Leafs/Bruins Preview Dec 3rd 2011 - Reimer to Start!

The Leafs are in Boston tonight to play the 4th head to head game of the season against the Bruins.  Really, it cant get any worse for the Leafs against a tough Bostons team.  The Leafs are 0-3-0 against the Bruins being outscored 19-5 in those 3 games.

The Bruins score quick and often against the Leafs.  The Bruins have scored 23% (19 of 81) of their seasons goals against the Leafs in the three games they have played each other this season.

The Leaf's Kessel still leads the NHL in scoring and goals.  Lupul is catching up to him, being only 2 points behind for the points lead.  If the Leafs top line can have some success tonight against the Bruins, then they can pad their lead in the points race.

The Leafs main focus is playing better defense in front of tonight's starter, Jonas Gustavsson.  He has played great the last five games he has started, but looked a bit shaky in the net in the 3rd period of Wednesday night's game.

We can give credit where credit is due.  The Leafs played very well against the hottest team in the League, skating stride for stride with the Bruins for the 1st two periods, playing the game the Leafs want to play and the game was much closer than the score indicated.

The Leafs are 4-2-0 in their last 6 games.
The Bruins are 5-0-1 in their last 6 games.

The Leafs are 14-9-2 for 30 points and 2nd in the North-East division
The Bruins are 15-7-1 for 31 points and 1st in the North-East division

It must be noted that Reimer will be back in the lineup tonight.  He most likely will get the back up position behind Gustavsson and start on Monday in New York.  He will start tonight! Personally I think they should loan him to the Marlies for a few games to get him back in action.  It'd be good to see where he is at before tossing him in the lineup for an NHL game.
I got the Leafs breaking out of their slump against the Bruins and beating them 5-2, Kessel leading the way with two goals, Lupul, Phaneuf and Crabb getting the others.  Just so I don't have to listen the Bruins fan that will be at my girlfriend's family Christmas Party tomorrow night. 

And hey, what ever happened to Lonny Bohonos?

Leafs/Stars Preview Nov 25th 2011

Leafs are in Dallas tonight, and unless you have been living under a rock the last 48 hours, you would have heard already that Reimer is back practicing with the team.  They had an early practice yesterday and then jumped on a bus and went to the Cowboys game.  Which the Cowboys won 20-19 on a field goal with 3 seconds left. 

The Leafs find them selves almost instantly hot again, going 2-1 in their last 3 games outscoring their opponents 16-5 in those games.  Two convincing wins, over Tbay and Washington, has the Leafs bandwagon bulging out at the sides again.

Leafs are 12-8-2 with 26 points good for 2nd in the North-East Division
Stars are 13-8-0 with 26 points good for 2nd in the Pacific Division

Gustavsson will get the start tonight. In his last 5 appearances he has 2.48 GAA and a .920 save%.   Gustavsson also is 1-0-1 in his career vs Dallas, with a 2.44 GAA and a .914 save%

Also, in a press release today, it has been announced that The Ontario Teachers Pension Plan is not selling it's 79% stake in MLSE.  Probably so they don't miss out on the playoff revenue this year when the Leafs make it.

I think tonight, the Leafs win 4-2.  Kessel, Lupul, Steckel, Connolly.

Check out some Leafs stats here: Leafs Stats

Random Stats

 I was bored at school today so I thought I would check into some stats for you guys.  Check them out!

• Last season the Leafs were at 19 points through 22 games (8-10-3)
• This season they are at 26 points through 22 games (12-8-2)
• They didnt get their 12th win until Dec 14 last year. 
  Leafs are on pace for 96 points this season, which would be their highest total since 03-04 when they set a franchise record for most points in an 82 game season.
• Wilson's record as the Leafs coach 113w 115l 40otl.
• Formula for the next three goalie stats is (minutes played)/(60) to get games played.  Then (goals for)/(games played) to give you goals per game.

• Leafs score 3.17 goals per game for Reimer (based on minutes played) over the last 40 games.
• Leafs score 2.83 goals per game for Gustavsson (based on minutes played) over the last 30 games.
• Leafs score 2.12 goals per game for Scrivens (based on minutes played) over his  7 game career.

• Kessel didnt get his 16th goal until Jan 6 and 30th point until Jan 10th.
• Kessel is on pace for: 59g 52a 111p, passing both his career highs of 36g, 32a, and 64p.
• Only once in Kessel's 5 full seasons in the NHL has he finished with more assists than goals. 

• Lupul took 40 games last year to get his 26th point of the season, he already has 26 points through 22 games this year.
  
• Lupul is on pace for: 41g 55a 96p beating his careers highs of 28g, 26a, and 53points

Leafs/Lightning Preview Nov 22nd 2011

It's turning out to be a dog fight for the division..  The Leafs are now fighting Buffalo and Boston for top spot in the North-East.  It's the Leafs own doing.  They have 4 wins in their last 10, and 4 of their 8 losses are against division rivals. 

So, last year, the Leafs were 0-3-1 against Tampa, being shut out twice in those 4 games by Roloson and Ellis once each.   Kessel has 13 points against Tampa in the 19 games that he has played against them.

Leafs are 2-6 in their last 8 and Tampa  4-4 in their last 8.

Leafs: 11-8-2 good for 1st in the North-East division (tied)
Lightning: 9-8-2 good for 3rd in the South-East

Looks like Lupul has a point per game pace for his last 34 games.  I dont think Lupul gets enough credit.  Since he came to the Leafs, Kessel has become more consistent.  In fact, since Lupul came over, Kessel has only been held off the scoreboard in consecutive games once!  His average point streak runs about 3.5 games, and his longest is 15 games (spread over the end of last year and beginning of this year).

Prediction:  Leafs 4-1 - Kessel, Frattin, Steckel, Phanuef

Leafs have to go with Gustavsson tonight, he deserves it the most.

