Toronto Maple Leafs

Desperate Times...

November 12, 2010

The decision to call-up Nazem Kadri from the American Hockey League may provide short-term stability on offence, but it speaks volumes of the state of peril of the Toronto Maple Leafs. I can't help but cringe at Brian Burke's reasoning for the call-up: “I think in an ideal world, if we would have won a few of the last games, we probably would have given him a little bit longer but he has made the adjustments we’ve asked him to, he’s cut down his turnovers. He’s drawing penalties almost every night by getting hauled down. He’s been responsible and he’s been good offensively so he’s made a lot of the transformations that we needed him to make. In an ideal world, maybe anoth...

Question Period - Leafs Edition

November 11, 2010

Ron Guillet

0 Comments

The Toronto Maple Leafs continue its descent to the Eastern Conference basement. Now one loss shy from matching its eight-game losing steak of last season, which resulted in a 29th place finish, the Leafs are a carcass for the hockey world to tear apart. Fire this guy, trade this guy, call-up this guy, demote this guy or put this guy on a different line... we've heard it all from the analysts. Now I want to hear what the Leafs' faithful have to say about their team's free-fall in the standings. So, without further ado, here's 10 questions for you all: 1) Should Ron Wilson get fired? Explain. 2) Is it time for Nazem Kadri to play for the Leafs? Or should he remain in the American ...

Leafs Distress Calls

November 11, 2010

Patrick Storto

1 Comment

After another humiliating loss last night, the Leafs have decided to open an emergency call center so that people can cope with the pain. Here are some of the calls from today. Call 1 Operator: Leafs Distress Call Center, state your emergency, Caller: Hi, I'm having really bad chest pains after last night's loss. Operator: Look, maybe you just need to relax, you can't get too emotional over a game, especially one you have no control over. Caller: I know, I just feel like maybe its my fault and I just get really stressed out. Operator: That's the problem with people in Toronto, they think that somehow the Leafs woes are on them at the end of the day, just try to understand it's not...

Phaneuf Injury Limits Options

November 9, 2010

Ron Guillet

8 Comments

The Toronto Maple Leafs continue its downward spiral to the National Hockey League basement after a frustrating loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight---not to mention increasing the likelihood that they may relinquish another top-five draft pick to the Boston Bruins. No, I'm not heading to the nearest bunker yelling that the sky is falling (although I may just welcome the idea) but after losing six-straight games, it's time to at least be concerned. And I don't care about the four-game winning streak because clearly the Leafs were playing above its capabilities. To be fair, the goaltending and defense have upgraded considerably compared to previous seasons, but the offense has been down...

Leafs v. Capitals Post-Game: Lucky Number 3

November 3, 2010

Ron Guillet

1 Comment

Three goals in three minutes and three seconds in the third period. Yes, the Toronto Maple Leafs actually came back from a two-goal deficit after two periods to gain a point in the standings. Let's get right to it with some thoughts on the game: - Although most of my hair was pulled out in frustration, the Leafs displayed a lot of heart tonight and they deserve credit. It's hard to remember the last time the Leafs came back from a two-goal deficit in the third period, but it's encouraging they managed without captain Dion Phaneuf. - Kudos to Nikolai Kulemin on the game's first goal. Instead of shooting under pressure he opted to hold on to the puck, position himself for a quality sc...