozniewski: An UFA this summer. I volunteer to help pack his bags.

Stefan Kromwell: Also only 24 and cheap. Defensemen take longer to develop. He has size and is a good skater. You need players like this to provide some depth to your team.

That's a total of 16-17 returning players. So this is not a total rebuild but you need to change some of your core players. This team is too soft and weak defensively. The collective agreement will slow down the process so it will likely take two summers to bring about the necessary changes.

NHL Eastern Conference Playoff Race

Eastern Conference

1. Montreal - qualified, reached 92 points March 20
2. Pittsburgh - qualified, reached 92 points March 22
3. New Jersey - 0-6-1
4. Ottawa - 0-4-1
5. N.Y. Rangers - 2-5-0
6. Carolina - 2-3-0
7. Philadelphia - 2-3-0
8. Boston - 3-3-0
9. Washington - 4-1-0
10. Buffalo - 5-1-1
11. Florida - eliminated, March 25, max 91 points
12. Toronto - eliminated, March 25, max 90 points
13. N.Y. Islanders - eliminated, March 12, max 85 points
14. Atlanta - eliminated, March 11, max 80 points
15. Tampa Bay - eliminated, March 4, max 80 points

Leafs and Panthers lose last night and can no longer reach 92 points. Washington moves past Buffalo but need to play near perfect hockey the rest of the way to pass Boston or Philadelphia.

Don't blame me, blame the MLSE board

Hey, last night was not my fault. I said I was reluctantly jumping on the Leaf bandwagon. Afterall, they hadn't won more than 3 games in a row all season and after last night they still haven't.

Only Hollywood has Cinderella teams win 9 games in a row to clinch a playoff spot on the last day of the regular season. The script usually has the team go on to win the Championship. But in the movies the team is never controlled by a pension plan, run by an interim manager and stocked with complacent players with no trade contracts.

Hottest NHL Teams Since the Trading Deadline

This year's playoff race is quickly turning into one of the wildest - and weirdest - in the history of ever. So who do you think has the best record since the trading deadline? Four teams not holding a playoff spot.

Florida: 8-1-2 (.818)
Edmonton: 11-3-0 (.786)
Toronto: 8-3-1 (.708)
Washington: 9-4-0 (.692)

So much for deadline deals to strengthen you for the run. Only Washington stocked up. And the other 3 teams were useless leading up to the deadline. How do you explain it?

NHL Eastern Conference Playoff Race

Eastern Conference

1. Montreal - qualified, reached 92 points March 20
2. Pittsburgh - qualified, reached 92 points March 22
3. New Jersey - 0-6-1
4. Ottawa - 1-4-1
5. N.Y. Rangers - 2-5-0
6. Carolina - 2-3-1
7. Philadelphia - 3-3-0
8. Boston - 4-3-0
9. Buffalo - 5-1-1
10. Washington - 5-1-0
11. Florida - 5-0-1
12. Toronto - 6-0-0
13. N.Y. Islanders - eliminated, March 12, max 85 points
14. Atlanta - eliminated, March 11, max 80 points
15. Tampa Bay - eliminated, March 4, max 80 points

If you assume 92 points is required to make the playoffs in the East, then 2 teams have already qualified and 3 teams have been eliminated. The list indicates the record each team needs in the remaining games to reach 92 points. There is virtually no room for a loss if you are Buffalo, Washington, Florida or Toronto unless Boston and Philadelphia collapse over the next 2 weeks.

Nerd Trying a Slam Dunk

Chocolate Bunny Meltdown

Gold? Go Figure!

I've watched a figure skating for a long time and gold medal performance from Jeff Buttle this weekend has to be one of the most impressive I've seen. Although he does not have a quad jump, his program was technically quite difficult and artistically performed. It has been a long climb for Jeff and I thought he might have peaked 2 years ago when he won silver at the Worlds.

Canada was the big winner this year at Worlds as the only country with 3 medals. There was silver for ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir and bronze for the pairs team of Jessica Dubé and Bryce Davison. There has been a significant shift in the skating world over the last 4 years. The Russians often would walk away with half of the 12 medals and would dominate the pairs and ice dance categories. They only won a bronze in the ice dance. The Americans used to be a power in single skating but also came home with just a bronze by Jonny Weir. As the rest of the world catches up the medals are now spread around with Japan, Italy, South Korea, France, Germany and China also winning medals.

I'm reluctantly jumping on the Leaf bandwagon

I guess the Toronto Maple Leafs deserve some fan support. They have won 12 or their last 15 games and had some dramatic come from behind wins. Quite a contrast to earlier in the season when they blew leads in the 3rd period on a regular basis.

So since they've taken themselves out of contention for a top draft pick, I might as well cheer them on. Two weeks ago I declared them officially out of the playoffs. Afterall they had only 11 games remaining and needed 20 points to reach 92 points. And they hadn't won more than 3 games in a row all season. Well they still haven't won more than 3 straight but with only 6 games remaining anything can happen.

But I still don't believe the will make it. Even if they won every single game, 92 points might not be enough considering the way Florida and Washington have been playing. In fact in the past two weeks although the Leafs have closed the gap on 8th place marginally, they are still stuck in 12th place. But yes they are not mathematically out yet. So here is why the Leafs have been winning:

1. Vesa Toskala
Not too many goalies playing better than Toskala these days. Great goaltending can carry you a long way. In fact how many teams in the East other than New Jersey are getting better goaltending than the Leafs? Likely none.

2. Mats Sundin
Mats was carrying the team all season but just couldn't drag them into a playoff spot. This team too often sits back and waits for their captain to get things happening. It's no coincidence that the team plays better when he is injured. The centres have all responded positively to an increase in ice time. I'm not joking but if he comes back too soon, they will come up with a bad game and end this run. It always seems to happen.

3. Matt Stajan
This season has seen Stajan begin to live up to his potential. He is a smart two-way player that was expected to be a decent 2nd or 3rd line centre. With Sundin out of the line up he has stepped it up considerably and is contributing offensive;y. I don't expect it to last but he will develop into good NHL player.

4. Pavel Kubina
Since coming to the Leafs, he has either been hurt of playing like I wish he was hurt. He was slow and prone to coughing the puck up. When McCabe was hurt he moved up to play with Kaberle and the combination of the new partner and more ice time has done wonders. He has been playing very well and contributing offensively. He has scored some big goals in the past 2 weeks. I personally think that Tomas Kaberle is just such a good hockey player that he improves everyone on the ice with him.

GO LEAFS GO!

Brampton Results

The winner of the Midget B division was Norfolk who defeated Brockville this afternoon by a score of 3-1.

A big congratulations to the Storm Midget BB team. They won the Midget BB division and went through the tournament without a loss.

Go Storm Go!

Happy Easter

Hericanes Blow by Storm

Well the quarterfinal match up was against the Norfolk Hericanes who finished 7th out of 8 teams in the powerful West Division in the LLFHL with just a 5-13-6 record. But we quickly learned that there are no weak teams in the West. Norfolk beat the Storm in every aspect of the game, skating, puckhandling, passing and shooting. They won just about every battle for the puck and stripped Storm players of the puck throughout the game. They also walked away with a convincing 4-0 win.

But it was a valuable lesson on how to be aggressive on the puck. We will likely see similar efforts from teams that actually qualified for the Provincial Championships (yes, Norfolk did not qualify).

In other Storm news, the Midget A team finished 3rd in their Pool and qualified for an Elimination Round but failed to move on. The Midget BB team came f1st in their pool and moved on the the quarterfinals. As of midnight the scores for the Midget BB game had not been posted or had the games of the other Midget B quarterfinal games.

Did I say we had as much chance of making the playoffs as the Leafs?

OK. Maybe I did. But then my math skills are better than Mats Sundin.

