Try the General Tao Kitten...I mean Chicken

Love Guru

Mike Myer's Love Guru is coming out on June 20th and it;s sure to do well in Toronto because it focuses on the Toronto Maple Leafs. Maybe the worse movie to be released since Ishtar.



Clip from the Air Canada Centre

Disgusting behaviour of Celtic fans

Much like Red Sox fans, there was a lot of senseless violence last night in Boston. I guess we may never know if Maple Leaf fans are any better. Finishing 23rd doesn't get very many people excited.

A draft day risk that could pay off

It didn't get much media coverage but the agreement between the NHL and IIHF on player exchanges has expired which means the free market reigns.

What does it all mean? Some aren't too concerned but gradually the Russian Super League has been signing NHL calibre players. The number of Russians in the NHL has dropped off considerably. You are going to now see individual owners in the Russian Super League aggressively protective of their young stars, using a fists full of cash.

The old agreement had NHL teams pay just $200,000 for each departed player. Any player worth a $200,000 transfer fee to an NHL team is probably worth that or more to his home club. So if NHL owners want these players, they’ll have to offer either huge salaries, or richer buyouts to the clubs. But the NHL collective agreement limits the amount a team can pay for an entry level player.

I believe this fear will play itself out at the Amateur Draft this weekend. Russian power forward, Kirill Petrov has the potential to be as good as Steven Stamkos and has to be a top-5 pick by talent alone. But he might not go until late in the first Round because of concerns about signing him.

If the Maple Leafs are looking for a franchise player this might be the guy. They could draft him with their 7th pick or pick up lower first rounder in a trade to use to draft Petrov. Then just buy his way out of Russia just like what the Red Sox did to get Daisuke Matsuzaka. It's not like the Leafs don't have the cash.

Leafs new role model: 1989 Calgary Flames

The Leafs already have Doug Gilmour and Cliff Fletcher. They've just added Al Coates and supposedly Joe Nieuwendyk will be joining the club after his contract with Florida expires on July 1. So all the Leafs need is the return of Lanny Macdonald and Gary Roberts and they will have pretty much reassembled the 1989 Stanley Cup Flame team.

Hmm. I don't remember Brian Burke being part of that team.

There must be two Milton Bradley's

Finish Line Mishaps

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Buffy will be a champion!

What do you do when the ball game is rained out?

Cliff Fletcher Should be Quite Busy Over the Next 4 Weeks

Beginning today the bulk of off season hockey activity takes place and lasts for about 4 weeks. The way the NHL operates, your lineup for the coming season is determined in a matter of a few weeks. It is guaranteed to keep Cliff Fletcher very busy if he intends on changing the make up of the team. He has been quoted to say that he would not be signing older free agents. He would explore moving up in the draft but is satisfied with the 7th pick because the draft is so deep. It also sounds like he will take another stab at trading a big contract player though only Kubina and Blake can be traded without the player's consent.

Here is a rundown of what takes place for the rest of the month.

June 15 to June 30: Window for buyouts
June 20: Pavel Kubina’s no trade contract has an open window for 6 weeks
June 20-21: Amateur Draft
June 25: Deadline to tender qualifying offer to RFAs (Stajan, Wellwood)
June 26: Negotiations with other teams’ RFAs permitted
July 1: Free agency begins (the big names are gone in the first week)

For Fathers Day

Father and Son by Cats Stevens fits a lot of father-son relationships. Nonetheless have a Great Day!

It's NHL Buyout Season and the Leafs may be the leader

The NHL's buyout period runs from June 15-30, with most buyouts usually occurring within the first week.

Contract buyouts work like this. The buyout amount equal to 2/3 of the total amount remaining in the contract which when applied against the salary cap is spread over twice the term of the remaining contract. So if a player is being paid $3 million per year and has two years remaining then the buyout amount is 2/3 of $6 million = $4 million. The amount applied against the cap is $1 million per year for 4 seasons. Players under 26 are bought out for 1/3 of their remaining contract.

Players who will be bought out are either untradeable or have a no-trade contract and refuse to waive it. Leading this group is Ray Emery, whose inability to retain his starter's job, clashes with coaching staff and teammates and off-ice issues became unnecessary distractions last season which were partially responsible for the Senators second-half struggles. He is only 25 so his buyout will be for 1/3 of his remaining $2.25 million contract.

The rumours have the Leafs buying out Darcy Tucker and Andrew Raycroft. My guess is they will keep Tucker around and buyout only Raycroft if Tucker is still considered a "character" player. His agent indicated to the media last week that his client will not agree to a trade so that option isn't available to the Leafs. Could there be others. Stay tuned!

The Boston Bruins could decide to part ways with veteran winger Glen Murray, who has one season remaining on his contract at $4.125 million. He only had about 30 points last season which is quite a drop from a career high 92 points 5 seasons ago.

Other potential buyout candidates include Los Angeles' Kyle Calder, Atlanta's Alexei Zhitnik, Calgary's Anders Eriksson, Carolina's Jeff Hamilton, Montreal's Mathieu Dandenault and Pittsburgh's Darryl Sydor.