Leafs/Canes Preview Nov 20th 2011

What a win last night for the Leafs!  7-1 over the High Scoring Capitals!  I think all the Gustavsson haters can sit down and shut up for a few weeks now.  It's another game to add to his well played list, and when you compare his well played games to Scrivens well played games, Gustavsson comes out on top.  The Monster has beaten New York Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and now the Washington Capitals.  Scrivens has only beat the Columbus Blue Jackets, and the St Louis Blues.  At the time, both teams were not in the playoffs.  Gustavsson deserves to start tonight, but we will see who Wilson goes with.  Since Gus hasnt played much lately, he should be plenty rested for tonight's game in Raleigh, NC.



Leafs:11-7-2 good for 24 points and 2nd in the North-East Division
Canes:6-11-3 good for 15 points and 5th in the South-East Division

Leafs are 2-2-1 in their last 5 and the Canes are 1-4-0 in their last 5.

Kessel and Lupul lead the way for the leafs with 27 points and 24 points respectively.



Its been a while since the Leafs had 2 players high up in the scoring race.  Infact, Henny tells us that its been since the 32-33 season that they had two players in the top 2 in scoring.  Kessel sits 1st Lupul sits tied for 3rd.








Tonight the Leafs can take over the Division lead again if they beat the Canes.  Connolly got his 400th and 401st career points last night, congratulations goes out to him.

The Canes have 5 ex-Leafs on their roster.  Tim Brent, Alexei Ponikarovski, Thomas Kaberle, Jiri Tlusty and Jay Harrison.  They have a combine points total of 25.
The Leafs need to beat this team good tonight.  They need to beat them by 2 or 3 goals and put it away early.  The Leafs can not afford to lose this game.  Every game now for the rest of the season is a must win game.  Tonight, Leafs win 4-1 - Kessel 2 - Lupul - Frattin.

Leafs/Caps Preview Nov 19th 2011

Leafs face the Washington Capitals tonight in Toronto at the ACC.  The Leafs and the Caps are both coming off losses, and are only separated in the standings by 1 point (Leafs 22, Caps 21).

Washington: 10-6-1 21 points, good for 1st in the South-East division
Leafs: 10-7-2 - 22 points, good for 2nd in the North-East division

Both Toronto and Washing are struggling, winning only 1 game in both their last 6 games.  For the Leafs, its only the Kessel/Lupul line that has been producing.  They need to have more production from their 2nd and 3rd lines.
The Leafs are missing Komisarek, Lombardi, MacArthur, Grabovski, Reimer, and Armstrong.  If the Leafs want to win this game they are going to have to shut down Ovechkin right from the start.  The kid has 23G and 16A in 23 games played verses the Leafs.

Looks like Gustavsson Gets the start tonight and rightly so.

My prediction is the Leafs win this game 5-4 Kessel 2, Kulemin, Steckel, Connolly. (0-1 is my record)

Connolly is looking for his 400th career point.  He is currently at 399.
This game can be seen on CBC or streamed live from http://www.cbc.ca/sports/

Leafs/Preds Nov 17 2011

The Leafs are in Nashville tonight taking on the Predators.

Leafs: 10-6-2  for 2nd in the North-East
Preds: 9-6-3 for 2nd in the Central

Leafs have won 1 of their last 5 games and the Preds have won 4 of their last 6 games.

In order for the Leafs to win this game they need to get secondary scoring and great goal tending. Last time they faced off, the Leafs came back from a 4-1 deficit to win the game 5-4 on goals from Versteeg (2) Grabovski, Kulemin, and Luke Schenn.

My prediction is Leafs over Preds 4-2 Kessel (2) Lupul, Gardiner.

Also, a report has surfaced that Jake Gardiner might be playing the role of a forward tonight.  I don't understand why they never did that with Kaberle.

Behind Enemy Lines!

I went to Sunday night's Leafs/Sens game in Ottawa and man, did I ever feel like the enemy.   We purchased our tickets from Capital tickets, the official ticket outlet for the Ottawa Senators.  These tickets were located in section 215 which is behind the visitor’s net for 2 periods.  They were fairly good seats and fairly cheap compared to tickets at the Air Canada Center.  Mind you, I am treated much better at the ACC than I was at the Scotia Bank Place this weekend. 

We already have a huge target on our selves because we are wearing Leafs jerseys and Jessie had her face painted, with the numbers of her current two favourite Leafs players, Phaneuf and Lupul.  I had my usual blue and white Maple Leafs clown wig on.  We also carried with us our fan made sign that read "Phil that net Kessel". (hah get it, “Phil” like “Fill” I crack myself up sometimes.)

I was surprised that the 1st person I seen on Sunday happened to be a Leafs fan from Thunder Bay.  Mind you, he was crazy, and he might have been high on drugs.  He told us how he was going to the game and that he was suppose to take his grandson, but his grandson was being punished for being caught smoking weed, and was not allowed to go to the game. 

We were on our way out of the hotel, when in the main lobby, someone shouted "You are in the wrong city, you must have taken the wrong exit off that highway".  I shouted back that the Sens would have to score 1^st to take the crowd out of the game tonight.  The guy snickered and that was the end of that.

Jessie in the Senate Club toasting to our fun adventure

Then we were on our way to the game.  We had reservations at the Senate club located underground in the Scotia Bank Place.  This is a buffet style restaurant and the food was fairly good.  After dodging the odd comment and strange looks, we finished eating and paid our bill.    At this point, the excitement hasn’t kicked in yet.   

My friend Kendra and her girlfriend Dani ended up getting tickets to the game, and we met up with them in the 200 level.  We made our way to our seats and figured we had got pretty good seats.   Once I walked out to the seats, the excitement kicked in.  This was the 5^th time I have been to a Leafs/Sens game.  The 1^st one I ever went to, was in Toronto and was game 2 of the 1^st round in the 2003-2004 playoffs.  The Leafs won that game 2-0, Belfour getting the shutout.  After that the Leafs haven’t had much luck with the Sens in games that I had been in attendance, losing 3-2 in the 1^st ever shootout , 7-2 and 8-0.  I was hoping the curse would be broken Sunday night.