Yes, it's true that before this afternoon's against Etobicoke I did say mathematically we could make the playoffs in the Brampton Tournament but our chance were about the same as the Maple Leafs. Afterall, we only had one point in the first two games of the Tournament and 11 teams out of 18 had better records than we did. Only the top 2 teams in each of the 3 Pools made the playoffs plus 2 wild card teams.

But I did also say that if the right combination of teams won and loss, if we beat Etobicoke and if we scored a bunch of goals then we would have a decent chance. Well we beat Etobicoke. We scored 4 goals. The right teams won and lost with goal margins that didn't hurt us. And as it turned out we were the first-seeded wild card team.

Against Etobicoke everything seemed to go right. We hit the ice full speed and never looked back. We scored all 4 goals on the powerplay and successfully killed off 5 penalties of our own including 2 separate 5on 3 situations. Again, Kendra and Bianca shard the shutout with the help of a couple of goalposts.

Mari again lead the offensive with 2 goals, her 19th and 20th of the season. The second goal was her 30th point of the season to tie a team record set my Heather last season. Lauren F crashed into the net for her first goal of the season and Rebecca also scored a goal.

It was quite clear after whether we had been successful in grabbing a playoff spot although the team played very well in all three games. But later in the afternoon as the scores began to be posted, it became clear that we had made it.

Poll Results on who should the Maple Leafs get rid of this summer

So below are the results of the poll on who the Leafs should get rid of this summer. I could have listed the entire roster but left of Toskala, Antropov and Sundin, three veterans that the team has to keep right now as well as the young cheap players who have sufficient upside (though they may never fulfill expectations) like Tlusty, Steen Stajan, Stalman and Coloaiavaco. Though I'm sure people will disagree with these players as well.

Andrew Raycroft 90%
John Pohl 70%
Andy Wozniewski 60%
Darcy Tucker 56%
Mark Bell 46%
Ian White 40%
Bryan McCabe 36%
Pavel Kubina 36%
Kyle Wellwood 36%
Jason Blake 33%
Boyd Devereaux 36%
Dominic Moore 30%
Alexei Ponikarovsky 30%
Tomas Kaberle 16%

It is pretty clear at the top end and the bottom end which players in the list should go and which should stay. Though I would love to hear an argument on why the Leafs should hang onto Raycroft from the few people who thought he should stay. Also I can't understand why some people felt Kaberle should go. He may only be an average defender in his own end but few defenseman in the league have his puckhanding ability. He makes whoever is paired with him (McCabe, Kubina) look good and he salary is very reasonable. In fact he is 3rd on the team's defense pay scale but clearly the best defenseman. The group in the middle is seem to be bunched together. Obviously you have to keep some players for next season even if you totally rebuild and a number of players would be difficult to move out.

Ranger Fans a Little Louder Than Leaf Fans

Good Friday at the Brampton Tournament

Well after a three week layoff, the Storm finally got back on the ice, in fact twice, on the first day of the Brampton Tounament. The first game was against the Lindsay Linx who were 10-8-6 during the regular season. The rust was apparent during the first half of the game but slowly the skating legs began to return. Lindsay jumped into a 1-0 first period lead. The Storm pressed throughout the third period but failed to score despite several excellent chances. So the Storm lose another game by a score of 1-0.

Later in the day, the Storm were up against the Guelph Thunder who were 11-4-9 during the regular season. Well with the Storm and Thunder out on ice all we were missing with the Lightning (ok, excuse the pun). It was another typical hard skating game that at one point looked like it would be a scoreless tie. But in the third period Guelph scored a powerplay goal with Lauren F in the penalty box. However, the Storm fought back with Mari scoring a goal with a few minutes left in the game. It happened to be Mari's 18th goal this season which set a single season record for the Midget B team. The previous mark of 17 goals was set by Alex Matyjiw in the 2004-05 season.

The single point in 2 games will make it difficult to make the quarter finals unless it's as one of the two wild card teams. The Pool C standings are:

Brockville 4 pts
Lindsay 4 pts
Etobicoke 2 pts
North York 1 pt
Guelph 1 pt
West Northumberland o pt

Poll Results for NHL MVP

Well opinions shifted significantly from December for good reason. Since that time injuries have slowed down some players while others surged in the second half. The voting pretty much split between Ovechkin and Brodeur. Neither players were MVP contenders in December. Back then the vote was split between Lecavalier, Crosby and Sundin though a lot of Leaf fans skewed the vote here. Below is the current poll results with December in brackets.

Ovechkin 35% (0%)
Brodeur 26% (0%)
Malkin 11% (0%)
Crosby 8% (29%)
Sundin 5% (26%)
Kovalchuk 5% (11%)
Alfredsson 2% (5%)
Zetterberg 2% (5%)
Lecavalier 0% (26%)
Leclaire 0% (5%)

Another Nasty Injury

Sharks rookie Torrey Mitchell shoves the Wild defenceman Kurtis Foster into the boards on an icing call. Mitchell gets a 2 minute tripping penalty. Foster gets surgery to fix a displaced fracture in his left femur and gets a steel rod inserted in his leg.

So does this look like an intentional act? Mitchell claims he fell into him. Should he have shown more caution going into the boards at that speed? Does it merit some sort of additional punishment like a suspension? Do enough of these injuries occur to justify bringing in no-touch icing?

Bobby Orr Turns 60

Hard for me to believe it but Bobby Orr has turned 60. One of hockey's biggest legends. He is a Canadian cultural icon. Legend has it that the Maple Leafs screwed up signing the local phenom. Stephen Brunt of the Globe has done an excellent story on Orr.

One of my favourite Orr memories was the famous Quinn hit. In 1969, Pat Quinn was a slow hulking defenseman for the Maple Leafs who caught Orr with his head down and knocked him out. Quinn was assessed a questionable elbow penalty - mostly for having the gall to knockout a hockey God in BOSTON! The Boston fans went crazy. Quinn had to be escorted from the penalty box because some of the fans began hitting him. Garbage rained down in Quinn's direction. Finally police were brought in to safely escort Quinn to the dressing room.

Hard to say who the greatest NHL player of all time. The game has evolved so much that comparisons don't work. But I never saw a player dominate in the way that Bobby Orr did in his era. When he played he was the fastest skater, the best stickhandler, and the most accurate shot. He was so good he made stars on other teams look ordinary. He was the only defenseman to win a scoring championship.

For those who never got to see him play, look at this highlight reel of Bobby Orr rushing the puck.

LLHL Playoffs - Round 2

Here are the results of the second round of the Midget B Central Division:

Barrie vs. North Simcoe > Barrie advances with 2 wins
(Barrie had won season series with 1-0-2 record)

Aurora vs. Orangeville > Aurora advances with 2 wins
(Aurora had won season series with 2-0-1 record)

Happy Purim...

...from Nosh the Hamentash!

Ooops, Toskala Lets in a 200 Footer

Baseball Players are Wimps

I noticed that Blue Jay pitcher A.J. Burnett has been whining about the finger nail he lost in a car door at spring training. He can't throw his curveball until the nail grows back in so poor A.J. has been working on a changeup during spring. I wonder if this were the regular season, whether Burnett would have spent some time on the disabled list.

It reminds me of some other whimpy injuries that have disabled Blue Jays in the past. Rico Carty was disabled my a plastic toothpick in his finger. His batting average dropped from .320 to .245 as a result of that injury. Bob Bailor was disabled after being cut my oyster shells. Paul Molitor dislocated a knuckle when it got stuck in another player's glove. Glenallen Hill missed a few games after falling out of his bed while having an arachnophobic dream about spiders. He dreamt that spiders were devouring him, jumped off his bed, fell through a glass table, and crawled through the shards of glass.

But there are some stranger injuries on other teams. Charlie Hough broke his pinky finger while shaking hands. Mickey Tettleton went on the DL with a severe case of athlete's foot - caused by tying his shoes too tight. I'm not making this stuff up.

