November is a bad month in Vancouver. The clocks roll back and there you are, driving home from work in the dark and in the rain. I'm not even checking the score on my Blackberry.

I know they are losing.

I spend my days selling heavily discounted electronics to wealthy West Vancouverites - the lingering progeny of the landowner class. I won't be doing this for much longer. I want to do something where I'm helping people instead of taking advantage of people. But if I must take advantage of people, they might as well be people that haven't worked a second in their lives.

Of course, they're all gone by 4 o'clock. The store is basically empty now - sixty-plus flat screen televisions display the Canucks in Montreal. Early game. Vancouver just dominated the first half of the first period, just to let the Habs score on a Markov pinch. My coworkers are devastated by the unfathomable turn of events - is it possible the ‘Nucks could lose their first game in over two weeks?

They don't even remember what it's like.

Continue reading this post »

Excited yet? Puck drop is in 5 hours - I'm excited.

So excited I do believe it's FanPost time!

If the Maple Leafs, during the course of the regular season, manage to take down the Washington Capitals or Pittsburgh Penguins, I will be a happy man. To paraphrase Don Cherry, I might even have a pop or two in celebration.

But do you know what would make me even happier? Victories against 7 teams that have been nearly unanimously pegged as either "bubble" or "bottom feeder" teams in the Eastern Conference. These teams are, in no particular order:

Atlanta Thrashers

New York Islanders

Montreal Canadiens

Florida Panthers

New York Rangers

Ottawa Senators

Carolina Hurricanes

Of course, in an extremely competitive modern NHL every game is of critical importance. But last year the Maple Leafs finished with a record of 14-13-5 against these 7 bubble-or-less conference opponents. That's just 33 points in 32 games against some teams that were almost as garbage as the Leafs. For example, against the Isles and Canes the Leafs posted a 1-2-1...that's not going to cut it if the Leafs are going to make the playoffs in April.

When you look at the Leafs' regular season schedule, don't circle dates like Nov. 3rd against the Capitals or March. 5th when the Hawks come to town - instead circle dates like Oct. 18th-21st when the Isles and Rangers roll in, or Feb. 1st-3rd where the Leafs host the Panthers and Hurricanes in back to back contests.

These are truly MUST WIN games.

If the Leafs can improve against these teams and post a record of 20-10-2 against the Eastern bubble teams - a record which seems quite attainable - that would give them 42 points in 32 games. If the Buds can do this they could play .500 hockey in the remaining 50 games against the rest of the league and squeak into the playoffs with 92 points.

Remember the good ole' days when the Leafs used to sweep season series' against crappy teams?

Those weren't always the most memorable games in Maple Leafs history, but Quinn's Leafs used to do whatever was necessary to secure those critical points. Let's hope Wilson can drive home that same message this year.

We can't afford to take any nights off against the teams that could knock us out down the stretch.

Beginning with tonight against Montreal.

Dear TMLSiege (in Vancouver)

I am interested in becoming a hockey fan. You seem to like hockey a lot - can you tell me about your favorite team?

Cheers

*the following is my real correspondence with a potential Leafs fan. I probably scared them away. I figured I would share it, just for kicks* 

Dear Potential Leafs Fan,

Hello, and I guess, welcome! Yes, okay...so the Toronto Maple Leafs have not won the Stanley Cup since 1967.

This is the first thing you should know, because if you decide to become a Toronto Maple Leafs fan, you will hear this chirped at you all the time.

Other that that, being a Leafs fan is great!

The team is an original six franchise that has won 13 Stanley Cups, has a boatload of epic hall of fame players (including the likes of Tim Horton, Ted Kennedy, Darryl Sittler and soon Mats Sundin), and features a huge international fanbase and, therefore, tremendous financial stability.

But still, all you will hear from people is "1967!"

I recommend wearing it with pride - the 1967 cup capped off a dynasty, and so many of the fans that try to taunt you are cheering for teams that have never hoisted the mug (here's looking at you, Canucks fans!).

To be a Maple Leafs fan is to be eternally looking towards the future while clinging to whatever optimism you can find. A few years ago that future seemed to be here at last. After missing the playoffs a bunch of years in a row, the Leafs made the conference finals in 1999, before running into the freight train that was Dominik Hasek and the "along for the ride" Buffalo Sabres (another rival fanbase that will taunt you about lack of championships, despite never having won one themselves). In 2002 the Maple Leafs had their best run since 1993, defeating the Islanders and Senators (once again, rival, 0 cups) in brutal seven game series before finally running out of gas against the Carolina Hurricanes in 6 games. The tale of this playoff run can be seen in this amazing slow motion, emotional rollercoaster ride youtube video. The fat old guy is coach Pat Quinn. Also, in this clip, Leafs commentator Joe Bowen breaks into tears on air when the Leafs tie up game 6 late. Amazing call.

The pain Leafs fans feel is pure. Its one of those rare things in the sporting world - an incredibly faithful and dedicated fan base awaiting salvation.

Anyways, blue balls. A serious case. Get used to it.

After the lockout the Maple Leafs suffered. They had one of the highest payrolls in the NHL and suddenly management had to condense the team to make it fit under the NHL's salary cap. This event coincided with the simultaneous aging of many key players, such as Alexander Mogilny, Ed Belfour, and a few years later the King of Hockey, Mats Sundin.