View from our seats

We were only 4 rows from the edge of the 200 level.  Jessie and I walked over to the edge and looked over.  It was only a 10-15 foot drop, and you could easily have a conversation with someone in the 100 level.  It was Heritage jersey night in Ottawa.  There were retro jerseys all over the place with that big “0” on the front.  One guy in the 100 level said to me when I was looking down “Hey man, you have a stain on your jersey” and I chirped back “What does that 0 stand for on your jersey?  Doesn’t it mean 0 cups?” he smiled and said, “That’s a view good one!” The funny thing really, was the Sens have 11 Stanley Cups.  This fan is such an idiot that he didn’t even know his own team’s history.  Mind you, only a handful of people today seen the last Sens Stanley Cup since it was back in 1926

Jonas Gustavsson on the ice during pre-game warm-up

The players made their way out to the ice for the pregame warm-up, and the cheers started ringing through the building.  I have to tell you, being in an away building, and the Go! Leafs Go! chants are louder than that Go! Sens Go! chants is an amazing noise to be heard.   The Sens would definitely need to score first to take the crowd out of this game.   It was hard to tell at 1^st where I actually was.  Pretty much the entire upper bowl was Leafs fans and about half the lower bowl was Leafs fans.  It was a sea of Blue and White. 

The 1^st period was alright.  The Leafs seemed to be chasing the puck a lot, and couldn’t keep control of it much.  Toronto did manage to score 1^st on a power play goal by MacArthur.  The Sens tied it up though before the end of the period. 

During the 1^st intermission, Kendra and Dani came to join us in our section.  Our row had been empty throughout the 1^st period, so they thought they would come watch the second period with us.  About a minute after they sat down, the usher came over and very rudely asked to see their tickets.  Of course they didn’t have tickets for that section.  I told the usher that they were just from the other section over there and pointed to their section, and before I could finish what I was saying, she cut me off and said “I know, why do you think I asked to see their tickets?”  As Kendra and Dani were leaving Jessie turned to me and said “It’s because we are Leafs fans” in a very jokingly manner and the usher turned around and snipped back saying “No, actually it’s because they didn’t pay for 200 level seats.” I asked her where the people that paid for these seats were, and why my friends couldn’t sit here until the people came to claim their seats, if the seats had even been sold.

 I figured it was in my best interest to not get into an argument with this girl, but Jessie said to me as the usher was leaving that they don’t treat us like this in Toronto.  The usher stepped back down and cut in again and said, “Actually they do, I have been there before for a game”.  It’s funny that she said that, because I use to work at the Rogers Center and they actually encouraged you to move down after the 7^th inning if seats hadn’t been sat in all game.  And I’m not talking about moving from 500 level to 300 level, I’m talking about 500 level to field level.  I can understand them not allowing this in Scotia Bank Place, but the way the girl talked to us was unexceptional on a customer – business level.

About 5 minutes into the 2^nd period a few young men came and sat in our row.  We decided that we weren’t going to let this ruin the game for us, so we turned our attention to the game.  Every time that Kessel touched the puck Jessie would wave her sign around and yelled.  The same usher came down and told Jessie that she was not allowed to wave her sign while play was still going.  Jessie instantly questioned the girl about the new people sitting in our row.  The usher proceeded to send those people back to their section as well.  After a few minutes the Usher came back down to try and explain to Jessie how things work in Toronto.  Jessie cut her off and told her “I’m trying to watch this game I spent my money on to watch, please leave me alone” and that was the end of our problems with that usher. 

The rest of the game was entertaining, kind of.  The Leafs made it fun in the 3^rd period after falling behind 3-1 on a weak goal let in by The Monster.   MacArthur got his second of the game pulling the Leafs within 1.  That was as close as they would get.   It’s a little disappointing for spending near $800 on this trip.  I would have been fine with just the Leafs loss, but the treatment we got at the Scotia Bank Place was uncalled for.  I don’t believe I will be going back to there.  So Ottawa, next time, I think I will be going to Buffalo.

Lupul, to Kessel, Top Shelf!!!!

If you are wondering, if there was 1 specific thing that I could point out to you, that is the biggest factor in the Leafs hot start of 4-1-1, I'd tell you Phil Kessel.  But in all honesty, I can't put it all on him.  He is going to share the credit with Joffrey Lupul.  So far, the two combine for 11 goals and 8 assists in 6 games this season.  They are a plus 12 together, which is a HUGE turnaround from last season where they were a -27.
 
Since Lupul was picked up by the Leafs in a trade with the Ducks on Feb 9th 2011, Kessel has become much more consistent in his scoring. 

With Joffrey Lupul, Kessel had these stats:

34 games played
19g  - .56 goals per game
21a - .62 assists per game
90pts - 1.18 points per game

 And without Joffrey Lupul:

124 games played
49g - .4 goals per game
41a - .33 assists per game
90pts - .73 points per game

As you can see from these stats, Kessel has had significant production increase since Lupul has come arrived.   The ironic part of it all, was Lupul was supposed to just come over as a large contract pick up, not as a top line player, but this trade made Burke look good, because not only did he get someone who seems to have decent chemistry with Kessel, he also got defenceman Jake Gardiner.  Gardiner is considered the Leafs top defensive prospect, and cracked the roster this training camp, but has yet to make any significant contributions to the team so far and is a +1 through 4 games so far this season.

Kessel is on pace for 95 goals and 68 assists, good for 163 points on the season.  Now, looking at these numbers, its a bit unrealistic that Kessel will break the record for most goals in a season (92, set by Wayne Gretzky in 81-82) but maybe this is the year that Kessel can get out of the 30 goal range and push up into that 40 goal range.  Either way, going by the stats, there should be an improvement in Kessel's point production.  Here's hoping his success keeps up.