Storm Pool Party

Well the thunder and lightening disappeared by morning and the sun made appearance in the afternoon. Just in time for party time at the Novaks!



The water was warm....



Stuart had the BBQ going....


Which was a good thing because people were hungry...


Then some fun and games at the park...




And in the pool.....


Can't wait for September though.


See the rest of the pictures here!

MLSE is as dysfunctional as ever

Along with the rest of Leaf Nation, I have watched with puzzlement and despair the sad saga of the Toronto Maple Leafs. This past season started with the Leaf coach declaring the team was the best he had ever coach and would contend for the Stanley Cup. That declaration likely surprised even the most loyal Leaf fan who were hoping the team might al least be good enough to quality for the playoffs. He might have also sealed his fate at the end of the season when the team fell drastically short of his stated goal and finished near the bottom of the standings.

Although it was evident from the early on that John Ferguson had failed to build a winning team and could not be left in charge, MLSE failed to act. When he was finally fired and replaced by Cliff Fletcher, it was already January and provided the interim manager with little time to make moves that could might help the team long term. When Fletcher was hired the organization declared the following:

1. Fletcher would serve as an interim manager until a permanent manager could be found and that he would continue as a consultant.
2. Fletcher declared he was not a candidate for the manager's job because he felt that the demands were to great for someone is age and the organization needed someone who could do the job for the next 10 years.
3. Finding a new manager was a top priority for the team to begin to rebuild.
4. Paul Maurice would continue until a new manager was hired since it only made sense that the manager decide on who should be the coach.
5. Until a new manager was hired, Fletcher would "clear the table" to allow the incoming manager to rebuild from the ground up.
   

So what has happened since January.

1. In the past 5 months Fletcher has failed in his effort to "clear the table". At the trading deadline he was only able to move out 3 marginal veterans because the 5 players with no trade or no movement clauses refused to cooperate. Yet despite the fact that the team needs to go in a different direction, he is hotly pursuing Mats Sundin even though he will not be around long enough to make the team a contender.
2. The search for a manager is no longer a top priority because the people deemed to be the most qualified are currently employed and could not be approached by the search team. So here we are again. The organization spinning wheels just as it did during the season when it couldn't decide when to fire Ferguson. Every other organization hires the best person from those who are available. But MLSE knows better. So the rebuilding process is delayed by another entire season because Fletcher has already indicated that he will not be making any long term commitments as interim manager. And what happens if all the prime candidates are offered lucrative long term deals to stay with their current team? Wait another year?
3. Paul Maurice was fired and replaced by Row Wilson before a permanent manager was hired. Now I have no problems with Wilson who happens to be a very good coach. But there are still issues regarding compatibility with an unknown manager. Also, the next manager may decide that Ron Wilson is not the right coach for the type of team he is building or not the right coach for the current phase of the rebuilding process.
   

It seems when ever MLSE sets out a plan on moving forward, several weeks later the plan changes. They never seem to carry out what they said they would do. Sure they always have a perfectly good rationale for changing plans. But the constant change in direction has symptomatic of what is wrong with the Maple Leafs.

So has anything really changed at MLSE? I haven't seen it yet.

I'm not into violent sports but this was a great match

Red Wings should stick to hockey and leave the singing to professionals

Wish someone would have warned me

Ron Wilson's has a message for Leaf fans

Is Ron Wilson the right man for the job?

So do the Leafs have the right guy behind the bench? Cliff Fletcher seems to thinks so. Ron Wilson told the Fan's Howard Berger:

"Cliff convinced me that I was the guy for the job. ... I was just glad I was going to be given this opportunity before anyone else and for me it was just a no-brainer."

What I'm not sure about is what direction will the Leafs be going next season. Wilson has a reputation for rebuilding young struggling teams. He did it in Anaheim, Washington and San Jose. Except at the moment the Leafs are a veteran struggling team.

The local media seems to almost be poo pooing the signing although Wilson is one of the best coaches in the NHL. Let's face it Punch Imlach is dead and he wasn't so good his second time around. The media can't really be critical of his record so they claim he won't be able to handle the media. The local media just loves to give Leaf coaches a hard time. Damien Cox, a notorious Leaf hater much like Coach Bruce (at least Bruce admits it), has this to say about Wilson.

Wilson's NHL resumé does not include, however, being employed in an over-zealous hockey market like Toronto, which has a weird and wonderful and wacky dynamic shared in intensity by only a half-dozen other cities on the circuit.

It's one thing to coach in Orange County, or the District of Columbia, or deep in the Silicon Valley, and quite another to dip one's toe into the piranha-infested waters of places like Montreal, Vancouver, New York, Philadelphia and, of course, Toronto.

Cox said the same thing about Paul Maurice 2 years ago and he did just fine with the media. Let's face it the only hockey market that eats up coaches besides Toronto is Montreal. You need to a bigger pool of coaches to choose from besides ex-Leaf and Hab coaches.

CTV gets HNIC song, CBC gets egg on its face

Hey, CBC—you wanna come over to my house for a little poker game?

CBC got called on their Hockey Night in Canada bluff today as rival CTV announced that they've struck a deal for the rights to the HNIC signature tune.

