Leafs

Stealing Signs: Hockey Artwork At Its Finest

October 24, 2011

It's not often that the sports and art worlds mix, but you have to admit that there is a certain "art" to playing sports at their highest level, especially hockey. Guy Lafleur flying down the ice, with their hair flowing through the air, the infamous picture of Bobby Orr leaping like superman, the examples are surely endless.

Hockey and art are a better fit than you might think.

Artist Mark Penxa is on a quest to link the two together even further, with his most recent exhibition, titled "Stealing Signs II: Memories From My Last Life; Saskatewan, 1934" (part one was a set of baseball paintings), where he takes his passion for the sport of hockey and com...

Habs Squander Everything in Loss Against Leafs

October 23, 2011

George Prax

4 Comments

Another game, another loss for the Montreal Canadiens.

More squandered leads, more lazy plays, and another failure to capitalize on opportunities that should have meant a tick in the win column for this team, at home, against the Toronto Maple Leafs

It was an exciting affair that included 9 goals, and (at times) end-to-end hockey. The Habs and Leafs traded leads and goals, and even runs at each others goals; James Reimer would not return to the game after the first period, thanks to an accidental shot to the head at the hands of Brian Gionta at the top of the game. Travis Moen would put up two goals, Lars Eller 2 assists and Andrei Kostitsyn...

"The Lives of Conn Smythe" Book Launch Invite

October 19, 2011

TCL Staff

0 Comments

If you're in the Toronto area this weekend, and you're into hockey and books, you might want to check out the launch for "The Lives of Conn Smyth", by National Post editor and columnist, and occasional TCL contributor Kelly McParland!

The book is the first full-length biography of the man who created and built the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the namesake to one of the most coveted individual trophies in the NHL today.

Smythe's story goes well beyond the Leafs, from his role in two World Wars, to his family and political life, and everything in between. Smythe was certainly a colorful character, and we don't just mean the navy blue tint of To...

Opening Night Liveblog: Habs-Leafs, Flyers-Bruins

October 6, 2011

TCL Staff

0 Comments

Hockey's back! And TCL is right here with you to take it all in. It's opening night, and we'll be right here with you every step of the way. Join us as we cover the Montreal Canadiens at the Toronto Maple Leafs, as well as the Philadelphia Flyers at Boston. Just enter your comments and follow along in the discussion below, or click here to open the widget in a new window!

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Game 1 : Canadiens @ Maple Leafs

October 6, 2011

Jason Pietroniro

2 Comments

It's TIME!

Original Six showdown in Leafs Town tonight. Welcome back everyone! IT'S HOCKEY SEASON!

The Montreal Canadiens are in enemy territory tonight, opening their season in Toronto. This will be the first of six meetings between the two rivals and tonight's game will put all of the off season banter between fans to rest. Habs, Leafs, TCL hockey!

After another let down season in Toronto you can be sure that the Leafs have something to p...

Thank You Notes

October 4, 2011

Patrick Storto

3 Comments

Two days left until the real games start, where has the time gone? I know a lot of you thought I was gone forever, but I’m not the Atlanta Thrashers or playoff hockey in Toronto. To be honest though, I’m just more of a regular season guy, like Alex Ovechkin.

Now with that said, there’s just a few thank you notes I’d like to hand out before we get started.

The first person I want to thank is Stephen Marche, who wrote an article last week suggesting that Toronto is the worst sports city in the WORLD. One of the main criteria was that fans in Toronto show up in masses to support mediocre teams. The fact is that Toronto fans are ignoring strateg...

How will Lombardi's return affect the Leafs?

September 28, 2011

Ron Guillet

1 Comment

With Matthew Lombardi's long recovery from post-concussion syndrome nearing completion, Tyler Bozak or Nazem Kadri could be the odd-man out in Toronto.

Lombardi, who was centering the fourth-line at practice this morning, is aiming to make his Leafs debut for the Oct.6 season opener against the Montreal Canadiens. While his role with the team will be limited initially---he will start on the fourth-line, according to head coach Ron Wilson---he'd eventually work his way to the third-line in a slow transition to ensure he could handle increased ice-time, if all goes according to plan.

While the addition of Lombardi would add depth to the Leafs' line-up, the question a...

Cold As The Cold Wind Blows

September 1, 2011

Patrick Storto

1 Comment

The arena lights up and the players fill their lockers while the zamboni cleans the ice. Training camp is upon us and with that, a new season. But there's an unfamiliar chill in the air. Three players are dead, but the show must go on and Wade Belak was all about the show. You could describe Belak as a funny, happy, nice, mean and tough guy and from the surface, it seems that you'd be right. Belak seemed to be enjoying his retirement after playing his last game just a season ago for the Predators. He seemed to be all booked up though, including an appearance on CBC's third season of Battle of the Blades and that's precisely why Belak was ...

What To Expect: MGK Line

August 1, 2011

Ron Guillet

0 Comments

Not a soul could have predicted it before the start of the 2010-11 season, but the trio consisting of Clarke MacArthur, Mikhail Grabovski and Nikolai Kulemin was the Toronto Maple Leafs' most productive line since the lockout.

In fact, the line amassed 110 points, which ranked as the second most productive line in the National Hockey League last season. Considering the fortunes of the Leafs in the past decade, the fact that all three players had breakout campaigns in the same season while also establishing chemistry was nothing short of a miracle.

However, with the Leafs missing the playoffs for a sixth-straight season, the short-term significance of the MGK line me...

Leafs Continue To Lag Behind The Habs

July 26, 2011

Patrick Storto

8 Comments

No the icon attached to this blog isn't a mistake and the title isn't a joke, you've come to the right place. Yes it's true that I lost a bet to Prax and as punishment I owe him a blog for the Montreal Canadiens. The bet started at the beginning of last season when I was fooled enough by Brian Burke and company to believe that the Leafs would finish ahead of the Habs in the regular season standings. Prax quickly took the bet, and here we are.

The Leafs got off to a quick start and I too was quick to rub it in. Unfortunately the next part of the season was pretty rough for the Leafs with Giguere and Gustavsson in between the pi...