Poppin' The Cherry? I Don't Think So!

There are only 2 people in hockey I dislike more than Don Cherry.  Most of my readers could probably guess that Sidney Crosby is  one of them and anyone personally close to me, would know Daniel Alfredsson is the other.

On October 6th, 2011, Don Cherry made some remarks towards a few retired players, regarding their stance on fighting in the NHL.

"The ones that I am really disgusted with ... are the bunch of pukes that fought before: Stu Grimson, Chris Nilan and Jim Thomson. (They say) 'Oh, the reason that they're drinking, (taking) drugs and alcoholics is because they're fighting.' You turncoats. You hypocrites. If there's one thing I'm not it's a hypocrite. You guys were fighters, and now you don't want guys to make the same living you did."

So Lets get this straight Stu... You, a former NHL tough guy, are upset at the fact that Cherry called you a "puke"?  Or is it that he called you out on your belief that fighting in the NHL causes drug addictions and Alcoholism?  So, tell me why you are filing a lawsuit? How are his comments "damaging and inflammatory"?  How serious do you think people actually take Don Cherry? 
I like the part where Chris Nilan says on Off The Record, that he never said that the NHL should ban fighting.  He claimed that his stance is:

"I'll clarify my statements I made about fighting once again: That I believe that the National Hockey League is in a temperance movement. They really don't like fighting, and I believe they don't want it in the game. And I've said, that if they don't want it in the game, why don't they just take it out. I've never said I wanted it out. I never said I'm against fighting. I said if they're that much against it, they put the instigator rule in, they get linesmen who get in and try and break up fights before they start, the linesmen do that because they feel like getting punched in the head today or do they do it because the league asked them to do it because they don't wanna see the fighting on TV."

 Also, Nilan said this right after:

"I don't think they should take fighting out, and I never said it. So what he says to me, and about me last night, totally caught me off guard and again, I feel he's uninformed, and honestly, I feel he owes me an apology on Hockey Night in Canada next week and Coach's Corner."

So, Chris Nilan, this quote you gave the QMI Agency early September, was misprinted? or misquoted? 

"The NHL should ban fighting because it's no longer a factor in the games," Nilan told QMI Agency."

 I got an idea.  Nilan, Grimson, and Thompson, why don't you take your baby bottles and blankies, and go bully someone else, because really, that's all you are, are a bunch of bullies who lost the spotlight and need that fast cash because you were nothing in the NHL and you're puny paychecks have run out.

Oh, Don Cherry, don't think I'm letting you off without anything.  You need to learn that you need to play nicely with people.  The ONLY reason I watch your show is because its in between periods during Maple Leafs game every week. This show should not be used for your personal agenda, to pick fights with anyone, or to call anyone out.  A great friend said:

"The show has great potential to be informing to all hockey fans; as well as, teaching kids the beauty and spirit of hockey."

 That's exactly what it should be.  Not "a show of tired rants by a old former mediocre coach"

You're Outta Here!

It was announced during the 2010-2011 playoffs, that starting during the Stanley Cup Finals last season, that Brendan Shanahan would take over as the  National Hockey League's Vice President of Hockey and Business Development and Head Disciplinarian.  Everyone hoped that Shanny would bring constancy and transparency to the disciplining of the NHL players.  Boy, has he made a difference already.


In one week of preseason action, there were seven suspensions.  Most of these suspensions were from either hits to the head, or boarding.   Shanahan has made a video of him introducing himself (see video below), and showing a clip of the incident.  He then goes on the show you exactly in the video where the hit occurs, and what parts of the hit are key.  He then goes on to explain why that hit was an illegal hit and reads right from the section of the rules where it bans such incidents.




If Shanahan continues to do this down the road, I think it will take away a lot of the "heat" that comes with this job.  By showing in his videos, WHAT he is suspending this player for, and telling us about what incidents such player has done in the past, he is completely justifying his suspension and hiding behind nothing.

Not that I am looking or hoping for something like the Chara hit to happen again in the future, but it will be interesting to see what his ruling would have been on such a controversial hit.

I like Shanahan in this position.  He is someone who was such a great player during his time in the NHL.  He is the typical power forward, netting tons of points, while piling up a lot of penalty minutes, but not being known as a dirty player in the least.

Keep up the good work Shanny!

Maybe This Year!

Greetings everyone!  I hope you all had a great summer.   I was asked the other day to give a reason why I think the Leafs are a playoff team this year.  I have thought about this long and hard to come up with my top 5 reasons why the Leafs will make the playoffs in the 2011-2012 season.  We have all waited long enough for hockey this summer, so without further delay, here are my reasons.

5.  Consistency.  Last year the leafs started off hot, going 4-0 in their 1st 4 games, but then went cold in the months ending in "er"  Once January came, the Leafs rounded out the last half of the season in the top 4 of the Eastern Conference.  Now, I know the haters are going to be like.. "But Mr. Jeff, the Leafs always go on a run near the end of the season, and miss the playoffs, why would last year make any difference?"  Which leads into my next point...

4.  Dion Phaneuf.  Dion came to the Leafs to provide a few things.  One of those things is leadership.  Once Kaberle was traded last year, Phaneuf stepped up and took this team as his own, as a captain should.  Dion had 6G & 16A from January on.  Not bad when compared to his dismal 1G 5A in the 1st half of his season.  He also was hurt for a chunk of the 1st half as well.  I expect a strong performance from the Captain this season.  He needs it and deserves it. 

3. New coaching staff. This point here may be overlooked by most people, but I think it is going to have a big impact.  While Wilson somehow keeps his job, Wilson/Burke let go of the majority of their assistant coaches and replaced them with legitimate people that can make a huge impact behind the bench. Look for the Leafs powerplay and penalty kill to rise in the standings to both being in the top 13. 

