tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11556497283717314702024-02-07T00:15:17.779-05:00The Other Vatican"You're talking about the Vatican if you're Catholic, you're talking the centre of the hockey universe..."
-Brian BurkeGraeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-80506716539351998842010-01-31T16:04:00.005-05:002010-01-31T16:32:38.519-05:00Epic Win<span style="font-size:130%;">Leaf's faithful! By now...wait...whoa, there are so many more of you in here. What gives? So all it took to get the bandwagon back to full capacity was a good ol fashioned Calgary coup and previous-cup-winning goalie "trade."<br /><br />How do we break this down. We've spent a lot of time justifying BB's trades (Kessel) so we don't really know how to break down a trade that seems like we totally took them to school. We gun-shy leaf followers are still waiting for the other shoe to drop, provided you put 2 first round picks in your loafers.<br /><br />But there doesn't seem to be another shoe and the deals are final. Stajan, Hagman, Mayers and White for Phaneuf, the dude who rescued his father from a frozen pond and then squished people at the world juniors, and some younger, speedier, penalty-killier version of Wallin. Not bad. Calgary obviously wanted Hagman's goals, White's smart puck play, Stajan's afro and Mayers <a href="http://www.blogesalming.com/2010/01/between-takes-at-leafs-team-picture.html">eyebrows</a>. So they have Jay Bouwmeester essentially taking over Dion's spot on the blue line, so he was expendable. Expendable. Dion Phaneuf. Expendable. For three guys not in our long term plans and an arguably valuable dman in talks for a big raise? Done and done! Next.<br /><br />J.S Giguere. We here at TOV have wanted him for a while; ever since he said he didn't want to stay in Cali. And when Hiller signed a few days ago, we smelt blood in the water. We even proposed Kaberle and Toskala for JSG and Bobby Ryan (who hasn't signed for the Ducks and is looking for big money which they don't have). We thought that was a pretty fair deal. But BB somehow figured out a way for them to palate Jason Blake, the pasty wonder with his anchor of a contract. So it is Blake + Toskala for JSG. Geeze. How does this benefit the Ducks in the long run? At all? Are they really excited about Jason Blake suiting up for them for the next couple of years? Are they really excited that if Hiller snaps his groin they may have Tosaka and Pogge in net? And if we are worried about that 6.0 mil cap hit, it's gone this time next year anyway.<br /><br />We liked the Kessel trade, but we understood that we had work to do to justify it. But this feels like...well...like we don't have to justify anything. I can't believe we convinced someone Stajan was good, or Blake was the model of economic frugality. Has Phaneuf really fallen off the radar? (note: the biggest downside to Phaneuf playing for the Leafs is having to listen to McGuire say stupid things like "Double decker Dion destruction!" Ugh.)<br /><br />Can anyone help me out? What are we missing here? I'm actually shocked with this whole thing. Even the cap numbers on our side are ok. Do Giguere and Phaneuf have a high probability of fail? </span><span style="font-size:130%;">Can anyone explain what either GM's were thinking? </span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?<br /></span>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-88309686155018085222010-01-18T22:04:00.009-05:002010-01-19T00:31:55.287-05:00Reasonable article fail<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAILhyrtbwf_c2vHfJkCbpkEC12ovzU868sya2MEnOuYpe1haXmSgCrJ8PfsWDcYnA0WwQkubS-9V5VcsbMnJeXN4zV5VJP_p9aHKdMwOKDrgJcmZJprFIt04mL7ImP0bpZrzPTYxECSM/s1600-h/royal-fail.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAILhyrtbwf_c2vHfJkCbpkEC12ovzU868sya2MEnOuYpe1haXmSgCrJ8PfsWDcYnA0WwQkubS-9V5VcsbMnJeXN4zV5VJP_p9aHKdMwOKDrgJcmZJprFIt04mL7ImP0bpZrzPTYxECSM/s320/royal-fail.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428283629677090754" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br />Faithful remnant! That could be referring to readers of this blog too. TOV is back up and running from a long Christmas break down in sunny sunny Texas. But we're happy to be back in hockey mad Canada. Not to say that they don't like hockey in Texas. Actually, I got to see the Stars vs the Sharks while I was down there with the Future Mrs. TOV. Actually, <a href="http://watch.tsn.ca/featured/#clip248855">if you watch to the end</a> of this highligh package you can see her as the unhappiest Stars fan in all the land. Apparently TSN had her on plays of the week too. Not me tho. I'm not a pretty lady so I got cut out. But hockey is alive and well in Texas.<br /><br />However, it is sad to see that some things don't change in this bright shiny new year. Leafs still play well, then pinch out stinkers, then play a game where we all say "bbq! Playoffs!" and then another string of epic suck. Following that we have still been getting a string of articles that are equally as bi-polar: "Leafs stink. Burke can't build a team." "Wow, Leafs look impressive, Kessel a steal." "Wilson sucks, Kessel a 2nd liner, 2 first rounders" etc etc. Now, normally these articles are coming from local Toronto sports writers, so you can accept that they are going to be <a href="http://www.montbleau.ca/Movies/images/Gigli.jpg">Gigli</a>-Bad but <a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/30789-THNcom-Blog-Kessel-deal-looking-worse-by-the-day.html">this</a> article by the Hockey News has really disappointed me. So lets analyze it in depth in hopes that we here at TOV can equip you, the loyal Leafs fan, with a keen mind and a stout heart so that you can cut through the haze of desperate writers attempting to save an industry.<br /><br />"</span>Imagine the buzz in Toronto today had the Maple Leafs not foolishly traded away their first round pick in the 2010 draft?<br /><br />They’d be talking about possibly getting that first overall pick. They’d be talking about Taylor Hall. They’d be talking about the bright side of a rebuilding project that has been spinning its wheels since the lockout. They’d be talking about hope."<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">It's true. Instead we are talking about an aging team, full of over-the-hill veterans with <a href="http://i2.cdn.turner.com/si/2009/writers/allan_muir/12/04/savard.hitchcock/jonas-gustavsson.jpg">no</a> <a href="http://www.uscho.com/images/headshots/20082009/du_t_bozak.jpg">bright</a> <a href="http://leafs.hockeyanalysis.com/files/2008/01/kulemin01.jpg">spots</a> <a href="http://cdn.bleacherreport.com/images_root/galleries/171/171369/display_image_GYI0058495392.jpg">at</a> <a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com/imgs/dynamique/photos/original/article_26958_2.jpg">all</a>. We are crying out for a first overall pick--the obvious cure-all of any hockey club. Yes, its true. We want to be talking about hope. Help us to see the light, Brian <a href="http://www.cs.uni.edu/%7Ewallingf/blog-images/people/elvis-costello.jpg">Costello</a>.<br /><br />"</span>Instead there’s panic and embarrassment imagining the likelihood of the Maple Leafs conceivably finishing last overall – or among the bottom five – and winning the lottery for first overall pick, then handing it over to the Boston Bruins as the first installment in return for Phil Kessel.<br /><br />For Toronto, the Kessel trade was flawed from the second it was proposed. There was no chance he was going to lead the Leafs into a playoff spot this year and even if he’s somehow able to lift the team into 21st or 22nd or 23rd, it means the Leafs are giving up a prime pick this year (and next) and a second-rounder to boot. Remember all the buzz and excitement and kernels of hope last year’s seventh overall pick Nazem Kadri created in Toronto last June and during the World Junior Championship? Toronto gave two more of those away."<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Ok kids. Time to play "spot the lie." Can you see it? I can! The lie is: all drafts are carbon copies of one another. A 7th overall pick in 2009 (Kadri) is the same as a 1st round pick down the line. They have to be. So if you got excited about Kadri, you now have to get as disappointed to the same degree that we are not picking out someone this year. Someone who is sure to be better than that lug we got instead. And he's not even getting us in the playoffs either <span style="font-style: italic;">this year</span>. Jerk. And there's no guarantee he can get us there in future years. But 1st rounders can. (*note: look up Kessel draft year)<br /><br />"</span>How’s a team supposed to rebuild without young, cheap talent coming down the pipeline? A colleague argued Toronto could afford to give up the valuable first round picks because it had signed Tyler Bozak and Christian Hanson as free agents and they are effectively de facto first-rounders. Shame on the person who thinks a rebuilding team can give up any early draft picks."<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Yeah! How is a team supposed to rebuild without young, cheap talent coming down the tubes. And thank you for pointing out Bozak and Hanson who are <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gH82u5lYhvc">obviously</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOFACVbkfvk">not</a> talented and who are way overpaid making the entry minimum salary. No, you're right, we cannot justify trading away first round picks even if we sign young free agent guys who are young and NHL talented. It's laughable to suggest that we should have even gone down that path going after undrafted guys. It's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Kunitz">sure</a> to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_McDonald">fail</a>. Replacing young potential NHL talent with equally talented NHL players. Disgusting. </span><br /><br />"It’s such a shame the Leafs were seduced by Kessel’s age (21) and upside (40-goal potential). But they gave away the future to get him."<br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />Geeze. How could we have been seduced by things such as "young" and "talented" and "40-goal potential" when we could have had the "young" and "talented" and "nhl ready" of the draft baby? I hope you are resisting the urge to link "40-goal potential" to the "they'd be talking about hope" of the opening paragraph. I assure you, they aren't related. At all. Cuz there were first rounders involved. First rounder means <span style="font-style: italic;">ipso facto</span> dumb move. Hey! I can misquote latin too!<br /><br />Ok, let's finish 'er off<br /><br />"</span>It all comes back to the steep price the team paid to get Kessel. Sure, he may be a budding gem, even a 50-goal man some year, and the deal might have made sense had the Leafs been a top-10 team poised to crack the top five.<br /><br />But for a team rebuilding, it made no sense then or now and will make even less each day we get closer to the April 13 NHL draft lottery and the focus shifts to a Boston-bound young star such as Hall, Tyler Seguin or Cam Fowler."<span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br />Hmm</span><span style="font-size:130%;">? What's that? 40-goal scorer? Cmon, stop being a stupid leafs fan. He's actually a potential 50 goal scorer now! Gotcha! A budding gem! But it doesn't make sense for a team so low in the standings to want things like 50 goals from a 22 year old veteran (yeah, dirty word right? Am I using it right?) That only makes sense if we were like, you know, a better team. It's a proven fact that teams lower in the standings don't like goal scorers. Look at their stats. Less goals for than goals allowed. See? They are adverse to goal scoring. Stats never lie. Bottom line, this deal didn't make sense. A 22 year old injury-prone veteran with a bad <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJLCpwnFcBr-2NgvGclE6sJucwYB6Rb4UvTP-H8TJ36BtGv1WtSpNli6QSAZYHFhd2ptflrcWAmJr0M0p6CxVwqx5VKVdCqz5FjiPRyVue2yGA7vOB1S3i4anMS0cgoko9TT9C9Co9LpMF/s400/kessel_phil_award250x300-3.jpg">attitude</a> on a rebuilding team is a bad hockey move. We will be ruing the day Kessel scores his 50th goal while <a href="http://www.californios.us/carmel/sequins.jpg">Seguin</a> suits up for the Carolina Hurricanes.<br /><br />So stop hoping that a young, unproven player can get you to the playoffs. Because Kessel can't seem to do it. But we should have kept our 1st picks so that these young, hungry draftees can bring us up the standings. Burke must have the investment strategy of <a href="http://www.qwantz.com/index.php?comic=1076">this guy.</a><br /><br />To break it down:<br />Leafs potential 50 goal scorer = bad<br />Keeping <a href="http://proicehockey.about.com/od/prospects/f/draft_success.htm">1st round picks</a> instead of getting a 50 goal scorer off a rival team = <a href="http://thehockeywriters.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/daigle_sens_1993_194x250.jpg">good</a><br /><br />Youth like Kessel and Bozak and Hanson is bad because we're not a good team (and playing for us may shatter their fragile psyches.) Oh, but youth you can draft is good because we're a bad enough team to draft them and since they are first rounders they are necessarily good and then the sign of a good team. And if they are good we are good and no longer bad, so <span style="font-style: italic;">then</span> we can go after good players. Like Kessel. Except that it's bad to trade for good players, or at least its bad to trade future good players for present good players. So don't trade the future for the present. Even if it is a good present with strong potential to be better than the future. Cuz it's the principle of the thing instead of how it actually breaks down in a couple of years.<br /><br />Get it? </span>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-71393267537689692462009-12-20T14:50:00.003-05:002009-12-20T14:53:32.268-05:00See y'all next year!<span style="font-size:130%;">Faithful remnant! I'm off to the Big D for the holidays (I'll be a the Stars game tomorrow too...so if you happen to watch it, you may wanna go back and reread the guide to watching Stars games post)<br /><br />See you all in the new year, and we'll chill out and talk about playoffs (!!1!) and epic Monster saves and like, all that stuff, cuz, like, let's totally stay friends once camp is over!<br /><br />Merry Christmas, Leafs faithful!</span>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-78561327522042258882009-12-10T09:14:00.002-05:002009-12-10T09:28:18.004-05:00Small Kessel Thought<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRwbgC7Kfu937ugF5m5WQVqFMpv6hFY-tGe3vyMlPHeKz5xGv7lq5_rdyrg1habNSgnmufCtTzpVCZKwg3N42zkCuzUFiZI62-XLnR53Wip4UEGK1QxWhFbaKs-m7n9TD89yG9mbXO4Qc/s1600-h/burke-kessel_584.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRwbgC7Kfu937ugF5m5WQVqFMpv6hFY-tGe3vyMlPHeKz5xGv7lq5_rdyrg1habNSgnmufCtTzpVCZKwg3N42zkCuzUFiZI62-XLnR53Wip4UEGK1QxWhFbaKs-m7n9TD89yG9mbXO4Qc/s320/burke-kessel_584.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413610868793108290" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Faithful remnant! We know we've been off the reservation for a bit now, and we have resumed our blogging mantle. Epic win posts to come! However, for now, we give you one small Phil Kessel thought:<br /><br /><a href="http://jeroboam.net/wp/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/groundhog.jpg">Kessel</a> got benched in the playoffs when he was playing in Boston. This was apparently because he was channeling the god of suck. But then he went on a Philtear and played like gangbusters. This speaks to his character: failure, learning, killin' it.<br /><br />So, Leaf faithful. Tonight is a big night. After being on the business end of an open can the other night, the Leafs roll back into Beanieville. Watch #81 tonight. Will his pride put an extra spring in his step tonight? Or will he pinch out another stinker. Tonight we get to learn a bit about the character of Phil Kessel. Something we need to get a handle on for moving forward.<br /><br />We predict a solid game and a sick goal. 4-2 Leafers.<br /><br />Thoughts?<br /><br />Oh, and it's good to be back. Look for the TOV Christmas wishlist coming up.<br /> <br /></span>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-5179149927826478492009-11-24T21:01:00.003-05:002009-11-25T09:06:09.599-05:00Mmmbop & Tinfoil<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrwwDth1PkAgsUETmMtfPDssni9IVJpbrVpDCDJn0jWAVVdUFfk-8m63mllluUJD4ggA96JQzWcLHcPwMwVU7LvxVL_GpzOgvsjBgvT6vuubRN83N7Qc7YNJGEjxC7famaENYmkbWMq0/s1600/Christian+Hanson+4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVrwwDth1PkAgsUETmMtfPDssni9IVJpbrVpDCDJn0jWAVVdUFfk-8m63mllluUJD4ggA96JQzWcLHcPwMwVU7LvxVL_GpzOgvsjBgvT6vuubRN83N7Qc7YNJGEjxC7famaENYmkbWMq0/s320/Christian+Hanson+4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407856299513470402" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />Faithful remnant! Enjoying all the legroom on the bandwagon? We sure are. Nothing reveals "who's a true fan" like total and utter destruction. So take a good look to see who's still wearing a jersey, take mental note of his cherubic visage and put him on the list. When the Leafwagon starts to fill that list will come in handy.<br /><br />So Toastkala's new robogroin hasn't fared well and he's on the shelf for the next little bit. We here at TOV aren't too worried, as this'll give The Monster the ball to run with and we get to see his mental and intestinal fortitude. Hope our Dmen can keep the other guys from crashing the crease.<br /><br />Also John "fbomb" Mitchell is out for...what was it...6 weeks? Brutal. Why can't Blake get hurt? Anyway, this is great time for our favorite bespectacled hockey-god-in-waiting. Ladies and Gentlemen: Christian Hanson! This lil leafbaby has been tearing up the AHL with 18 points at around the quartermark of the season. Best on the team and he's all heart and drive. Plus he's a center. We are personally looking forward to seeing Stajan outplayed by a babyleaf anxious to take his spot.<br /><br />But is this the start of a full fledged youth movement? Will Blake and Stemp and Stajan et al be demoted or traded? Well, yes and no.<br /><br />Here is BB's conundrum.<br />First, he's looking for a trade first. Chicago is trying to keep their head above the sure-to-shrink cap next season, so there is blood in the water there. But Brent Sopel? Really? That would hopefully be a first or a Byfuglien coming back our way too for eating Chicago's garbage. (I know it's pronounced <span style="font-style: italic;">bufflin</span> but I always read fugly + alien= fuglian!)<br /><br />So if this shake-up trade happens, look for the babies to stay on the cabbage patch in Rioch because it'll mean Burke still thinks the playoffs (!!!!1!) are ascertainable this season.<br /><br />But if a trade doesn't happen and dudes start being demoted and Bozak, Tlusty, Hanson, Stalberg, Hamilton and Foster come up? Well my friends, the season outlook from the GM's office has gone from "I still believe in this group of guys" to, well, see Burke's quote from today: "If we are going to struggle, we are going to struggle with kids in the lineup."