What to Expect On This Blog

Three popular websites for similar information are: www.tsn.ca, www.sportsnet.ca, and www.torontomapleleafs.com. The difference between my blog and their websites is that they come at it from an expert’s point of view. To fully grasp what they’re saying, you must have a pretty good understanding of sports, so their target is the sports fan audience. My target is the person who doesn’t know much about sports, so they could check out my blog and then be equipped to go to one of the other websites.

I will do a good balance of original posts, and heads up posts. If a major sports site has a story, I will do a quick heads up post to inform followers about the recent news. If I have an opinion to share, I will do so with an original comment post, with stats to back up my opinion. Original comment posts will be more common when there isn’t a game or there is a lack of other action surrounding the club. When there’s no news, I will make news.

My voice will be professional and formal, so readers know I’m knowledgeable, but also opinionated so there will be content that makes the readers think, and decide whether they agree or disagree. There will be explanations in my entries of tougher hockey concepts, and my “style” will be to inform the reader of questions they may have so they don’t have to do another google search. I plan to expose very little about my personal life, not because I’m scared of it, but because I don’t feel it is necessary.

A Quick Look: Chris Metzger

Everyone knows that your blood is originally blue, and then when your blood hits the surface it turns red. Chris Metzger bleeds blue and white, and this is because he doesn’t just bleed ordinary blood, he bleeds the blue and white of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Chris Metzger loves his hockey and has been around it ever since he first laced skates at the age of nine and he has been a Leafs fan just as long. Chris lives in Drayton, Ontario which has a huge Leaf fan base and that was the main reason for him choosing Toronto as his beloved hockey team.

Chris’ passions for hockey also lead him to becoming a consistent viewer of TSN which is a largely viewed sports station in Canada. Chris’ love for sports lead him to watching TSN, but it was a sports journalist by the name of Jay Onrait whose daily dose of comedic sports reporting on the show began to draw Chris’ attention, so much so, that it made him idolize Onrait and sees Onrait's job as the profession he wishes to have when looking forward in his life. However, Chris is no one trick pony and that is shown through his love of other sports such as baseball, basketball and football and although he admits he is not very successful in any of them he says that it doesn’t stop him from enjoying them. Chris is focused on making a name for himself in broadcasting and says that his dream is to one day reach the ranks of TSN which would fulfill a goal of his that stands very tall. Hopefully Chris’ light hearted attitude towards life continues to bring him much success in his future findings along the path of broadcasting, but for now he is just working hard.

Leafs Fall AGAIN to Sabres

It's a very familiar story early in the Toronto Maple Leafs' season. Ryan Miller stood on his head and the Leafs fell in overtime, 3-2 to the Buffalo Sabres, putting the Maple Leafs back into the basement of the NHL (worst team). Mikhail Grabovski and Ian White scored for the Maple Leafs, who outshot Buffalo 16-5 in the third period. Since they lost in overtime, the Leafs still get one point in the standings, but they have still only won one game this season.

Check out the story tsn.ca/nhl/teams/story/?id=296660&hubname=nhl-maple_leafs
and video watch.tsn.ca/nhl/clip229927#clip229927

Decoding the Entry Draft

Nazem Kadri was drafted 7th overall. Jimmy Hayes was drafted in the second round. Chris DiDomenico was drafted in the sixth round. What does this all mean and what's the difference?

The first importance difference is between the terms "overall" and "round". Overall refers to the position compared to everyone else in the draft. If Kadri was drafted seventh overall, then it means six players were drafted before him. If DiDomenico was drafted in the sixth round, then five ROUNDS of players were drafted before him. A round of players consists of 30 picks (one for every team), so DiDomenico is a 164th overall pick. (30X5=150, and the Leafs had the 14th pick of the round to make 164.)

Originally, every team has a pick in every round. As the year goes on, teams trade picks for players or picks for other picks, and it is rare for a team to have a pick in every round when all is said and done. Obviously, first round picks have the most value, and value decreases as you get lower, as the best players should be in theory drafted first. This is not always true, as many great players have been drafted late. (Hall of Famer Luc Robitaille http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=4616) The majority of good players come from the first and second rounds, and first overall picks are almost always stars, but there are always exceptions. (See Stefan, Patrik http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=30952 or Daigle, Alexander http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/pdisplay.php?pid=1230)

Nazem Kadri's Disappointement Showing In His Play

Nazem Kadri said he was disappointed after being sent back to the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights. This is understandable, as everyone wants to make the NHL, but it seems Kadri is letting this disappointment affect his game, scoring only 9 points in 11 games thus far. Kadri is expected to get around 100 points this year in the OHL, and if he is going to do so, he must rapidly increase his scoring pace. In all likelyhood, Kadri will pick up his level of play soon, but he can't wait too long, or he may be left off Team Canada's entry into the World Junior Championships being held in Saskatchewan (a collection of the top players under 20 years old). If the Knights are going to make a lengthy playoff run, Kadri will need to be a huge piece of the puzzle.