Jose Cardenal missed a game in 1972 because he was kept awake all night by crickets chirping in his hotel room. Jose Cardenal missed a game in 1974, because he couldn't blink. He swore his eyes were stuck open. OK, Jose had issues.

Rickey Henderson missed several games because of frost- bite. In August! Kevin Mitchell strained a muscle while vomiting. Reliever Larry Anderson strained a rib muscle getting out of a Jucuzzi.

Terry Harper injured his shoulder after giving another player a high five. Greg Harris injured his shoulder trying to flick sunflower seeds into the stands from the bullpen.

Baseball players are the softest athletes on this planet.

Most Expensive NHL Suspension

I was thinking that the 8 game suspension that Chris Pronger was serving might be the most expensive since he will be giving up about $609,000 in salary of his annual salary of $6.25 million. Chris Simon's 30 game suspension only cost him $174,000 since his annual salary is just $475,000.

When you look back at the longer suspensions, naturally Todd Bertuzzi's name jumps out at you. With all the ruckus around the length of his suspension, it was only 20 games because of the lockout. However, 7 of those games were playoff games and players are paid in full by the end of the regular season. So I am guessing Bertuzzi only lost salary for the 13 regular season games he sat out. However, his contract that year was $6.8 million which means he lost out on $1,078,000.

Now that hurts. But not as much as what Steve Moore lost.

Leafs Back in the Race for 1st Overall Pick

Tank Nation has been pretty glum lately. Cliff Fletcher was unable to blow up the team. Then the team goes on 3 week stretch where they are playing their best hockey of the season. So with Nik Antropov and Mats Sundin on the shelf for a while, Tank Nation must be feeling pretty good these days.

Right now the Leafs are in 25th place overall which takes them out of contention for the 1st pick in the draft since you can only move up 4 places. But they have an 6.2% chance of winning the lottery which means 2nd pick overall. And if the Islanders who are 3 points behind the Leafs can catch them, the Leafs will have an 8.1% chance at the 1st pick overall. Let's hope that Swedish groin hurts for a little longer.

It's incredible how little depth the Leafs have. Colorado, Detroit, Boston and Pittsburgh have had injuries to key players and continued to win. You would expect high-priced help like Darcy Tucker and Jason Blake to step it up but that hasn't happened. Makes you wonder why so many people voted to keep Blake in my poll in the sidebar.

On to one juicy Sundin rumour. The source is Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun. The same Steve Simmons who said last summer that Sundin needed potentially career-ending hip surgery. It's funny that after that story was proven to be false. Anyway Simmons has reported (cough cough) that the Montreal Canadiens had offered for Sundin - Christopher Higgins and their first, second and third-round draft picks. Toronto agreed, but Sundin refused to go.

No Suspension?

I've always said the NHL looks the other way when it comes to fouls by Chris Pronger. How is that different than the following the earned Chris Simon a 30-game suspension?



UPDATE: The NHL just handed Pronger an 8 game suspension. It's about time!

The Maple Leaf Rebuilding Program

Naturally, the Maple Leaf Rebuilding Program has nothing to do with condo construction. As Cliff Fletcher has alluded to on several occasions, he will embark on rebuilding the team so that it can compete for the Stanley Cup. Of course he will only start the process that will hopefully completed by his successor.

So who would you keep or get rid of this summer? Keep in mind you need to ice a roster of 23 players in the fall so you can't get rid of everyone. Some players maybe worth keeping as spare parts rather as key players to rebuild around. Has the performance of some of the players in the past few weeks made you reconsider their value to the team? Throw in your two cents by taking the poll on the sidebar.

Awareness Test

*Click Here*

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Introducing Your Dysfunctional Maple Leafs..."

...cue the music.

Let me see, at the beginning of the season, Leaf management characterized the team as one that could contend. Not for a playoff spot, but for the Stanley Cup. As for the players, well they just sucked for 4 entire months. In January management decides the team sucks. They fire the GM and bring in Cliff Fletcher who has nothing nice to say about the team. He wants to blow it up and start again. Except the players disagree and start playing inspired hockey. In fact some of the most maligned players are carrying the team.

Leaf Nation, what are you supposed to do? Cheer the team on or sign up for Tank Nation? Welcome to the most dysfunctional team in the NHL. Where management, the coaches and the players are never on the same page.

Either we are watching the biggest comeback in NHL history. Equal to the 1989 Blue Jays who were struggling in sixth-place in a seven-team A.L. East division with a 38-45 won-lost record before going 51-28 in the final 12 weeks of the season to win the division crown by two games over the Orioles. Or our inspired Maple Leafs are chasing their favourite spot - 9th place.

Maybe this year is different. No I don't mean the Leafs will pull it off. It would take Divine Intervention for the Leafs to make the playoffs but the Big Guy appears to be too busy getting Barack Obama elected President. I think this year most members of Leaf Nation aren't fooled by the late season charge. We've seen it before. Cliff Fletcher isn't being fooled either.

What's really happening is that players and coaches are auditioning for jobs next year. Whether you have a no trade contract or not, people are being evaluated and no one wants their head on the chopping block. Maybe some late season heroics might change some minds about your value to the team.

Location for Provincial Championship Games

Tomken Twin Arenas

4495 Tomken Rd.

Mississauga, ON L4W 1J9

905-615-4620

Driving Instructions:

From Hwy-401:

Hwy-401 to Dixie Rd. exit 346. South on Dixie to Eglinton Ave. West (right) on Eglinton to Tomken Rd. South (left) on Tomken to Tomken Twin Arena. Arena is on the left side of the road.

From the QEW:

QEW to Cawthra Rd. exit 134. North on Cawthra to Burnhamthorpe Rd. East (right) on Burnhamthorpe to Tompken. North (left) on Tomken to Tomken Twin Arena. Arena is on the right side of the road.

It's Now 42 Years and Counting for the Leafs

They really should replace the motto in the Leaf dressing with "The False Hope That Unites Us All". Although I could have made the announcement following the twin losses to the Islanders, let's make it official. THE LEAFS CANNOT MAKE THE PLAYOFFS. It's now 42 years with no Stanley Cup.

The standings are deceiving because over the past month it has appeared as if there are multiple teams fighting for playoff spots in the East and West. It's all a mirage in the era of single points for losses. Only Buffalo and Nashville are actually still chasing playoff spots but with Buffalo's depleted defense, they are dead as well.

So when the Leafs gave up a single point to the Flyers last night it was officially over. That is why Paul Marurice pulled his goalie in a tied game. The Flyers who have earned 15 points in the last 12 games have 12 games remaining. They are on track to finish with points. The Leafs have 72 points with 11 games remaining. Did I mention the Leafs' longest winning streak this season is only 3 games. So the Leafs are on pace to lock up 9th spot in the East.

However, you have to give the team credit for not packing it in and playing some entertaining hockey this past month. It's been entertaining hockey but not good hockey. In the past 4 games they have averaged 45 shots per game but lost 2 games and needed 3 goals last night and overtime to squeak out a win. Their defense is still horrible and they still shoot themselves in the foot by giving away the puck in their own end. Their defense needs a serious makeover but with 3 no-trade mega-contracts on the blueline, Cliff Fletcher and his successor will have their hands full.

Dear Jerk

Our never-ending winter of snow leads to desperate measures at times.

Reason #31 for Hating Rogers

So I called Rogers today to cancel Leaf TV for obvious reasons. The woman at the call centre began laughing when I told her the nature of my call. Turns out the call centre is in Ottawa and she happens to be a Senator fan.

Just another reason to hate Rogers.

NHL MVP

Here is the poll results for NHL MVP I ran back in December for the first half of the season. My choice at the time was Daniel Alfredsson. For sure, I wouldn't pick him now. So I'm running the poll again.