<br /><br />So one thing is sure: change is coming. But whether it is a trade to keep the hope-fires burnin' or a baby boom remains to be seen.<br /><br />So for those of you playing at home, here is the helpful "what is BB thinking" chart:<br /><br />Trade = we are pushing for a playoff birth and the youth will marinate on the farm<br /><br />Demotions = the future is now! Be fruitful and multiply, leaf babies!<br /><br />Our hope? Well, we agree with "The Bobby Ryan" principle. We prefer the rotten fruit to fall off the tree at the end of the year and for the kids to figure it out on their own, out of the toxic atmosphere of the big club. We don't like the way the team is now as a home for the kids. Nests before eggs.<br /><br />But you know whatever change does happen, the bandwagon will again start filling up. Hope you got your list made.<br /></span>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-11154967577339556332009-11-16T20:14:00.006-05:002009-11-18T09:13:15.250-05:00So is the season a write off?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0pikihG4vLRAm27Z-JmCawWMdXFLY_ncLiDuUc1DWq7JbP3uSLSZjx3v1QuT1MZZ2cL12l3IPcXEfzfLPtgQVSowVAXSbzYDoZ9W2l7UDdNB9BgSZ5VrUz7Wcwsc9VYMPXDOO-QhPLo/s1600/forfeiting-the-death-match.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 273px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0pikihG4vLRAm27Z-JmCawWMdXFLY_ncLiDuUc1DWq7JbP3uSLSZjx3v1QuT1MZZ2cL12l3IPcXEfzfLPtgQVSowVAXSbzYDoZ9W2l7UDdNB9BgSZ5VrUz7Wcwsc9VYMPXDOO-QhPLo/s320/forfeiting-the-death-match.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404876045111451330" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">My TOV faithful! Like a cold drink of water on a hot day, we are here to bring relief! We here at TOV apologize for our lengthy absence, but things outside of Leaf-fandom have required our attention. The biggest piece of exciting news is that our Pretty Blond Texas Correspondent is now The Future Mrs. TOV! That's right. We put our big-boy pants on and took the plunge. So unfortunately the one thing to suffer through this upheaval has been this fountain of Leaf-related nourishment.<br /><br />But no more! We are back in the bloggin saddle, rockin the new Dead Weather album and ready to talk things Leafs. So, if you'll excuse me, I'll go do a brief recap of some of the Leaf games we've missed. (Brb. k? tytl. I no! omg let's totally stay in touch after camp is over!)<br /><br />Hmmm lets see...Kessel is awesome. Gustavsson..also awesome. Let's check out that win colu......*whimper*<br /><br />So we've got Kessley Snipes (don't take credit for the name), The Monster and a future d-man stud in White and we are 3-freaking 10 and 5? What gives? Is the season tanked? Can we make the playoffs (!!!!!1!)? What about our future draft positions for this year? Is Boston flyin high?<br /><br />Well, we here at TOV believe that there ought to be a few things we need to remember. The first is, our division (NE) is still wide open. Sure, Buffaslugs are doing great, but everyone else is out of playoff (!!!!1!) contention. Few wins together and we look good in the division.<br /><br />Secondly, 75%. Yup, the amount of season left. Chill, my babies. We are totally under-performing. We can officially panic at 3-16-5.<br /><br />Thirdly, and this is admittedly a longer term condolence, but Burke inherited a toxic team. A culture of losing (which I firmly believe flows through the veins of Stajan) mixed with some bad contracts and bad attitudes (both exhibited by Blake.) Burke said it himself. He can trade 2 firsts for Kessel because of getting Bozak, Hanson, Stalberg and Gustavsson. You may wish that this time next year and the year after that we had two mid-range 18-yr olds instead of Kessel, but we love that kid. That shot is amazing. He's got like no back-swing. Nice quick release.<br />So we got a good core of guys paying their dues in the AHL and workin on their game in the NHL. So let's not freak out about the future. (Plus, we'll move 2 of Stajan, Poni, Hagman and Kaberle at the deadline.) Plus we have bucketloads of caproom next summer. THIS summer is going to be Burkies time to put his stamp on the team.<br /><br />So what's to be done? What is that burning thing we need Wilson to do this season? What is the best thing we can do to a)hold our heads high on a low potential-playoff-position team? and b)get our babies ready for their cotillion dance in the future?<br /><br />Easy. Stamp out the old culture, every last hair and feather. Reward hard work. Punish suckitude.<br /><br />So, in our view it is imperative for the health of the real leafs that are going to stay beyond this season that we bench/demote perennial underperformers and bring up Marlies who are a-rockin it in the effort + results department.<br /><br />Blake down/benched; Tlusty or Stalberg up<br />Stajan down/benched/traded; Bozak up<br />Wallin or Mayers down/benched/traded; Hanson up.<br /><br />This allows us to play with a bit of pride and to give time for the kiddies.<br /><br />The counterargument is: keep the kids down to learn/dominate in the AHL. Don't break up a good thing in the Marlies. Grit our teeth through this season, dump the chaff at the end of the season and let the wheat grow when we have a real Burke team next year.<br /><br />So, the question is, will Burke be patient til next year, or will he finish dumping the toxic assets before the season is over.<br /><br />One thing is for sure: we are refocusing on the whole "this is a rebuild" and less on the "preseason!!!! Playoffs!!!"<br /><br />Wave goodbye to the bandwagoners, open and pass around another can of tuna and let's settle down in the bunker for another winter. Besides, loyalty through good times and bad, richer and poorer is something I need to get under my belt here soon enough :)<br /><br />Til (much sooner) next time, keep the faith, remnant!<br /></span>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-63603132732106093532009-10-27T22:20:00.004-04:002009-10-28T00:07:54.703-04:00A TOV guide to the game in Texas<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRNlX0yj99b69dr8F3tRvPadQAGMbk3zPQyDI9s5LQP1xsIlF6preq7hp1qURqL4sozkgzLxotMSu8itA0hhyphenhyphenonDQ_hUrpW9ZTWA3PkdRn9PFjSbFfnfjIQaqZ9auswc5EwQ5ybwYOVI/s1600-h/texas.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 314px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIRNlX0yj99b69dr8F3tRvPadQAGMbk3zPQyDI9s5LQP1xsIlF6preq7hp1qURqL4sozkgzLxotMSu8itA0hhyphenhyphenonDQ_hUrpW9ZTWA3PkdRn9PFjSbFfnfjIQaqZ9auswc5EwQ5ybwYOVI/s320/texas.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5397470113264981090" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Howdy faithful remnant! Here at TOV we have an exciting announcement. Well, it is probably not so exciting for you, but it is quite exciting for us. Our darling leafbuds just got their first dewy win of the season. By our estimation, we here at TOV feel that this next game is a pretty critical game. Will the Leafs continue their superior play and gain momentum as the season goes on--hopefully even reaching a 7-7-1 record? Or will we sink back to old habits and pinch out another stinker?<br /><br />Well, this next game in Texas will tell us! And, being the passionate fans that we are, we here at TOV are waking up early tomorrow, leaving on a jet plane and headin' on down to the Big D y'all! That's right, TOV will be at the game!<br /><br />So we thought that it would be fun to post a lil "watch for this at the game tomorrow" blog.<br /><br />1. During the National Anthem, when they sing the American one and when they get to the line "whose broad stripes and bright..." the whole crowd at the AA Arena will scream STARS! at the top of their lungs, then turn and high five and chest bump and then continue the solemn tradition of anthem watching. Chances are I will too, because, we here at TOV seize every opportunity to be loud and boisterous and chest bump. Even if it is for the other team. But we don't mind a little rival inclusionary practices.<br /><br />However, we need to yell something out during the Canadian National anthem. Like "with glowing hearts, we see thee rise, the true North Strong OUR LEAFS!" or "we stand on guard for Leafs" or "true patriot love in all thy CLARK'S command." Let's band together and getterdone.<br /><br />2. The Banger. Every game right behind the net on the left side (so when you are watching the game, when the flow of play is heading to the left) there is a guy, who is ALWAYS there (at least when I watch/have been at games). He is usually wearing a tan jacket, is about 24 years old, 150lbs soaking wet and he <span style="font-style: italic;">throws</span> himself against the boards on every save, every shot and every big hit. And the boards are right by a mike so you at home will be able to hear BANG BANG BANG every time something happens in that end. On this video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spM4uUUW3-U&feature=related">here</a> you can distinctly hear the bangs and then see the blurry tan boy himself stand up and start a-bangin. So watch for that; it's fun!<br /><br />Oh, our pretty blond Texas corespondent is informing us that his name is Nick, he's had season tix forever, that she is his sisters friend on facebook and that Nick "is a lil weird that way." So hopefully Nick has nothing to bang about tomorrow, except the quiet taps of losing sadness.<br /><br />3. ME! Yes, you've asked for it and we deliver. Tomorrow you will be able to see me, Mr. TOV himself cheering on his boys at the game. On the same side of the arena as Nick, the Pretty Blond Texas Correspondent's (PBTC) family has season tickets. From the goal if you go about 12 row straight back and then about 6 or 7 seats towards the camera you will see a handsome fellow (<a href="http://trueslant.com/daviddisalvo/files/2009/10/draper.jpg">artists rendering</a>) wearing a Leafs jersey (Schenn!) in a sea of black, green and white--just a popcorn-bag's throw from Nick. I will either be standing, holding my hands aloft as if I am drinking in the sweet glory of a win, or I'll be eating pizza. With Dr. Pepper. (You know that they <span style="font-style: italic;">make</span> the stuff there!?)<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><br />So faithful remnant, while you watch the game, look for me and our fevered fan Nick. It'll be like you came to Texas with me! Because Barilkosphere, you see....I love you.<br /><br />Ok. No more foolish emotion. Gird up your loins with stoic resolve! A second win awaits! And by the modern marvel of the "aeroplane" I will be there to represent our lil bloggy community. Airport cowboy hats in snow globes for all!<br /></span></div>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-60565881016907039512009-10-15T12:02:00.006-04:002009-10-20T09:18:58.660-04:00Ok, settle down people<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVObm_Nui-3fVS0DTYuOQN6Srtuc32-uXluOWLZ44L1xB9AVCdP7uDpjW8wGfPIeRqz_X4_mRjepcX1vQB6fUQ7NaRok5ZEh8NCX7h1PtdJ52PYYbR6AkHSSILnpW0xt3hN7RwqFpNBw/s1600-h/reset-button.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 263px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSVObm_Nui-3fVS0DTYuOQN6Srtuc32-uXluOWLZ44L1xB9AVCdP7uDpjW8wGfPIeRqz_X4_mRjepcX1vQB6fUQ7NaRok5ZEh8NCX7h1PtdJ52PYYbR6AkHSSILnpW0xt3hN7RwqFpNBw/s320/reset-button.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392858673331958530" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">We understand the panic; we really do. But come'on faithful remnant, do you <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> think that a defense of Kaberle, Komi, Schenn, White and Beauch are currently playing to their potential? That this is all they can give? That they have peaked as defensive players? No, you don't believe that. You believe that they will gel as a unit and that shots will be blocked and opposing players will be squished at appropriate times and the GAA will go down.<br /><br />Do we need goals? Sure. We need players to pot some. It'd be nice to see Stempniak score, but right now he's a 30-year-old deck chair (all wood, no finish). Grabs seems to have missed the memo that he has line-mates and people aren't driving to the net to get some gross goals. But when you are 0-2 at the end of every period, you try to be a hero every time you cross the blueline. Not cool. We seriously need to win some 2-1 1-0, 3-2 games.<br /><br />And, freaked-out-nation, we will. We'll be fine. We'll get a 4-5 game win streak in here in a few weeks. You watch. The Rags will get a losing streak of a few games in the next little bit and all of a sudden the Leafs are in the middle of the pack. This is a good thing for the lil smurfs to go through right now--it'll put them in their place. "Wilson is the boss, Burke controls my fate and I am but a humble player only worrying about my life 30 seconds at a time." What will this adversity also do? It'll find us a Captain and reveal to us those who don't buy into the <a href="http://www.mississaugasenators.com/j/images/alumni/nhl/stajan-head.jpg">team</a> <a href="http://www.skate2stick.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/09/jason-blake.jpg">mentality</a>. I say we bench the detractors or trade em or waive em and let Bozak, Stalberg and Poni be the second line with Grabs, Hags and Lemon (to be replaced by Kessel) on the top.<br /><br />We're all so worried about the draft pick. It astounds us here at TOV that we are that <span style="font-style: italic;">worried</span> about this intangible thing that we have no idea where it will fall (and chances are it'll be between a 12-17th overall pick) but we aren't excited about <span style="font-style: italic;">other</span> intangibles like "hey, Stemp can move the puck, but can't finish. Wonder if he will work magic with Kessel?" or "wow. Jonas is back from injury and is continuing his .930ish save %. Wicked." How can we focus on the intangibles of a year away and forget the intangibles of two weeks from now?<br /><br />No friends, Ron Wilson's "reset" is under way and I am sure that this Saturday we will see a spirited game. Especially since the Rags gave us an epic beat down last week.<br /><br />So let June worry about June. I guarantee you Peter Chiarelli is not even thinking about the draft picks. In fact, he is probably still pissed that that was the best deal out for him.<br /><br />So cheer on your boys, remember that we have <span style="font-style: italic;">years</span> of Schenn, Kadri, Bozak, Kessel, Stalberg and others ahead of us. Years! In the grand scheme of things this is the <span style="font-style: italic;">perfect time</span> for them to learn about brutal losing streaks and getting out of them. I wouldn't want them to learn about this in 2 years when we are in some race for a better playoff spot during our perfect open-window-time and we decide then that it is a good time to drop 6 games. It's kinda like the stock market--there is money to be made in both a <a href="http://www.forgottendelights.com/images/ChargingBull.JPG">bull</a> and <a href="http://www.investtide.com/trade/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/bear-market.jpg">bear </a>market. (But you gotta understand which one you are in.) But a lack of long-term vision will kill ya. <br /><br />Hit up the Licbo, grab some expensive, snobby-Bay-Street-beer (we are, after all, the Lower Bowl Brokers) get a cigar or two and some Scotch for the Satellite Hot Stove session and laugh at the days to come. We are where we are supposed to be--learning under fire.<br /><br />Keep the faith, and for the love of Truth and Goodness, stop listening to the mittenstringers who are saying that this opening 20 game stretch is our Waterloo.<br /><br />****<br /><br />-Hockey Central at noon is reporting that there is a chance Mike VR could be shut down for the season due to that wonky knee. Brutal. Guess we wont be trading a d-man any time soon.<br /><br />-Also reporting that Burkie came into the room at practice. No word on what was said, but we can surely speculate.<br /></span>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-26956688289266035932009-10-13T11:10:00.002-04:002009-10-13T11:37:07.496-04:00The worst part about losing<span style="font-size:130%;">The worst part of losing is not that our hearts are filled with sorrow, or seeing Ron Wilson look like someone shot his dog in the postgame presser, or watching a goalie we traded a first rounder for totally bomb as a professional NHL player.<br /><br />No, the worst thing that happens to Leaf fans when we are losing is having to read Howard Berger's gleeful I-told-you-so <a href="http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Howard-Berger/Leafs-Already-In-A-Predicament/3/23619">articles</a> (when he actually never really told-us-so. He, if you recall, was in the 'the Leafs have a much improved defense' camp.)<br /><br />I actually find his writing to be quite offensive. We have a lot of fun here at TOV and we try our hardest to bring you witty, humorous commentary on all things Leafs related (without resorting to name calling or the lowest common denominator of blaming the fans; it ain't my fault) but this type of small-minded bite-the-hand-that-feeds-you journalism that Howard Berger displays is only a thin veil trying to cover the fact that he doesn't actually have anything of worth or import to relay to his dwindling readership.<br />"I'm just speaking my mind. I'm just telling it like it is" are always the cries of the man who realizes that he has nothing to <span style="font-style: italic;">build</span> <span style="font-style: italic;">up</span> with his words. It is incredibly difficult to write something that doesn't take the easy way out (ie being "controversial" or "being a maverick" or whatever.) It is very hard to be constantly creative in ones writings. But that cannot be an excuse to produce something that is blatantly disrespectful to a vast majority of hockey fans.<br /><br />It's bad writing, cheap tricks and it's wrong. Constantly wrong. And the more articles like this that he publishes, the bigger a problem it becomes.<br /><br />But what is the justification? Comment numbers. Readership. Words of value and creativity don't mean anything anymore unless you can get 400 angry comments after your post.<br /><br />So we here at TOV promise to continue our unique brand of Leafs commentary and we will never, ever resort to cheap tricks.<br /><br />Keep the faith, remnant!<br /><br />****<br />Breaking news: Looks like Toskala is out with an injury. Reimer has been called from the Marlies (along with Bozak).<br /><br />Ch-ch-ch changes!<br /><br />Question remains: who plays goal for the baby leafs? In NHL10 a backup goalie just generates out of thin air. Modig, where are you?<br /><br />In all seriousness, JoeyMac will get the start (and the win) and don't be surprised if this "injury" to Toskala keeps him out....forever! Well...on this team anyway.