Some of the blogs I've been seeing around, mainly those up on torontomapleleafs.info, are getting pretty ridiculous, and the deal isn't even 24 hours old. Naturally there will be differing opinions no matter what Toronto does, but how about a little reservation and "wait and see" from these people before blowing up and calling Fletch a senile old kook. Jesus, what does this guy have to do to get a little trust?
He's managed to rid the club of Brian McCabe's contract, something 99% of hockey followers deemed totally impossible. Not only that, he got a player back that was playing excellent hockey, especially offensively, before becoming the victim of a dirty, dirty hit.
He's managed to swindle Mikhail Grabovski out of Montreal, a deal that, at the time, was naturally criticized and mocked as per usual. In all fairness to Gainey, Grabs wasn't exactly the stand up soldier boy player you'd like on your team, but you don't let talent like that walk for a 2nd rounder and a warm body.
He's signed Hagman for a few years, and will be tradable next season and beyond, for what appears to be a massive bargain if he keeps up this kind of play.
And of course, his icing on the cake was moving up in the draft to get Luke Schenn. "BUT LOOK AT ALL THE PICKS HES TRADED!!!" Hey, interesting fact, did you know that players drafted beyond the 2nd round only have an 11% chance to play even a single game in the NHL? Weird, huh?
Moan about the Finger contract all you like, which again, is a wait-and-see scenario for the time being, but Fletcher has done an excellent job thus far, and I hope they retain Cliff for as long as he wants to work along side Bria--I mean, the general manager of the future.
I'm reading ridiculous bullshit like "Carlo is a #2 defensemen on most teams!" and "Steen has 40-goal potential!" on some of these blogs, and I'm just astounded. Not only that, the author has the gall to call out Leaf fans claiming that most of them are idiots after making these kinds of statements. Yup, Carlo definitely looks like a #2 guy, especially when hes in the press box or on a stretcher. And Steen, WHEW! The past few seasons of 18, 15 and 15 goals really suggests that 40+ goal campaign is right around the corner. These are the kinds of Leaf fans other fans hate, and give us normal fans the bad wrap. But I digress.
Any way you look at it, Stempniak is the best player in this deal, and that is all I need to know to declare that the Leafs won the trade. Fletcher took advantage of Davidson in a weak position where injuries dictated that he needs depth, and needed it now. Show me any season where Steen or Carlo COMBINED scored 27 goals, and I'll show you a guy in agreement with you numb nuts Leaf haters for bashing the deal.
November 24, 2008
November 11, 2008
Jason Blake has a hissy fit. You don't say?
Another game, another healthy scratch (deservedly so), another bitch-fest by none other than the Leafs resident red-headed step child, Jason Blake.
Frankly, I was sick of this guy's act by the middle of last season, and as of now this kind of behavior comes as expected. For some reason, this guy thinks he's entitled to all the playing time he wants, and as we've seen on way too many occasions, take as many shots as he wants. Whenever I watch him play, its as if his motivations have nothing to do with the team's, and especially in the offensive zone, he's just oblivious to his teammates and what they're trying to accomplish. And he has NO idea why he's being scratched? Please. From the column of Howard Berger:
“I don’t know what’s going on… we’ll try to figure it out sometime today,” Blake said. “It’s just extremely frustrating. To be honest, I was very, very upset in Boston, but I didn’t really know what to say because I was caught off guard. It was the first time in nine years that I was a healthy scratch. I’m even more caught off guard this time, and I don’t know what’s going on, to tell you the truth. I’ll spend the afternoon trying to figure it out.”
How on earth is he caught off guard? He's played 14 games and scored 2 goals. TWO! You know, after he cashed in on a campaign that saw him score 40 on one of the shittiest teams in the league? He's on pace for about 60% of what he produced last year, and currently sits at a minus 3. He's been given ample amounts of ice time from the beginning of the season up until recently, and yet has done nothing with it. He consistently ignores his teammates and takes piss poor shots when it isn't required, as if his personal stats are of the utmost importance.