2.  Center for Kessel.  When you say the name Tim Connolly the 1st thing that pops into your head is "injuries", but what I think is "Leaf killer".  As a Leafs fan watching this guy in Buffalo for what seems like the last 20 years, he always gets those timely goals against the Leafs, just as MacArthur use to, and look what happened with MacArthur.  He plays great with Grabo and Kuli.  Expect a near full season, a very productive one at that, from the oft injured Connolly.

1.  Optimus Reim.  This is the number one reason why we are going to make the playoffs.  A lot of people are going to have this guy circled with a question mark on him because he has no real experience in the NHL.  But the one thing he does have experience with, is adversity.  He was hurt a lot in junior and had to work hard to get where he is today.  This guy is the real deal.  This guy wins 40 games this year, and his name will be mentioned in the Vezina trophy talk.  He may not win it, or even be nominated for it, but he definitely will be an honorable mention for it.

There are a few other reasons that I wanted to add to the list but there are the top 5.  Other reasons for optimism for Leaf fans is the fact that once Lupul got here, Kessel was more consistent.  The Monster has to prove himself still, look for him to push Reimer for that starting job (Monster doesn't even have a chance).  my final bonus reason is...  come on Leafers, it's been 6 seasons (7 years) since the last Maple Leafs playoff game played in TO, we NEED IT DESPERATELY!!!!  But hey, if they dont do it this year, there is always next year!

The Trophy Cabinet

Ted Kennedy, Jean Beliveau, Gordie Howe, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin and now Corey Perry. First of all, I want to congratulate Corey Perry on winning the Hart trophy, which is given to the player who is most valuable to his team. In Perry's defense, I think they nailed this one right on the head. Without Perry, the Ducks would not have made the playoffs. He was essential in the Ducks late season push towards the playoffs, with 19 goals in his last 16 games. Not discrediting the hard work and pure talent the other two players (Daniel Sedin, Martin St. Louis) showed on a nightly basis, but I believe that both of their respected teams would still have made the playoffs with either of them.

Perry was the only player to score 50 goals this year, 11 of them being game winners, which was tied for the league lead. So where does Perry go from here? Well, let's start with what he has done so far. Here is a short list of his accomplishments. I'm only going to be listing Major Hardware here.

Juniors:

• 2004–05 - Memorial Cup - Stafford Smythe Memorial Trophy (MVP)
• 2004–05 - OHL - Red Tilson Trophy (Most Outstanding Player)
• 2004–05 - OHL - Eddie Powers Memorial Trophy (Leading Scorer)
• 2004–05 - OHL - Wayne Gretzky 99 Award (Playoff MVP)

NHL:

• 2006–07 - NHL - Stanley Cup (Anaheim)
• 2010–11 - NHL - Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy
• 2010–11 - NHL - Hart Memorial Trophy

International:

• 2005 - IIHF World Junior Championships gold medal (Canada)
• 2010 - Olympic gold medal (Canada)

Being 26 years old and having already won a lot of the major hardware you can get, he sure is a shoe in for the Hall of Fame.

So, where does he go now from here? I wouldn't be surprised if Perry gets a Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy before he retires. He certainly is in THAT class of people. As for the Conn Smythe, The Ducks are only a few players away from having a serious contending team. From what I hear about Columbus and Detroit moving to the Eastern Conference, this could open up the Flood gates for Chicago, Anahiem and.. well, every other single team in the Western Conference.

Burke's Game Plan

Brian Burke, GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs appeared on the Bryan Hayes Show on TSN Radio Monday and talked about what his game plan is over the next few weeks.

Burke said he is looking to move up in the draft, but if the Leafs stay where they are, that's alright too. He went on to say that there are no superstars in this draft but tons of talent, well beyond the top 50.

Also he talked about goaltending. He was asked if he was going to try and sign a veteran goaltender, and responded back saying he has faith in what they have, The Monster is not experiencing goaltending problems, just health issues. He feels James Reimer is ready for the big time action.

Burke mentioned that he will be looking to trade for a top line center, also stating that he has not thought about sending an offer sheet to anyone as of yet.
The Leafs GM also talked about potentially upgrading the bottom 6 forwards as well as well his defense corp.

Burke said he can not rely on just home grown talent because everyone's home grown talent is advancing each year, so if they stay the course with that, then improvement wont really happen.

The Leafs are not looking to send an offer sheet out, and are not afraid of an offersheet coming this way, again, because of the cap space. Also not afraid of MacArtur going to arbitration, because the Leafs have the cap space, and its within the rules of the CBA.

I am looking forward to the next couple weeks. It will give us a better outlook of where the Leafs may finish next year,

BRichards

First, I would like to point out that the odds of BRichards coming to Toronto are pretty slim. The New York Rangers are on his short list of teams to go to, as well as The Tampa Bay Lightning, as he stated during the playoffs in an interview.

New York: The Rangers want him, and he wants them. They have the cap room to be able to get him. It really depends how badly they want him. If he is the guy they want, they will be the team to get him.

Tampa Bay: If they offer the right amount of money and right length, he will go there. This is his team of preference right now I believe. I think something in the 7mil range more than 5 years. If Tampa offers him that, he will pick them over any other offer.

Toronto: There is no doubt in my mind, that BRichards is exactly what the Maple Leafs need. He'd fit fine between Kessel and Lupul on that top line in Toronto that desperately needs a bonafide center. I will list the pros and cons of BRichards coming to TO.

Pros:

1. again, fits well with Kessel and Lupul. Unless there is 0 chemisrty between BRichards and the other two, this will just work!
2. Conn Smythe/Stanley Cup. This guy was the force behind the Cup drive for Tampa Bay. Named the MVP of the playoffs speaks for it's self. He shows up when he is needed the most!
3. BRichards is nearly a point per game player his career. I am sure with Kessel and Lupul on his line, he'd reach the 100 point plateau
4. does not require giving anything up out of the current system. No draft picks, no prospect, no roster players.
   