<br /></span>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-13265929137292522192009-10-11T12:49:00.005-04:002009-10-11T13:56:15.856-04:00The Wallace Factor<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbaHR87n0bsXztBwwDgg7Dv6aTj6PtVWMRTgXZvfoM-0NtNxkUxkFqgF7ezN0m1pJBumXBHPpqgrQtH9GVf2gS0jiHcx9dLax58zHLciyJOlioNLwsoGvWQW-wVAsZ8P-ZPddCQHRwFU/s1600-h/800px-William_Wallace_Statue_,_Aberdeen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbaHR87n0bsXztBwwDgg7Dv6aTj6PtVWMRTgXZvfoM-0NtNxkUxkFqgF7ezN0m1pJBumXBHPpqgrQtH9GVf2gS0jiHcx9dLax58zHLciyJOlioNLwsoGvWQW-wVAsZ8P-ZPddCQHRwFU/s320/800px-William_Wallace_Statue_,_Aberdeen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391390521391625794" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Feeling lost? Feeling frightened and alone? Do you both hate Sidney Crosby and hope that nothing at all happens physically to him before February? Faithful remnant, did you awake this beautiful crisp fall day in the Big Smoke only to remember your crushing disappointment from last night. Have you lost all hope? Do you have image of Boston standing at the podium making a 4th overall draft choice selection only to then read a newspaper and have Berger/Cox tell you how much a loser you are for being a fan of a team you've always been a fan of?<br /><br />Is all hope lost? Is <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span> to be our season?<br /><br />Have I taught you nothing, faithful remnant? Put on your cold cloaks of pure rationality and lets reason through these first couple of games together.<br /><br />From our standpoint the Leafs are lacking two major components that any successful hockey team needs. They are two intangible things that any team, or army or any group of men united in a common goal need.<br /><br />But first, what we do have: we have a talented team. Players are growing up and finding their stride as actual NHL players. Stajan has looked good--something we don't really say here around TOV. Stempniak really looks good. He's starting to do that cut-in-from-the-half-boards-to-the-slot move that he did a lot in St Louis that worked so well for him. He's getting chances and soon enough people will be getting his rebounds if he doesn't pot them himself. Kulemin looks good and Whitey is starting to look like a steal. There's talent here and there is talent in the pipeline waiting for their shot. Oh yeah....and Phil Kessel; one of the best players his age.<br /><br />Now, the team on paper look good. The Spanish Armada on paper looked good too. So too did the Senators last year.<br /><br />No, there is something else missing--these two alluded to factors.<br /><br />A. Emotional lift. The team has been deflated by two things this young season. 1: we don't score first and start playing catch-up. 2: Soft goals suck the wind out of our sails. We are not normally the types to blame one specific person for these early season ills, but truth be told: Toskala has not played to the caliber of an NHL goalie. Sure, we can talk all we want about the defense giving up shots or that "that was just the perfect shot--below the blocker and over the pads" and whathaveyou, but you as a tender need to gauge the emotion of the game and have your brain saying "you have to save this shot for the good of the team right now" match up with your muscular-memory reflexes. Basically, you need to focus and battle. Toskala is not battling at all. He is deep in his net and--as first-shot-first-goals can attribute to--he is shell shocked. He is scared and the fear is palpable even through a tv screen--we can't imagine what it is like on the bench. Honestly, he will sink us if we let him. Dude needs some sort of spiritual retreat or something.<br /><br />B: emotion from scoring timely goals. When we make a big push and cycle in their end we need to finish it off when the other team is tired and playing sloppy. <span style="font-style: italic;">We need killers!</span> We need people who smell blood on the ice and move to finish it off.<br /><br />Do we have remedies waiting in the wings? Do we have a <a href="http://media.canada.com/idl/vasn/20081118/161280-61778.jpg">battler?</a> Do we have someone who has the eyes of a <a href="http://www.svenskafans.com/image/playerProfile/28503.jpg">killer?</a></span> <span style="font-size:130%;">Do we have someone who has a nose for the net (maybe a really big <a href="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.thecancerblog.com/media/2007/01/kessel_phil-draft.jpg">nose</a>?) As you can see, we here at TOV think we have the pieces that are missing for this first problem of emotion. Toskala is/was good on paper, but Joey MacDonald has battled his whole career. Toskala is a cool chilled out brohime but Jonas Gustavsson says things like "I will be a number one goalie if it</span> <span style="font-size:130%;">one week, one month, one year, or <em>ten years</em>." He wants it and he can smell that he can take it from Toskala. The Monster moves out of his crease looking like he is going to eat the forward coming towards him. Toskala looks...well....small. He backs into the net, goes down on the shooters wind-up and can't make a stop or be in position for the rebound. It is 100% mental right now and he needs to get away for a while. Like, on the bench. :)<br /><br />If Kessel can score he can take the pressure off guys who have no business trying to. Every time Mitchell touches the ice his first thought should be "who can I kill?" Honestly. He does not need to go on the ice and say "can I generate a chance?" He needs to squish people and go back to the bench and squish people again. And last night, Healy was right--we need to squish their stars, not their fourth line guys. Kessel will allow the bottom six to do more bottom six things. That is, if Kessel can bring offense which we are sure he can.<br /><br />This brings us to our second factor that is needed and we here at TOV call it <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Im3S8PRWjeg">The Wallace Factor</a>. Yes. We need a Captain. And <span style="font-style: italic;">not</span> Kaberle. Kaberle is a great great player--one of the best Dmen ever for the blue and white, but he's not our <span style="font-style: italic;">Captain</span>. We need someone who, when the come to the dressing room and see that sacred white 9-point in a sea of blue on their chest, their goosed-bumped arms remind them that they are part of something bigger than themselves. We need a man who longs to see his own shed blood fall on his jersey from a blocked shot. We need a man who dreams about the red glow of the lamp, the split second of silence and then the roar of us, the true fans. We need a man who can stir up the passions of the younger men on the team and have them rather die than see their goalie showered in spiteful snowjobs. We need someone who knows that a shameful win is more detrimental to a season than a proud loss where the other team is bloodied and happy that it is over. Honor. Pride. Glory. All the cliches are true and we need them in spades.<br /><br />We don't care who it is. If Komi is the man, do it. If Schenn is ready, go for it. If bouncing-bald-baby Stajan will paint his face blue and throw himself headfirst into the oppositions bench, then call the seamstress and tell her to bring her C's. But we cannot hope to win without a Wallace. Wilson can only do so much. We need someone to actually buy into Wilson's <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYkeV0TOgEU">Hanta Yo</a> speech and have his peers see it and aspire to it in their own game. <br /><br />And we need it now, before this season gets any older. </span>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-33005835004799920602009-09-23T21:36:00.005-04:002009-09-23T23:09:30.946-04:00Dispelling Myths with Phil Kessel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbscNdp6vshGCOigbq19hDmT4A33HtxyJtMWD7OeslHsHp9kztG2yeYwzeTxcAVX8d2AGa1HQY8ox2GrpzELDyeXJcA61jbSHUp8xi7_hi0mDx8TBeritaIEi9XCGu-9MQfTVvCMBAKww/s1600-h/st_george_and_the_dragon-400.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 249px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbscNdp6vshGCOigbq19hDmT4A33HtxyJtMWD7OeslHsHp9kztG2yeYwzeTxcAVX8d2AGa1HQY8ox2GrpzELDyeXJcA61jbSHUp8xi7_hi0mDx8TBeritaIEi9XCGu-9MQfTVvCMBAKww/s320/st_george_and_the_dragon-400.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384843137661501826" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">God helpe the man so wrapt in Errours endless traine<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">-</span></span>Faerie Queen, 1.1.18.9<span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Faithful remnant it happened!</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><span style="font-size:130%;">Phil Kessel has been released from this mortal coil and he has joined the ranks of the immortals! Yes yes, but you know all this. You have lived and breathed (yucky) Phil Kessel for months now and you are just glad that it is done. However, this big splash into the serene Leaf pool has hit us like a big Burkean cannonball off the 5m. Our waters are not still, nor are the waves of our hearts calm. Some are even saying that there is something rotten in the state of Leaftopia. Yes, this disturbing of the deep water of Leafs Nation have brought forth many of the sediments of stupidity that had previously settled to the bottom. Such notions of "overpaying" and "is he worth it" have been swirling around, making it difficult to focus on the pure, beautiful truth of correct opinion.<br /><br />Luckily, faithful remnant, you have us! Yes, we here at TOV continue our epic quest to rid the world of Foul Errour, much like St George killed that big snaky thing. So we have been keeping our ears to the grindstone and our noses to the grapevines and we have analyzed all of the prevailing arguments regarding this Phil Kessel trade. As is the case with all things Leafs related, it has done more to show the sheer lack of hockey knowledge of our <a href="http://media.canada.com/fae0b6fd-d281-4d23-840e-569bef1c674c/damien_cox_thin.jpg">media</a> <a href="http://www.fan590.com/images/static/nothingbutleafs.jpg">minstrels</a> and has become a case study for horrible reasoning, ridiculous claims and over-all embarrassing remarks. I think David Niven said it best after a streaker ran through the Oscars--something about taking pride in one's shortcomings. Yeah.<br /><br />So, we here at TOV have bundled up all of these poorly thought out arguments and "reasons" to dislike the Kessel trade and we shall, one by one, show how they are silly, and hopefully by our methods we equip you, O faithful remnant, with the tools of reason you require to fight back the agents of rational suckitude.<br /><br />Drink it in, baby!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Argument 1: Two firsts is, like, mortgaging our future</span><br /><br />Two first round picks--one in 2010, one in 2010--and a second round pick traded to the Boston <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRTSZZgCUik">Bruins</a> in exchange for Phil Kessel. A collective groan went out from Leaf nation when it was announced: "Oh no! Not again! The leafs are giving up our future for the present and we are being mismanaged again." Many articles were dug up of <a href="http://viewfrommyseats.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/luongo.jpg">horrible</a>, <a href="http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/postedsports/niedermayer.jpg">horrible</a> trades where first round picks were given up and then turned into superstars, only to have the player traded for to pinch out the stinkiest part of his career while donning the blue and white. So, yes, this is an argument based on past fact. But lets look under the hood.<br /><br />Potential erroneous reasoning #1: Keeping picks = planning for the future = good team management. Trading picks = planning only for the selfish present = bad team management.<br /><br />When you break it down this way it is easy to see the errour. Trading picks does not necessitate a "bad management" label. It's absurd to say "trading picks is always bad." There is no rational reason for you to say it is always bad. It's all about context baby! So for you "trading picks is always bad" I can only say: cmon now. You can't make up your mind when you only hear "first round selection traded for..."<br /><br />But there are those who say "yeah, I know its all about context. I just think that trading two first round picks--essentially two good players--for a potentially great player is too risky." Ah, now <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span> argument seems to have a bit more weight to it. Phil Kessel, the 36 goal 21 year old ball of risk vs the pieces of paper representing the ability to select unknown players in an unknown context with unknown data about what players are even on the board. I gotcha.<br /><br />Often the argument goes like this (and, to my <span style="font-style: italic;">horror</span> Bob McCown <span style="font-style: italic;">actually</span> made this argument): "Well, dude, that's like, frick...trading Schenn, Kadri and Kulemin for Kessel. Dude..."<br /><br />Wow. Ok. First things first. Schenn = 5th overall. Kadri = 7th overall. 2010 pick = unknown ranking. 2011 pick = unknown ranking. This is equally as absurd and as strawmanish as saying "that's like Belak, Luca Cereda (who? exactly) and...Peter Reynolds for Kessel." Equally as unhelpful.<br /><br />But to fully show how bad an argument this is, we have to demystify first round picks a bit. Post-lockout there have been many first rounders that have done well for teams--first rounders that have stepped into the lineup and matured as players faster. This is to be expected--athletes are maturing faster these days. Therefore 1st rounders have increased in value. But we forget 2 things: 1. For every great 1st rounder, there are <span style="font-style: italic;">tons</span> who never make it past 50 games and 20 points. Tons.<br />2. First round picks are <span style="font-style: italic;">highly</span> speculative and extremely sensitive to a whole butterfly-hurricane set of circumstances.<br /><br />What we know of Kessel:<br />-dynamic goal scorer<br />-super young<br />-on the cusp of coming into his own<br />-will be 26 and in his prime once his contract is up<br /><br />Think of what needs to happen for those 2 picks to be better than Kessel. Seriously, think about it. First, the draft has to be deep. Next years draft is supposed to be a big ball of fail. Second, the Leafs need to bomb. Always a potential, but everyone knows the Leafs are better (and therefore lower 1st round selection) with Kessel than without. This makes it even harder for those 1sts to be good. 3rd. The teams picking in front of Boston have crappy scouts. Maybe one or two teams will, but 6 or 8? Cmon now. 4th. Those players then have to pan out (or, more likely, exceed expectations) more so than a 21 year old 36 goal scorer.<br /><br />Bottom line: it is <span style="font-style: italic;">highly</span> improbable that the Leafs will lose this deal. It could happen, but Boston wasn't all that happy on this trade and mean things (*sniff*) were said about Phil when he left. <span style="font-style: italic;">The most</span> skeptics can say is "we shall see."<br /><br />So, myth #1 dispelled.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Myth #2: He doesn't have his Center anymore</span><br /><br />This argument really makes me mad. It goes like this<br /><br />1. Kessel scores lots of goals<br />2. If you pass the puck to a guy and he scores, you get an assist<br />3. Kessel scores lots of goals from Marc Savard passes<br />4. Savard isn't on the Leafs, so his passes are subtracted from Kessle's upcoming season<br />5. Kessel wont score anymore<br /><br />Fo serious. This is the argument they use. "Marc Savard is a primo-setup man" they say. "We know so because Kessel <span style="font-style: italic;">has scored so many goals</span>." Sigh...<br /><br />I have yet to read an article of a Bruins fan getting nervous that Savard wont get assists because his trigger man is gone. Why not? Because they know that Savard will just set somebody else up. Fair? Ok. Then this is equally fair: <span style="font-style: italic;">someone else will get assists from setting up Kessel</span>.<br /><br />You can't win with people who hate the leafs. If you have a dynamic scorer you don't have a set up man. If you say something like "Hagman is a good set up man. I think he'll do well" they will point and say "Hagman a good set up man? But he hasn't got a lot of assists" to which you reply "yeah, we just need a dynamic scorer--you know, someone to finish off plays." "You talking about Kessel? He's only good cuz he had a good setup man."<br /><br />You see what I'm getting at?<br /><br />So Leafs nation, set aside your circle arguing ways and ride this tangent-pony: someone will get the puck to Kessel who, as a goal scorer, will score. Then someone can write an article saying "Stajan/Hagman/Grabovski [take your pick] isn't <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> a good set up man. They just are reaping the benefits of playing with Phil Kessel. Take away Kessel and they are average." Which is akin to saying "oh yeah? Well lock Hagman by himself in a room and see if he can get assist then!" Touche, Leaf hater.<br /><br /><br />My beloved friends, train your minds to seek out such errours and work diligently to rid them from your lives. You will be healthy, wealthy and true fans for it.<br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-34872226757100891252009-09-08T22:00:00.004-04:002009-09-08T23:41:41.569-04:00The Kessel Offer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKgDUD-JixLgmBE9U88VHD3hBmSlEQbbxEv8-AZaLCTVROZNcFTy7OlbQf-EiBzjsWu_5TB9ebwVPCmPBUrc3eBLH3n1hZH6PbAtToMJT8s4qzzD7YGuHXibv-xsNg1Nj6AfKxkYo2FY/s1600-h/kessel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghKgDUD-JixLgmBE9U88VHD3hBmSlEQbbxEv8-AZaLCTVROZNcFTy7OlbQf-EiBzjsWu_5TB9ebwVPCmPBUrc3eBLH3n1hZH6PbAtToMJT8s4qzzD7YGuHXibv-xsNg1Nj6AfKxkYo2FY/s320/kessel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379282054510533746" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Faithful Remnant! Can you feel the cool breeze of lady hockey around the corner? Did you flip on TSN the other day to see our beloved Blue and White smuf-babies taking to the ice for their masterful beat down of the Baby Pens and the barn-burner against the Baby Bruins (Cubs?) We did, and it warmed the cockles of our hearts. Did you catch that Stalberg-Bozak-Hanson line? Sure they are 23 year old's playing against 18 year old's but...well..actually, that kinda makes it less impressive. Regardless! I bet they are feeling pretty confident going into camp. Oh! And Kadri too. Sweet hands. And don't forget the Monster. Looks like a serious and focused kid. Kinda the anti-Pogge. We're pumped.