Blake's right. This benching is a mystery. Paul Maurice is at home contemplating his very existence, thinking "benched Blake? BENCHED BLAKE? HOW CAN HE DO THAT? CAN HE DO THAT? Bu-but the guy makes $4 MILLION A YEAR! Doesn't that mean you play him the most? IT ONLY MAKES SENSE DAMN IT! AWWHHH WHY AM I EVEN HERE?"
I'm convinced selfish players must play with other selfish players in order to find success in the NHL. That's the only explanation I have for Blake's 40 goal season. He doesn't fit with anyone on the Leafs, and couldn't even play with Mats Sundin. Ah, but look back my friends, look at who he played with back on Long Island:
None other than Captain Self-Centred Alexei YASHIN! God everything is starting to make so much sense now.
I am so god damned happy that Wilson has come in this year refusing to put up with anyone's shit. It's about time someone put a mirror in front of some of these conceited prima donnas and show them what they're really worth. I'm glad that, just because a moron gave you a shit ton of underseved money, that doesn't mean that the world revolves around you. I think the whole cancer debacle has distracted most people from the fact that Blake was known as an unlikable prick before he came to Toronto, and his true colours are coming to the forefront more and more as he faces more and more challenges in Toronto.
Just like McCabe, I can't wait to see this guy leave. Get away from the team as soon as possible before he infects them with his shitty me-first attitude and bring in someone who actually cares about whats best for the team. I don't hate Blake, I just prefer he not be on the Leafs. Unless he changes his approach to his work and realizes that being a selfish whiner is not the way to succeed, I'll sit back and chuckle everytime he loses his mind over a healthy scratching. I hope this brings us one step closer to ridding the Leafs of this cancer.
Frankly, I was sick of this guy's act by the middle of last season, and as of now this kind of behavior comes as expected. For some reason, this guy thinks he's entitled to all the playing time he wants, and as we've seen on way too many occasions, take as many shots as he wants. Whenever I watch him play, its as if his motivations have nothing to do with the team's, and especially in the offensive zone, he's just oblivious to his teammates and what they're trying to accomplish. And he has NO idea why he's being scratched? Please. From the column of Howard Berger:
“I don’t know what’s going on… we’ll try to figure it out sometime today,” Blake said. “It’s just extremely frustrating. To be honest, I was very, very upset in Boston, but I didn’t really know what to say because I was caught off guard. It was the first time in nine years that I was a healthy scratch. I’m even more caught off guard this time, and I don’t know what’s going on, to tell you the truth. I’ll spend the afternoon trying to figure it out.”
How on earth is he caught off guard? He's played 14 games and scored 2 goals. TWO! You know, after he cashed in on a campaign that saw him score 40 on one of the shittiest teams in the league? He's on pace for about 60% of what he produced last year, and currently sits at a minus 3. He's been given ample amounts of ice time from the beginning of the season up until recently, and yet has done nothing with it. He consistently ignores his teammates and takes piss poor shots when it isn't required, as if his personal stats are of the utmost importance.
Blake's right. This benching is a mystery. Paul Maurice is at home contemplating his very existence, thinking "benched Blake? BENCHED BLAKE? HOW CAN HE DO THAT? CAN HE DO THAT? Bu-but the guy makes $4 MILLION A YEAR! Doesn't that mean you play him the most? IT ONLY MAKES SENSE DAMN IT! AWWHHH WHY AM I EVEN HERE?"
I'm convinced selfish players must play with other selfish players in order to find success in the NHL. That's the only explanation I have for Blake's 40 goal season. He doesn't fit with anyone on the Leafs, and couldn't even play with Mats Sundin. Ah, but look back my friends, look at who he played with back on Long Island:
None other than Captain Self-Centred Alexei YASHIN! God everything is starting to make so much sense now.