Cons:

1. He suffered a concussion last season in Dallas and missed a few games.
2. This is more like 1A. In the last 5 years he has missed 46 games with injury. It's not really that bad, only an average of 10 games a year, but still injured in each of the last 4 seasons. Could turn into a player who is always injured.
3. Big money. In order to get Brad to come to Toronto, the contract would have to be big and long. Upwards in the range of 8 mil+ per year, and at least 7 years, but probably 10 years.

In my opinion, this is the guy that the Leafs have always needed. The go to guy that can make the players around him better, especially the solo gun Kessel. BRichards comes to TO and Kessel gets 50. This is a no brainer Burke. Dish out the money, get this guy here, and slap #91 on his back. Oh, and MLSE... think about how many Richards jerseys you would sell!

NHL Award Predictions

The 2011 NHL Awards show is in Las Vegas again this year, this coming Thusrday, June 22nd and can be seen on CBC at 7 p.m. ET.

1st I will get out of the way the trophies that are automatics.

ART ROSS TROPHY - Given to the player who accumulates the most points in the regular season:
Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks - 104 points

MAURICE "ROCKET" RICHARD TROPHY - Given to the player who scores the most goals in the regular season.
Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks - 50 goals

WILLIAM M. JENNINGS TROPHY - Given to the Goalie tandem that lets in the few goals combine.
Roberto Luongo & Cory Schneider, Vancouver Canucks - 177 goals allowed


The following trophies are voted on by the members of the media. Players in BOLD are who I think are going to win.

VEZINA TROPHY - Top Goaltender
Roberto Luongo, Vancouver Canucks
Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators
Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins - Hands down best goalie this year. It's a gimme.

FRANK J. SELKE TROPHY - Top Defensive Forward
Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings - Last year it was nearly a tie for this man and Kesler. This season its a toss up as well. I'm going with Datsyuk though.
Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks
Jonathan Toews, Chicago Blackhawks

LADY BYNG MEMORIAL TROPHY - Skill/Sportsmanship
Loui Eriksson, Dallas Stars
Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings - Lidstrom's to lose.
Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning

CALDER MEMORIAL TROPHY - Top Rookie
Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks
Michael Grabner, New York Islanders
Jeff Skinner, Carolina Hurricanes - All Star game speaks for it's self. Not because he's a rookie, he made the team!

JAMES NORRIS MEMORIAL TROPHY - Top Defenseman
Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins
Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings - Lidstrom will win this.. again.
Shea Weber, Nashville Predators

BILL MASTERTON MEMORIAL TROPHY - Perseverance & Dedication to Hockey
Ray Emery, Anaheim Ducks - Makes sense.
Daymond Langkow, Calgary Flames
Ian Laperriere, Philadelphia Flyers

NHL FOUNDATION PLAYER AWARD - Contributions to Charitable Causes
Dustin Brown, Los Angeles Kings
Mike Green, Washington Capitals - Mike Green is very charitable.
Daniel & Henrik Sedin, Vancouver Canucks

JACK ADAMS AWARD - Top Head Coach
Dan Bylsma, Pittsburgh Penguins - With his two main stars out most of the year, and taking into consideration where they finished in the standings, there is no reason why any of the other coaches on this list should get it.
Barry Trotz, Nashville Predators
Alain Vigneault, Vancouver Canucks

HART MEMORIAL TROPHY - Most Valuable Player to his team
Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks - Without the Daniel Sedin, the Canucks still make the playoffs, but without Corey Perry, the Ducks don't make the playoffs.
Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks
Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning

TED LINDSAY AWARD (Formerly Lester B. Pearson Award) - MVP Voted by the NHLPA
Corey Perry, Anaheim Ducks
Daniel Sedin, Vancouver Canucks
Steven Stamkos, Tampa Bay Lightning - Stamkos will get this because from what I have seen, the players don't like the Sedin's much, and Stamkos is pretty charismatic.

GENERAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR AWARD - Top General Manager
Mike Gillis, Vancouver Canucks
David Poile, Nashville Predators
Steve Yzerman, Tampa Bay Lightning - Brilliant work. Anything Stevie Y touches turns to gold!

MARK MESSIER LEADERSHIP AWARD - Top Leader in Hockey
Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins
Shane Doan, Phoenix Coyotes
Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings - Learned from the best, Stevie Y


Other trophies given out this year.

CONN SMYTHE TROPHY - Playoff MVP
Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins


TEAM AWARDS

PRESIDENT'S TROPHY - Top Team Based on Points
Vancouver Canucks - 117 Pts.

PRINCE OF WALES TROPHY - Eastern Conference Champions
Boston Bruins

CLARENCE S. CAMPBELL TROPHY - Western Conference Champions
Vancouver Canucks

2011 Stanley Cup Champions
Boston Bruins

There you have it. These are the people that I believe will win.

What's in a Name?

I was a new fan to hockey when the Winnipeg Jets were torn from the city and sent to Phoenix, to become that Coyotes. There is a lot of history with that team, for the fans. The team never really accomplished anything, but to the fans, its no different than the Leafs, or the Flames, or any other team. It was their team. They spent the money to go to the games, to buy the jerseys and the hats. They fell in love with the Jets, told stories to their children, maybe even took their children to games.

As you all know, Winnipeg received a team, when The Atlanta Thrashers no longer had solid ownership, and no one was able to purchase them. They city that lost their team 15 years ago, finally will have NHL hockey back. Now that The Winnipeg Nameless have their GM in place, and are looking for their coaching staff, they still have to figure out what they are going to call this team. From what I have seen online, the people in the town want them to be called the Jets again. I do not have a problem with this, but there are some down falls to giving them that name.

First and foremost they are not the Winnipeg Jets. They are the Atanta Thrashers. Now that they are in Winnipeg, they will have a new logo and a new name (probably) but they will have all of the old Atlanta Thrasher records. As well, their retired numbers will not be available. I do not think that is a big deal since The Thrashers only retired jerseys are #37, Dan Snyder and #99 Wayne Gretzky (Retired league wide). Also, since they are not the real Winnipeg Jets, they will not have access to the retired Jerseys in Phoenix either #9 Bobby Hull, #10 Dale Hawerchuk, #25 Thomas Steen, #27 Teppo Numminen. They would not be able to hang them up in those retired number banners up in their arena either, because they belong to another franchise.