<br /><br />Since our last installment there was a minor Leafs trade, namely the 2011 2nd and 3rd rounder for 2010's 2nd rounder back. Faithful readers of the blog may have wondered why there was no installment of <a href="http://theothervatican.blogspot.com/search/label/From%20the%20Oracle">From the Oracle</a> after this trade. We apologize if it left you feeling lost, frightened and alone. We also regret that you didn't have the opportunity to turn to our professional insight so that you, the emotional Leafs fan, did not have to suffer in the barrenness of your own opinions on the matter. Who can you turn to for stoic, rational insight into all things Leafs if TOV is not on the ball!? Well, we decided we didn't want to make the trip all the way to the <a href="http://www.onfrozenblog.com/assets_c/2008/12/thevault-thumb-600x450-5816.jpg">secret cave of the Oracle</a> to ask her mystical opinion on the Leafs latest trade because, cmon son, <span style="font-style: italic;">obviously</span> the Leafs got their 2nd round pick back so that they can have a weapon of math instruction for their ongoing talks with the cap-strapped Bruins and their feisty, 36-goal scoring, <a href="http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Globe_Photo/2006/12/28/1167341986_6250.jpg">Mr. Bags-Under-Eyes</a></span>. <span style="font-size:130%;">And what precisely would that math instruction be? Well, St Brian says, "trade us Kessel for a decent return or we'll use our picks to sign Gollum to an offer sheet that you can't match."<br /><br />(For those of you out of the loop at this point: Team A wants to sign their Restricted Free Agent (RFA) to a contract but the kid refuses. Team B--provided they have their 1st, 2nd and 3rd round pick for the next year--can swoop in and offer the kid a contract and, depending on the size of the contract, Team A will be compensated with a number of the picks. The Leafs traded to get their own 2nd rounder back so that they can be in this position.)<br /><br />So Ahab, the great white prize is within your sights. Will St Brian be a fisher-of-men? Or will this be a big ol <a href="http://static.twitter.com/images/whale.png">fail-whale</a>. Let's break it on down.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Full Steam Ahead!</span><br /><br />Sign him! Dude scored 36 goals in 70 some games. He can easily pot 40. Him on Micky Grabs wing (and one day Kadri's) would be magical. And speedy. And we've got enough goons now to allow him to work his lil <a href="http://cache.boston.com/resize/bonzai-fba/Globe_Photo/2007/12/24/1198552304_1932/300h.jpg">patchy-beard</a> magic. Plus he's got a pretty wicked Northern American accent. Have you ever heard him say "Haackey." I can almost hear him saying "great jarb on dat pass der, Meekhail. We scored a gash-darn graet goal."<br /><br />At this point, the only deterrent is the compensation. Around the draft the deal was rumored to involve Kaberle and some sort of pick (a 1st) going from one team to another...except neither team seemed to know which one was going to give it.<br /><br />Needless to say,<br /><br />...<br /><br />hmm?<br /><br />(Yeah, I've always found that a weird saying too). Needless to say, the deal didn't go through and Kessel is still contractless and Kaberle is still shining up his baby-face for the new season.<br /><br />But what of the potential of a 1st rounder and 3rd rounder or a 1st, 2nd and 3rd going to the Bruins? Can we stomach 3 high-<span style="font-style: italic;">potential</span> players for 1 sure thing? A 20-something 40g man doesn't come along often. We..*shudder*...lost our last shot at one in the Nolan trade and he's been potting goals with other Leaf sendoffs (Alex "Not worth it for Pronger" Steen and Carlo "Splodybones" Colaiacovo.) Surely we can sacrifice one draft year for a <span style="font-style: italic;">bona fide</span> star in Kessel. Besides, this draft coming up is apparently going to be pretty brutal after the first few picks. Like...brutal.<br /><br />So the option is: Phil Kessel or 3 players who are probably going to be projects or like good 2nd line guys. Or Phil Kessel.<br /><br />So, should we land this fish? What say ye, Herman?<br /><br /></span>"All that most maddens and torments; all that stirs up the lees of things; all truth with malice in it; all that cracks the sinews and cakes the brain; all the subtle demonisms of life and thought; all evil, to crazy Ahab, were visibly personified, and made practically assailable in [Phil Kessel]. He piled upon the whale’s white hump the sum of all the general rage and hate felt by his whole race from Adam down; and then, as if his chest had been a mortar, he burst his hot heart’s shell upon it."<br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Agreed. Pull the harpoon trigger, Burkie!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />or<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Save the Whales, man<br /><br /></span>To be honest, the <span style="font-style: italic;">only</span> reason I can see us not wanting to do this is if we are convinced that Phil Kessel doesn't want to be in Toronto and will bolt at the end of a contract or demand a trade later on. I personally love Boston. Great place to live, especially as a 20-something. Regardless, for some reason Phil has decided that he wants to get out. Is that the kind of player we want in the room?<br /><br />I suppose another reason is if we really think the Leafs are in a lottery pick spot again this season. But with Ottawa's regress and Montreal's journey to the Lollipop Guild (<a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/13/89421300_78c8b2f7af.jpg"><span style="font-style: italic;">adorable</span></a> lil forwards; we actually have footage of a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXyIjl0OUa0">dust-up</a> at their practice the other day)...well, we honestly don't see the Leafs in that 13th-15th spot this year.<br /><br />To be honest, I think Kessel is the perfect player for this team and for this coach and GM and if we can get him without giving up Kaberle, than we throw the picks overboard and not look back. <br /><br />What do you think, faithful remnant?<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-52561496657300807672009-08-29T13:21:00.014-04:002009-09-23T23:00:10.192-04:00Goalie Haikus and dispelling myths with Jason Allison<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZ2k8m8ERw9xsBzjlmh781WM1wMtACaysMhEWVOxAjboMw4QTya79naKHCA5-mwzqBoIYRCs9cp7xfjMlNFWmUfML2hEQj6V3lLAKkEwKh69gwFnuRdTCekC0fJvmJgfgtnHIxfGcSl0/s1600-h/mothra_godzilla_1600x1200.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEZ2k8m8ERw9xsBzjlmh781WM1wMtACaysMhEWVOxAjboMw4QTya79naKHCA5-mwzqBoIYRCs9cp7xfjMlNFWmUfML2hEQj6V3lLAKkEwKh69gwFnuRdTCekC0fJvmJgfgtnHIxfGcSl0/s320/mothra_godzilla_1600x1200.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5375438313000730178" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">There is our new monster, Gustavsson</span>, <span style="font-size:78%;">striking fear into the hearts of the rest of the league, here personified by Godzilla.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Faithful Remnant! There is so much to say. So much to do. Leafs nation has just received the equivalent of your long lost uncle showing up at your door and asking if he can stay for the next 82 games--and we have rightly said, "um...let's see how September goes first, ok Uncle Jason?" Yes, unless you have been...um...engrossed in the Jeux Canada Games broadcasting live from warm sunny Prince Edward Island, you will probably have already heard that Jason Allison--poster child of the old NHL--has asked if he can try out with the Leafs in hopes of playing next year. Unsurprisingly this brought all of those deep-seated, traumatic, scars-of-the-past to the surface of the collective Leaf consciousness. Don't worry, Leafs nation, we here at TOV will continue our quest to return you, the Leafs fan, to the proper state of logical, Stoic/Yoda-like contemplation on all Leafs matters.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">But first, let us calm our hearts and minds by drinking in the sweet waters of the last installment of our <span style="font-weight: bold;">Leafs Summer Haikus: Goalie Edition</span>.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Vesa Toskala</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">A new robo-groin!</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Think the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPlSGch3S84&feature=related">funniest guy</a> in</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Finland can bounce back?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jonas Gustavsson</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Every time you make</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">a highlight reel save you can</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecR4lZbJJBY">pillage a small town</a></span><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Ok, now that we have talked about groins and world destruction, we can get down to business. We admit that when we heard that Jason Allison was going to be coming to training camp in order to try to win a spot on the team we went through all of the hockey related cliches that we Leafs fans go through every time something like this is announced: "Oh no! We are returning to the old days of old players trying to make <a href="http://www.sportsmemorabilia.com/files/cache/eric-lindros-autographed-hockey-jersey-toronto-maple-leafs1_445d36e49d367e38d7b88f32e6ab7564.jpg">comebacks</a> with their childhood fantasy team," and "blarg! Surely this will take away much needed ice time from our lil smurfs' development!" and also "but, but, but...the new NHL is all about speed. Captain Molasses will be one step behind and will drag the team down with him."<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">However, when the initial panic and lashing out in fear left us, we sat down and stoically reasoned through these three prevailing hockey arguments and decided that a) they are not entirely accurate and b) that Jason Allison on the team would not be a bad thing. Let us show you!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Myth #1: The Leafs never change/we like old dudes</span><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">We know this argument well and it comes to us in many different forms--<span style="font-style: italic;">mortgage our future for the present, we love those whose best days are behind them, we need more "veteran presence"</span> etc. And because of this legacy we Leaf fans have developed a "if they are older than 32, they must be a bad idea." We have seen old guys come in before and not play to the level that they had played elsewhere. We are scared that we are buying high, having sold low in order to get them here. We are scared of making a big ol mistake again.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Well, in this situation, this is the easiest of the three myths to dispel. Allison will be coming in as a guy who hasn't played in three years, is <span style="font-style: italic;">desperate</span> to make the team (and get a paycheck) and who will most likely take a league minimum 2-way deal in order to suit up for the year. He's not going to cost us a Brad Boyes or a Alyn McCauley. Right now he is kinda like a company that has almost gone bankrupt. His stock price is pennies. We can buy him and the only risk we have is the initial purchase price, which we have noted is going to be low. Worst case scenario, we pay him 500k to sit in the box and remember the good ol' days. And the upside is obvious--he scores on a point-per-game pace that he had last time he was here.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">So this isn't the patented "Leafs only look to old guys" move of the past. The team makeup is not the same the last time he was here when we got him, O'Neill, Lindros, Khavanov, and Czerkawski. That was like having a <span style="font-style: italic;">whole team</span> of penny stocks. Anyone can tell you that a portfolio of only penny stocks has a slim chance at making you a millionaire and a great chance at revealing your stupidity. Leaf fans, we are not in that old boat, so the old argument does not apply.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Myth #2: He's stealing icetime</span><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;">This<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>is a seemingly compelling argument. It goes as follows:<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;">1. The Leafs only have a limited amount of ice time</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">2. The ice time is divided according to those who deserve it</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">3. Youth grow by playing more</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">4. Older players have hit their plateau and, although having less potential than young players, they are <span style="font-style: italic;">at the present time</span> better than the learning players, due to experience and by having previously proved themselves</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">5. The older players therefore get the ice time due to argument #2.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Therefore</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">6. A team with older players stunts the growth of younger players.</span><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">This is the argument that is bandied about in one form or another. And it applies to this situation. If Allison joins the team he as a center bumps Stajan down a line, who in turn bumps a young guy like Tlusty or Bozak down a line and they either don't play for the club, or they play super limited amounts of time and their growth is stagnated.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">However, this argument is based on one major fallacy. That fallacy is <span style="font-style: italic;">that by playing in the NHL you become an NHL caliber player</span>. This is not necessarily true. We like to think that by taking a fresh 18 year old with tons of skill and potential and by throwing him into the fire that after a few seasons of <span style="font-style: italic;">trying </span>to play with the big boys, he eventually will. "Let Bozak have the second line this year. Even if he sucks, he'll get <span style="font-style: italic;">tons of experience</span>" except we fail to remember that the only experience he is getting is the experience of being a crappy NHL player, struggling to keep his head above water.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Now, sometimes this works. Look at Schenn last year--he just got better the more difficult situations he was in. Good for him and lucky for us. But we had a backup plan in case he didn't fare so well and had to go back to Jr. (The backup plan was named Frogren, who, because Schenn rocked, didn't get lots of playing time.)<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">You don't become a great player by being a crummy young player amongst great players. You become a great player because you have been tearing it up in a league that is below your standard and you are so hungry for success that when you finally get called up to the big leagues you are determined to <span style="font-style: italic;">never, ever</span> get sent back down to the AHL. This has been the story line of Bobby Ryan, a Burkian success story.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">So you may think that Jason Allison is stunting the growth of our players, but we suggest that not having Jason Allison opens up our players to risks that they should not have to shoulder. If Bozak makes the team, he makes the team <span style="font-style: italic;">because he beats out a proven vet</span> who is hungry because...well...because he hasn't been paid in three years and is probably literally hungry! Without Allison, Bozak makes the team because he beats out another unproven rookie and he is just the best of the rookies.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">We here at TOV maintain that signing Jason Allison helps the kids grow by keeping them down and letting the pressure build in their little hearts.<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Myth #3</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dude is Sloooooow!</span><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">This has been the knock on Jason Allison: he is very, very very slow. And it is true. He's not a fast skater. When he played for us he would trail behind speedier wingers who took the puck into the zone and would be driving to the net when he was plowing over the blue line (which meant he always made it to the net in time for rebounds.) "Speed kills" is the unofficial slogan of the new NHL. We need a team of lil speedy guys buzzing around to be successful. And this is true. And the Leafs are now a much faster team. When Allison played for us before, he was a slug amongst slugs. But if he plays for us again he will be a slug amongst...I dunno...ponies or something...<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">In other words, he will be an offsetting player. He will alter the flow of our attack on the line he is playing on. In other words, because a man will have to cover him, he will open up the offensive zone. He'll pull a defender with him and slow that defender down. Or if the defended ignores him, he'll take his massive body in front of the net and bang away. When he gets the puck, he'll do what he has always done really well (something Kovalev has mastered when Kovalev is the master over his apathy) he will slow the game to his level (something I wanted Wellwood to learn when he was here.) Allison's slow attack will offset our fast attack. He will make the other team have to think and react and make mistakes. If all four lines attack in the same way, they are easy to defend.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Now, because he is slow, he will make a great <span style="font-style: italic;">secondary</span> attack. He can't, nor should be our top line guy. But he will put up points (especially on the PP). Stajan should learn his game because they are similar players. He will force the smurfs to have to work harder to make the team. He's got a wicked beard. Also, we don't have a veteran point-getting forward. We got tons of I'm-a-gonna-squish-you veteran forwards. Who does Grabovski have to look to for inspiration when he gets in a goal slump? Primeau? Allison should be a good role model for the offensive guys.<br /><br /><br />We hope that these myths have been dispelled for you, <span style="font-style: italic;">especially</span> the myth that "the younger you are the better a team you are."<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">So for these reasons we here at TOV give Jason Allison our stamp of approval.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Do you?<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Til we meet again, keep the faith. </span><br /></div></div></div>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-33292513993034376912009-08-26T22:44:00.008-04:002009-08-27T10:06:05.890-04:00Haiku pt 2: The Defence edition<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZZu-z-_7fKy2aMjGskyNFlUMIgAlBVh8b41z7aX8TeHnJS7ktBJE6B7HPq-0KgcfNHlIJ7rAgDJNsR31E7eleEvFHzBfnTERU7dsG49H-TLJNzRi-lLBL91tjYKHb7sxtkBVY6sXFVFM/s1600-h/haiku.