The news comes four days after the kind-of public broadcaster announced they were pulling out of negotiations for the storied 40-year-old theme, and mere hours after they suggested that they would consider going back to the bargaining table after all. I would guess the big wigs at CBC didn't see this coming. They tried the squeeze play with an 80 year lady. Looks good.

Under the new agreement, CTV will use the song for hockey games on TSN and RDS, as well as during the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.

Jim Balsillie's NHL Dream Lives On

The one thing you can say about Jim Balsillie is that he certainly is a persistent bugger. He has been spurned by the NHL at least 4 times but continues his pursuit of an NHL franchise.

In fact, you would think that picking up a U.S.-based franchise would be pretty easy right now since it is reported that at least 8 franchise are for sale if there were only a buyer. The National Post suggested the other day that many are pursuing Jim Balsillie who has money to burn when it comes to buying a hockey team. But the weakening American economy and devalued franchises is not going to change Gary Bettman's opnion of Balsillie.

So when Bill "Boots" Del Biaggio, the second largest investor in the Nashvillie Predators ran into legal and financial trouble, he looked to Balsillie to bail him out. It was reported that Balsillie was willing to pay Del Biaggio well above the $30 millin he invested in Predators and Del Biaggio was eager to to do the deal. So when he contacted the NHL office, it was reported that he received a strong message to look elsewhere.

By the way, what is with all these NHL owners with fraud charges. What kind of person does the NHL attract? In addition to Del Biaggio, there is Henry Samueli (Anaheim), John Spano (Islanders), Bruce McNall (Los Angeles), and John Rigas (Buffalo). So how bad could Balsillie be for the NHL?

Well he has the nerve to covet a team so he can move it to Southern Ontario. And perhaps Bettman doesn't appreciate having an owner around that might be more arrogant than he is. So how long can Bettman undermine Balsillie's NHL dream? Well he has been doing a pretty good job so far. Although its a buyers market for NHL franchises, the message seems to be that if you bother to sell to the pushy Canadian, you might have a hard time getting the sale approve so why bother.

Here's what Richard Rodier (Balsillie's legal rep) told Bob McCown on the FAN590 on Wednesday:

"I think it will become apparent in the next week or so that the commissioner's view is that there are no circumstances under which he wants Jim Balsillie in the league if there is a scintilla of chance that he might be able to apply for a relocation of the team to Southern Ontario within seven years."

Yet Jim Balsillie's NHL lives on. Good luck with that Jim.

It's hot out there so...

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Hey is it ok to park here?

Tiger Woods is no hockey fan

Details of an interview with Tiger Woods prior to the PGA leaked out recently and he didn't have very nice things to say about hockey.

JULIUS MASON: Mr. Woods, Julius Mason here. We're joined by about 75 of your closest friends and I think off the top of their head they have one burning question for you, Detroit or Pittsburgh tonight? In the Stanley Cup finals. (Laughter.)

TIGER WOODS: That's pretty good. I don't really care, let's talk about the Dodgers. (Laughter.)

JULIUS MASON: Politically correct as always and that's what we ?

TIGER WOODS: I don't think anybody really watches hockey any more. (Laughter.)

An interesting comment since TV ratings for golf have been slipping and few people bother watching if the Tiger isn't entered and battling with the leaders. The game that night was the triple overtime game and produced some of the best TV ratings in the US in years.

Mike Millbury took some shots of his own on Tuesday on TSN:

"You know what? I'm gonna change the name now. It's gonna be Tiger Wuss. Here's a guy that took about three months to get over a simple arthroscopic surgery. You look at [Pens forward] Ryan Malone. His face exploded with a slap shot last night - he's back out in 10 minutes!

"Keep your yap shut, Tiger, or I'll send a couple of wingers down there - Gary Roberts - to tidy you up a little bit, meat head."

Will the Penguins Return to the Cup Finals Next Season?

Now that the Stanley Cup has been whisked away to Motown, it seems everyone is expecting the Pittsburgh Penguins to return next season with enough maturity gained from the recent campaign to grab the Cup. Are they really the Stanley Cup Champions in waiting?

Marian Hossa is a free agent this summer. He was a terrific pick up at the trading deadline and finally provided Sidney Crosby with the sniper he so missed. But unless he provides the Penguins with a discount, he will likely be lost this summer. Ryan Malone is also a free agent and could earn $4.5 million a year contract. But since his father played for the Penguins and he grew up in the Pittsburgh area, he is more likely to return at a reduced rate. Brooks Orpik had a break out year and showed that he is a top 4 defenseman. His price may also be beyond the Penguin's budget.

Should the Penguins lose these three players, they will be a much different team and not nearly as good. The Penguins need a lot of money for new contracts for Malkin and Fleury. Also, Crosby's new contract kicks in next year.

So maybe this was the year that the Penguins had to win. Still as long as the team has Crosby, they will always have a shot at returning to the Cup finals. But it may not be next year.

What a chaotic horse race

What Mischief are the Maple Leafs Up To?