So we lost a few good players, so what? A good management team can make quality trades, draft quality young players and make good free-agent signings to quickly pull themselves out of a tailspin - right?

John Ferguson Jr. was the Maple Leafs GM for four seasons after the lockout, and did a bunch of bad things. The worst crime was trading a quality prospect for Andrew Raycroft - a trade that would be bad enough simply for the fact that Raycroft sucks big donkey balls, but is instead bad on an enormous scale because that prospect is now Tuuuukaaa Rask, star goalie for the Boston Bruins (a rival with a cup drought nearly as long as the Leafs). The next season, JFJ traded a first round pick for Vesa Toskala, who turned out to be even worse than Raycroft! Ferguson was fired shortly after.

Okay, so now we get to the present - two years ago the Maple Leafs hired BRIAN BURKE to be our GM. I would ask you to remember that name, but if you become a Leafs fan, it will become burned into your brain almost immediately. He is a great GM, but also a loud mouth, a shit disturber and kind of insane in an intimidating yet trustworthy kind of way. If Brian Burke showed up at your house at 3 in the morning and said "I can't explain, but come with me right now, and put on this blindfold," you would do it without question, because you would believe that as long as you're with Burke, things are going to turn out okay...and you have no choice.

Burke gave Leafs fans one of those moments in 2009, when he traded not one but TWO first round picks to the Boston Bruins for sniper Phil Kessel, who has only one testicle. The 2010 pick turned into high-level prospect Tyler Seguin after the Leafs had a terrible first season under Burke. But again, Leafs fans endured, and believed it was going to turn out okay - and actually, the jury is still kind of out because Kessel is pretty damn awesome. We won't really know how this trade will shake out until both the picks develop into their prime.

Burke also made a ballsy move in early 2010, trading away a lot of the junk players that made the Leafs brutal last season, for their new captain and thawed out caveman Dion Phaneuf.

After Dion's arrival the Leafs were much improved and were one of the best teams in the east down the stretch, which provides a glimmer of hope for the 2010-2011 campaign. A slight glimmer.

So here are your guys:

The TOP LINE:

Phil Kessel - RW US born super-sniper. Phil is so much fun to watch - he leads the rush with these crazy, kamikaze rushes to the net and has one of the most deadly releases in the NHL. He scored 30 in just over 60 games last year, and could easily score 50 someday.

Nik Kulemin - Speedy Russian LW with a ton of grit. Kulemin is very likeable for his consistent strong play and seems to have excellent chemistry with Kessel. Lots of potential here.

Tyler Bozak - A college lad that was called up halfway through last season and really impressed playing between Kessel and Kulemin. He`s fast, he can dish the puck, he can shoot, and he plays smart. BOZAK!!! is also a fantastic hockey name.

The support:

Kris Versteeg - This recently acquired LW won a Stanley Cup with the Hawks last year and would still be with them if not for the teams cap issues. Incredibly fast, excellent dangle and shot, really hard to knock off the puck. He hasn't played a regular season game for the Leafs yet, but he will shortly be a fan favorite.

Mikhail Grabovsky - An enigma wrapped in a mystery, no one is really sure just how good of a center Grabbo can be. Hes Belorussian, which is weird, and he doesn't have much of a shot, but he just makes shit happen. Hes sorta magical. Oh, and this link is good... at the Olympics, Grabbo punched a dude wearing a Montreal Canadiens jersey, which makes me smile.

Colton Orr - The best fighter in the league. This guy is a murderous weapon of mass fistruction.

Nazem Kadri - The best prospect in the Leafs organization, Kadri was drafted 7th in the 2009 NHL entry draft. Hes Lebanese, he has amazing dangling skills and a great shot, and hes incredibly fast. The only problem is that Kadri is 20 and not quite filled-out enough to stay with the NHL squad. He will probably start the year with the Toronto Marlies, which is the Leafs AHL team. This will be good for him, as he can play a bigger role against weaker competition, and build up his skills.

Yeah, Leafs don't have many good fowards, which is a huge problem. Other honorable mentions include Colby Armstrong, Luca Caputi, Clarke MacArthur and Christian Hanson, whose dad starred as a Hanson brother in the classic hockey movie Slapshot.

D:

Note: Defense makes up around 60% of the Leafs payroll for some reason. Were kind of stacked on the blueline, but somehow we were a defensive bottom-feeder last year *cough* TOSKALA! *end cough*

Dion Phaneuf - Captain. Banging Elisha Cuthbert. Yeah, thats right. So Dion scores a lot, but not so much on the ice anymore, for some reason.

Luke Schenn - Third year player and former 5th overall pick. One mean motherfucker and getting better and better. Our Luke and Savior!

Mike Komisarek - A former Montreal Canadien who rightly jumped ship in 2009. Hes a yank so I guess he felt more comfortable in TO than Morreeaaall. Hes overpaid for a stay-at-home defenseman, and he takes A LOT of penalties on account of over the top violence, but he is the epitome of Brian Burkes attempt to establish a team that is Truculent, Belligerent and just overall Sadistic. Komi takes personal offense to everything that happens on the ice. You can catch him frequently glaring angrily at  stuff, like the girls that scrape the snow off the ice between whistles.