Kadri's beautiful shootout goal:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVfNxfa_Zuc&feature=fvst

Kadri's player profile: http://www.ontariohockeyleague.com/stats/player.php?id=4566

Antropov Missed By the Leafs More Than Expected

Whenever a debate about elite players in the National Hockey League arises, Nikolai Antropov's name never surfaces. In fact, Antropov was one of the most heavily criticized players on the Leafs when he was with the team. Antropov was the 10th overall pick in the 1998 Entry Draft. Teams expect that players drafted this high will be stars in the league, so Antropov could certainly be labelled as a disappointment. He has always been a slow, choppy skater, and his best offensive season was 56 points.
View Antropov's stats at sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1962/career;_ylt=Avdv6e.4R5wBvtBrUqWYj.xivLYF

Toronto's Sports Radio, the Fan 590, suggested on their show "The Bullpen" that maybe Antropov was more crucial to the Leafs' offense than he gets credit for. In the Leafs' first 8 games of the season, they only scored 15 goals, an average of 1.9 goals per game, a far cry from last season's average of 3.0. The only two forwards missing from last year's crew are Dominic Moore (who couldn't even get an NHL contract until part way through the season), and, you guessed it, Nikolai Antropov. The Number 1 centre spot that Antropov held hasn't been successfully filled by anyone, and Alexei Ponikarovsky has struggled without his friend and linemate (two players who play on the same line or are on the ice together regularly).

Although Antropov's skating was mediocre at best, leaving him open to being the scapegoat, he was an effective player who was physical, using his 6'6", 240 pound frame (lots of bodychecking), and who could take the spotlight away from others so they could produce unnoticed.

Listen to FAN 590 live at www.fan590.com/listen/

Leafs Win! Leafs Win!

The wait is finally over. The Leafs have won a game. After losing all of their first 8 games, the seemingly impossible has happened. The Leafs defeated the Anaheim Ducks 6-3. The Ducks are Leafs’ General Manager Brian Burke’s former team, so there was extra pride for him after the game.

The Leafs still struggled to score at even strength, as five of the six goals came during powerplays. Jonas Gustavsson played well in net, stopping 25 of the 28 shots he faced. Three Leafs players in particular had great games: Niklas Hagman (3 goals), Lee Stempniak (1 goal, 3 assists) and Tomas Kaberle (1 goal, 4 assists). This is a huge win for a floundering team.

tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=296241

Thompson Blames Wilson

When something goes wrong anytime in society, someone must take the blame or accept responsibility. So, with the Leafs struggling out of the gate sporting an 0-7-1 record (wins-losses-overtime losses), it was only a matter of time before a scapegoat was named. Today’s scapegoat (there could be many over the course of the season) is Ron Wilson, the coach, who got called out on TSN’s show ‘Off the Record’.


The show’s guest, Jim Thompson said Wilson is, “not a good coach,” and criticized Wilson for “calling out” Leafs youngster Luke Schenn. tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=295874

How Can the Leafs Be Happy at a Time Like This?

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a spring in their step as they embark on a 5 game road trip. This is quite puzzling considering athletes traditionally prefer spending time with their families and sleeping in their own beds, things they can do while playing at home. It’s also slightly confusing because teams winless in their first 7 games are usually dragging their feet rather than walking with a noticeable bounce, but the Toronto Maple Leafs are trying to remain positive despite their sluggish start.

In fact, being on the road could be the best thing for this team, escaping the microscopic, over-analyzing media of Toronto and being able to play a more relaxed game. They see it as a fresh start; after having a week off in between games and now a road trip, the Leafs are trying to forget about the past struggles and will start again from scratch.

Check out TSN’s take at http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=295714

Why Do Leafs Fans Hate the Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens?