Now that the Stanley Cup playoffs have mercifully ended, I expect the Toronto Maple Leafs to introduce their new coach, Ron Wilson by the end of the week. The recruitment of Wilson was transparent for the world to see although the team has been very secretive about their search for a general manager. Well with the exception of Dave Nonis who supposedly was in Toronto last month for 3 days to discuss an assistant manager position. Yes it does seem strange that the Leafs are filling these positions before recruiting a manager.

So what is the significance of these two public potential hirings? Well it has been well documented that Ron Wilson and an ex-teammate from Providence College, Brian Burke, have been tight for the last 30 years. And Dave Nonis and his ex-boss, Brian Burke have remained close friends. Gee what a coincidence. Won't surprise me one bit if word gets out that Brian Burke's kids have been hired as ushers at the ACC or that his cleaning lady has relocated to Canada.

How convenient to have all your buddies in one city so that when your team comes into town you can visit with them all at once. Well, if only the Ducks were scheduled to play in Toronto next season.

And that contract extension that the Ducks put in front of Burke 5 months ago still hasn't been signed even though he declared Henry Samueli as the best owner in the NHL to work for. I guess the ball is now in the Ducks' court. I can't wait for Gary Bettman's reaction to this awkward and embarrassing "non-courtship" of an executive under contract with another team.

The word is Numnah

Wings fan throws octopus, kicked out of Pittsburgh arena, sneaks back in

The Penguins are 0-3 in Cup Finals games this year in which octopi land on the ice before the initial face-off. The Detroit tradition was obviously in place during the Red Wings' two home wins, but the Wings' Game 4 victory came only after a rogue fan defied Pittsburgh's effort to curtail octopus-hurling.

Zach Johnson, a 19-year-old Red Wings fan from Cleveland, purchased his octopus with his girlfriend in Detroit, drove to Pittsburgh, wrapped the octopus in plastic, taped it to his stomach under his shirt, then chucked it onto the ice just after the National Anthem. After getting ejected and threatened with arrest, he put on his Red Wings sweater and re-entered the game with a scalped ticket. Check and Playmate.

How Do the Red Wings Do It?

With the Red Wings on the verge of winning their 4th Stanley Cup in 11 years, it would be incorrect to describe this as a dynasty because of the amount of time between wins. But in today's NHL, it is an incredible feat to finish at the top of the standing each year and have a shot at the Cup for so long. It has been 18 years since they finished out of the playoffs. In the past 14 seasons they finished with over 100 points 12 times (excluding the strike shortened season). They have won the President's Trophy 6 times during that period.

So how do the Red Wings do it? Well obviously they have the strongest organization in the NHL. Great owner, management, coaches, scouts, etc. No weaknesses in this organization. They have an excellent eye for talent and seem to know how to fill in those gaps in their lineup. But as much as the Leafs like to claim how much players want to play in Toronto, the truth is that Detroit seems to be able to sign players for discounts because of their reputation.

If you look at the salaries of some of the players who dominated during the playoffs you will see what I mean:

Henrik Zetterberg, $2.7-million
Tomas Holmstrom, $2.25-million
Niklas Kronwall, $1.5-million
Johan Franzen, $900,000
Chris Osgood, $800,000

Some would say that Niklas Lidstrom at $7.6 million is a bargain. Do you think the Wings would trade any of these players for a Bryan McCabe or Jason Blake? And there are other bargains in the bin:

Daniel Cleary, $650,000
Chris Chelios, $850,000

If you want to make big money you can always sign with the Leafs, Rangers, etc. If you want to win a Stanley Cup then sign with Detroit.

Sundin Not Giving Leafs a Hometown Discount

Leaf Nation was again abuzz last week when soon to be free agent Mats Sundin suggested that although he still wants to retire as a Maple Leaf, there is a chance that won't happen. You could feel the angst from across the GTA with the knowledge that the Leafs could have received an excellent package of players and picks for Sundin at the trading deadline, if he had only cooperated.

The statement pretty much confirms that Sundin will not be retiring this summer and has begun the process to negotiate a new contract. But to re-sign Sundin, the Leafs will likely have to pay him close to market value. Last season Sundin's salary was about $5.5 million but if you include the payment that had to make for not picking up the option year of his previous contract, his full earnings was about $6.5 million. Now should Sundin's agent shop around the big Swede, he would likely receive offers of between $7 and $8 million.

So despite the fact that the team is rebuilding and there is no permanent management team or coach in place, Sundin would still like to finish his career in Toronto. But considering the other factors, there won't be a hometown discount. Afterall, it's not like the savings from a Sundin contact could be used to bring in someone who could make them a contender as is the case in Detroit. So why does he need to provide the team with any discount at all?

Gary Bettman is the King of Spin

I love to watch the annual interview of NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman by the HINC's Ron McLean during the Stanley Cup Finals. This year's interview was this past Saturday. Bettman is the master of political spin (I'd say he could challenge Bill Clinton for the crown). McLean will normally challenge and attempt to deflect a question which usually leads to a feisty debate.

This year McLean tended to accept the Commissioner's responses. According the Bettman all is well with the NHL. Although some franchises may have issues, none are in "jeopardy". He deflected any suggestion that teams like Phoenix, Atlanta, Nashville and Tampa Bay were having any real difficulties. When asked if the recent report was true that the Canadian NHL franchises were generating 30% of the revenue, he responded by saying the U.S. franchises were also experiencing revenue growth.