Tomas Kaberle - A weird Czech dude whose rosy cherub cheeks have patrolled the Leafs blueline for 11 seasons. He is incredibly gifted offensively and has amazing passing skills, but he WILL NOT SHOOT THE PUCK! This will annoy you.
 
Francois Beauchemin - Kinda like a mixture between Kaberle and Phaneuf. Was arguably the Ducks best dman during their cup run in 2007. Now hes a third pairing defenseman.


GOALERS:

J.S. Giguere - Solid goalie that was muscled out of Anaheim by Jonas Hiller. Once won the Conn Smythe on the losing side of a Stanley Cup final, which is unprecedented. Is much, much better than Vesa Toskala. This season he will split the starting goaltender role with...

Jonas Gustavsson - Nicknamed THE MONSTER, Gus was a highly touted rookie out of Sweden who chose to come and play with the Leafs because were awesome, and also because he could be a starter right away, and also because Leafs goalie coach Francois Allaire is kind of a legend. Gustavsson had a decent rookie campaign and could very well be the goalie of the *gasp* FUTURE!


That just about does it. Oh yeah, the Montreal Canadiens, or the goddamn Habs, are the Great Satan. That is all.

In conclusion, the Leafs are a great team to be a fan of, even if were sort of in a funk right now. Every team goes through this kind of junk from time to time, and soon the Leafs will be awesome again. The fact that the fanbase is so rabid even though we suck is quite telling - Leafs fans are passionate about hockey, not just their team. Were loyal, so loyal that Leafs fans can instantly form a brotherhood with one another anywhere we go, which is great if you dont live in Toronto. When the Leafs eventually win the Cup again, there will be celebrations in every city across the globe, which is kinda awesome.

We also have classic jerseys. They look so spiffy. I want to be buried in one, so when I reach heaven, the resident Leafs fans there can show me which cloud gives me the best view of the Air Canada Centre.

Best wishes, and good luck in your search for an NHL team,

TMLSiege (in Vancouver)

Greetings Leafs Nation!

Last week I posted part one of my two part NHL Fantasy Drafting Guide. If you read it - thanks!

Having already ranked the top forwards available, this week I will focus on Defensemen and Goaltenders, as well as a little drafting strategy here and there.

Let's start with D!

Just to recap, the three rules to always remember during a fantasy draft are:

1.       Draft "funnel" players from high scoring teams!

2.       Don't go off the board for a player just because you like them!

3.       Draft the best player available! Don't worry about positions!

Rule number 2 applies most of all, in our end of the internet, to Leafs Captain Dion Phaneuf.

Just because you're a Leafs fan doesn't mean you have to draft Dion as one of your top defensemen. In common ten team leagues usually 30 to 40 blueliners are drafted - with this in mind, a quick look at defence scoring leaders from last season indicates that Dion, barring a miraculous return to his 2008 form, shouldn't be drafted before the late, late rounds.

Rule number 3 also applies to defensemen drafting in the early rounds. Mike Green, Duncan Keith, Drew Doughty and Dan Boyle will probably be drafted in the first three rounds of your fantasy draft - with Green potentially going in the first round.

 In my opinion this is a complete waste of a high pick.

 In a common ten team league there will be exactly thirty players drafted in the first three rounds, which means that at the end of round three there will definitely be high scoring players like Marian Hossa and Henrik Zetterberg still available. If 80+ point players like these are still available, why would you choose now to put a 50+ point defenseman on your roster? Even after the top 20 blueliners are drafted there are still some solid 40+ point guys left - that is not a huge drop off - so I urge you to stock up on forwards first. Follow rule number 3 and draft the best player - by which I mean highest point producing fantasy player - available. Don't worry about their position.

Okay, so what did defenseman scoring look like at the end of the 2009-2010 season?

Green (Was) 19(76) (35ppp) - 75gp (adj. 20(83) (38ppp)

Keith (Chi) 14(69) (16ppp)

Doughty (LA) 16(59) (31ppp)

Boyle (SJ) 15(58) (29ppp) - 76gp (adj. 16(62) (31ppp)

Pronger (Phi) 10(55) (26ppp)

Enstrom (Atl) 6(50) (19ppp)

Gonchar (Ott) 11(50) (30ppp) - 62gp (adj. 14(66) (39ppp)

Lidstrom (Det) 9(49) (20ppp)

Streit (Nyi) 11(49) (21ppp)

Kaberle (Tor) 7(49) (25ppp)

Myers (Buf) 11(48) (16ppp)

Pitkanen (Car) 6(46) (19ppp) - 71gp (adj. 7(53) (21ppp)

Visnovsky (Ana) 15(45) (23ppp) - 73gp (adj. 16(50) (25ppp)

Chara (Bos) 7(44) (16ppp)

Ehrhoff (Van) 14(44) (23ppp)

Weber (Nsh) 16(43) (20ppp)

McCabe (Fla) 8(43) (19ppp)

Zidlicky (Min) 6(43) (24ppp)

Edler (Van) 5(42) (19ppp) - 76gp (adj. 6(45) (20ppp)

Foster (Edm) 8(42) (26ppp) - 71gp (adj.  9(48) (30ppp)

Rafalski (Det) 8(42) (19ppp)

Yandle (Phx) 12(41) (16ppp)

Robidas (Dal) 10(41) (19ppp)

E.Johnson (Stl) 10(39) (15ppp)

Whitney (Edm) 7(39) (17ppp)

Timonen (Phi) 6(39) (19ppp)

Kubina (Tam) 6(38) (10ppp) - 76gp (adj. 7(40) (12ppp)

Campbell (Chi) 7(38) (11pp) - 68gp (adj. 8(45) (13ppp)

White (Cal) 13(38) (9ppp) - 83 gp!