Vincent Lecavalier 26%
Daniel Alfredsson 2%
Sidney Crosby 29%
Mats Sundin 26%
Henrik Zetterberg 5%
Pascal Leclaire 5%
Ilya Kovalchuk 11%
Henrik Lundqvist 0%

50th Anniversary of the Whitby Dunlops World Championship

Prior to the Sunday's Eastern Ontario Senior Hockey League playoff game between the Whitby Dunlops and the Simcoe County Tundras, the 1958 Whitby Dunlops were honoured in a ceremony. Ten remaining players from the 1958 team were present.



The 1958 world champion Whitby Dunlops were, from left: (front row) Ted O'Connor, Ed Redmond, manager Wren Blair, Sid Smith, liaison officer Bill Hannah, Tom O'Connor, Bob Attersley; (middle row) Fred Etcher, Roy Edwards, Gord Myles, Frank Bonello, Harry Sinden, Sandy Air, John Henderson, assistant manager Wally Brabin; (back row) assistant trainer Jack Donlevy, George Samolenko, Alf Treen, Bus Gagnon, Don McBeth, George Gosselin, Connie Broden, trainer Stan Waylett. Absent from photo: Jack McKenzie, Jean-Paul Lamirande, Charlie Burns.

Eight periods of overtime produce co-champions

They were hugging and smiling. They were congratulating one another. They were players from both teams.

After eight overtimes in the Division 1 state championship hockey game Saturday, players from both Marquette and Orchard Lake St. Mary's huddled together, posed for pictures and lifted the state championship trophy.

The score was 1-1 after 109 minutes of play, and the Michigan High School Athletic Association declared co-champions.

Sometimes adults actually get it right when it comes to kids' hockey.

Brampton Tournament Midget B Pools

There 3 other Provincial qualifiers at Brampton are - North Bay, Lindsay and Flamborough. I've included the regular season point totals for LLFHL and ODWHA (in blue, they play only 20 games) teams.

Pool A
Oshawa (33)
Flamborough (22)
Woodstock (4)
South Dundas (17)
North Bay
Norfolk (16)

Pool B
Cold Creek (30)
Belmont (21)
Leaside (4)
Perth (11)
Clearview (28)
Mississauga (18)

Pool C
North York (18)
Guelph (31)
Lindsay (26)
Etobicoke (9)
Brockville (23)
West Northumberland (13)

Midget B Provincial Qualifiers

Here is the list of qualifiers for the Provincial Championships. There are 49 teams classfied as Midget B this year.

Glengarry
Carleton Place
Lindasy
Durham West
Aurora Vaughan
Barrie
Burlington
North Halton
Twin Centre
Flamborough
Walkerton
Lambton Shores
North York
Lambeth
North Bay
Temiskaming

Some very good LLFHL teams didn't make it including 2 teams that were undefeated during the regular season.

South Huron 20-0-4, 44 pts.
Peterborough 18-0-6, 42 pts.
Aurora 13-3-8, 34 pts.
Oshawa 13-4-7, 33 pts.
Guelph 11-4-9, 31 pts.
Mt. Brydges 12-6-6, 30 pts.
Cold Creek 14-8-2, 30 pts.

Also congratulations to the Midget A, Midget BB and Intermediate A teams for also qualifying for the Provincial Championships this season.

Extended Daylight Savings Time

Extended daylight savings begins at 2 a.m. on Sunday morning March 9. Don't forget to set your clocks forward and enjoy that extra hour of light.

Monitor Cleaner

See the attached regarding an innovative cleaning system for your monitor.

Break Up the Maple Leafs......PLEASE!

Well the annual March run for 9th place is in full gear now. When the pressure is off, boy the Leafs can play good hockey. They are now 7-2-1 in the past 10 games and if they keep this pace up for 13 more games they will go 10-3 and finish with 90 points. That should be good for 9th or 10th place since history shows that to land 8th place a team will need at least 92 points.

If only the NHL started the season in February and was limited to just 25 games. The Leafs would be a powerhouse.

Doing damage were the same players that have killed the Leafs playoff chances all season long. Bryan McCabe had a goal and 3 assists, Jason Blake had a goal and 2 assists and Darcy Tucker had a goal and and assist. These three players now have a combined 33 goals for the season in addition to a combined salary of $14.15 million.

Looking forward to another mid round draft selection in June.

LLFHL Playoffs

Here are the results of the first round of the Midget B Central Division:

Barrie vs. Vaughan > Barrie advances with a 2 wins
(Barrie had won season series with 1-0-2 record)

Aurora vs. North York > Aurora advances with 2 wins, 1 loss
(Aurora had won season series with 3-0-0 record)

Clearview vs. Orangeville > Orangeville advances in an upset with 2 wins, 1 tie
(Clearview had won season series with 2-1-0 record)

Orillia vs. North Simcoe > North Simcoe advances in an upset with 1 win, 2 ties
(Orillia had won season series with 1-0-2 record)

Next round has Barrie playing North Simcoe and Aurora playing Orangeville.

Man, 101, to run London Marathon

Too old to run?

Well a 101-year-old man has his sights on the London Marathon in a bid to become the world's oldest competitive runner. The current record is a 93-year-old.

Still working as plumber, Buster Martin recently ran the Roding Valley half marathon in Essex in five hours 13 minutes, and is now focusing on London's 26-mile event.

Does Cold-fX Work?

It's cold virus season and everyone is looking for a way to fight off their latest virus. There are people who swear by Cold-fX including members of my own family. But there were also people who at one time swore by vitamin C and echinacea. In fact, a big proponent of vitamin C was Nobel prize winner Linus Pauling. I'm a sceptic so I decided to do some research. I didn't spend a lot of time on this and quite likely I missed things.

Cold-fX is a Canadian product developed and sold by CV Technologies Inc. Beginning in 2000, they conducted a series of clinical and laboratory trials to prove that the product reduces the incidence, severity and duration of a cold by stimulating the immune system. The ingredient that is supposed to help you is ginseng extract. Cold-fX uses North American ginseng which is different than Asian ginseng.

I understand that both clinical and laboratory studies were carried out. The lab studies supported that hypothesis that Cold-fX protected users while the clinical studies did not. The two groups were then combined and the company concluded that the product works. I should add that the results were accepted and published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. Health Canada also accepts the results of the studies. The manner in which the studies were conducted has split the scientific community so I remain sceptical. This looks a little like data mining to me. I understand the company is continuing to carry out studies to win over the sceptics.

Here are some of the study results:
The percentage of people who got colds during the four-month trial were: Placebo group 63.8%and Cold-fX group 54.6%.
The length of time the cold lasted was: Placebo group 11.1 days and Cold-fX group 8.7 days.

When I look at the numbers it tells me that even if you take Cold-fX you still have over a 50% chance of getting a cold and it will on average still last almost 9 days. It's not a significant difference for me. So the best you can say about the product is that it has a marginal effect which is quite a different story than all the testimonials I hear from users.

Great Trade and Beautiful Goal!

Man Arrested Trying to Steal the Stanley Cup

Police have arrested an agitated man who grabbed the Stanley Cup from the Hockey Hall of Fame this morning and began running down Front Street in Toronto yelling "we won! we won"! Officers in a passing police cruiser quickly caught up with him and ushered him into their vehicle. He is still in custody but the Cup has been returned to the Hall. Police have not revealed his identity but did comment that he was heard muttering "waive the no trade" and "give back the picks".

How the NHL Lottery Draft Works

The first 14 picks of the Entry Draft are determined by the NHL’s annual Draft Draw, a weighted lottery system that is used to determine the order of selection. The 14 teams that do not qualify for the playoffs, or clubs that acquired those clubs’ first-round draft picks, participate in the draw. The Club selected in the drawing may not move up more than four positions in the draft order, so only the five Clubs with the fewest regular-season points have the opportunity to select first overall. No Club can move down more than one position as a result of the Draft Drawing. So if the Leafs finish 24th, they pick as high as 3rd and as low as 8th.