Regarding the sale of the Predators last year, Bettman re-iterated that the Canadian Competition Bureau investigated and found the NHL had not engaged in any anti-competitive behaviour after a letter of intent was signed to sell the club to Ontario-based executive Jim Balsillie.

The Nashville conversation came up in light of news this week that "Boots" Del Biaggio (part of the new ownerhsip consortium) is being sued by an investment firm that alleges he engaged in fraud to secure a multimillion-dollar loan. The San Jose Mercury News reported that he was also being investigated by U.S. federal authorities.

Bettman claimed to have no information about the legal trouble of Anaheim Duck owner Henry Samueli who is facing fraud charges and may end up doing jail time.

So the Spinmeister of the Week award goes to our own Gary Bettman.

Sundin may not retire as a Maple Leaf?

For years Mats Sundin has always insisted that he wanted to remain a Toronto Maple Leaf. Winning a championship in Toronto mattered most.

On Wednesday, after accepting the Mark Messier Leadership Award at the Stanley Cup Final, while still maintaining his first option was to remain with the Leafs, for the first time he opened the door just a crack at possibly wearing another uniform.

The question came from David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail.

"Mats, given what you said earlier about what happened at the trade deadline, wanting to remain with the Leafs, the journey and all that. Doesn't your decision really come down to playing with the Leafs next season or retiring?" asked Shoalts.

Sundin delayed for a second, before replying:

"I don't know. I do think that I have a lot of different options I can explore. And I think I still (maintain) that I want to end my career as a Toronto Maple Leaf. Saying that, though, the way the situation is right now, I don't have everything in my control, either. There's got to be a mutual agreement there.

"At this point, I don't have anything I can say about what's going to happen next year personally. I don't know."

This is change in a matter of a few months. You wonder if it is related to the uncertainty in the Maple Leaf front office or that he has no interest in a rebuilding team.

Just what you always wanted...a weather forecasting stone

A message to Spokane

I'm sure you are a lovely community. I bet that 1974 Worlds Fair was a blast. And the Pacific Northwest must be beautiful. But just because we let you play hockey in Canada, you shouldn't be abusing the hospitality. Sure we let you and a few others like Erie into our junior leagues. But this isn't the NHL which is over run with American franchises. It's called the Canadian Major Junior Hockey League. So beating Kitchener in front of their home fans was just plain rude. Then you go bust the Memorial Cup. That piece of hardware is 89 years old. You can't just superglue it together. We'll be sending you the bill.

Are you surprised how much Detroit is dominating?

It shouldn't come as a surprise that the Red Wings are dominating the the Penguins in the Stanley Cup finals. If it hadn't been the Red Wings but the Sharks, Ducks or Stars, it wouldn't have been very different.

I have to admit I did not pick the Red Wings to represent the West in the finals. Not that Detroit wasn't good enough, but I just thought they might not be able to keep pace with the talent in the West. Let's face it, the West is right now far better than the East. So even the East's best, the Pittsburgh Penguins cannot compete with the best of the West.

Detroit is every bit as tough physically as the Ducks, Stars, Flames and Canucks although they were the least penalized team during the regular season. A good skating team does not take many penalties. But the Red Wings are more than just a group of slick skating Europeans. Thomas Holstrom lives at the edge of the goal crease and takes a real pounding for it. He takes his licks without whining. Niklas Kronwell has become a devestating body checker. In fact, Detroit has no weaknesses. Some may not consider Chris Osgood and top goalie. But he already has backstopped the Wings to a Stanley Cup.

I would take these back

So what does Gary Bettman consider tampering?

Without naming any names, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman fired a shot at the Toronto Maple Leafs and Anaheim GM Brian Burke during his annual state of the league address before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals, warning of grave consequences if there is any tampering.

"People who sign contracts can be held to them by the other party to the contract, and there's nothing wrong with that," Bettman said. "If there's tampering going on, ultimately there are no secrets in this world. We will get to the bottom of it. And I'm no fan of tampering. And when it happens, it gets punished severely.

"A team that meddles with an individual under contract could face heavy fines and the loss of draft picks. And an individual who talks to a team while he's still under contract would face fines and a possible suspension."

The Leafs now appear immobilized by their failure to land Burke (How many times have you seen "Leafs" and "immobilized" in the same sentence in the past decade?), and seem set to head into a crucial offseason with interim GM Cliff Fletcher remaining at the helm.

Spokane Chiefs Win Memorial Cup...

and then break it in two. Fortunately, it was just a replica.

These Twin Pandas are Cute

Yesterday was supposed to be Frank Tomas Bobblehead Day

Yesterday was supposed to be Frank Thomas Bobblehead day at the Rogers Centre. Instead, the Toronto Blue Jays handed out blue tote bags, courtesy of the Ontario Power Authority.

Speaking of power, Thomas is beginning to show some for Oakland.When he left Toronto, he was batting .167 with three homers and 11 RBIs. He had played 16 games, and had RBIs in five of them.