Suter (Nas) 4(37) (17ppp)

That's the top 30. Other Notables:

Goligoski (Pit) 8(37) (17ppp) - 69gp (adj. 9(43) (20ppp)

Del Zotto (Nyr) 9(37) (22ppp)

Markov (Mon) 6(34) (16ppp) - 45gp (adj. 10(61) (29ppp)

Green (NJ) 6(37) (15ppp)

Phaneuf (Tor) 12(32) 16ppp)

Liles (Col) 6(31) (19ppp) - 59gp (adj. 8(43) (26ppp)

Jovanovski (Phx) 10(34) (14ppp) - 66gp (adj. 12(42) (17ppp)

Karlsson (Ott) 5(26) (10ppp) - 60gp (adj. 6(35) (13ppp)

Kuba (Ott) 3(28) (11ppp) - 53gp (adj. 4(43) (17ppp)

Souray (Edm) 4(13) (4ppp) - 37gp (adj. 8(28) (8ppp)

To make things easier for you on draft day, break these thirty players into three groups, just like we did with forwards: Top 10, Next 10, Remaining 10.

Unlike forwards, I don't think it's necessary to draft one dman from each grouping - I would be happy to start a fantasy season with Rafalski, Timonen and Suter, for example. Their combined 118 points (55ppp) is not a sharp drop off from a scenario where you spent higher draft picks on Boyle, Kaberle and Chara with their combined 148 points (70ppp). Assuming you made up this 30 point shortfall by drafting forwards intelligently with your high picks.

The point of this exercise is to catch high fantasy value defensemen late.

As the top dmen start to get picked you can quietly cross them off your list - and catch if the rest of your league has let a valuable blueliner slip to a later round. That's really the goal of defensemen drafting - you gotta' get a good one late so you can keep drafting high octane forwards early.

So, without further ado, here are my revised defensemen rankings, with explanations:

Top 10:

1.       Green (massive points year after year, amazing support, crazy pp production)

2.       Boyle (huge points year after year, amazing support, crazy pp production)

3.       Doughty (post breakout year slumps aside, Doughty is primed for top 3 D numbers)

4.       Keith (low pp numbers and a healthy Campbell knock down his ranking, high scoring team, great support)

5.       Markov (injury plagued season, but paced top 3 D numbers, possible steal in later rounds)

6.       Pronger (Aging but consistent, Pronger is a safe pick in the 6th spot)

7.       Gonchar (Risky pick due to Injury potential, but he will fit in well on Ottawa's pp)

8.       Visnovsky (Perfect replacement for Scotty in Anaheim, great support, solid pp production)

9.       Lidstrom (It's Nick f-ing Lidstrom!)

10.   Streit (Top 10 D points 3 years in a row, Maturing team, lots of pp minutes)

Next 10:

11.   Ehrhoff (Canucks goal scored by D.Sedin, Assists: H.Sedin, Ehrhoff)

12.   Myers (Sophomore slump aside, Myers point totals should continue to impress)

13.   Chara (Has all the tools to bounce back from unusually low point totals in 2009-10)

14.   Pitkanen (Questionable support but coming off great numbers - 46 points in 71gp)

15.   Kaberle (In a sheltered PP heavy environment, Tomas could crack 50 pts)

16.   Edler (With Salo out, expect Edler to get serious pp minutes, SedinSedin, etc)

17.   Weber (Questionable support, booming shot, solid pp numbers)

18.   Zidlicky (great pp numbers, underrated puck mover, team is sorta' weaksauce)

19.   Rafalski (If he plays as good for the Wings as he did against Canada he could crack 50 pts again)

20.   Campbell (38 points in 68 gp last year, should have increased role on condensed blackhawks)

Remaining 10:

21.   Liles (A potential late round steal, 31 points in 59gp, great pp production, high scoring team)

22.   Kubina (Lightning goal scored by Stamkos, Assists: St.Louis, Kubina)

23.   McCabe (This man once featured a pee-wee-esque blue Mohawk in the playoffs)

24.   Timonen (Great support, lots of pp minutes, consistent 40+ blueliner)

25.   Yandle (Can Pheonix continue the trend? If they do, Yandle will be a key ingredient)

26.   Souray (High risk, high reward if he returns to form, better support than last year)

27.   Robidas (Dallas doesn't have much choice but to keep feeding Robidas pp minutes)

28.   Suter (With Hamhuis gone, Suter has the tools to flourish with an increased role)

29.   Jovanovski (34 points in 66gp, anchor of the Pheonix pp, questionable durability)

30.   Goligoski (Great support but questionable skills, 37 points in 69 gp, take him late)

So there you have it. Some controversial decisions include Ehrhoff at 11th, Kaberle dropping out of the Top 10 or Tobias "Kovalchuk point-suck" Enstrom dropping off the board altogether.  I just feel that with Salo out, Ehrhoff will be the Canucks best option on the PP so he will rack up a boatload of assists. As for Kaberle, I feel that the Defensive log-jam may reduce his overall productivity - he will be playing for a new contract, but he did not look good after Phaneuf joined the Leafs.