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 190px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZZu-z-_7fKy2aMjGskyNFlUMIgAlBVh8b41z7aX8TeHnJS7ktBJE6B7HPq-0KgcfNHlIJ7rAgDJNsR31E7eleEvFHzBfnTERU7dsG49H-TLJNzRi-lLBL91tjYKHb7sxtkBVY6sXFVFM/s320/haiku.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374469181379542882" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Hopefully an accurate description of what our D will do to the opposition next season....oh yeah, and it's some sort of haiku related wave picture. Dunno.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Faithful remnant! Welcome to part 2 of our haiku segment. We have been bringing to you these little thoughtful poems about every Leaf player likely to be on our roster in order that you may have some small windows of hope and serenity in cruel cruel August. Yes there are Olympic camps happening and yes there is compelling hockey news out there--speaking of which, the NHL wants to </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >own</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> the Phoenix Coyotes! Is that not craziness? How can a league, who officiates games impartially in order that teams with millions of dollars hanging in the balance can play out their own fate, actually own and operate a franchise? Like, how is that even sports anymore? Sure you may dislike Balsillie and his silly bald head, but you would scuttle the integrity of an entire sport to na-na-na-na-poo-poo a guy? What is the world coming too! It's like having a government run a bank!<br /><br />Anyway, we free market libertarian types here at TOV realize that none of this is Leafs related and seeing as you are a devoted fan to the True Franchise (may all her wrist-shots be true) you are hankerin' for some...haiku'erin.<br /><br />En garde!<br /><br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Francois Beauchemin<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Good street. Happy trails.<br />No matter the translation,<br />you will bring us wins.<br /><br /></span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Garnet Exelby<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Garnet? Were you some<br />sort of farm boy in the late<br />forties growing up?<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Jeff Finger</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br />Kaberle you're not.<br />Except contractually.<br />So...epic fail?<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Jonas Frogren</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br />"My name is Jonas!<br />Do do do do do do doooo."<br />Plus, <a href="http://hockey.expressen.se/polopoly_fs/1.1332396%21slot100slotWide75ArticleFull/3447786819.jpg">you</a> look like <a href="http://comicfigs.net/MarvelLegends/ML03/Thor01.jpg">Thor</a><br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Carl Gunnarsson</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br />You won't make the team.<br />But dude, wicked last name! Light<br />it up at Ricoh.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Tomas Kaberle</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br />I'm sorry for <a href="http://theothervatican.blogspot.com/2009/07/tutoring-going-from-d-to-c-or-just-f.html">this.</a><br />I realize now that you should<br />stay here forever.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Michael Komisarek</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br />You were once a Hab.<br />Even then I secretly<br />liked you. Glad you're here.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Luke Schenn</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br />I bought your jersey!<br />It's, like, on my wall. *giggle!*<br />...you need anything?<br /><br />...cuz, like, you'll be...um<br />you know, the Captain one day,<br />and I just...well...you know...<br /><br />No? You're good? Hey man,<br />that's like totally cool man.<br />Another time. Yup.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Mike Van Ryn</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br />I hear Swarovskis is<br />making your bobble head doll<br />next season. Don't die :(<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Ian White</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br />Behold! The awesome<br />power of <a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2327/2188180638_9395f998d9.jpg?v=0">facial hair</a>! Are<br />you a <a href="http://s209572259.onlinehome.us/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/samson.jpg">Nazarene</a>?<br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Well, there you have it folks! Please feel free to compose your own haikus in the comment section. Remember, it's five syllables, seven syllables, five syllables and they must contain wit.<br /><br />Stay tuned for our final, and much shorter, goalie haiku posting. By then we'll be feeling all loose and limber and ready to take one some much more weightier topics for the upcoming season.<br /><br />Til then, keep the faith<br /></span></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><br /></div>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-87906813896655786012009-08-17T23:39:00.008-04:002009-08-18T09:58:11.972-04:00The August Desert: Forward Haikus<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ju_txdqsBej8lxd-_KbL4HimmVAzxTbfkvdP_3__Y2ihDF88FtzvxLmigOyX6ipownWXW9pQckJCN7d1jBScxVg1R1qI5tCJsVrQObXRcpZMsIf2VaSUL9qUR4qSEbfkmwdL14Znlpw/s1600-h/namib-desert-v-98.2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ju_txdqsBej8lxd-_KbL4HimmVAzxTbfkvdP_3__Y2ihDF88FtzvxLmigOyX6ipownWXW9pQckJCN7d1jBScxVg1R1qI5tCJsVrQObXRcpZMsIf2VaSUL9qUR4qSEbfkmwdL14Znlpw/s320/namib-desert-v-98.2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5371143726416817490" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Can you feel the symbolism!?</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">August is the cruelest month. The dry, barren days of the hockey year. The Leaf's roster looks pretty much set and with Double B chilling out with Team USA for their camp there doesn't seem to be much going on. Actually, it doesn't just seem that way, it <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> that way.<br /><br />But then we got reflecting upon the concept of barrenness. Sure, nothing is happening, nothing is going to happen until training camp, the Maple Leaf Gardens of our hearts will receive no moisture for the next few weeks and we must all go into survival mode, taking whatever little bit of blessed hockey moisture we can to keep us from wilting under the hot sun of boredom (aka: August Baseball in Toronto).<br /><br />So in honor of small bits of life-giving moisture in a parched land, we present to you: <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Maple Leaf Haikus of August</span>--for you see, the haiku is the small bit of life-giving moisture of the literary world. So we're going to give a haiku to every player who is probably going to be on the roster. This will be a three-part post starting with that rag-tag bunch: the forwards.<br /><br />Drink it in, baby!<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Niklas Hagman</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">We pay you a lot</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">to only <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKJlI4ZODlI">deke once a year</a>.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Dude. Seriously.</span><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jason Blake</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Few people like you</span>.<br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Grabovski especially. </span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Go back to the Isle </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Brad May</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Did you retire?</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Honestly, no one recalls.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">If not, come back <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfNdmelWneU">mean</a>. </span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-weight: bold;">Lee Stempniak</span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span>I lobbied for you.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">I thought you would be a steal.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">You broke my heart, Lee.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Matt Stajan</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span>Dude looks like a child;</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">A <a href="http://media.photobucket.com/image/matt%20stajan%20bald/stevematylewicz/comb-over.jpg">balding child</a>, but a child.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Keep scoring helpers!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Christian Hanson</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>So pumped! Drop the gloves!</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Just like your <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B3QZfl7LBQw&feature=related">dad</a>, bust some face!</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Tin foil ftw!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jamal Mayers</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">There's no way you play </span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">on any line next year. Just...</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">just...show some heart, man!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Alexei Ponikarovsky </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">On your jersey your</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">name actually goes down</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">your sleeve. That's funny.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">John Mitchell</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Fifty bucks if you</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">can go all season without </span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">dropping an f-bomb</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Nikolai Kulemin</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>It is no secret</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">that you are our favorite</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">of all the lil smurfs</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Mikhail Grabovski</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>Your hair: a lion's mane</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Your heart: unquestionably</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">loyal. Let's <a href="http://www.meltyourfaceoff.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/mikhail-grabovski.jpg">flip off Habs</a>! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Colton Orr</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">You and Jamal Mayers</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">can fight it out for who wins</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">lamest fourth liner</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wayne Primeau</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Oh yeah! Wayner, you</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">can join them too. Brian, what's</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">the deal with these guys!?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rickard Wallin</span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>Your name is Rickard.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Like the beer! Dude, that is so cool.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Instant fan favorite. <span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tyler Bozak</span></span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Will you make the team?</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Are you the Schenn of 09?</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Oracle, report! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Nazim Kadri</span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Is it Kadri that</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">you want? Cuz it's Kadri that</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">we are going to pick. </span><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br />Hopefully this can keep you hydrated until we get some real meat and potatoes!<br /><br />Until then, keep the faith<br /><br />(<span style="font-weight: bold;">Edit:</span> Feel like your favorite guy didn't get the haiku he deserved? Write one in the comments!)<br /></span>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-61312486927581302072009-08-10T09:05:00.007-04:002009-08-13T15:54:58.794-04:00From the Oracle: The Pogge Trade<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sjpJQRYbcBg_vPAAN-8DMdsHHOohpJYAZwv34Alx7No7TCG5l6p3ws75nUgICcz4ELkEz0X6pACQ2Ssbnz1YtD9r3w56QVU8tbVTYiyyKf2Jxpbwy2XNDoOH8-ef0dt3yt7n4NAUqPI/s1600-h/oracle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7sjpJQRYbcBg_vPAAN-8DMdsHHOohpJYAZwv34Alx7No7TCG5l6p3ws75nUgICcz4ELkEz0X6pACQ2Ssbnz1YtD9r3w56QVU8tbVTYiyyKf2Jxpbwy2XNDoOH8-ef0dt3yt7n4NAUqPI/s320/oracle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368321701254360354" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Sorry, it's taking time for my magic dinner plate to load the "promising Leafs traded" file</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">So soon for another installment of From the Oracle? Well, we find ourselves back in that frenzied position. You know that position—a trade has just gone down and the chemistry and makeup of the team has been altered and you are in that scared and worried place: “did we just screw ourselves over? Did we win that trade? Will I miss player x? My google search of player y has yielded no fruit. I’m lost and frightened and I seek council.” Well luckily we here at TOV recognize that you are feeling lost and adrift and that is why we take the arduous trek to visit our oracle whenever a trade happens. We vow to bring you her secret and mystical utterances.<span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Surely by now if you are faithful followers of our fantastic franchise you will know that the Leafs have all but traded Pogge to <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Anaheim</st1:place></st1:city> for a conditional draft pick based on his performance for the Ducks (<span style="font-weight: bold;">*edit:</span> it's official now.) Recently we here at TOV <a href="http://theothervatican.blogspot.com/2009/07/prorogue-pogges-potential-departure.html">profiled</a> our beleaguered puckstopper, where we weighed the pros and cons of keeping our lil cocky Poggers. Ultimately we were in favor on keeping him and letting him test his mettle by competing for a backup position on the Baby Leafs (and we also mused about a dream scenario of loaning him out to a team, much like they do it in Europe and much like how I loan out all my crappy young players when I’m playing FIFA 09. Off to Nottingham Forrest for you! Haha!) We were actually looking forward to seeing if he had what it takes mentally to work his way up the ladder.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">However, St Brian had other ideas. He actually went through with his “this kid deserves a chance to play and I’m going to give him a chance to play by not playing for us” threat. Methinks Burke <i style="">actually</i> means what he says when he says things to the media. Weird. We are so used to JFJ lawyer speak: “I am not currently at liberty to discuss that particular issue regarding that particular player or players like him, but all I can say to our fans with their insatiable hunger for any scrap of knowledge from the front office is that I am looking at all options, non-options, potential options, options both known to me and unknown to me and any options that fall into the category of <i style="">unknown </i>unknown options, in order to bring this club to the level of competitiveness that we would like to see our team be at” zzzzzzzzzzz….*murf* hmm? Oh yeah. Oracle.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">So Burkie is doing what he says. How odd. When we posed to the Oracle our question of why the Leafs would trade away an asset such as a gold medal, Russian shutting-out, Rask-beater goalie of the future, she gave us an answer and ultimately a point of view that we had not considered before. After several poured libations, and countless incantations in an ancient tongue lost to us now she eventually emerged from her <a href="http://www.onfrozenblog.com/assets_c/2008/12/thevault-thumb-600x450-5816.jpg">secret cave</a>. Her oracle is as follows “<i style="">a murmurer overboard murmurs alone. A murmurer below deck scuttles the fleet,”</i></span> <span style="font-size:130%;">which is another way of saying “I think I’ve had too many poured libations.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Incomprehensible as it is, our experts, <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglF8miFXhVBVOzJssNTMpV2igjvaYPa8UFR059kC5vFSueXwDm4JtHXH4BW-UX200L014JcQDslIdNT4x42UlnEO256zyXYo5RkzFD_UboQljlE52vCPSK9XrTsKw6jvcqfnOfGuDqRkXD/s400/simpsons_lawyer_md-1.jpg">lawyers</a> and general holy men took to work unpacking her pronouncement. What we have gathered is as follows:</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">There are many good reasons to have kept Pogge: he’s young. He’s a goalie. Goalies develop slower than humans. He has that unfortunate moniker of <i style="">potential</i>—wanted by 19 year olds, dreaded by 25 year olds. He’s got a gold medal and a pretty wicked backstory of humble beginnings. He would push Reimer, or Reimer would push him, or something would be pushed in the Marlies. Whatever. It’s the Marlies. Everyone is trying to get out. Plus it is never really a bad idea to have options at all positions, especially goal. We liked these options. These options made sense to us. We slept at night knowing that Pogge knew what job he had in front of him and it was time for him to go out an win our hearts and minds. Done and done, lets go make fun of Eklund (e5). </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Well, St Brian said “kid won’t get time to play here. I will trade him for a pick kthxbai.” What do we say to this? </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><b style="">Our take</b></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Three little words that have been the culture of the Maple Leafs for almost a decade now: country club entitlement. Fresh faced youngsters fresh off the boat, or fresh off the combine skate into town, get a few goals or some nice <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=296hWH1aDmI&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fvideo%2Efilestube%2Ecom%2Fvideo%2C77f7947a7025ad4203e9%2Ehtml&feature=player_embedded">toe saves</a> and the Toronto Media gets all love-shy and bashful and competes for who can write the best “I Wanna drink Justin Pogge’s Bath Water” article. All of a sudden the kid with Maple Leafs' shining in his eyes soon stands on his balcony, o’erlooking the city like a second Nebuchadnezzar and pronounces “is this not the Great Crease Legacy I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?” (For all you biblically literate readers out there, perhaps we should have a, “Is Justin Pogge going to turn into a Donkey” blogpost. We digress.) Before you know it the player is penciled in on the starting team and they start asking the equipment manager if the lawn chair they brought to practice is going to damage the blue ice. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">So Burke is sending a message. You may be the goalie of the future. You may be a great talent that is waiting to develop. We may have been really happy to have you in our line-up in three years once you begin to breakthrough whatever it is you need to breakthrough to become the premier puckstopper that you have always envisioned yourself to be. However you are living and acting as if you have done it, and once you live like you <i style="">have</i> done something, you will never do it. Basically, Pogge started being Pete from Madmen. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 0.5in; line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">So St. Brian’s message is that <i style="">we are willing to trade a probable goalie-of-the-future</i> <i style="">in order to stamp out the culture of entitlement</i>. As long as Pogge thought he was a great goalie without having been a great goalie, he would never be a great goalie, and there was a real strong potential that he would drag down the rest of the team with him. Scuttle the fleet.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>It’s been a long time since we’ve had a GM who valued heart before talent, so we’re not really used to this. We’re concerned that a promising player has been shipped out of town, but in reality it may have saved the whole show, both for us <i style="">and for Pogge</i>. Kid just got slapped around. Kid just got schooled. He just learned the lesson that any sign of any taint or blemish on your work habits can infect the entire team and will not be accounted for on a team that is pushing to win. Pogge now has two options: 1. Go to <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Anaheim</st1:place></st1:city>, work your tail off, live the Rocky III storyline (“Yo Adrienne, we did it!”) and become a goalie. Or 2. Go to <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Anaheim</st1:place></st1:city>, never shake your delusions of grandeur and become Trevor Kidd, who was only ever good at growing <a href="http://i.a.cnn.net/si/images/hockey/nhl/players/689.jpg">horrible facial hair</a>. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">So we stamp out the culture club and all the bad karma chameleons, get a low pick and give a kid a chance at becoming an honest player and shaking the messiah-in-waiting label. </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><o:p><br /></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> <br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style=""> </span>But here is our final point for you, our faithful brethren. If Pogge <i style="">does</i> go to Anaheim and Rocky III’s it there, once he is a free agent looking for a place to take his new found A-game, to whom do you think he will have a feeling of loyalty? Pogge probably hates Burke now, or is indifferent, or lost in a syrupy mire of self-pity and delusions of grandeur, but he would be truly shortsighted if down the line he doesn’t realize that <span style="font-style: italic;">this</span> is the opportunity he needed to achieve the highest honor he, or any NHLer could have: being known as an <span style="font-style: italic;">honest</span> and classy player. If anything, Burke is a good General to his men (and we love him for it!) Men marshaled under a good General usually welcome opportunities to be marshaled under them again.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><o:p> </o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Keep the faith. <span style=""> </span></span></p> <span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-15012576863029766202009-08-07T09:47:00.006-04:002009-08-07T14:02:48.728-04:00Make some room on yo' shelf!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuYkjC6hUnEHcpnuioXTKtFUIeKNiiAxpiwPwrcWUxbWURhxfzODbyPWPx4sBz1_1z18HlgQtERQJitGOHEvt5xOno0S93ArGYmOG69eTe1GKirt-hzQw30eW6DRQfaVHOv08OyQNdi3o/s1600-h/book58_300.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 237px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuYkjC6hUnEHcpnuioXTKtFUIeKNiiAxpiwPwrcWUxbWURhxfzODbyPWPx4sBz1_1z18HlgQtERQJitGOHEvt5xOno0S93ArGYmOG69eTe1GKirt-hzQw30eW6DRQfaVHOv08OyQNdi3o/s320/book58_300.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5367218247005990178" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Comrades, the good people over at Maple Leaf Hot Stove have announced an exciting new Leafs publication: the 2009-2010 Maple Leafs Annual! And it appears to be 100% Cox and Berger free. So you wont read it and feel guilty for being a fan!<br /><br />Read all about it <a href="http://mapleleafshotstove.com/index.php/2009/08/07/introducing-the-2009-10-maple-leafs-annual/">here .</a><br /><br /><br />We here at TOV cannot wait to get our hot little hands on this sure-to-be gem. Rebuilding analysis!? We're giddy! We <span style="font-style: italic;">love</span> rebuilding analysis. We started a blog to talk about St Brian and his Burkian building bravado. We can't wait to read it! We can't wait to debate their points and opinions! We can't wait for more hockey talk because we're sick of spending two hours on NHL 09 trying to create a fake Nazem Kadri and restarting our dynasty league.<br /><br />So, pop open a bottle today, O barilkosphere, because Alec Brownscombe and the guys as PPP and MLHS are makin' us legit! They're rising to the top and taking us with them.<br /><br />Friends, I have seen the future of the Leafs Blogging community. One day we'll all be sitting in a sports bar owned by Wendel Clark as the Leafs are in the playoffs. In will walk Darren Dreger and Bob McKenzie and they will see us, get all shy and giddy, proclaim "look Bob, it's the barilkosphere!" and buy us a round. Can you see it?<br /><br />We can.<br /><br />Find your favorite <a href="https://www.rivercitysports.com/product_shots/thumbnails/114492.jpg">Leafs Stein</a> and lets raise a glass to true fans<br /><br />Keep the faith<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Update:<br /><br /></span>Order and preorder your own copy <a href="https://www.maplestreetpress.com/osindex.cfm">here</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-91167399897069760112009-08-03T17:53:00.010-04:002009-08-04T15:22:19.563-04:00Top Line Sniper?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6gW4_l4Nru7_lAYPPar9C9mdOWNRwMIUlkWbZ6SbsGX3rk4V3WjcpYP3TExZH64PS_WkVFUXF6QTTAeY-ArKIqcm5_S9M8K-_HDLpeViRjZflCZDFS0bUHTdDP7uFsP1LEaN4AwJJZs/s1600-h/zherdev.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg6gW4_l4Nru7_lAYPPar9C9mdOWNRwMIUlkWbZ6SbsGX3rk4V3WjcpYP3TExZH64PS_WkVFUXF6QTTAeY-ArKIqcm5_S9M8K-_HDLpeViRjZflCZDFS0bUHTdDP7uFsP1LEaN4AwJJZs/s320/zherdev.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5365859335621966962" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">He would probably have to change his number if he came here<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Ok. Recap time. The Burkian checklist for building a team is as follows:<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >1.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> Goalie is top priority. Get a stellar keeper and a hungry backup for competition.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >2.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> Big, beefy, mean defense. One or two puck moving offensive guys, but mostly dudes who will squish you or turn you into a puff of pink powder once you enter their zone.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >3.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> Bottom six "blue collar" guys. These guys have specific jobs and they ain't the pretty kind:<br />a) 3rd liners. These are the shut down guys. Ideally paired against the other teams top line, this line is put on to, well, prevent the top line from scoring. These guys are focused, dedicated, unselfish and tough. Hopefully they can chip in on some secondary scoring too.<br />b) 4th liners. This is the <a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com/imgs/dynamique/photos/300/h021627A.jpg">crazy-eyes</a> line. They are not as skilled as the 3rd liners. Heck, they probably aren't even as focused as them either. They may not even be unselfish. We all know why these guys are on the ice. They are there to liquefy Cam Janssen when he throws <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgDUNn8q4qo">dirty dirty hits.</a> (That really is one of the dirtiest hits I've ever seen in the game. But what is sad is how Travis Green only gives Janssen a stern verbal warning and not an epic beat down. Even Belak's beat down a few games later was sad.) We have this line so that our Kaberle's and our Grabovski's and our (one day) Kadri's can do their thing. (Or, we get someone again who can <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TacPPXaNI9A&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.downgoesbrown.com%2Fsearch%2Flabel%2FTop%252017%2520Wendel%2520Clark%2520Moments&feature=player_embedded">do</a> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eliP-58PqOM&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.downgoesbrown.com%2Fsearch%2Flabel%2FTop%252017%2520Wendel%2520Clark%2520Moments&feature=player_embedded">both</a>. You see the no hesitation in going to defend crumpled Gilmour?) What has the Leaf's lacked these past couple of seasons? A decent 4th line. We're a team of 3rd liners, but even a 3rd line doesn't do what a 4th line does.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >4.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> Top six. If the bottom six were blue collar, does this mean these guys are bankers? Brokers? Either way, these are the guys who put up the points. Ideally, they backcheck and forcheck and have heart, but we here at TOV firmly believe that they are not the ones who set the tone of the team. The team's tone is set by (and in this order) the Captain, the defence, the 3rd line and the 4th line. Look at why the Senators have failed in the past 2 seasons. They have no identity on the back end or on the bottom 6 of the team. Sure they have scoring, but relying on scorers to flesh out the identity of the team is a house built on sandy land. Your sniper dries up for a few games, you all of a sudden have no identity. The <a href="http://www.freewebs.com/rnewton/logo_buffalo_sabres_2006.png">Buffaslugs</a> (seriously. Look at their logo) suffer from this. The Senators suffer from this. But teams like the Flames or the Wings or even the Canes don't, because they have this identity from the "ground" up.<br /><br />Which brings us to tonights topic. Surely by now you have heard that Nikolai Zherdev has gone to arbitration and that he will be awarded somewhere in the 3.5-4.5 mil range. Unfortunately, the Rangers can't afford this because they signed Gaborik and his wet-paper-bag-for-a-groin. So the dude is going to walk. Something Gaborik wont be able to do after 2 weeks of the regular season.<br /><br />Also, the Leafs do not have a top line winger. We have </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >potential</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> top line talent, but we don't have that "this guy leads the attack every night" guy. Zherdev could be that guy.<br /><br />So, our options:<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Giv'er</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br />Zherdev has tons of skill. He can score </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >and</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> he wants to be the top guy on the team. He feels he didn't get a fair shakedown in Columbus and he was burried behind guys in NYC who had to play top line minutes because their contracts dictated them to. He seems to be hungry and wanting to prove himself.<br /><br />Leafs have top line minutes to give. We don't have a <span style="font-style: italic;">bona fide</span> scorer. Like we said earlier, even if he takes a shift off in backchecking, we don't really care because the top line sniper does not set the tone of the team. He needs to put up some points, not be incompetent off the puck and not be a creep in the dressing room.<br /><br />Bottom line: Leafs need a top line sniper. He is a sniper that can be had without giving up any assets. Go for it.<br /><br />or<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Um, no thanks</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br />Zherdev seems to have graduated from the Alexi Kovalev school of interpersonal communications. He may put up some points, but he also may go through long streaks of suckitude. And if he isn't producing and we bump him down a line, he may not have the heart to work himself back up to producing again. Plus he's expensive for all these questions. Also, and it sucks to say it, but as a Russian will he want to go play in mother Russia if the grind of a rebuilding team gets to him?<br /><br />Bottom line: Is this the sniper on which we wish to build our attack? Is he really the hill we want to die on? He's a superb talent, but does he have the stones to stick it out when things don't go his way? Do we have the leadership on the team to keep him in line?<br /><br />***<br /><br />We here at TOV think that he would be a good fit </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >if</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> we had a top line center and a throwdown top line winger--you know, someone who will chip in on some points (mainly assists) but is more of a dig-it-out-of-the-corners kinda guy. Think of Roberts - Sundin - Mogilny. Zherdev is a Mogilny in this situation. But we don't have a opposite winger who can dig in the corners like Roberts can (aside: I say we try to get Booth out of Florida) nor do we have a top line center who controls the flow of the line. We fear that Zherdev would be wasted on the team as it now stands. What would a lone Mogilny have done for us? So the question is, do we take a flyer on Zherdev in hopes of building a line for him down the road? Or do we pass up on him now and hope for a real <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvs_GNmQat1Z1Eq2exiILSDM9T7dgXsPXdApTgimT7w7NdjwFPd_bwIzb54TkV4VVATKHDMT-xEQVCtvJFbnuvwdYx528gMASZB_VY6xnZDWqFbV3bgJbPr9s7R31OE5SENYglgk0H7OoA/s320/tx.kovalchuk.jpg">game-changing winger</a> later. Or do you fall into the "we need a top line Canadian boy" camp?<br /><br />Let's hear your thoughts!</span><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-62828336206530703052009-07-28T19:24:00.006-04:002009-07-29T11:34:02.353-04:00From the Oracle: The Stralman Trade<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRU-Zvte4qhwAuu7W6ND2NjcSevnjyZVL7Su9pRosGitGe8MPuQqHJx2ouVNFlTAhUzIKTOJJBfweSd0-hu3-ag8EQdy4o8YPzyEoy3e4yRlYQ1c5GYbfNvb1uqfihOn_4Hk76Yv6-xPY/s1600-h/oracle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRU-Zvte4qhwAuu7W6ND2NjcSevnjyZVL7Su9pRosGitGe8MPuQqHJx2ouVNFlTAhUzIKTOJJBfweSd0-hu3-ag8EQdy4o8YPzyEoy3e4yRlYQ1c5GYbfNvb1uqfihOn_4Hk76Yv6-xPY/s320/oracle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363656139857085346" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">She peers into the water in order to find answers for our TML concerns</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">In ancient times, during periods of great uncertainty, difficulty and potential disaster, men would take long pilgrimages to oracles to seek their council. Throughout the ancient world there were numerous oracles (and prophets and sibyls) who all had personalized methods of discovering the will of <a href="http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/gallery/000049/000305059.jpg">the</a> <a href="http://www.skate2stick.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/webdel-clark-17.jpg">gods</a>. Some oracles would retreat into a cave, light some...um...sacred herbs, sit in the smokey cave and wait for the gods to speak. Other oracles would dance or read tea leaves or retreat into the desert or paint pictures or make mini models or act out prophetic plays or be doomed to always tell the truth, but never be believed. Our favorite oracle would go out on a sunny day, sit down under the sacred tree and would listen to the wind blowing through the branches. Apparently Zeus--when he wasn't impregnating people--or other deities would whisper down the messages through the rustling of the leaves. The faithful oracle would then skip home and deliver the message to whomever asked her.<br /><br />We here at TOV have our very own oracle (besides the <a href="http://media.therecord.topscms.com/images/d7/54/630286b440f0acea0cb986f89a98.jpeg">great oracle</a>) and here is what we asked her about yesterday's trade:<br /><br />1. Why Stralman<br />2. Why Primeau<br />3. Will the pain of Leaf fandom ever heal?<br /><br />She responded with was the usual antiquated prose style oracle pronouncement that we here at TOV have come to expect from our lovely prophetic lady:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Know ye better than I, fair fan? Burke's boulder has but begun to roll. Look to the new dawn and keep your eyes from the tower for any movement on the horizon.<br /><br /></span>So that was unhelpful<span style="font-style: italic;"></span>. But luckily we had our <a href="http://www.iphoneworld.ca/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/iphone-attorney.gif">legal experts</a> and symbologists take a crack at it and this is what they are saying:<br /><br />Stralman was a project. He was a <span style="font-style: italic;">potentially</span> <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WK0aAR0Ppg">offensively gifted</a> (love to hear it ding off that post) D-man, he was figuring out his positioning and when we sent him back down to the AHL he didn't blow anybodies hair back. He was unlikely to crack the team this next season--and if he did, it would be at the expense of White who seems to be buying what Wilson is selling. Also due to <a href="http://mapleleafshotstove.com/index.php/2009/07/28/stralman-trade-wrapup-and-more/#more-5235">CBA fineprint</a> he would have had to be exposed to waivers, and if he had been snatched we would have been screaming bloody murder (and we would have had to have read all the articles saying how we as fans overvalue our prospects. But as it stands we're now going to have to read the articles saying we gave up on a promising player from the same guys a year ago wrote how Stralman is not really a promising player.)