The reason its called a lottery draft is that they actually use a lottery machine. Fourteen balls, numbered 1 to 14, were placed in a lottery machine. The machine expells four balls, forming a series of numbers. The four-digit series resulting from the expulsion of the balls are matched against a probability chart that divides the possible combinations among the 14 participating clubs.

The last place team receives 25 per cent of the 1,001 combinations possible in this system, while the second-last team receives 18.8 per cent of them. The third-last team has a 14.2% chance and fourth-worst has a 10.7% chance to "win" the lottery. The remaining teams have the following chances: 8.1%, 6.2%, 4.7%, 3.6%, 2.7%, 2.1%, 1.5%, 1.1%, 0.8% and 0.5%.

So, for instance, if the Leafs again finish in 14th spot they will have just a 0.5-per-cent chance to win the silly thing, and even if they do, they can only move up a max of four spots, to 10th. So you want to finish in the bottom 4 spots to have at least a 10% chance of getting the first pick.

Storm Loses Series But Never Gave Up

Today's game was typical of the entire season. A young Storm team valiantly fighting on despite overwhelming odds. Aurora beat the Storm 3-0 in an excellent fast-paced game that saw great scoring chances at both ends of the ice. The Panthers were able to capitalize on their chances which was the deciding factor in the game and series. Despite some deficiencies, the team was always competitive. Opposing coaches always commented positively regarding the Storm players skating ability, sportsmanship and work effort. Their own teams were always found it a challenge to play against us.

Looking back on the season it can only be described as a success for a number of reasons. The team performed well on the ice and within the dressing room. Despite early struggles, players maintained their focus, never criticized teammates, stayed positive and never quit on the team. This is not an easy thing to do when the team is losing.

Some players really came into their own as the season progressed. Mari, Jackie, Sheri, Amanda and Lauren N provided enough offensive for the team to win during the late stages of the season. Rebecca, Lauren F, Sarah-Kate, and Jessica R were asked to play positions that they were not necessarily comfortable with but never objected. We saw tremendous improvement as the season progressed from first time Midget players like Marley, Maryssa, Genevieve, Kailee, Jessica B, and Paitra which was key to turning the season around. Our defense and goaltending was very inexperienced but turned out to be one of our strengths.

There is considerable optimism regarding next season. Fourteen players are eligible to return and although some may choose to play elsewhere or be a casualty of the tryout process, this team is expected to remain largely intact with some significant improvements. Tryouts will likely be very competitive.

However, although league play is over, our season is not done yet. We still have the Brampton Tournament later this month and the Provincial Championships in April. We always consider the Provincial Championships to be the major goal of the season. In the Toronto area it is a challenge to get through because only one team can represent the region. I can tell you that Etobicoke, Leaside and Scarborough haven't been there for quite a while because our team is going for the 7th straight season. It is the NHL playoffs squeezed into 3 days. Since only 16 teams out of 51 MidgetB team qualify, you know the competition will be fierce. We will be put into one of four Pools for a round robin preliminary round. The top 2 in each pool play a quarter final game. The winners go to the semi finals with the winners of the semi finals playing for gold and silver and the losers playing for bronze. It takes not only great talent to win but stamina as well.

Happy Leap Day!

The Myth About Professional Athletes

The past week has seen a lot of debate about NHL contracts with "no trade" clauses. Much of the focus has been on the Toronto Maple Leafs where management has decided to rebuild by unloading expensive contracts but the players don't seem to want to go along with that plan. For the moment the players have the upper hand because 5 (Mats Sundin, Darcy Tucker, Bryan McCabe, Pavel Kubina, Tomas Karberle) out of the 6 biggest contract handed out by the team have no trade provisions.

In fact, over 100 players in the NHL have no trade contracts and quite a number would have moved before the trading deadline if only they had agreed to a trade. For example, Ottawa tried to trade Wade Redden but he also refused. In fact, the only player who changed teams this week with a no trade contract was Brad Richards.

Fans are puzzled by the players' attitude and as always the media leads the charge by making all types of outrageous accusation targeted at both management and players. There is a general misconception about no trade contracts.

Most people think that players ask for them so they can control where they play. But it goes beyond that. Players ask for them because once they have decided to play for a team, they don't want to move. As players reach the age where they can become unrestricted free agents, they typically are married with young children. A trade throws their family life into turmoil. While the player is off making money, the spouse and kids are developing roots in the community.

When you are young, you dream of winning a Stanley Cup for your hometown team. However, if you are fortunate enough to become a professional athlete, reality sets in and its about earning a good living over a short career to set yourself and your family up for life. It's all about the paycheck. A guaranteed contract with a no trade provision is as secure as working for the government only with better pay.

Winning a championship is nice but not necessary. I'm not too sure that many hockey players are motivated by the opportunity to win a Stanley Cup. That's why the Leafs' Frozen Five don't want to leave. They are perfectly happy and content here even though the team sucks. Rick DiPietro signed a 15 year contract with the Islanders last year knowing that they might miss out on the playoffs more times than get in. All types of players sign with teams knowing very well that they have no prospects of winning. But their families are the big winners. That's what its all about.

Panthers Claw Their Way Back to Even Series

Well the winning streak eventually had to come to end. A desperate Aurora team had the bounces tonight and played just well enough to win. Meanwhile the Storm didn't really get any bounces and lost the game 2-0.

The Storm were missing 2 players - Amanda and Lauren N. However, Amanda was at the game sporting a pretty spiffy cast on her wrist. Unfortunately she will be a spectator for the next 6-8 weeks. The pivotal point in the game was late in the first period when Aurora took a 1-0 lead. Shortly after that. the Storm had a 2-man advantage but couldn't capitalize.

The two team play the deciding game on Sunday. Both team expect to be short players for this final game.

He Shoots, He Scores...$1 Million

Darwin Head of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, shooting from centre ice last night during the intermission of the Canucks/Avs game, buried 15 shots into the net in 24 seconds. That earned him $1 million which is more money than the annual salary of 20 of the players playing in last night's game at GM Place.

I'm pretty sure this picture was photoshopped

Something to consider when choosing university programs

Cliff Fletcher is a Genius

I've got to hand to the Silver Fox, he had me fooled. When he was brought in to replace John Ferguson last month he immediately announced that the Leafs weren't good enough to compete for the Cup and that the team needed to be dismantled. A clever ruse.

So he pretends to be a seller on NHL trade deadline day but doesn't unload any of his core players. Instead he trades old slow players for draft picks and replaces them with young swift kids from the Marlies. The man is brilliant. Meanwhile the teams the Leafs need to catch didn't improve so there you have it. Only 6 points to make up in 17 games. But he had a 1st round draft pick he could have traded for someone like Alex Hemsky in Edmonton. Draft shmaft, who needs it?

It's incredible how the Maple Leafs can never get it right. Play lousy for 3/4 of the season and sink to the bottom of the conference and then take a run at a playoff spot in the last portion of the schedule when its too late. The Frozen Five want to prove to the hockey world that can win when everyone has written them off. So while season subscribers give away tickets, the GM is making plans to blow up the team and the coach is polishing his resume, they are going to go out and win. Right now they have taken themselves out of a lottery pick. They can't even tank properly.

Don't get sucked into believing that this group can do it. To make the playoffs they will need at least 92 points which means winning 14 of their remaining 17 games. Their schedules includes 2 games against New Jersey (0-2 so far this year and the hottest team in the East), 3 against Boston (2-3 so far this year) and 2 against Montreal (3-1-2 this year but also hot right now).