But in general, carrying these rankings into draft day will help you keep track of how fast defensemen are going and how many equivalent players are left - that way you can feel comfortable NOT drafting a blueliner (and instead drafting a higher point yielding forward) even when you feel it is necessary to fill out your D spots.

On to Goalies!

Before we start, I would just like to say that I hate drafting goalies.

Last year in one league I drafted Roberto Luongo with my 3rd pick and then panicked when Goalies started disappearing early and took Nick Backstrom, whom I had ranked too highly, with my 5th pick. Later, after the draft, I picked Ilya Bryzgalov off waivers, who went on to have considerably better numbers than Luongo and Backstrom that season. Obviously hindsight is 20/20, but I still feel like I blew my 5th pick.

 As all Toronto Maple Leafs fans know by now, Goalies are simply maddeningly unpredictable - that's why I like to separate netminders into three different categories: Consistent Performance, Goalies on Great Defensive Teams, and finally, High Risk/Reward.

So first we have to find out, what teams had the best defensive records last season?

1.       New Jersey (2.27 ga/g)

2.       Boston (2.33 ga/g)

3.       Pheonix (2.39 ga/g)

4.       Buffalo (2.45 ga/g)

5.       Calgary (2.48 ga/g)

6.       Chicago (2.48 ga/g)

7.       Detroit (2.52 ga/g)

8.       San Jose (2.55 ga/g)

9.       Los Angeles (2.57 ga/g)

10.   New York R (2.61 ga/g)

That's a pretty tight spread, but it gives you a good idea of what teams will be less likely to be blown-out during the season. This knowledge is crucial in head-to-head fantasy leagues.

Martin Brodeur, Ryan Miller and Henrik Lundqvist would all fit into the "consistent performance" category as well, but in this case I will file them under "Goalies on Great Defensive Teams."

Okay, so let's start looking at Goaltender stats from 2009-10. When it comes to rankings, looking at Games Started vs. Wins, Save% and Shutouts are the most valuable stats. GAA is a better indicator of the team quality while Save% tends to form a better picture of the Goaltender's level of skill.

Brodeur (NJ) 76GS/45W, .916, 9SO

Quick (LA) 72GS/49W, .907, 4SO

Kiprusoff (Cal) 72GS/35W, .920, 4SO

Lundqvist (NYR) 72GS/35W, .921, 4SO

Anderson (Col) 71GS/38W, .917, 7SO

Bryzgalov (Phx) 69GS/42W, .920, 8SO

Miller (Buf) 68GS/41W, .929, 5SO

Luongo (Van) 67GS/40W, .913, 4SO

Fleury (Pit) 66GS/37W, .905, 1SO

Vokoun (Fla) 62GS/23W, .925, 7SO

Howard (Det) 61GS/37W, .924, 3SO

C. Mason (Atl) 61GS/30W, .913, 2SO

Hiller (Ana) 58GS/30W, .918, 2SO

Backstrom (Min) 58GS/26W, .903, 2SO

S.Mason (Clb) 55GS/20W, .901, 5SO

Rinne (Nsh) 54GS/54W, .911, 7SO

Turco (Chi) 52GS/22W, .913, 4SO

Roloson (NYI) 49GS/23W, .907, 1SO

Elliot (Ott) 48GS/29W, .909, 5SO

Ward (Car) 45GS/18W, .916, 0SO

Halak (Stl) 43GS/26W, .924, 5SO

Rask (Bos) 39GS/22W, .931, 5SO

Gustavsson (Tor) 39GS/16W, .902, 1SO

Price (Mtl) 39GS/13W, .912, 0SO

Smith (TB) 36GS/13W, .900, 2SO

Niemi (SJ) 35GS/26W, .912, 7SO

Giguere (Tor) 32GS/10W, .907, 3SO

Leighton (Phi) 31GS/17W, .905, 1SO

Varlamov (Was) 23GS/15W, .909, 2SO

Okay, that's 29 very draftable goalies - below you can find the goalies split into the three categories mentioned above, with explanations:

Category 1: "Goalies on Great Defensive Teams"

1.       Brodeur (workhorse, great Numbers, consistent, high SO totals...aging)

2.       Miller (workhorse, spectacular save%, consistent)

3.       Rask (high skill level, great D support...will Thomas still get played?)

4.       Bryzgalov (workhorse, spectacular save%, can PHX repeat their success? )

5.       Lundqvist (workhorse, spectacular save%, questionable support quality)

6.       Kiprusoff (workhorse, spectacular save%, questionable support quality)

7.       Turco (amazing support, decent save%, win totals should skyrocket)

8.       Howard (amazing support, spectacular save%, high win totals)

9.       Quick (workhorse, high win totals, great support, average save%)

10.   Niemi (high skill level, great support...how many games will he start???)

Category 2:  Goalies featuring "Consistent Performance"