Since rejoining the A's, Thomas is batting .306 with four homers and 16 RBIs in 26 games. His on-base percentage is .412. He is hitting .339 in May.

Thomas's various replacements at designated hitter have combined to hit .252 with three homers and 12 RBIs over 31 games in which the Jays have used a DH.

Marlies Eliminated from Calder Cup Playoffs

The Marlies were eliminated in the 3rd round of the Calder Cup Playoffs in 5 games. They lost to the Chicago Wolves as a result of some very undisciplined hockey where they just couldn't stay our of the penalty box. For example last night, Chicago erased the Marlies' 2-0 first-period lead with a pair of power-play goals in the middle period while playing 5 on 3 and then 5 on 4.

So will the long playoff run benefit the Maple Leafs next season? It doesn't look like it. The future #1 goalie, Justin Pogge only played the last two games of the playoffs. Jiri Tlusty who played most of the season with the Leafs totally disappeared in the playoffs. He scored on 2 goals in 19 games and I believe they may have been in the first game of the playoffs. What hurts the most is that Andy Wozniewski scored 4 playoff goals and we know what kind of a player he is. Their top scorer in the playoffs was David Ling (14 points) but at age 33 he's not a prospect. John Mitchell was their top goal scorer (8 goals) but since he was never brought up, he likely isn't a prospect either. I noticed that their powerplay featured Kris Newbury, David Ling, Bates Battaglia and Andy Wozniewski. Yup. Pretty depressing.

Minor Leaguer Traded for 10 Bats

The Calgary Vipers of the Golden Baseball League couldn't get newly signed pitcher John Odom into Canada for immigration reasons. And the Loredo Broncos of the United League were willing to take a cheap gamble on a pitcher.

Oh, and the Vipers really, really wanted some new bats.

And so Odom, about a month after being acquired by a Canadian team, found himself Tuesday on the roster of a team on the Mexican border. All for the price of 10 Prairie Sticks Maple Bats, double-dipped black 34-inch C243 style.

"They just wanted some bats, good bats -- maple bats," Broncos General Manager Jose Melendez said Friday.

According to the Prairie Sticks Web site, their maple bats retail for $69 a piece, discounted to $65.50 for purchases of six to 11 bats.

John, I think this might be a good time to consider retirement and a career change.

source

I doubt polar bears can read

Kitchener Ranger Justin Azevedo

I was at the Memorial Cup Semi-Final game last night expecting to see some tight and exciting hockey. Afterall, the Kitchener Rangers and Belleville Bulls had just completed a very close 7-game OHL championship series and a Memorial Cup round robin game that went into overtime.

The game turned out to be a blow out. Rangers scored 46 seconds into the game and never looked back. The final score was 9-0 which was the biggest differential in Memorial Cup history. The best player on the ice was Justin Azevedo who finished with 3 goals and 2 assists. He also happened to have been the OHL scoring champ and the league MVP beating out John Taveres. He also happens to be 19 years old and undrafted. Azevedo happens to be only 5'8". If I recall Martin St. Louis was also undrafted coming out of Junior hockey and I think he didn't turn out too bad.

So could the Leafs use a player like that? Certainly worth a shot. Speaking of the Leafs, I spotted Brian Burke at the game.

UPDATE: Justin Azevedo has now been named CHL player of the year.

Beauty is Nothing Without Brains

Don't Throw Stones

I thought fast food burgers were bad...

Baskin Robbin's Large Heath Bar Shake has an icredible 2,310 calories and 108 grams of fat.

Going green can go too far

For those who love their bacon...

...someone has discovered chocolate covered bacon. No joke you can find it at Marini's in Santa Cruz.

Don't you think the government has taken casino gambling a little too far?

What an Incredible Game!

From the opening faceoff, today's gold medal game looked and felt like a classic. Today, the Russian stars played better than the Canadian stars and that was difference between silver and gold. You can only imagine how good this game would have been if the two teams had all their best players in their lineups - Sidney Crosby, Roberto Luongo, Mike Richards, Brendan Morrow, Pavel Datsyuk, Evgeny Malkin, Sergei Zubov.

Although Canada had a two goal lead with a little over a half period remaining, you could feel that they might not be able to hold it. And they didn't. Ilya Kovalchuk tied the game less than six minute left in the game to send the team into overtime. He scored again early in overtime with Rick Nash in the penalty box. The depth of these two teams really showed because these were Kovalchuk's first two goals of the tournament but they got to the gold medal game without his offense.

You had to be really impressed with two young defensemen for Canada - Mike Green and Brent Burns. I didn't even know what NHL team Burns played for. I can't wait for the rematch at the 2010 Olympics.

You want bad taste, I found it...

...Jesus sports figurines (just $24.95 each).


source

Canada and Russia go for Fold, Stralman stars for Sweden

Tomorrow's game will be a classic match up between Canada and Russia. Both countries are undefeated although the Russians needed overtime twice to win games. Canada's top line has been dominant in particular Dany Heatley. Heatley is a gifted player but he makes be nervous because he occasionally disappears in big games (which makes him a good fit for the Senators). In 2006 he and Rick Nash did a disappearing act against the Russians. Let's hope they show up tomorrow.