Something else to take into account is the fact that True North Sports group that purchased and moved the Thrashers also own the AHL Manitoba Moose. In the last two weeks, they have moved that franchise to St. John's, Newfoundland. They are in the process of renaming them. During the last decade, the Moose have played in the building that will be home to the Winnipeg Nameless, the MTS center. True North has branded that arena with Moose logos, and have promoted The Manitoba Moose Brand all over the province. All that money they have spent would be for not.

I strongly believe that the longer it takes them to name the team, the better the chances are that they will be called the Manitoba Moose. And so they should be. They certainly are not the Winnipeg Jets.

Season Ending Recap

The NHL season ended on a positive and negative note this year. Congratulations goes out to Zdeno Chara and hit Boston Bruins on snapping a 39 year Stanley Cup drought! As well, congratulations goes out to Tim Thomas on your Conn Smythe Trophy, well deserved!

The other side of the line is the Vancouver Canucks. 1st of all, I want to congratulate the Canucks on a wonderful run. Setting aside all statistical data, you were in game 7 of a Stanley Cup finals, you overcame one of your toughest obstacles that has haunted you the last two years, the Chicago Blackhawks, and you did all this with key players hurt. That being said there are a few questions that they have to ask themselves next year. I'm not going to mention that 4 letter word starting with R, that took place after game 7.

The Maple Leafs finished the season off on a high note. Finishing higher in the standings than last year, on a near magical run from the All-Star break on. James "Optimus Reim" "Busta Reims" "The Reim-inister of Goaltending" Reimer finished with a 20-10-5 record with a 2.60 GAA and a 0.921 Save%. He also got 3 shutouts. His 1st career shutout coming against Carolina on February 3rd 2011.

The Leafs made a few trades later in the year to acquire some draft picks and some decent talent for the farm. Sending Thomas Kaberle to Boston and receiving C- Joe Colbourne, Boston's 1st round pick and a conditional 2nd round pick in 2012. The BOS 1st round pick turns out to be 30th pick, because Boston won that Stanley Cup. The conditional 2nd round pick is based on Boston making it to the Stanley Cup finals, which they did. Nice to have that extra pick in the draft cupboard.

Also the Leafs traded Chris Versteeg to the Philadelphia Flyers exchange for the Flyers' 1st round and 3rdround draft picks in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, which starts next Friday.

That leaves the Leafs with 3 picks int he top 39. #25 (PHI) #30 (BOS) and #39 (TOR).

Leafs are looking for a top 4 puck moving defenceman, a top line center for Kessel and Lupul. and perhaps someone that can replace Clarke MacArthur if he does not resign.

Leafs need to get Luke Schenn under contract, he is an RFA as of July 1st.

Next up for Toronto and the NHL? Awards show Thursday, June 22nd, Draft June 23rd, July 1st is free agent day.

Official Launch!

Today is the official launch of the blog, and our Facebook page as well as the launch of our twitter account.

Come back as often as you like to get the views and opinions on things going on around in the hockey world. Feel free to ask a question if you want my opinion on something as well.

Game 7...

A friend asked me today, "Jeff, what do you think is going to happen tomorrow in game 7?"

I told my friend that this is game 7. Game 7's are so unpredictable because anything can happen. No lead will be safe, players will be laying it all on the line, and the two goalies will should be the stars of the show. Throw away the stats, and watch the players lay it all out in 1 game, for everything!


There is no reason in my mind that Luongo won't be bringing it tomorrow night. He is at home, he has all the doubts from everyone outside of BC, and even a few inside BC. But in my opinion, Luongo brings it tomorrow night, and he brings it good!

I believe that since so much is on the line, it will be a close game, similar to the low scoring games in Vancouver in this series. I'm thinking its going to be probably 3-2. Thomas is going to be great, Luongo is going to be great. I think the big players are going to bring it for their teams. The Sedins, Lucic, Bergy, Kesler, Marchand all are going to have big games for their teams.

If this game goes to overtime, it will be such an epic game. The player I would have to pick is Thomas Kaberle to get the OT winner if does go to OT.

When I think about the game tomorrow night, all I can see is Tim Thomas hoisting the Cup, right after hoisting his Conn Smythe Trophy. I'm going with my gut and my original pick (Boston in 7)

Remember, this is game 7. Anything can happen.

...And The Smythe Goes To..

Unless there is some sort of shocking revelation in the Canucks dressing room, and Sedin's or Kesler come out and get 15 or 20 goals, or Luongo make 200 save in a shutout tonight, The Conn Smythe Trophy will be given to Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins.

The Conn Smythe Trophy is an annual award given to the most valuable player for his team in the playoffs. The winner is selected by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association at the conclusion of the final game in the Stanley Cup finals.

The Smythe Trophy was presented by Maple Leaf Gardens Limited in 1964 to honor Conn Smythe, the former coach, manager, president and owner-governor of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

-NHL.com

In the event that the Canucks win the cup, and Thomas is awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy, he will be only the 6th player in the history of the trophy to have won it being on the losing team in the finals. Reggie Leach is the only non goalie to ever win the Conn Smythe being on the losing team.

Thomas in the playoffs has a 2.07 GAA, a .937, and has faced 774 shots on net, nearly 100 more than the next goalie, Luongo. Thomas has been a beast in the finals as well. He has only let in 6 goals in 5 games, posting a shutout in game 4 (4-0 Boston win) and keeping the bruins in the games that were in Vancouver.

I can't see any other player being more deserving than Timmy Thomas. Maybe Luongo can win it if he makes more than 50 saves tonight in a shutout win, but I don't even think that would win it for him. This trophy is Thomas' to lose.