1.       Luongo (amazing support, team improved at D, decent save%, consistent high win totals)

2.       Vokoun (questionable support, consistent excellent numbers, spectacular save%, high SO totals)

3.       Ward (injury shortened season but still a consistently solid goaltender)

4.       Anderson (workhorse, great save%, high SO totals, high win totals)

5.       Fleury (amazing support, team improved at D, average save%, consistent high win totals)

6.       Hiller (high skill level, questionable support, great save%, decent win totals)

7.       Rinne (great support, great save%, should get more starts this year)

8.       Backstrom (so-so year in 2009, questionable support, average save%)

9.       Giguere (platoon goalie, consistent track record, improved team)

10.   C.Mason (underrated goalie, but does anyone really know how good/bad Atlanta will be this year?)

Category 3: Goalies that are "High Risk/Reward"

1.       Varlamov (average goalie with amazing support, should have high win totals)

2.       Leighton (great support, should be #1, potential for high win totals)

3.       Halak (high skill level, unknown how Halak will fare in St.Louis, amazing numbers)

4.       Smith (average goalie with increasingly better support, potential for wins)

5.       Price (finally a starter, price has potential for wins, decent save%)

6.       Elliot (possible platoon with Leclaire, average save%, potential for wins)

7.       Gustavsson (platoon goalie, high skill level, unproven but on improved team)

8.       Roloson (solid but aging wonder...pick if desperate in late rounds)

9.       S. Mason (reclamation project, if he bounces back to 2008 form he could be valuable)

I would recommend drafting out of categories 1 and 2, since those goaltenders are generally in a better position to succeed.

Drafting goalies is dangerous because sometimes a large amount of them can vanish between picks. One fantasy GM takes a goalie, and everyone else panics and follows suit. A good rule of thumb when you are deciding between drafting a forward or a goalie, is to find the number of picks between your current and next pick, usually 9 picks in a ten team league, and then scan your rankings to find the next 9 players available in both of those positions. If the next 9 forwards are more equivalent than the next 9 goalies, you should draft a goalie. If there are still tons of good goalies left, but only 3 80+ forwards remaining, you want to snag one of those forwards just in case they all disappear between your current and next pick. Every draft is different - you gotta stay on your toes!

Well, that just about does it. I hope some of your found this as helpful as I'm sure I will heading into Draft Day.

Please feel free to poke holes in my rankings in the comments section.

Cheers,

TML Siege (In Vancouver)

If you're like me, and you take your fantasy hockey very seriously, you undoubtedly already use the brilliant Yahoo! NHL Fantasy League.

It's free, detailed, features a live, online player draft, and is incredibly addictive. For the last five years I've been battling with my friends on Yahoo! from October through April - in competitions so fierce that friendships have nearly ended over vetoed trades and suspicious commissioner activities. But it's all good, clean fun most of the time!

I won't claim to be the best fantasy hockey GM in the world, but I'm always at the top of the pack in some pretty competitive leagues - and it's all thanks to pre-draft planning. Of which I have already started for the 2010-2011 campaign.

In an effort to give Leafs Nation a slight competitive advantage in their upcoming fantasy leagues I will open up my fantasy pre-draft notes to the world in a two part series. The first part will be about forwards, the second about defense and goalies - with some helpful draft day strategy sprinkled throughout.

I urge you to disagree with me! If you think I have ranked a player too high or too low - please let me know! This is all about fine-tuning our fantasy teams so we can wipe the stupid grins off Habs, Sens or Canucks fans - and show 'em once and for all which fanbase knows the most about hockey!!!

Also, if you and your friends do not have a fantasy league - I urge you to go to Yahoo! and sign up. It's tons of fun, and for new hockey fans it really helps you learn about hockey players outside your favorite team.

Rankings begin after the break!

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I wrote a post for the site on January 18th that was perhaps the first of many eulogies for the complete and utter devastation that was the Maple Leafs 2009-10 season. You can find it here - it was as painful to write as it is to read.

Let's face it, Leafs Nation is very fortunate that Team Canada captured hockey gold in Vancouver, because that season really stung. Without that short reprieve, that small taste of victory, I know that I surely would have gone insane.

The awful start...

The early deficits...

The late collapses...

Uggh. Anyway, my January post highlighted 10 failures that had resulted in the Leafs season being a complete nightmare. The response from the Barilkosphere was rather positive...well, as positive as a post about how awful your beloved franchise is can possibly be received. So, given that we are less than a month from the start of Leafs camp, I thought I would re-open the subject once more and re-examine these 10 failures, in light of everything that has happened between January and the present.

Failure #1: "No Puck Luck."

Jan 18th Status: Like getting blue-shelled on the last lap of Rainbow Road in Mario Kart.

Current Status: Unknown.

Recommendation: Human sacrifice. *cough* Jeff Finger! *cough*cough*

Failure #2: "Shooting Percentage."

Jan 18th Status: How do I shot goal?

Current Status: The Leafs showed some improvement once Jason Blake was traded (I can't imagine why...). But the Leafs still finished the season ranked 25th in goals scored even though they were 5th in shots per game. It's pretty obvious to Leafs fans that Ron Wilson's offensive strategy is "PUT IT ON NET, PHIL!" And this year Kessel will get some help. Kris Versteeg shoots 12.8% at the NHL level...and I have a feeling he will get a bit more ice time this year given Toronto's depth at forward. Is one more skilled forward enough to correct this problem? Absolutely not. Expect a lot more tight games this season.

Recommendation: Shooter Tutors?

Failure #3: "Truculence."