Maple Leaf Players are Delusional

Normally when you hear players on losing team talk about their team it's often contrived. Not that many NHLers are going to publicly dump on their teams. And when they get an opportunity to jump to a contender they can't pack their bags quick enough.

You hear the same nonsense coming from Leaf players but when given the opportunity to leave they refuse. I think they actually believe what they are saying which makes me wonder what are they spiking their gatorade with? Pavel Kubina had agreed to waive his no trade contract but after beating Ottawa 5-0 on Monday changed his mind. Heck, the Beamsville Bombers could beat Ottawa right now.

Kubina explains, "I want to stay a Maple Leaf. My heart is here. We had a big win (in Ottawa). We're just six points out of a playoff spot. This is where I want to be." McCabe suggests, "We honestly think we have a legitimate shot to make the post-season." Are these players that stupid?

First thing they don't have a legitimate shot to make the playoffs. For the past 2 seasons the last playoff spot required 92 points in the East. The Leafs have 18 games remaining and need to win of those 15 games to reach 92 points.

The new Leaf management has openly stated that the core of this team isn't good enough. But the players in this core seem to be the only ones who don't agree. Heck if management says we don't want you around anymore why would you stay? Wouldn't you want to go where you are wanted? This is not the case where you can outlast a lame duck coach. Fletcher was brought in to make changes and he has other options if players don't volunteer to leave.

Fortunately some of the no-trade contracts signed by the Leafs contain small windows where players can be moved if the team doesn't make the playoffs. Kubina can be traded this summer. Kaberle in 2009 and Tucker in 2010. Players can also be bought out which the Leafs might be able to afford.

A buy out is at 2/3 of the players remaining salary spread over twice the number years remaining in the contract. So if you have a player for 2 more years at $1.5 million per year the cost of buying him out would be $0.5 million per year for 4 years. If the Leafs were to buy out Mark Bell, Andrew Raycroft and Jason Blake this summer, they would eliminate $8.3 million in salaries and the cost would be $2.67 against the cap for a net savings of $5.67 million. If they are able to trade Kubina then that is another $5 million saved.

That would mean on July 1st the Leafs' payroll would only be $30 million and the cap is expected to rise to about $54 million. That is a lot more cash to play with compared to previous years.

Rebuilding the Leafs will take longer than trade deadline day

For those who are disappointed with the minor activity by the Leafs at the trade deadline, it's the best that Fletcher could do at this stage of the game. He has only been around for 5 weeks after all.

Around that time I did point out that the most likely players to move would be the larger physical guys (Belak, Kilger, Gill and Ponikarovsky) who would provide depth for a contender. I got 3 out of 4 correct. There was a lot of interest in Ponikarovsky but no offer was accepted. There was also offers for Toskala (I bet Ottawa) but Fletcher has always rebuilt teams from the net out (remember the Grant Fuhr trade). So he hung on to his goalie.

There were nibbles for McCabe and good interest in Kubina but he wouldn't waive his no trade. This was likely not too smart of a move. Kubina can be traded this summer. If he had agreed today at least he could have controlled where he goes. Kaberle can be traded in the summer of 2009 and Tucker in the summer of 2010.

So the Leafs free up about $3.5 million but are still have $40 million in salary commitments for next year (not including Sundin). Fletcher isn't a tough guy and wouldn't force one of his no trade players to go. The next GM might not be as nice. So look for more salary dump over the summer. Definitely Raycroft is gone and likely Bell as well. An attempt might be made to try to trade Kubina again. These players represent about $9 million in salaries. In the meantime the Leafs have 4 additional draft picks although they could not pick up an additional 1st rounder.

Totally harmless, really

Storm Tame the Panthers

The opening game of the quarter final series against the Aurora Panthers was like any other game in the past month. The Storm used speed to wear down their opponents and took advantage of a scoring opportunity to walk away with a 1-0. The score was close but the Storm had a significant territorial advantage. Kendra was rarely challenged as she came up with her 6th shutout of the season.

Mari again came through in the clutch with the only goal of the game. That was all that was needed this night. The undefeated streak goes to 12 games which beats the 11 game undefeated streak of last season. Nine of the 12 games have been wins.The games will be tougher from here on. Amanda was lost today for the rest of the season with a fractured wrist. As well, 4 players will be away over next few weeks during school breaks. However, this team no longer relies on one or two players. We know that those who are around will pick up the slack.

The second game of the quarter final series is Thursday at the Aurora Community Centre.

We're Going to the Big Show!

At the beginning the season they were the team that couldn't shoot straight. In January it seemed like they would never score another game after putting together 4 consecutive 1-0 losses. But not anymore! This team surpassed most people's expectations with a spectacular 11 game winning streak to power its way in the Provincial Championships.

The Scarborough Sharks put up a good fight but rarely penetrated the Storm defense after the first period. In the second period shortly after a powerplay had expired, Mari picked up a puck at the Shark blueline and while driving down the left side fired it past the Shark goalie. It was all the Storm needed as they hung on to the 1-0 lead until Sheri fired the puck into an empty Scarborough net with the goalie pulled with 17 seconds remaining in the game to clinch the win.

Bianca had the shutout today, her 5th of the year. It was Mari's 5th goal in 6 playdown games and Sheri's 3rd goal. However, the best story coming out of the playdown games was the balanced scoring. All three lines consistently contributed goals.

The coaches are pleased to be able to bring teams to the Provincial Championships 7 straight season. But this year has to be the most gratifying considering where we started from at the beginning of the season. The credit has to go to the players who worked hard all year, never quit on the team when things weren't going well and supported each other throughout the season. We are so proud of what they have accomplished already. Let's hope there is more to come.

Next up is Aurora for round 1 of the LLFHL playoffs. Tomorrow at 8 pm at Grandravine. GO STORM GO!

Thanks Mats!

You did the right thing by standing up to the corporate barons who would peddle away the heart of the team if it could make them a bigger profit. No Leaf captain has retired wearing the Maple Leaf on his chest since George Armstrong called it quits almost 4o years ago. Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark, Rob Ramage, Rick Vaive, Darryl Sittler, and Dave Keon were dumped in most cases for spare parts that never brought the team close to a Stanley Cup.

Sundin always provides value for money so why not keep him around. The rebuilding process will be less painless with him in the dressing room and on the ice. He will give you a solid effort every shift. Who else is going to provide this type of leadership - Darcy Tucker, Bryan McCabe, Alex Steen? I don't think so.

Sundin has not been the problem in this organization. He has been the solitary shining light amid underachieving teammates, feuding executives, incompetent managers, and ineffective coaches. I think Mats said it best when he commented "why should I have to fix the mistakes made by John Ferguson"? I agree.

NHL Trade Deadline Day--BORING!

The most over-hyped day in the sporting world has to be the NHL trade deadline. Last year there were 50 deals done in the two weeks leading up to the deadline with 25 done on the last day. There were 3 big deals but the rest were minor deals that have no real impact at all - like the Leafs picking up Yanic Perreault. So far this year there have only been 2 deals so don't expect and flood on Tuesday.

The sports stations, both radio and TV, have dusk to dawn coverage. Talk about boring. What the heck are they going to talk about for 14 hours? Marty Reasoner for a 6th round draft pick. Petr Prucha for Mike Sillinger. Yeah that should keep audiences riveted for hours.

So where does this hype come from? It's the media just doing their job which is to increase viewers (TV), listeners (radio) and readers (newspapers) which increase advertisement revenue. They start the rumours like Tucker going to Calgary while nothing could be further from the truth. Then the ask players, coaches and managers if they have any comments about the rumours. Then the ask the same people what impact the rumours are having on them. It's a silly cycle. How many of these rumours are true? Maybe 0.1%.

By the way did you hear that Philadelphia is going after McCabe since Kaberle has turned them down?

Almost There!