Two Maple Leafs players played in the tournament. Tomas Kaberle was captain of the Czech team and was second in tournament scoring for defensemen. He was also player of the game for Sweden against Switzerland. Anton Stralman who should have been playing for the Marlies finished 5 in scoring among defensemen. He scored 2 goals against Canada and was selected as player of the game.

Sidney Crosby's Playoff Beard is Pretty Sad Looking

He Scores! ...umm on his own net

Poor defenseman was just trying to rim it around the boards. Hey Gerber should have it anyway.

Few Leaks Coming From Maple Leaf Sports

If you were to exclusively use media reports (TSN, Toronto Star, Toronto Sun) and bloggers to determine the progress of the Maple Leaf Executive Search, this is what appears to have happened to date.

Richard Peddie and Gord Kirke began a search for a President/GM in early February. They put Brian Burke on the top of their list but could not contact him until his team was eliminated from the playoffs. The Leafs were ultimately rejected by Burke and approached San Jose regarding Doug Wilson and were again rejected. They may have approached Detroit about Ken Holland depending on which paper you read even though the Wings are still playing hockey but were not given permission to speak to him either.

At that point the Leafs ran out of possibilities and decided to take another run at Brian Burke through his buddy Dave Nonis who had just been fired by the Canucks. The Leafs weren’t really interested in Nonis but felt they could lure Burke next year by having Nonis cover the job for him until Burke completed his contract with Anaheim. Other reporters came up with an alternate theory where the presence of Nonis in the Leaf executive suite would be so compelling that Burke would get out of his contact this summer and immediately join the Leafs. Meanwhile the NHL would look the other way and ignore any possible tampering.

So much speculation, but very little reality. What is impressive is that there have been very few leaks coming out of MLSE. Normally the Leafs spring more leaks than the S.S. Minnow. So without any information from MLSE leakers, friends of candidates, the guy who washes Larry Tennenbaum’s car, etc, reporters are coming up with some wild scenarios. The only interview that has come out in the open has been Dave Nonis so some are giving us the impression that in over 3 months only one person has been seen.

The reality is that a long list have candidates was put together and Peddie/Kirke have met with quite a number of people. Once the search team has met with all those who might be interested in the Leaf job, I would expect they will put together a short list of serious candidates. A serious candidate would be someone who has the background and experience sought by the Leafs and has shown a genuine interest in the job. A second round of interviews would be conducted where discussions would focus on each candidate would rebuild the organization from the bottom up. This seems to fit into the time frame mentioned by Cliff Fletcher last week when Paul Maurice was let go. That would have the new GM in place around the time of the NHL Entry Draft and the start of the free agent signing period.

In the interim, foolish reporters will have you think that Gord Kirke, one of the most powerful figures in hockey, has no clue what he is doing. So Leaf Nation, sit back and be patient. Good news is on the way.

File This Under: The Rich Just Got Richer

So all that commotion regarding Fabian Brunnstrom last week until he finally signed with Dallas. Well he was just an ordinary player in the Swedish Elite League with only 9 goals in 54 games. Word out is that a much better prospect plays in the Finnish Elite League. In fact Ville Leino played this season for Jokerit, scoring 28 goals and producing 77 points in 55 games, finishing second in the league in scoring and winning the Lasse Oksanen trophy as the league’s MVP.

Would look good in a Leaf uniform. Well forget about it because he signed with the Detroit Red Wings yesterday as a unrestricted free agents.

Maybe one of the worst calls ever on a goal

This alleged goal was in the USA vs. Finland game. I picked the Finnish play by play guys so you could get the other side's perspective on the questionable goal.

To Build a Winner the Leafs Need to Build A Scouting Staff

Everyone puts so much emphasis on acquiring high position in the draft. In fact, a proportion of Leaf fans wanted to see the team tank the last part of the season in order to get a shot at the first pick overall. But the best team in the NHL, the Detroit Red Wings, haven't had a high first round pick in two decades and the majority of their roster was Red Wing draft picks. Out of their top players, only Niklas Kronwall was a first rounder and he was picked 29th. Here is how their other top players were drafted:

Nicklas Lidstrom (3rd round/53rd pick)
Johan Franzen (3/97)
Pavel Datsyuk (6/171)
Henrik Zetterberg (7/210)
Tomas Holmstrom (10/257)

There is no question that the European scouts employed by the Wings are doing an outstanding job. So the lesson for others is obvious. Invest in a strong scouting system and you may never will need to rebuild.

Mothers Day is 100 Years* Old Today

My mom is just 83. Happy Mothers Day Mom!

*On Sunday, May 10, 1908, a simple church services in Grafton, W.Va., inspired by Anna Jarvis who wanted to honour her recently departed mother began a tradition to honour the nation's mothers. A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate that year failed to establish an official Mother's Day, but it set the stage for a successful measure in 1914.

Nice Parking Job

Conspiracy Theories Dominate Leaf Nation

So this is how it will work. The Leafs have only one candidate they are pursuing to run their team and that is Brian Burke. The Leafs sought permission to talk to Dave Nonis as part of a plan that includes getting Burke to Toronto in the summer of 2009, when his contract with Anaheim expires.