Jan 18th Status: "It's one thing if your team is poor defensively, but it's another thing altogether if your team is extremely poor defensively after your GM signs two "stud" UFA defensemen in the offseason and promises a new commitment to "pugnacity, testosterone, truculence and belligerence." The Leafs are 0 for 4 so far. Instead, if I had to pick 4 words to describe the '09-'10 Leafs I would choose "inconsistent, lacksidaisical, unskilled and spineless."

Current Status: Since January the Leafs have shed some tissue-soft forwards and added Dion Phaneuf, Freddie Sjostrom, Mike Brown and Colby Armstrong. No other team has come close to adding that much sandpaper over the last 8 months. Is it possible that Truculence is finally here?

Recommendation: We need stretchers. Lots of stretchers...

Failure #4: "The Matt Stajan Problem."

Jan 18th Status: If you asked NHL coaches the question "if you had a powerplay, or if you had to kill a penalty, which of your centre's would you ask to take the faceoff?" You might get answers like "Joe Thornton" or "Jonathan Toews" or even "Sidney Crosby." Last January, Ron Wilson might have answered "Uh...umm...well...Matt Stajan...or maybe John Mitchell?"

Current Status: BOZAKAZOB!!!

...but seriously, Bozak better not have a sophomore slump this year, or were right fucked. A former college player of 24, I think there is less chance of this familiar blight happening to Bozak due to his maturity level. And playing with Kessel will continue to give him a bit more space out there.

Centre is the Leaf's weakest position by far and in all honesty we have not improved since January. We need Grabbo and Bozak to put up a combined 100 pts - we get 25G-25A out of both of those guys and we might be able to post enough offense to sneak into the playoffs.

Recommendation: Brendan Morrison (2009-10: 12G-30A-42P). Or a similar veteran UFA Centre. Hopefully a faceoff specialist. Just to give us options, especially on the PK.

Failure #5: PK + PP = :(

Jan 18th Status: A Power Play of 17% (thanks to a game against Anaheim where the Leafs scored 5 Power Play goals) and an abysmal Penalty Kill of 68%. Meatloaf may think that's "not bad," but most pee-wee teams have better stats.

Current Status: The Leafs Penalty Kill "improved" to 74% by the end of the season, thanks in large part to the Monster's strong finish and Giggy's .916 sv% in 15 games with the Maple Leafs. With a healthy Komisaurus and above .900 goaltending, this upwards trend should continue. But the Power Play fell to 14% by the end of the 2009-10 season. Will the addition of Versteeg and Armstrong be enough to compensate for the PP shortfall we experienced when we traded away Hagman, Stajan, Stempniak and Blake?

Recommendation: The Leafs should take advantage of the fact that Kessel gets double-teamed on the PK and, you know, pass to someone else. Also Kaberle has to NOT SUCK like he did for the last 30 games of the season.

Failure #6: Vesa

Jan 18th Status: Booze. Lots of Booze.

Current Status: Healing.

Recommendation: Those memory erasing things they had in Men in Black.

Failure #7: A Monstrous Heart

Jan 18th Status: Scary.

Current Status: "There - all better Jonas, it was just a scratch... now run along and play with the other buds!"

Recommendation: Gus should eat lots of Cheerios?

Failure #8: The Lonely Kessticle

Jan 18th Status: Kessel had a great year, but he didn't have much company. When opposing teams walked into the ACC the head coach would walk up to the white board in the locker room and write one word: "Kessel." The fact that Phil succeeded in spite of this attention should give us lots of hope.

Current Status: Versteeg is a start. He is amazingly talented, and the Hawks will miss him.  I truly believe that he can be a 30-30 man in Toronto this season. If Kulemin, Grabbo and Bozak can each pot 20 goals, the Leafs could definitely eclipse the 210 goals they scored collectively in 2009-10.

Recommendation: Another scoring threat/playmaker up the middle. A 50 point rookie campaign from Kadri would be fanawesometastical *fingers crossed*.

Failure #9: Bonus Points

Jan 18th Status: The Leafs suffered 8 overtime or shootout losses before Jan 18th. To put this in perspective, a .500 record in the extra frame over this span would have forced the Bruins to pick 3rd or 4th in the draft.

Current Status: After this date the Leafs improved to 8-5 after 60 mins. That's 8 bonus points. It seems clear that given the Leafs current roster our boys are going to be playing a lot of 60+ minute games. The ability to continue converting extra points will determine if the Leafs will secure a playoff berth next spring.

Recommendation: Guys who are deadly in the shootout. This need alone could secure a roster spot for Kadri!

Failure #10: Luke Schennwalker

Jan 18th Status: Embarassing.

Current Status: Schenn had a very rough start to his most recent campaign, but finished strong. It was hard to watch, but Leafs Nation, the sophomore slump is over, and we should expect great things from OLAS this season. Especially in the competitive environment he now finds himself in - starting at training camp he will be fighting for ice time with every D-man not named Dion. I think he will flourish under these circumstances, just like he flourished when he was fighting to get on the team back in '08.

Recommendation: A breakout season?

So, Leafs Nation, we have definitely improved in lots of ways, and by no means have we gotten weaker. I think more than one player is poised for a breakout season - the real question is, can they make that leap?

If they do, it could be a very fun year.

The Leafs Are The Best!

Okay Leafs Nation, knock it off with the Kovalchuk whining, alright?