I am so god damned happy that Wilson has come in this year refusing to put up with anyone's shit. It's about time someone put a mirror in front of some of these conceited prima donnas and show them what they're really worth. I'm glad that, just because a moron gave you a shit ton of underseved money, that doesn't mean that the world revolves around you. I think the whole cancer debacle has distracted most people from the fact that Blake was known as an unlikable prick before he came to Toronto, and his true colours are coming to the forefront more and more as he faces more and more challenges in Toronto.
Just like McCabe, I can't wait to see this guy leave. Get away from the team as soon as possible before he infects them with his shitty me-first attitude and bring in someone who actually cares about whats best for the team. I don't hate Blake, I just prefer he not be on the Leafs. Unless he changes his approach to his work and realizes that being a selfish whiner is not the way to succeed, I'll sit back and chuckle everytime he loses his mind over a healthy scratching. I hope this brings us one step closer to ridding the Leafs of this cancer.
November 10, 2008
The Toronto Maple Leafs Will Never Draft John Tavares
Originally I wanted to put my thoughts down back on July the 30th. All I managed was this title.
I mean, I knew the Leafs weren't going to be that shitty that they'd end up feeding from the bottom, but what I couldn't discern was how they would stay out of the basement. Beyond the same negative media coverage we've grown accustomed to, whom all predicted the Leafs would be awful, most fans and objective NHL hockey fans really didn't know what to expect come the beginning of October. And as is turns out, one man is responsible for the Leafs not being bad enough, and most, including myself, didn't think he could do it.
What would the Leafs do without Mats? Are we looking at quantity over quality on the back end, and would any of these defence men play above and beyond expectations? Can Toskala pick up where he left off, with a brand new season without any competition for his starting job? And let's not even get started on where (or if ever) goals would come from amongst the forwards.
I knew in my gut that Toronto would never get that top pick, at least not this year. Ever since the lockout, when I changed from a fair weather hockey fan into a full blown Leaf nut, I've come to notice that the best possible situation never happens in Toronto. There is always a catch. I never could describe what it was, or how I knew something was just too good to be true. I've settled on a name for it, and you'll be seeing this phrase tossed about fairly often around these parts: "Maple Leaf Luck", or MLL. And this kind of luck, unfortunately, only seems to affect the loyal fans who deserve nothing less than a championship already.
MLL comes in all different forms when it comes to the NHL and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Whether it be cast offs who go on to be decent to great players, free agent busts, or even late season pushes that get your hopes up that maybe, just maybe, we'll see some playoff hockey, only to realize the consolation prize is a mid-level first round pick. We see it in players with all the tools to become good or even great, but struggle with injuries and never really get their fair shake. The most obvious form MLL takes is in the ranks of Leafs management, which continue to meddle and fuck up the team, yet still mysteriously retain their positions within the organization.
This year, however, the MLL seems to be changing it's tune, if only thus far. Suddenly this team is fun to watch again. Young players are actually getting the chance to play major roles on the team, and I've yet to see a performance that stinks of that old familiar "phone-it-in" level of effort. I no longer watch and hope that one individual will perform miracles to win games, or shit my pants every time the opposition gets a shot on goal. For the first time in a long time, fresh faces are actually making a big difference, rather than collecting their newly enlarged paycheck and half-assing it. The coach actually calls time outs and makes his players accountable, all while implementing a system that suggests he actually knows what he's doing.
I'm not hoping for the playoffs this year, but I'm also ready to accept, as all Leaf fans should by now, that Tavares, Hedman or even Cowan will not be pulling on a Leaf jersey in June of '09. This group of no-namers have more talent than Toronto themselves would have you believe, and the commitment to a high level of work ethic will see to it that the Leafs won't lose as many games as most (myself included) were looking forward to. This brand of hockey is not the brand of basement dwellers, and it has changed my mind in that I'm not so worried anymore. I now don't believe it's going to take the Penguins/Blackhawks method of rebuilding for Toronto to return to contender status. I wasn't expecting the Leafs to be this fun, and so as long as they keep it up, MLL can have its way.