Nonis worked for Burke in Vancouver. The theory was that Nonis could be hired as GM now, replacing interim man Cliff Fletcher. A year from now, with Burke having fulfilled his contractual obligation in Anaheim, he could be hired by the Leafs as team president and be re-united with Nonis.

To disguise their true intentions, the Leafs also asked permission to talk to San Jose GM Doug Wilson knowing very well that they would be turned down.

You see the people in MLSE are so clever that they would have no problem covering up any evidence of tampering. Oops, but the smart Toronto media let it out of the bag.

People get a grip! The Toronto sports media has no interest in following the punchless Blue Jays so they are going back to the old reliable Maple Leafs for some headlines. Except nothing much is going on at MLSE except for axing Paul Maurice (which everyone knew was coming). No buyouts yet, no trades, no signings, no GM. So lets make up some stuff.

Is Fabian Brunnstrom Just a Lot of Hype?

A couple weeks ago I mentioned that the Leafs had to try and sign Fabian Brunnstrom. The reason I said that was mostly because the Leafs don't have many quality young players so if they pick one up without giving something up then why not. I did not think he would be the next Peter Forsberg or Mat Sundin.

Since that time the Youtube video I posted has made Brunnstrom an Internet superstar. The media has made this guy out to be a phenom although there is nothing to suggest he is even ready for the NHL. He is a 23 year old rookie in the Swedish Elite League with very ordinary numbers (in 54 games he had 9 goals and 28 assists). The video shows that he is a good skater but so was Alexandre Daigle - remember him. Although about 20 Swedish NHL players passed on playing for the Swedish team at the World Championships, Brunnstrom was never asked to join the team.

He sounds like a guy who would need to play a season or two in the AHL. Unless he lands on a team that is rebuilding and willing to let him develop in the NHL. Sounds like a good fit for the Leafs. Definitely not the Red Wings.

Playoff Nostalgia

20th Anniversary of Jim Schonfield telling Don Koharski to have another donut

You Can't Win With Sundin in Your Lineup?

There was an interesting quote from Mat Sundin in the Toronto Star this week. Rosie Dimanno reports when the subject got around to the deals that Leafs could have made for their captain, his response was:

"I could have gone to Vancouver and where would I be now? Out of the playoffs. Or Ottawa, and where would I be now? Or Anaheim, and where would I be now?"

That might have been the case. But those teams were willing to gamble that he would have had an impact on their playoff run and were also willing to pay big to find out. It's an odd comment by Sundin because so often he has had to carry the Leafs so why not the Ducks or Senators? It's almost as if he doesn't see himself as an impact player though I find that hard to believe. He has been one of the highest paid players in the league for about 10 years. I guess he was just playing devil's advocate.

When Will Jim Balsillie Get an NHL Franchise?

It appears from news reports that Billionaire Jim Balsillie contacted Buffalo Sabres owner Tom Golisano earlier this season about the possibility of purchasing the franchise, a sign he's still seeking an NHL franchise after at least two unsuccessful attempts. Supposedly Golisano indicated he would be open to selling the club, but not if Balsillie was planning to relocate it.

Balsillie had a tentative agreement to buy the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2006. But he withdrew his offer after learning the NHL would restrict his ability to move the club.

His next attempt was to buy the Nashville Predators. That was scuttled last summer after Balsillie indicated he would move the club to Hamilton and began taking deposits from prospective season ticket holders. There are also rumours that he tried to purchase the Ottawa Senators at some point in time.

Clearly, the NHL Commissioner and some of the team owners are not enamoured by Balsillie. But can they keep him from scoring a team forever? Not likely. As the US continues to sink into a recession, NHL teams losing money will go further into the red. Some of these owners will also be suffering financial losses elsewhere in their holdings and find that owning a hockey team may be a luxury than can no longer afford. At some point if it becomes a buyers market because more teams are for sale than there are buyers, the NHL may no longer be able to afford to snub Jim Balsillie. Just look at what's going on in Phoenix and Atlanta - two teams that have never made any money.

I don't think I've seen Don Cherry with a worse outfit

Maybe it's the yellow tie but Saturday's selection seemed more over the top than usual.

Keep Your Eye on the Ball

Sharks Lost But Not Because of Nabokov

Last Night's Stars

1. Marian Hossa, Penguins:

Slowly Hossa has emerged as a key player for the Penguins and after yesterday has ditched his reputation of disappearing in the playoffs. He had two key goals including the overtime winner that sent the Penguins into the third round of the playoffs.

2. Sidney Crosby, Penguins:

The Kid only had 3 shots on net as compared to 10 for Malkin. But he made some key plays and did all the work on Hossa's two goals. Even slowed by injuries Crosby is a dangerous player.

3. Evgeny Nabokov and Marty Turko:

The two goalies were incredibly last night and it's a shame one of them had to lose. Combined they gave up 3 goals in over 6 periods of hockey. The save by Nabokov in the first overtime was just spectacular and had to go to video replay to actually confirm he had gloved the shot before it went into the net.