The Storm moved one step closer to the Provincial Championship weekend today with a 3-2 win against the Etobicoke Dolphins. All three goals were scored on rebounds as the Storm forwards crashed the net. Today the forwards took advantage of scoring chances that earlier in the season would have ended as missed opportunities - a sign of how much this team has matured and grown.

The Storm actually had a slow started and fell behind 1-0 in the first period after some sloppy play in their own end. In the second period the team stepped it up and totally controlled the play. Sheri knocked in a rebound from a shot by Jackie to tie up the game. Just a minute and a half later Mari did the same thing on a rebound by Kailee. The Dolphins were able to tie the game up with a perfect pass to a player in the high slot who was able to fire in the top corner behind Kendra. With just over 5 minutes left in the game Jessica B was called for interference and the Storm was able to prevent Etobicoke from having a shot on net. At the end of the penalty Mari drove to the net with the puck with two Dolphins draped over her. Amanda followed up and banged in the rebound over the goalie who was sprawled on the ice for the winning goal.

Tomorrow's game is huge and just a tie will guarantee a spot in the Championships in April and maintain the 10 game undefeated streak. The playdown standings are:

North York 4-0-1, 9 pts
Scarborough 1-0-3, 5 pts
Etobicoke 0-2-2, 2 pts
Leaside 0-3-2, 2 pts

Please no more stories about Mats Sundin

Talk about running a guy out of town. It's like all of Toronto (with our so helpful media leading the charge) wants to put one of the greatest players to wear a Leaf uniform on a one way bus ride to....anywhere.

I'm just not so sure the Leafs will get that much for Mats so at the end of the day fans may be disappointed. Last year's big deadline deals (Keith Tkachuk, Ryan Smyth and Peter Forsberg) involved substantial transfer of young talent. However, the teams picking up the expensive rental players didn't advance beyond the first round of the playoffs and none of the 3 players resigned during the summer. Considering Mats doesn't really want to move and he may retire or return to the Leafs during the summer, he just isn't going bring in a substantial package. General Managers around the league are learning that these trades don't usually work. It's the deadline deals for depth that can make the difference.

Let's just say Ottawa picks up Sundin. He is not very familiar with the Ottawa's system or players but he only has about 20 games in integrate himself. He is unlikely to displace any of Spezza, Alfredsson or Heatley off the number one line. That means substantially less playing time for Sundin and a drop off in production.

I keep saying that the Leafs are much better off trading away player whose contracts are a burden to the team. That would be either Jason Blake, Bryan McCabe or Pavel Kubina. No one in their right mind would take Kubina at $5 million or Blake at $4 million. But there would have to be takers for McCabe if he would agree.

Parenting 101

Well it's Free!

Storm Lay an Egg and Steal a Point

Maybe the legs weren't there after 5 games in 6 days and 9 games in 13 days. Maybe it was the lunar eclipse. Maybe it too much birthday cake the night before. We will likely never know the exact reason for the stinker of a game by the Storm. But they managed to get a point off of the Scarborough Sharks which keeps the Storm ahead of the pack.

After a very sloppy first period, things got worse in the second. Scarborough scored with only 31 seconds left in the period. But Sheri was able to jam a puck behind the Shark goalie only 24 seconds later to even the score with a period to go. In the third period, the Storm had several powerplays but could not take advantage of the opportunities. However, with with less than 2 minute left in the game Genevieve skated from behind the net and slipped the puck past the Shark goalie. Scarborough pulled their goalie in the last minute of the game and on failed clearing attempt got the tying goal with 38 seconds remaining in the game. The game ended 2-2 and the Storm undefeated streak stands at 9 games. Quite a contrast to the 9 game winless steak early in the season.

The current playdown standing are:

North York 3-0-1, 7 pts
Scarborough 1-0-3, 5 pts
Etobicoke 0-1-1, 1 pt
Leaside 0-3-1, 1 pt

The next games are Leaside vs. Etobicoke on Saturday at Centennial Park Arena at 8 pm and Etobicoke vs. Noth York on Sunday at Risk Arena at 10:15 am.

Regular Season Results for Other Storm Teams

Intermediate A: 12-10-2, 26 pts
Midget A: 6-10-8, 20 pts
Midget BB: 10-12-2, 22 pts
Midget B: 6-12-6, 18 pts
Bantam BB: 2-14-8, 12 points
Peewee BB: 1-15-4, 6 pts
Atom C: 4-17-3, 11 pts

Sad News

Coach Willie got back the results of his MRI on his knee and it confirms a torn meniscus. Marathon running is on an indefinite hold. The spring/summer running season is ruined anyway. Will re-evaulate in the fall.

Half Way to Provincials

Well three down and three go on the march towards the Provincial Championships. The Storm had a more difficult time with the Leaside Wildcats this time around but still pulled off a 2-0 win.

The Storm came out skating hard in the first period, didn't give up a shot on net and came away with 1 goal lead. However, the second period was very sloppy and Kendra had to cover up for some weak defensive play. Powerplay goals by Marley and Kailee was all that the Storm needed this night to keep the undefeated streak alive at 8 games. The stretch of 4 consecutive 1-0 losses is just a faint memory now as the offense has finally caught up with the defense. Kendra recorded her 5th shutout and has not given up a goal in 3 games.

The win gives the Storm a 3 point lead over Scarborough in playdown games. The current playdown standing are:

North York 3-0-0, 6 pts
Scarborough 1-0-2, 4 pts
Etobicoke 0-1-1, 1 pt
Leaside 0-3-1, 1 pt

Sundin's Value Just Went Up

Forsberg's agent Don Baizley has begun advising NHL teams that Forsberg doesn't have enough confidence in his wonky foot to commit to a return to the league this season.

''The prospect of Peter having enough confidence in the foot-skate issue to commit to being able to play in the NHL this season isn't where it needs to be at this moment,'' Baizley told TSN. ''As a result, teams are being told it is unlikely he will be able to commit to return to the NHL this season.''

As Forsberg drops out of play so to speak, all eyes turn in the direction of the Maple Leafs. There are quite a few rumours being tossed around including a possible bidding war between Dallas and Anaheim. Philadelphia is supposedly interested in Kaberle. That is if he agrees to move.

Statistical Summary

A summary of player stats for the first 37 games (regular season, exhibition, tournament, playoffs).

Most goals (14) - Mari
Most assists (9) - Kailee, Mari
Most points (23) - Mari
Most goals by defenseman (5) - Lauren N
Most assists by defenseman (3) - Lauren N
Most points by defenseman (8) - Lauren N
Most penalty minutes (22) - Sheri
Most games played (37) - Jackie, Marley, Maryssa, Lauren N, Rebecca, Jessica B

Lowest GAA (1.45) - Bianca
Most wins (7) - Bianca
Most shutouts (4) - Kendra, Bianca

Storm Slip into 7th Place

On the last day of the regular season, the Storm finished off an incredible run to grab 7th place and avoid a sudden death playoff game with Etobicoke. Just 3 weeks ago the Storm were 8 points behind Vaughan and had just lost a disappointing game to Clearview after coming back from a 3 goal deficit. Since then the Storm have been undefeated in 7 regular season/playdown games.

The game against Etobicoke was an intense and hard fought game. The first goal was scored by Marley with less than a minute left in the 1st period on the powerplay as a result of a nice 3-way passing playing with Sheri and Jackie. It was the only powerplay opportunity for the Storm because for the first time this season the took more penalties than their opponents. However, Mari scored a shorthanded goal in the 2nd period on a shot from the left faceoff circle. Early in the 3rd period, Sheri was off for tripping when Amanda was also called for tripping. The Dolphins were able to score on the 2-man advantage but that was it. They put on considerable pressure for the rest of the game but the Storm played well defensively and hung on for a 2-1 win.

The win was a huge confidence boost for a team that was near the bottom of the standing all season and had only 1 win at the start of the new year. The game had an extra dimension to it as it was also a playdown game. The Storm are now undefeated in 2 playdown games.