They’re two of hockey’s greatest rivalries, one going back to the beginning of the 20th century, and one starting just years before that same century was over. Whenever a conversation starts about the Leafs’ greatest rivals, the two names first uttered will be the Habs and the Sens.

These rivalries have definitely lost some of their intensity over the past few years, with the Leafs being out of the playoffs every year in recent memory, but games against these teams certainly still have more passion and the fans get into the game more as well.

There are some reasons that both teams are hated by Leafs fans. One is the fact that the teams are in the same division as the Leafs. This means they play the Leafs 8 times every season compared to some teams once and others not at all. This increased exposure allows players to develop grudges and often events from previous games build on each other, maximizing intensity and hatred. They also are within relatively close proximities of each other. This contributes to fans of the teams to be mixed in the three areas. For example, there will be Senator fans in Montreal, and Canadiens (Habs) fans in Toronto. This sparks debates at the water coolers over the previous night’s games over who is better, adding to the hate, and making the need for success against each other so much more crucial if for nothing else than bragging rights.

There are also some reasons specific to the Habs and Sens that create bad blood. The Toronto-Montreal rivalry goes back so far that many don’t know where or when or how it began, but most of its basis came from the days of the Original Six Era, when the only teams in the NHL were Montreal, Toronto, Boston, New York, and Detroit. This meant these teams played each other a number of times every year, and Montreal met Toronto in the playoffs frequently due to the lack of teams in the league. In fact, according to a website dedicated to the history of the Montreal Canadiens, in a span of 13 years, (1956-1970) either Montreal or Toronto was etched onto the Stanley Cup for 12 of those years. ourhistory.canadiens.com/opponent/Toronto-Maple-Leafs
Whenever the Toronto Maple Leafs play the Ottawa Senators, it is dubbed, “The Battle of Ontario,” and although this is a much newer rivalry, it could certainly be argued it is the more intense of the two, mainly due to two significant events that took place between the two teams.

1. The first is a number of playoff series in which the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Ottawa Senators. These took place in a very short amount of time, and it seemed at the time that the two teams met every year with the Leafs coming out on top. The climax of these series came in Game 7 of the 2004 playoffs. Joe Nieuwendyk scored two weak goals on Sens goalie Patrick Lalime to give his team the win. This obviously made Ottawa fans detest the Maple Leafs. www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfuBxEfFWvM
2. The replays of one hit still boil Leaf fans collective blood. Late in the third period of Game 5 in the 2002 NHL playoffs, Ottawa’s Daniel Alfredsson placed a questionable hit on Leafs forward Darcy Tucker. Toronto fans agree a penalty should have undoubtedly been called. With Tucker lying on the ice writhing in pain, the Senators’ (you guessed it) Daniel Alfredsson scored what ended up being the winning goal.

Find out what TSN thinks are the top 10 best Sens-Leafs moments. www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cib07oQ-a_8&feature=fvw

asp hit counter

Wilson Tries to Make Hockey Fun

What better way to break out of a slump than forgetting about the team's woes and playing a good, old fashioned game of dodgeball. Leafs coach Ron wilson is hoping that this strategy will help snap the Leafs out of their 6 game winless streak (0-5-1) and that's exactly what the Leafs did at their practice.

Coaches and players alike said that the team needed to relieve stress and get back to viewing the game as fun. Ron Wilson said in an interview with TSN, "We play a game and it's supposed to be fun, and when you have a start like this, it's obviously not a lot of fun and we want to make sure guys come to the rink and relax a little bit." Only time will tell if this is an effective way to bounce back from the Leafs' recent tough start.

Check out the video footage at http://watch.tsn.ca/nhl/#clip224246

Mike Van Ryn Could Be Forced Into Retirement By Knee Injury

Mike Van Ryn being injured is nothing new. He only played 27 games last year and 20 games the year before that. He won't play a single game this year. According to TSN.ca, Van Ryn is having an osteotomy, which is a "a procedure by which the bone is cut and the knee is realigned." The most famous player to have this surgery is Steve Yzerman, who successfully made it back to the NHL, but was certainly a shadow of his former self. It is unknown at this time whether Van Ryn will ever play in the NHL again.

Follow this story on TSN: http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=295000

Why Are the Toronto Maple Leafs So Bad?