We all know that this trophy means nothing to the players. The big silver one is the only one they care about.

Classless...

My finals words leading into game 6 of the Stanley cup finals. Whether Vancouver wins the cup on Monday night, or Boston pushes it to game 7, there is not much more I can say about this series. What this series symbolizes, is the worst of many things.

The first being Patriotism. Patriotism can be great, but it can also get you in trouble. In this case, the patriotism in this country for the Vancouver Canucks is not good. The entire country is supporting a team that plays with 0 integrity and 0 class. It's giving Canadians, and Canadian hockey a bad name.

The second thing is the refereeing. I never understood, why they enforce the rules one night, and not the next night. I can't begin to fathom why the Rules in game #27 of the regular season are so much different than the rules in game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals. People are always saying "Oh good, the ref put the whistle away and are going to let these two teams play" This does nothing beneficial for the sport. All this does, is let the cheap players play their style and not get penalized for it.

Finally the 3rd thing that series symbolizes, is how Karma is not existent. It baffles me beyond belief, how the hockey gods can allow the same people that lie, cheat and steal their way into the finals, to be the players that score the Game winning goals. All three game winning goals, for Vancouver, have been scored by the rats that plague the ice with their 5th grade antics, whether it be biting or tattling, or whatever else these professional hockey players are doing on the ice. Burrows, Torres, and Ratpierre.

You all wonder why I am Canadian, and I am not cheering for Vancouver? I will not cheer for this team, because it has zero class, and not one ounce of integrity. This team is an outright disgrace to this country. They do not play Canadian hockey, they do not represent Canada, and they do not deserve to have their names engraved on the Stanley Cup.

Round 2

I went 5-3 in the 1st round of the playoffs. I predicted Caps, Bruins, Flyers and Lightning coming out of the East and only the Sharks coming out of the West. I hope to improve on my winning percentage this round.

(1) WSH vs. (5) TB
This series might just be the best of the second round. Strong goaltending from Roloson in the 1st round gave the Lightning the series over the Penguins. Crosby and Malkin were both out for the Penguins, which was the basis of me picking Tbay over Pits. When you have your top clutch players out, its hard to win.

Washington seems to be a much different team this year. They let in the fewest goals in the 1st round, and its a mixture of solid goaltending and strong defensive play. I like this Defence 1st type of team that the Caps have become, and I think its going to take them far. Look for Ovechkin to step up this series. Pick: Caps in 6 Standout Player: Ovechkin

(1) VAN vs. (5) NAS
Vancouver blew a 3 games to none lead in the 1st round to the defending champs. A lot of hockey experts say that the team is pretty clutch, and Luongo has finally proved himself to come up big when it matters. I call bullshit to that. Luongo and this clutch team couldn't win games 4 or 5, as well they couldn't find a way to win a close game in game 6 either. This team has proved nothing yet, it was only the 1st round.

Nashville played well in the 1st round. They won a playoff series for the 1st time in their franchise history, and they deserve a congratulations. The round is over and now its time for them to step up, and show them that they WON the 1st series, and that it wasn't Anaheim losing it. Rinne is up for the Vezina trophy and this team needs him to be as sharp as ever. Vancouver might be on empty after that 1st round. Pick: Preds in 7, Standout Player: Fisher

(2) PHI vs. (3) BOS
Boston polished off les Candiens in the 1st round, winning 3 games in overtime. Being able to win close games like that, is great for a Boston team that could still be fragile. You got to think though, that the series win against rivals Montreal, will only help the Bruins confidence. Need a huge series from Chara and Thomas.

Philadelphia baffles me how they cycle through their goaltending in a series and still have better performances than Ryan Miller. The last time these two teams met in the playoffs, last year, the Flyers came back from a 3-0 series deficit to take the series. Also, in game 7, Philly was down 3-0 in that game, came back to win it 4-3. This series is going to be a rough one, that's for sure. Pick: Philly in 7, Standout Player: Briere

(2) SJ vs. (3) DET
The wings swept away the poor Coyotes in the 1st round, and have had a week off to heal up their banged up players. The Wing know what they have to do, they have been here and they have done this before. Cleary and Franzen are going to have a big series. You can always count on Pavel Datsyuk. They should also get Zetterberg back soon too.

San Jose showed a relentless effort in the 1st round, especially in game 3 where they came back from a 4 goal deficit to win the game 6-5 in OT. Both Marleau and Thornton had a good series in the 1st round, look for them to carry it on into the second round. Ian White is a key player in this series. I like the forwards of the wings better in this series though. Pick: Wings in 6, Standout Player: Datsyuk

End of the Kessle Saga?

Brian Burke has been under fire since September 18th 2009 for trading away the future of the Toronto Maple Leafs for Phil Kessel. The trade was Toronto's 1st round pick in 2010 (2nd pick overall, Tyler Seguin) Toronto's 2nd round pick in 2010 (32nd overall, Jared Knight)and Toronto's 1st round pick in 2011 (undetermined). Everyone and their mother has their own opinion of this trade.

Recently, Burke has traded Thomas Kaberle to the Boston Bruins. This trade consisted of Boston's 1st round pick in 2011, prospect Joe Colborne (16th overall, 2008) and a condition 2nd round pick. The conditional pick is a 2nd rounder if the Bruins go to the finals, OR sign Kaberle to a new deal. Kaberle wanting to go to Boston points in the direction that there is a good possibility that Kaberle will resign.

When you look at these trades this is what you may see. The Toronto Maple Leafs essentially traded Thomas Kaberle for Phil Kessel. It doesn't matter that the picks they traded back and fourth are late and early round picks. With these trades, we still need to wait until the fat lady sings on each of their careers, but as it stands, Boston's 1st round pick of Seguin is playing, or sitting on the bench at the NHL level, and the Leafs 1st rounder is lighting it up on the AHL.

Its pretty even so far. Thank you Burke, for silencing the critics for a few weeks.