So if you're like me, and you're excited and happy that you're seeing this rare development of so many players at once, or you're still hoping for a complete bottom-out and a chance at a franchise player like I used to be, you really only have one man to either thank or shit on for all of it. This season now and the many years to come are being affected by one man alone, who I will admit was nowhere near my first choice to replace the shamed John Ferguson Jr. Already it looks like we have a franchise defencemen in the works, as well as the steal of the off-season playing top six minutes for our team. And because of him, Tavares will never be a draft choice of the Maple Leafs.
Mr. Fletcher, I should never have doubted you.
I mean, I knew the Leafs weren't going to be that shitty that they'd end up feeding from the bottom, but what I couldn't discern was how they would stay out of the basement. Beyond the same negative media coverage we've grown accustomed to, whom all predicted the Leafs would be awful, most fans and objective NHL hockey fans really didn't know what to expect come the beginning of October. And as is turns out, one man is responsible for the Leafs not being bad enough, and most, including myself, didn't think he could do it.
What would the Leafs do without Mats? Are we looking at quantity over quality on the back end, and would any of these defence men play above and beyond expectations? Can Toskala pick up where he left off, with a brand new season without any competition for his starting job? And let's not even get started on where (or if ever) goals would come from amongst the forwards.
I knew in my gut that Toronto would never get that top pick, at least not this year. Ever since the lockout, when I changed from a fair weather hockey fan into a full blown Leaf nut, I've come to notice that the best possible situation never happens in Toronto. There is always a catch. I never could describe what it was, or how I knew something was just too good to be true. I've settled on a name for it, and you'll be seeing this phrase tossed about fairly often around these parts: "Maple Leaf Luck", or MLL. And this kind of luck, unfortunately, only seems to affect the loyal fans who deserve nothing less than a championship already.
MLL comes in all different forms when it comes to the NHL and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Whether it be cast offs who go on to be decent to great players, free agent busts, or even late season pushes that get your hopes up that maybe, just maybe, we'll see some playoff hockey, only to realize the consolation prize is a mid-level first round pick. We see it in players with all the tools to become good or even great, but struggle with injuries and never really get their fair shake. The most obvious form MLL takes is in the ranks of Leafs management, which continue to meddle and fuck up the team, yet still mysteriously retain their positions within the organization.
This year, however, the MLL seems to be changing it's tune, if only thus far. Suddenly this team is fun to watch again. Young players are actually getting the chance to play major roles on the team, and I've yet to see a performance that stinks of that old familiar "phone-it-in" level of effort. I no longer watch and hope that one individual will perform miracles to win games, or shit my pants every time the opposition gets a shot on goal. For the first time in a long time, fresh faces are actually making a big difference, rather than collecting their newly enlarged paycheck and half-assing it. The coach actually calls time outs and makes his players accountable, all while implementing a system that suggests he actually knows what he's doing.
I'm not hoping for the playoffs this year, but I'm also ready to accept, as all Leaf fans should by now, that Tavares, Hedman or even Cowan will not be pulling on a Leaf jersey in June of '09. This group of no-namers have more talent than Toronto themselves would have you believe, and the commitment to a high level of work ethic will see to it that the Leafs won't lose as many games as most (myself included) were looking forward to. This brand of hockey is not the brand of basement dwellers, and it has changed my mind in that I'm not so worried anymore. I now don't believe it's going to take the Penguins/Blackhawks method of rebuilding for Toronto to return to contender status. I wasn't expecting the Leafs to be this fun, and so as long as they keep it up, MLL can have its way.
So if you're like me, and you're excited and happy that you're seeing this rare development of so many players at once, or you're still hoping for a complete bottom-out and a chance at a franchise player like I used to be, you really only have one man to either thank or shit on for all of it. This season now and the many years to come are being affected by one man alone, who I will admit was nowhere near my first choice to replace the shamed John Ferguson Jr. Already it looks like we have a franchise defencemen in the works, as well as the steal of the off-season playing top six minutes for our team. And because of him, Tavares will never be a draft choice of the Maple Leafs.
Mr. Fletcher, I should never have doubted you.
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