The Playdown standings currently are:
North York 2-0-0, 4 pts
Sarborough 0-0-1, 1 pt
Leaside 0-1-1, 1 pt
Etobicoke 0-1-0, 0 pts

And the Winner of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest is...

Dwight Howard!

Storm Reaches 100 Penalty Minutes

There are no longer any teams in the Midget B tier with under 100 minutes in penalties as the Storm received 6 minor penalties against North Simoce to reach the century mark. North Simcoe received 8 penalties for a total of 14 in the game. This exceeded the total by the same two teams last month in Midland when the same referees handed out 12 penalties. According to my calculations, if we played every game with those referees we would have 264 penalty minutes. Even Jackie got a penalty, her first of the season.

Oh, did I mention that the score was 0-0. The two teams spent so much time killing penalties that no one got around to scoring. Actually the frequent whistles and penalties robbed the game of any flow. The Storm who are used to good old fashion up and down hockey could never get going. Kendra had her 4th shutout of the year and need to make some difficult saves to preserve the single point.

The tie keeps the Storm undefeated streak in league play alive at 6 games. The Storm are now just 1 point behind 7th place Vaughan with one game remaining in the season.

Storm Pummels Leaside

The Playdowns began tonight with a game against the Leaside Wildcats. It took the Storm about 7 minutes to wear down Leaside. After that they just kept coming in waves at the Leaside net as they rolled to a 7-0 win. The Wildcats have been on the bad side of a few lopsided games this season but only once have they lost this badly. That was a 8-0 loss to Whitby.

The Storm scoring was led by Mari and Jessica R who both had 2 goals and 2 assists. Genevieve had 3 assists and single goals went to Maryssa, Jackie and Kailee. This was the 4th straight goal in which Jackie has scored a goal. Bianca was not terribly busy to record her 4th shotout of the season.

The Playdown standings currently are:

North York 1-0-0, 2 pts
Sarborough 0-0-1, 1 pt
Leaside 0-1-1, 1 pt
Etobicoke 0-0-0, 0 pts

Saturday May be Sundin's Last Game as a Leaf

The media buzz regarding a Mats Sundin has been relentless for 2 months. That is all that is being discussed on the radio, TV and in print. It has really polarized fans between those who think he should leave for the sake of the team and those who believe he has earned to the right to decide his destiny.

I would love to see a package of prospects and picks that could turn around the Leafs but I don't think he should be traded. The Leafs have an ugly history of trading their best players when they don't want to go. Sittler, McDonald, Horton, Clark, Gilmour, etc. I don't even want to talk about how they treated Dave Keon. Isn't it time the organization did the right thing and keep this guy around until he is ready to retire.

Many fans were slow to appreciate his greatness. They said he was soft. A lousy captain and no leader. He has responded by putting together a career like no other Maple Leaf. In 13 seasons with the Leafs he has only missed 42 games. That is incredible! Here are his other accomplishments.

1290 games

547 goals

755 assists

1302 points

35 goals and 74 points n 83 playoff games

9 All Star game selections

15 overtime goals (NHL record)

First European to be draft first overall

Only Swedish player to reach 1000 points

1 Olympic Gold

3 World Championship Golds

1 World Chamionship Silver

2 World Championship Bronze

Next week the GMs meet in Naples, Florida for 3 days and rumour has it the Ducks are putting together a package that will knock the socks off of Cliff Fletcher. If it's true Sundin could be gone. So Saturday could be his last game in a Leaf sweater. Very sad.

Watch Out for Cupid!

Happy Valentine's Day

Never Seen a Girl Dunk Like This

Snow Storm Forecast for Sunday

Hmm. Let me check that schedule.

Yup. We are playing Etobicoke in what is turning out to be the 2008 Snow Series.

Geoff Coulson, an emergency meteorologist with Environment Canada, told thestar.com today that:

A relatively small storm is expected to drop five to 10 centimetres of snow on the GTA Friday. But then another, stronger storm should move in from the Gulf Coast late Sunday, pounding the GTA with snow, rain and freezing rain — just in time for Family Day on Monday.

Best Sandwich in the World: The Philly Cheese Steak

I did graduate school in Philadelphia about 30 years ago and discovered the most incredible junk food - the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich. I return every summer to visit friends but we always plan one meal of Cheese Steaks.

When we were in Erie this past weekend, the restaurant we ordered dinner from on Saturday has steak sandwiches on the menu but I didn't bother ordering any. Outside of Philadelphia the sandwiches are mediocre. Seems no one can recreate the taste although they are simple to make.

Every Philadelphia native has their favourite establishment. The locals have debated who makes the best sandwich for decades. My favourite and on the list of the most famous is Pat's King of Steaks in South Philadephia. Right across the street is the biggest competitor Geno's (isn't it always that way). The places are dumpy, greasy places with little seating and big lineups.

Locals think in terms of steak sandwiches with or without cheese. Without cheese, the sandwich is referred to as a “steak.” With cheese, it is a “cheese steak” or "cheesesteak." Cheeze Whiz is the topping of choice for serious steak connoisseurs. However, you can also use provolone cheese (which how I like it). According to Philadelphians, you simply cannot make an authentic Philadelphia Cheese Steak sandwich without an authentic Philadelphia roll. The rolls must be long and thin, not fluffy or soft, but also not too hard. They also say that if you are more than one hour from South Philly, you cannot make an authentic sandwich.

During the 1930s in the Italian immigrant section of South Philadelphia, brothers Harry and Pat Olivieri sold hot dogs and sandwiches. Tired of hot dogs, Pat suggested that Harry go to a store and buy some beef. Harry brought it back, sliced it up and grilled it with some onions. The brothers piled the meat on rolls and were about to dig in when a cab driver arrived for lunch, smelled the meat and onions and demanded one of the sandwiches. It was not until 20 years later that cheese was added to the sandwich. In 1940, the brothers opened Pat's King of Steaks.

When you go inside one of these places there is a huge pile of thinly sliced beef (usually top round) grilling and separate piles of onions, mushrooms and peppers. The slices are quickly browned and then scrambled into smaller pieces with a flat spatula. If you ask for onions, peppers or mushrooms they are mixed in with the meat. The cheese is added last right before its put in a roll. The sandwich is pretty high in calories and fat. A recent addition has been chicken in place of the beef.

There is a defined South Philadelphia protocol for ordering, consisting of the desired cheese and whether fried onions should ("wit") or should not ("witout") be added. A common order in South Philly is "Whiz, wit", meaning a cheesesteak with Cheez Whiz and fried onions. "Wit" (or "wid") is an approximation of the South Philadelphian pronunciation of "with," which is how the word is actually spelled on some menus. For example, "Give me a provolone wit," is an order for a cheesesteak with provolone cheese and fried onions on top. "I'd like a pepper cheez wit", for a sandwich with peppers and onions and Cheez Whiz.

It's snowing out...so we must be playing Etobicoke

Another snow storm and another game against Etobicoke. So to shake things up a bit the coaches revamped the line up with 5 defensemen and forwards switching positions. The result was the largest margin of victory for the season as the Dolphins were whipped 4-0. It seems the scoring funk has come to an end as the Storm have scored in the past 5 league games and 3 tournament games which included 4 wins and 2 ties.

Goals were scored by Lauren N, Sarah-Kate, Rebecca and Jackie. Sarah-Kate's goal was her first this season on a terrific set up by Marley from behind the net. Jackie's goal was scored while short handed in the last minute of the game. The shutout was shared by Kendra an Bianca.

The Storm is now just 2 points behind 7th place Vaughan with 2 games remaining. This week the Storm plays a Playdown game against Leaside on Friday, a regular season game against North Simcoe on Saturday and a combined Playdown/regular season game against Etobicoke on Sunday.