<br /><br />So it was either: Stralman makes the team, take a gamble on waivers or trade him. So we traded him. And wow, we got what we got for Antropylon and we got what we got for Kid Harvard. So that's pretty good for a kid who looks like a <a href="http://z.about.com/d/crime/1/0/P/8/gatesbill.jpg">young Bill Gates</a><br /><br />Why Primeau?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mZnQG6WFfq4">Dunno</a><br /><br />Now, the Oracle did say say things about looking to the horizon and movement and new dawn and that kinda stuff. My guess is that this is setting the stage for a bigger deal. Now, obviously as previously posted here on TOV we feel that Kaberle and Pogge are on the list of players potentially on the way out. Now that we got a 4th line center in Primeau our guess is that one of either Stajan or Mitchell are on the hot seat. Stajan probably has more trade-value and he is less Burkian than Mitchell, so let's assume it's him.<br /><br />So a potential package could be: Kaberle, Pogge, Stajan (and the new 2nd if we wanted). Hey, that's a pretty decent return. So lets plug that into the "team's needing a puckmoving guy" and multiply that by level of desperation to make the postseason and we're seeing such teams as LA, Columbus, Phoenix, St. Louis, Vancouver or Dallas (in that order too). Obviously we're looking at a top line player or big blue chip prospect coming back our way (with, hopefully, an offensive dman prospect project like Stralman too.) And if you are a team perennially on the outside looking in all the time, and you have a superstar forward (like LA have in Frolov and Brown, and like how Columbus have in Nash) that needs the puck from the backend, I seriously think you take a good hard look at Kaberle. Is he worth a Brayden Schenn (yesyesyes!), or a Filatov or Brassard. Surely he's not worth a Turris? But what about a Boedker or a Hanzal or a Mueller? Our money would be on Filatov coming back. Maybe he and <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLMa2Rzke5o">Kulemin and his wicked backhand</a> are best friends and have chemistry.<br /><br />So my faithful remnant, we here would put our money on the fact that another trade is coming. And, hey, if not, we got a second rounder that we can parlay into a surer thing than Stralman.<br /><br />Keep the faith<br /><br /><br /></span>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-3962377920792778552009-07-27T19:09:00.008-04:002009-07-29T11:35:01.704-04:00Trade: Leafs ship out Stralman, Stewart and a 7th for W. Primeau and Cgy's 2nd Round pick<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipk4XXJ-ddtTEOlUL_sbauWam_wfmtpvxBgi4jT4hITCqcqsOqUxS2xnehk7emohJBDjeB1Xo1AfppQ8UU0RRI5DnjAfwhOwCQseOdqEimxfAqNOEnSlMugZR9DTRuzr8sIjCtZauJPF4/s1600-h/3055829319_f9746c98b5_o.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipk4XXJ-ddtTEOlUL_sbauWam_wfmtpvxBgi4jT4hITCqcqsOqUxS2xnehk7emohJBDjeB1Xo1AfppQ8UU0RRI5DnjAfwhOwCQseOdqEimxfAqNOEnSlMugZR9DTRuzr8sIjCtZauJPF4/s320/3055829319_f9746c98b5_o.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363281266635145218" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Reaction and analysis forthcoming. But what RDS, TSN and now Sportsnet are reporting is that this deal is done: Anton Stralman, Colin Stewart (the guy from the Kubina trade) and a 2012 7th rounder are off to Calgary for Wayne Primeau and the 2011 2nd rounder.<br /><br />Post your thoughts in the comments. We'll break it down and give our analysis later. Ugh, and get ready for the Cox or Berger article saying "Leafs bail on future Lidstrom" or "Leafs mortgage the future for vet." Or better yet, let's write our own full of cliches (1967!) and see how close we can get it.<br /><br />For now, however, we here at TOV will consult the great oracle and present to you her findings later.<br /></span>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-46234733505726388782009-07-26T20:06:00.015-04:002009-07-28T11:24:25.450-04:00Prorogue Pogge's potential departure from our perennial puck paradise...post haste!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tkF2JKNWgkorcUaxlo4nhRLGrDkM5fneUzGqK2DDo_OmfeXK7jSF-Cx6B-ItC56YMQwsS6aRfdwawZFpkg98TkWzrSV8LZpbES7KaJUUE9zUMXQJ4qWeUPpqYPdcjMNKafqILzfU-OE/s1600-h/PoggeConcentrate.jpg"><blockquote></blockquote><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3tkF2JKNWgkorcUaxlo4nhRLGrDkM5fneUzGqK2DDo_OmfeXK7jSF-Cx6B-ItC56YMQwsS6aRfdwawZFpkg98TkWzrSV8LZpbES7KaJUUE9zUMXQJ4qWeUPpqYPdcjMNKafqILzfU-OE/s320/PoggeConcentrate.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5362925765480896290" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Thousand-yard stare? Or reading the plane ticket</span></span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Greetings faithful remnant.<br /><br />Or, if you've lived in Toronto over the last few days, happy monsoon season! There were some here at TOV who thought that the storms of the past few days were the final wrathful apocalyptic acts of the <a href="http://www.douggilmour.com/wp-content/gallery/doug-gilmour-maple-leafs-pictures/gilmore510.jpg">hockey</a> <a href="http://cdn.nhl.com/mapleleafs/images/upload/2008/07/clark250retor.jpg">gods,</a> upset by our munchkin commish's reign of error. Indeed, we dusted off our "the end is near" signs and started handing out maps to our secret mountain compound. There was debate whether we should dry store or freeze store our emergency seed supply, but by then the rain stopped, the great <a href="http://67.220.225.35/%7Eomrh7380//images/logos/Ron%20Mclean.jpg">oracle</a> read the animal innards and told us that it was not wrathful gods but just a crappy summer and we went back down to DEFCON 4, "Code: Mogilny."<br /><br />But that DEFCON level may be a-rising with the recent news, illustrated here in <a href="http://www.thestar.com/sports/article/671409">The Star</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;">(yucky, I know.) They claim that the Leafs are shopping Pogge! Now, normally we here would read the Star's article with our coffee and say to our Toronto bourgeois selves, "so this is what news is like north of Eglington...and not even one rhetorical trope or literary reference in sight!" and then we would laugh it off and go to </span><span style="font-size:130%;"><a href="http://mapleleafshotstove.com/">MLHS</a> or <a href="http://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/">PPP</a> for our <span style="font-style: italic;">real</span> Leaf's news of the day.<br /></span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br />Normally. Except for one lil scary bit in the middle of that article. You know, that part where Brian Burke says, "we are actively shopping Pogge so he can go play somewhere else." (or: "I have promised Justin I will try to find him a place where he will get a better shot,</span><span style="font-size:130%;">" for those who are link adverse.) And we know Signor Malcontentay means it too, because that's the same line he gave during the whole putting-Kronwall-on-waivers-so-he'd-go-play-somewhere-else deal. Now, is Burke being a nice guy, or is this a better way of saying "goodbye, unwanted part" without actually saying that they stink.<br /><br />But therein lies the debate: does Justin Pogge suck? Seven months ago he was still the crown prince of the organization, sent from above to shepherd his people to the land of milk and honey and grapes the size of <a href="http://www.moha.on.ca/images/DCP_0844.JPG">habs forwards</a> (<span style="font-style: italic;">adorable</span> lil forwards!) Remember all those Howard Berger articles where he called us stupid to be rooting for a player playing for a team that we cheer for and love? But now he's earned the <a href="http://roddysrockinreviews.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/vito.jpg">Brian Burke</a> "I owe it to the player" kiss of death?<br /><br />So faithful remnant, we have 2 options:<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Doooooo it!<br /></span><br />Pull<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span>that trigger Burke. Dude was 1-4-1, 0.844% and 4.36. I get better stats in ball hockey [aside: need a ball hockey goalie in the Toronto area, hit me up]. I remember the poor leaf homer who picked Pogge for his fantasy team in my league. He had some dark days, let me tell you. [Aside: Fantasy rule #1. Keep emotion/fandom out of it].<br /><br />Secondly, maybe there are some GM's out there who remember the 2006 World Junior shut out of ze russians. Let's play that up and see if we can get some kind of return on him, or package him with Kaberle for some sort of <a href="http://mapleleafshotstove.com/index.php/2009/07/26/intriguing-rumor/">obscene monster deal.</a><br /><br />Also, speaking of the 2006 championship: Steve Downie. TML. Getterdone.<br /><br />Thirdly, we've got Jonas <a href="http://www.svenskafans.com/image/playerProfile/28503.jpg">"I can peer into your soul"</a>Gustavsson, and James "No google images for me" Reimer. That spells future tandem, children! We're set. We don't need no Tukka Rask (aaaaaaaaaAAAH.....<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWvjRq97ZWQ&feature=fvw">Freak Out</a>!) and we don't need no Justin Pogge (or thought contraul). So lets turn that G into an F (<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=322zqTkL0-c">Downie </a>plzkthxbai).<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Seriously?....<span style="font-style: italic;">Seriously</span>? No, seriously?<br /><br /></span>Take a gander at who won the Vezina this year. Was it <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1FziuV23PWvP2Vons2XsShMqrMNN5WaPnh77yhh1BSu52zpvLVhaZnMOWgfpLAExJ6EmRQICWdhlrSMW1IE9M05gVU2P6DSKdZ5WL55ZFmEACnvU6TA7rS2zfOizXgMryuUCCvwOqD3sJ/s320/joe_camel.gif">Luongo</a> in Vancouver? Or was it Nabokov in San Jose? Nope. <span style="font-style: italic;">Tim freak'n Thomas</span>. One night, the Bruins GM needed a goalie, went to a local Boston pub, found some guy and put him in net. I swear, the Vezina trophy this year is the same plotline as The Rookie. Except we suspect that its more like the plotline to Angels in the Outfield, because divine intervention by Christopher Lloyd is the only way Thomas made half those saves this year. And don't look at us to explain it, we just deal in Leaf's divinity.<br /><br />But back to the argument: Tim Thomas won the Vezina. He spent years playing around Europe, honing his craft, learning about loss and hardwork and dedication and really really wanting something (maybe something some young hotshot who say's he's "naturally ripped" in a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqpO6I_yWY4">cribs</a> episode could learn). Can we give goalies out on loan? Send him to Sweden or something. Get some culture and puckstopability and come back all zen and Gustavsson-like--the apparently ultimate butterfly "Monster" goalie. (hmm...butterfly monster <a href="http://coolkits.net/G%20vs%20Mothra.jpg">eh</a>?)<br /><br />Bottom line is that goalies take time to develop, and it ain't no science. It's not really an art either. Some sort of weird voodoo magic? Finnish food? Who knows. But the argument is, is that Pogge's got the tools, he just doesn't have the structure. So maybe he should stay in the place that just <a href="http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/26703-Maple-Leafs-hire-Francois-Allaire-as-new-goaltending-consultant.html">hired the best goalie coach in the world who loves athletic giant goalies like Pogge.</a> Is there a real harm to have him duke it out in the Marlies with Reimer. Let's see if this kid really wants this. Earlier in the season Burke said himself that Pogge hasn't earned his way on to the team, but has he really earned his way off to another? Sure he may be a bit cocky and channeling the ghost of Ray Emery a bit, and sure I'm personally way more excited about cool and calm goalies like Gusty and Reimer, and sure Ron Wilson threw him under the <a href="http://www.torontosun.com/sports/hockey/2008/09/28/6908231-sun.html">bus</a> but is it really time to take this mutt to the <a href="http://astorarms.ca/images/non-restricted/remington%20870%20%2012ga%20aaaaa.jpg">rural vet</a>? Can't we gauge (pardon the pun) to see if he is a hungry <span style="font-style: italic;">hungry</span> hippo, or just a regular <a href="http://www.hockeyandhighheels.com/images/ky.jpg">hippo</a>?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">So let's hear it, faithful remnant of leafs nation: Pogge out? Or Just<span style="font-style: italic;">in</span>.<br /><br />Keep the faith<br /><br />p.s. vote in the poll!<br /><br />p.p.s. and thanks so much for reading. I appreciate all the support and comments. It's nice to be liked by fans of the team you love.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><div style="text-align: center; font-style: italic;"><div style="text-align: left;"></div></div><blockquote></blockquote>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-4555194792092708582009-07-21T20:26:00.006-04:002009-07-24T12:59:21.446-04:00State of the Rebuild<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8Ky2_cefR0RUu4mtOI8028BnVRpTMl0zd_tRhN9DahgSHRAKT01r8dcC9fF3crVFUd7zP4ezpS-vqs8L5qqK0U8yePMHlE7FXEUIsDyfya4RUvp0DlhaDa9xZyD006afzhsop7r_-h4/s1600-h/state_of_the_union.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 210px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8Ky2_cefR0RUu4mtOI8028BnVRpTMl0zd_tRhN9DahgSHRAKT01r8dcC9fF3crVFUd7zP4ezpS-vqs8L5qqK0U8yePMHlE7FXEUIsDyfya4RUvp0DlhaDa9xZyD006afzhsop7r_-h4/s320/state_of_the_union.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5361119366705875074" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Thank you...thank you...please, be seated.<br /><br />Friends, long suffering Leaf fans--you brothers and sisters of mine--assembled media and my fellow bloggers, I stand before you today, on this day, the day of the first TOV State of the Rebuild address filled with humility and honor that you should have ordained me with the responsibility to speak. I pledge to give my all as The Other Vatican Head of the Union and it is my sincerest prayer that my words fall on the fertile soil of the wounded hearts of the Leaf faithful.<br /><br />But my friends, I do not stand before you on a day of rejoicing. I do not stand before you with a full and satisfied heart. I do not stand before you having witnessed the Captain our Captain lifting the most hallowed cup o'er his head and drinking in sweet victory as our <a href="http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/uploads/image/toronto,maple_leafs_stanley_cup_1967.jpg">forefathers</a> had. No, in fact </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >that</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> most sacred of days has left our fair nation for a generation and the trials and tribulations that have come have almost swamped the ship of fandom. This is the heartache that beats at the very core of us, the Maple Leaf fans. This is that burden--that legacy that hangs about our neck like a stone, threatening to bring us to our knees.<br /><br />This history is familiar to you all. After the jubilation of our last cup victory, the fair land of the NHL was invaded by foreign teams looking for the same glory that we first 6 had found. As the competition grew, and the eye of fortune cast her fickle gaze upon other lands, cruel tyrannical <a href="http://www.cfhof.ca/uploads/assets/cflhof/Hall_of_Famers/Harold_Ballard.jpg">men</a> were permitted to enter into the highest levels of our organization and their lack of prudence and foresight turned our fair ship from her true course. <a href="http://www.nicktrainos.com/dryden/images/KenDryden.JPG">Many</a> <a href="http://www.sportsnet.ca/bios/2007/09/06/gord_stellick150x188_150.jpg">warriors</a> <a href="http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/08Q71BIfy7cTY/610x.jpg">rose</a> to attempt to sit on the sacred throne and rule with omnipotent wisdom. There have also been men we <a href="http://www.legendsofhockey.net/graphinduct/ind04_fletcher01.jpg">hoped</a> and <a href="http://images.dailyradar.com/media/uploads/ballhype/story_large/2009/03/22/001001515.jpg">prayed</a> would bring us to our former glory, but all have failed; all have fallen short and we sit here in a land of perpetual darkness and perpetual winter.<br /><br />But no longer!<br /><br />Friends, this day--this same day of seemingly unending darkness, this day of perpetual disappointment, this day of sack cloth and ashes--yes, even now there are small points of light beginning to form on the horizon. Scattered across this and alien lands sit a group of individuals. Some are old warriors, beaten down by the grind of many seasons. They sit in their studies, take stock of their lives and wonder what it is in their heart that is missing. As they look in their old war chest and see the hockey sweater from their youth with that blue and white beacon of purity shining up at them, they realize that they are called back to one final push.<br /><br />Some are wide-eyed youths, undrafted, honing their skills in the fields and rinks of small frozen towns, not even knowing that lady fortune has blessed their destiny. They too in their hearts have felt this lack, this gaping hole and this calling that their lives are meant for better things and greater deeds.<br /><br />Others have already felt the call and have moved to fulfill their destiny. Some of these small points of light currently don the hallowed jersey and wait for the stars to align.<br /><br />And the stars are moving as we speak.<br /><br />The heavens opened forth and sent us one <a href="http://xtremehockey.files.wordpress.com/2008/09/burke.jpg">man</a>--a prophet, called by lady fortune to lead his adopted people to the promised land. After fulfilling his time in the <a href="http://www.nationalsportsbeat.com/images/logos/nhl/Anaheim_Ducks.jpg">wilderness</a> he is now here, blessed with wisdom and foresight, slowly bringing those little individual points of light together to become a great beam that will pierce the present darkness.<br /><br />And this brings us here to tonight: to the state of the rebuild. The great poet T.S. Eliot once said that "a hockey team shall forever be building, for they are attacked from without and decay from within." Friends, for years we have lacked that mechanism of building. We have been satisfied with the decay and we did not repel the attacks. But no longer. </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >We shall drink from that cup.</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br />So let us keep a keen eye open for further light coming from the horizon--that that new dawn may shine on us and that our children and our children's children will speak of these days as men who speak of a golden era.<br /><br />But for now, the State of the Union is that we need a top line pivot. Either a center or a high-scoring winger. Someone who is the tip of the spear on the attack. We have a goalie tandem that should push each other to succeed--and if the credit on the Vesa Card is maxed out, I am sure J.S. Giguere will make his way over here eventually. We are also set on D. We may even have an overabundance of Dmen.