Someone should call Home Hardware and tell them to prepare for a large order of red light bulbs. The ones behind the Leafs’ goal must be getting close to burnt out. Getting scored on a lot is not a big problem in the NHL, it happens all the time. The problem arises when a team can’t put pucks in the other team’s net to counteract the lack of defence.
Why are the Leafs being outscored by such a large margin? They are in last place in the entire NHL, (or 30th for the optimists) and in 6 games haven’t registered a win, being outscored 28-13 in the process.

The first reason is the Leafs’ goaltending, which has been mediocre at best. The Leafs’ goals against average (or amount of goals scored against them per game) is 4.66. A good goalie’s goals against average is around 2.50, so the Leafs’ goalies are letting in 2 goals more per game than other teams. Yes, some of the goals have been nearly impossible to stop, but it seems every time Vesa Toskala is in net, a weak goal or two cross the line.

The Leafs don’t have a good crop of forwards this year, something that fans and analysts alike realized before the year. Their best forwards would be average on many other teams, but since the Leafs weren’t expected to let in many goals, there would be less stress on the forwards as they could win a lot of 3-2 or 2-1 games. When the forwards don’t trust the defence to keep the puck out of their own net, they get uptight and put unnecessary pressure on themselves, limiting their effectiveness.

The defence has been the source of the most criticism in this young season. New players Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin have not played well enough to warrant their new contracts, $4.5 million and $3.8 million respectively. Luke Schenn seems to have fallen victim to the dreaded “sophomore jinx” that hurts players in their second year in the league. Experts have attributed a couple of reasons to the Leafs’ defensive collapse.

First, since the goaltenders have been playing so poorly, the defence must play more cautiously, and that requires abandoning their natural instincts, causing decision making to be delayed, and causing players to once again put unnecessary pressure on themselves. Second, Komisarek and Beauchemin are new players, so it will naturally take time for them to get used to playing with their new teammates, needing to figure out tendencies of their defence partners and forwards so they know where each other will be and the style of game that is played.

Unfortunately, a team struggling in Toronto is not a new phenomenon. The Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Rock, and Toronto Raptors all missed the playoffs in their last season. The Toronto Argonauts and Toronto F.C. are bringing their respective seasons to a close, and barring a miracle, will both also miss the playoffs. Toronto’s Sports Radio, the Fan 590 recently said Toronto should be dubbed “The City of Losers,” as Detroit is “The Motor City”, New York is “The City that Never Sleeps,” and Chicago is “The Windy City.”

Maybe it wouldn’t be a terrible idea to invest in Home Hardware stocks. At this rate, they’ll be busy.

What Happened in the Kessel Mess?

This summer the Toronto Maple Leafs were involved in one of the more confusing transactions this offseason when they traded for Phil Kessel who was then a member of the Boston Bruins. The confusing part was the fact that Kessel was a RFA (Restricted Free Agent).

In the National Hockey League, there are two types of free agents. The first is UFAs or Unrestricted Free Agents. Players become an Unrestricted Free Agent when their contract runs out and they can therefore, in the offseason, sign with any team they choose. There are no restrictions on where these players may sign, and their former team has no say on where they sign. The other is Restricted Free Agents. These players must be under the age of 25 with an expired contract. The difference between RFAs and UFAs is that if a team signs an RFA, it is called an offer sheet, which the RFAs former team can choose to match the offer and keep the player on their team at the contract specifications offered by the other team or let the player go to the other team and receive draft pick compensation. For example, since Kessel was an RFA, the Leafs could offer him a contract, and the Bruins had the choice between matching that contract and keeping Kessel or letting him go to the Leafs and getting draft picks in return. The draft pick compensation increases as the contract increases. If a contract is offered for $1 million per year, the compensation is a third round draft pick, but if the contract offer is over $7 million, the compensation is 4 first round picks.

Since there is a salary cap, the strategy of opposing teams is to offer the RFA an amount high enough that would put the team over the cap, but low enough to give up a small amount of draft pick compensation. The Leafs would have needed to offer Kessel a $5.5 million dollar contract to put the Bruins in a position where they would be over the cap, and the Leafs would have had to forfeit a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd round pick. Why then, would they decide to trade TWO 1st round picks, a 2nd round pick and a 3rd round pick, giving up an extra 1st rounder instead of signing him to an offer sheet?

The Bruins openly said that they would match any offer sheet given to Kessel. Teams are allowed to exceed the cap amount in the offseason by a small amount, and the Bruins would have simply needed to trade some more expensive players. Brian Burke, the Leafs GM, was then forced to trade for Kessel for the increased price.