<br /><br />But are you satisfied with our forward corps going into next year? We sure aren't. C'mon, deep down you know in your heart of hearts that we wont be making a post season or ever achieving greatness in a post season without at least 2 30g men or 1 40g man. We've got bottom 6 in spades and we've probably got the makings of a great second line in any combination of: Kulemin, Tlusty, Grabovski, Hagman, Blake, Poni, and (ugh) Stajan. We've even got wildcards in <a href="http://www.healthynewage.com/images/taebo2.jpg">Tyler Bozak </a>(special thanks to my friends at <a href="http://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/">PPP</a> for the great nickname), Christian Hanson and Viktor Stalberg.<br /><br />But where is that true, beating heart of our offence? Or maybe you disagree and say that scoring by committee--a team of lots of 20g men is desireable.<br /><br />What should be Burke's next big move? er...I mean...where is lady luck smiling next?<br /><br />a) stand pat<br />b) top line center/"face of the franchise"<br />c) top 6 winger--20-30 g man/support cast<br />d) further truculence<br /><br />And if you answer b, c, or d let's hear who and why.<br /><br />Keep the faith</span>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-5221162253844658032009-07-19T22:27:00.005-04:002009-07-20T09:37:46.237-04:00Tutoring: going from a D to a C (or just an F)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivCkCT2DfJrKWNp4DbfX1R7bx4dQkPEOP-ogRq5JFBmiIhPyiMIh8Cb3I0qvQaIWNhCXycUOwNG9rPlQEFHkVUlcKZkYY8alWIIGuE3os7Lu-VEgurozbzz_HyWSE0FCbL3HFyw0SNYnY/s1600-h/kaberle5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 206px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivCkCT2DfJrKWNp4DbfX1R7bx4dQkPEOP-ogRq5JFBmiIhPyiMIh8Cb3I0qvQaIWNhCXycUOwNG9rPlQEFHkVUlcKZkYY8alWIIGuE3os7Lu-VEgurozbzz_HyWSE0FCbL3HFyw0SNYnY/s320/kaberle5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360369993350612386" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Oh Kaberle. Perhaps our greatest late round pick ever. You've been a trooper haven't you? Those cherished moments on the powerplay where you have an open shot on net, with the whole crowd yelling for you to shoot (or trading futures on their Blackberries if you're in the lower bowl) yet you unselfishly pass it off to your pairing D-man, who--if you are McCabe circa 2006--buries it with the usual post-goal <a href="http://www.vg.no/bilder/bildarkiv/1099080703.03449.jpg">flourish</a>, or if you are Kubina circa 2007 you wind up but blow out your knee, or if you are Antropov your stick explodes and you stand in the offensive zone like a big Kazakh Antropylon. But I loved you for it Kaberle.<br /><br />Or remember when you would get McCabe's nervous cry of "oh crap oh crap I'm in my own end and there's like....a...FORECHECKER. <a href="http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Toronto/2006/06/30/mccabe_bryan250.jpg">WhatdoIdowhadoIdo</a>!?" Yes, your soft words and calm gazes would direct his hesitant back-board bounce pass to your waiting embrace and you would calmly double-line pass that sucker to Sundin who would backhand it top-shelf, or to Poni who would backhand it towards the zamboni door. I remember those days, and I loved you for it.<br /><br />But you see Kaberle, these days our best forward is a long-haired, <a href="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/imported_assets/115038/grab_pineapple_medium.jpg">knife weilding</a> Haley Wickenheiser lookalike (look it up yourself. Fo serious), and our best prospect--Kid Kadri (de-de-de day and night) is probably a year off, or he could Stamkos it up this year and get a serious case of 4 goal and major sniffles. You get what I'm saying Tomas? You are slowly falling into that "sell high" side of hockey.<br /><br />So what are we to do with you, my Czech mate?<br /><br />Well, we got two options with rationale and reasons behind them. So let's look at what we got.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >We keep ya!</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br />You get about 50 points, mostly assists. You mysteriously never age. Other teams kinda stop and watch you skate...seriously, you've got this <a href="http://www.fastvideo.ru/info/applications/ballistics/img/neo.jpg">Neo</a> thing ("whoa") goin on when you skate. Time seems to stop and the opposing players get all shy and bashful like when a kid meets a new person for the first time. Not to mention your contract, with its easy drinking taste and...um...I dunno. Triple filtered?<br /><br />We'd be stupid to lose you, right? Screw the lil smurfs on the back-end trying to make it in a new scary world. Let Ian White and Anton Stralman have a fussball tournament every night to see who "gets" to play with Jeff Finger. We can pair you up with Francois Goodtrail and let him squish people and let you do yo thang. There's nothing I love more but to see you send that outlet pass to Jason Blake and watch him ignore his teammates, ignore the defender and barrel headfirst into the keeper. He's kinda small and rubbery. Do we get a point if Blake goes in the net?<br /><br />So maybe you should stay.<br /><br />or<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >Da boot<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-size:130%;">Sundin</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><span style="font-weight: bold;">, </span></span><span style="font-size:130%;">he ain't coming back child. He's playing poker or crank calling Mike Gillis or <a href="http://thepasswordisswordfish.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/scrooge-mcduck.jpg">swimming through his big pile of money</a>. McCabe is gone too. Sure he couldn't do anything except launch slappers after <a href="http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0cz6acWeMqgBQ/610x.jpg">butt-tackling</a> was made illegal, but he sure could launch em. And you gave them to him. Kubina is gone too and he was a better dman but not as good shot as Caber. Who are you going to pass to? XLB? Frogren? Let's face it, our d corps would play with caveman clubs if they could. There wont be a ton of point shots next year. And we sure know that you break out in a funky rash every time you shoot. Why else wouldn't you do it, Mr. Accuracy Skillz Champion?<br /><br />And even though you have the <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju-svETufaYATVl6_mhvgonw4ohO6onkGLPDrXG0OKZkOjmLkI2md7LdZFhxCrsSW307B4BCf-xSQk1XssujPoJgAT5FWUrQrZ_xzlh41ae9HACB1y6Cfocc5YUS_7sElKEvUCEGo55y4a/s320/cute+kid.jpg">facial maturity of Danny Briere</a> you actually are getting up there in age. By the time lady window comes-a calling your puck dishing days may be well behind you.<br /><br />Yes, yes, you're great and wonderful and guys like you don't grow on trees, but its not like the puck is </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >never</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> going to get out of our end if you're gone. It just wont get out of the zone with the same Shaolin grace and spiritual clarity that we as fans are used to. But, come on, are you telling me Komisarek can't dump it around the boards? All it'll mean is that Stajan wont be getting any more breakaways where he double dekes and sits down and weeps.<br /><br />Unfortunately child, we are severely lacking in "The Man" category. We don't have The Man anymore. Sundin used to be The Man, but not now. It is our firm belief here at TOV that you need to have one The Man on D and one The Man on O. Yes you need more than that to win, but you need a player that dictates the overall feel of the corps. We have The Man on D now and someone should shoot his dog, because I want Schenn all good and mean. But we don't have The Man on offense and you could potentially get us that.<br /><br />It has been widely reported that you were almost traded to Boston for Phil Kessel [Fun aside: I've always wished that when a trade goes down, the two teams go stand at opposite sides of a bridge and the two traded players have to cross the bridge and glare at each other like they do in hostage swap scenes in movies. Who's with me?]<br /><br />Now, would Kessel be the man? I dunno, but the dude did survive cancer, and we ain't talkin <a href="http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/features/onlineextras/story.html?id=24adf49c-e008-4328-816e-472ecca52245">no skin cancer</a> either. That's hardcore. I'd be pretty happy with Phil Kessel on our top line. Him and Kid Kadri? All you would need is one good free agent signing next offseason and you have a bonafide top line that could get you deep in the post season one day. Besides, who needs a pretty outlet pass when Schenn and Komisarek are going to be supplying human sacrifices to the god of open ice hits (Ares?)<br /><br />So go make your way in the world! You may even win a cup in Boston.<br /><br />Don't weep for Kaberle friends, this is a healthy part of the cycle--The Epic Build--that I hope we are now on. Sell him off to the highest bidder, let a little smurf (looking at you, Signor Mustachio) step up and if he can't do the job, we restructure the way we get the puck out of our end.<br /><br />So we here at The Other Vatican have lit a little candle under the icon of St Brian. Will our invocation be heard? My guess is that he's already on it.</span>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155649728371731470.post-357185401372649962009-07-18T22:54:00.011-04:002009-07-24T13:33:56.072-04:00"The Other Vatican" Manifesto<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8L8_tsl0SlMOk6tTZ3uzv5IW4GAPa-tS52EbeKFqOIA7_Yb_0rfRlI3rrycreSjMzXfm_M00hSstQovsg8yXclmXJUqhnuSEuhg-HLmoojrEVrWQA-c7x9nkIWPgogQy9IBL4OSfzlqc/s1600-h/1331932.bin"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8L8_tsl0SlMOk6tTZ3uzv5IW4GAPa-tS52EbeKFqOIA7_Yb_0rfRlI3rrycreSjMzXfm_M00hSstQovsg8yXclmXJUqhnuSEuhg-HLmoojrEVrWQA-c7x9nkIWPgogQy9IBL4OSfzlqc/s320/1331932.bin" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5360030955021606594" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Greetings my Blue and White brethren (and..sisteren?) and welcome to the newest and truculent-ist TML blog on the Barilkosphere. We here at TOV are dedicated to the dissemination of the great truth and beauty of our beloved Toronto Maple Leafs, and by so doing, we hope to bring others into the comfy middle of the hockey universe. There's plenty of foot room here in the comfy middle, plenty of squealing like schoolgirls at old youtube hockey <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ezjt8Hx6XYo">fights</a> and plenty of speculation of the comings (Kessel?) and goings (Kaberle?) of this, our epic rebuild. Or..um...retool? No, wait...we are in the "open window" time right? Is Owen Nolan around? Brian Leetch? Yanic? What are we doing anyway? Wont, oh </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >wont</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> someone guide us through these murky waters of the post-Sundin leafs?<br /><br />Well Leafs Nation, you are in luck, for tonight's topic shall certainly serve as the lamp to your darkened path. I present to you The Other Vatican's Toronto Maple Leaf Manifesto: The Guide to Hockey Team Classification. Don't you wish you knew what side we are on? Do we want the team to strip down to its proverbial skivvies (Tlus-tastic!), or retool for character building first round exits? Or maybe we are in that weird time where the window to the promised land is seductively open, quietly beckoning to us and whispering sweet nothings in our ear like, "Owen Nolan is better than Alyn McCauley, Brad Boyes and a baby undrafted Mark Stuart </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >combined</span><span style="font-size:130%;">. Dooooooooo it." Or maybe we're one of those Tyler Durden types who want to bring this whole mother down and start from scratch. Barricade the streets, "I am Joe's unrealistic hockey team," buy some soap and that sort of thing. Or maybe you have no idea what we are talking about.<br /><br />So here goes. What are the Maple Leafs today, and what ought they be?<br /><br />TOV's Option #1<br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" ><br />Das Tank</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />All teams are in some sort of flux. (<a href="http://www.centropian.com/religion/academic/theologians/herculaneum_heraclitus.jpg">Heraclitus</a> would be proud of me saying that). They are either embarrassingly realizing they suck, they are chomping at the bit to get enough experience to vie for the cup, they are </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >actually</span><span style="font-size:130%;"> vying for the cup or <a href="http://senators.nhl.com/">they think they are good, but actually suck and their window shut years ago</a>.<br />The tank is the first category. This is waking up and realizing that a scoring top line of Mariusz Czerkawski, Jason Allison and Jeff O'Neill is not going to put you over the hump. The rebuild is a painful time of old favorites leaving, weird new people coming in and most likely a lot of losing. But, ah, the draft pick. Remember, a tanking team does not win in May, but late June.<br />There are plenty of people out there that say that das tank is the way to go. "Screw the pooch," they say "and thine <a href="http://www.viewfromsection317.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/tavares.jpg">glory</a> shall reveal itself anon" And fair enough, suck for a number of years and first rounders will pile on and you will undoubtedly be winning cups eventually. (See: </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:130%;" >Pittsburgh Penguins </span><span style="font-size:130%;">ed. Crosby & Malkin, <a href="http://www.le.ac.uk/ph/faulkes/web/images/moonboulders.jpg">Pennsylvania</a> [2009]). But das tank is a painful process, and you have to stomach a Czerkawski or two for a bunch of years to build up those lil draft smurfs, and keeping them fed and well watered before they can take the ice and beat the Wings is, I humbly submit to you, an unsustainable way to run a team.<br /><br />Huh? What do I mean? Well, das tank model is based on a "V". A meteoric fall with (fingers crossed) an equally dramatic meteoric rise. You are likely to compete for a cup soon enough, but good luck trying to keep all those superstars paid son! With das kap, das tank can come back and cripple an organization in a season. Look at the current state of the Blackhawks. Everyone had a feel-good spring in their steps thinking about those Hawks, but there is a really strong likelihood that they may lose a Kane or a Toews. And losing a Toews to an offersheet is way worse than losing a Toews to frostbite. And don't make me make a <a href="http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/logos/nhl/carolina_hurricanes_2000.gif">Hurry-Kane</a> joke! Or if they want to keep Kane or Toews, they'll have to screw around with someone they already signed in good faith. Having to send a decent 3rd line guy to the AHL for cap reasons? Not a cool way to run a team.<br /><br />So should the Leafs Das Tank? It may give us a small window to get a cup, but I think it is a fundamentally unsustainable team model. Put it all on black and take a spin? No thanks.<br /><br />TOV's Option #2<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The Window</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />Hey, Mickey Grabs put up some points last year, pissed off some of Les Horriblants and made it home in time to have some <a href="http://www.hockey30.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/grabovsky_mikhail_1.jpg">apple juice</a>. Toskalol now has a robogroin and Luke Schenn, Mike Komisarek and Francois Goodtrail are going to turn opposing players into little clouds of pink dust next year right? Buy shares in tinfoil because of Christian Hanson? Maybe the seductive window is slightly open to us...calling...beckoning us with her siren song. What's that? Give in to your lopsided trading ways? How can I resist you, seductive window...<br /><br />Well, sorry Leafs nation. We're not there yet. Sure, we'll get there. I actually don't mind trading youth for veterans if you are on the cusp and need to go over the edge. (Before you go all <a href="http://media.canada.com/fae0b6fd-d281-4d23-840e-569bef1c674c/tuckman.jpg">Tucker-crazy-eyes</a> on me, keep reading.) Teams in the window phase are looking for that one guy that's going to give his all and make sure Crosby doesn't trip on that pout. But the Leafs ain't here yet. So keep moving, nothing to see here.<br /><br />And seductive window? I'll see you in 2011.<br /><br />TOV Option #3<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The Build</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />The Build is very different that das tank. It may seem similar on the face of it: we kinda suck, we draft and encourage those lil draft smurfs and we wait for the siren call of the window. But it is much different than the drastic V of das tank. This is more of a controlled U. The Build understands that there are lean years and fat years. The Build knows that you need to have a balance between your youth and your vets. The Build knows that you don't want the unsustainable shock to the system that the tank gives, but that you want to produce a cycle of victory! Lil smurfs growing up into slick scorers, mean sobs and character guys. Vets going and giving their all. Lil smurfs vying for a spot on the team, hungry for more ice thus pushing the veterans up and eventually out. (Hopefully even trading our vets when their stock is high, but filling the gap with a ready smurf, and getting new lil smurfs in return.) Hopefully having enough lil smurfs to trade for a good guy for a postseason (and not killing your future in the process.) In short, a nice, <a href="http://huntergatherernyc.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/wings-logo.gif">sustainable cycle</a>.<br />Yeah. Lets get that going.<br /><br />So patience, my brothers and sisters. Let's just not demand a cup, but let's demand a dynasty!<br /><br /><br />Hmm? The fourth? The fourth what?.....OH! Yeah...the fourth option<br /><br />TOV Option #4<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >The Pyrrhic Sunglasses</span><span style="font-size:130%;"><br />This is thinking your team is great because you made an improbable cup run (lost in 5) and thinking that you can recapture that magic with your top line of a <a href="http://sf0.org/media/defythelie/smallbright21290.gif">giggly center</a></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:130%;" >, </span><span style="font-size:130%;">a <a href="http://blacksportsonline.com/index/skeletor.jpg">creepy-eyed scorer </a>and a fearless and faithful <a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/unbeige/original/Ronald%20McDonald.jpg">leader</a>. May we never fall into that error.<br /><br />But don't worry Leafs Nation. We here at The Other Vatican are dedicated to keeping you on the straight and narrow path and keeping you from the Great Errour (it's not a typo. Go read some Spenser).<br /><br />Keep the faith.</span>Graeme Donaldsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05235706048752466637noreply@blogger.com12