Ilya Kovalchuk was never close to signing with Toronto. Get over it, okay? PLEASE???

Brian Burke is many things, including a gambler, but spreading $102 million over 17 years to lock down a talented but one-dimensional player in a contract that everyone knows he will never fulfill is not a gamble – it's a suicide pact.

Kovalchuk and the Devils are now bound together for the hockey equivalent of eternity.

There is no backing out. The Devils are now forced to make him gel with their team, and somehow turn him into a winner. Meanwhile, Kovalchuk has to produce, and continue producing, for a long time...if one side of this equation does not work out, things will get messy fast.

There is a short list of players that are in the same situation with their respective clubs...Alex Ovechkin, Rick Nash, Marian Hossa, Nick Backstrom, Henrik Zetterberg, Mike Richards...three of these men wear the “C,” three are excellent two way forwards, Zetterberg and Hossa have won the Cup, Nash and Richards have won Olympic Gold, and this group's combined awards and trophies are too numerous to count.

What has Kovalchuk done to earn a spot alongside these players?

Well, Waddell slapped the “C” on him because no one else would take it...he won the Rocket Richard with a whopping 41 goals back in '04...and before this last season he had 4 playoff games to his name – all losses. At least this season he won a (single) game in April!

That said, I think it's safe to say that, right now, Kovalchuk in his prime is definitely worth $6 million, but definitely not worth $10 million. In other words, it is difficult to turn $6 million of cap space into 40-50 goals, but many clubs would expect more production from $10 million of cap space. Agreed?

So, if Kovalchuk will outperform or perform to his contract AT THIS POINT in his career, this begs the question: at what point will Kovalchuk fail to be worth $6 million?

Let's assume for the moment that Kovalchuk is actually a generational talent. How much will his production depreciate over the length of his new contract, and at what point will he become a potential cap problem?

In the first 7 years of his career, Kovalchuk put 297 goals up on the board and collected 557 points.

Let's compare his career stats with those of fellow Russians and generational talents...Alex Mogilny, Sergei Fedorov and Pavel Bure.

In their first 7 seasons, Mogilny scored 266 goals with 551 points, Pavel Bure scored 254 goals with 478 points, and Fedorov scored 242 goals with 592 points.

These are very similar numbers to what Kovalchuk has recorded to date. So let's see what would have happened if Mogilny/Bure/Fedorov had been signed to a Kovalchuk-esque deal after their 7th season.

Mogilny played 9 more seasons, recording 207 goals and 481 points, or an average of 23 goals and 53 points per season. Bure only played 5 more seasons, recording 183 goals and 301 points for an average of 36 goals and 60 points per season. Fedorov stuck around the longest, playing 12 more seasons and recording 241 goals and 587 points, but averaging very low at 20 goals and 48 points per season.

Although these players definitely showed flashes of brilliance in their later years, I think we can all agree that none of these players would have lived up to their contract, and furthermore, would be looked upon as severe cap problems in their final 2-3 seasons.

Imagine if the Leafs had signed Kovalchuk for 17 years and he averaged 20 goals and 48 points over a 12 year span...how disappointed would you, or in this case, your children be?

(*note* Now, I know what you might be thinking – Kovalchuk is playing in a different era than these Russian superstars of the past. While this is true, and the early numbers of Mogilny/Bure/Fedorov may be inflated, this segment of my analysis is about future potential for production after year #7...it will be interesting to see if the drop-off in scoring that can be seen in the 80's/90's Russians will prove even more dramatic for Kovalchuk because he will be playing through the day-to-day grind of the modern NHL, or less dramatic because the 80's/90's Russians finished their careers during the "dead-puck" era. I guess time will tell - until then, this is just speculation based on what we have already seen!)

Even if Kovalchuk's contract had been offered to some of the best players in NHL history, I believe that it would still be considered a terrible deal.

Peter Forsberg recorded 169 goals and 580 points in his first 7 seasons. In 5 seasons after that he only averaged 16 goals and 61 points. Steve Yzerman scored 291 goals and put up a whopping 692 points in his first 7 seasons. In his final 15 years he averaged 26 goals and 70 points. That's a little better.

In fact, only Wayne “fuckin'” Gretzky could make this deal smell like Roses.

Wayne put up 481 goals and 1337 points in his first 7 seasons...in his last 14 seasons his production was cut in half, but he still averaged 29 goals and 108 points. I don't think Kovalchuk will come anywhere near that...

Okay, so back to my question...again, at what point will Kovalchuk fail to be worth $6 million?

In his first 7 seasons, Kovalchuk scored an average of 42.2 goals and 79.5 points per season. Let's take the average of the goal/point rates from Bure, Mogilny, Fedorov, Forsberg and Yzerman over the span of their playing years following their 7th season...leaving Gretzky out for the sake of realism, this number comes to 24.2 goals and 58.4 points. Again, that is the average rate of production after season #7 of those 5 fantastic players combined.

Therefore, since Kovalchuk's numbers to date are similar to these players, if Kovalchuk's production decreased at the same rate as these generational talents, he should record 242 goals and 584 points over the next 10 years. If this depreciation happens gradually, Kovalchuk's career stats could look someting like this:

2010-11 G: 40 P:100

2011-12 G: 40 P: 90

2012-13 G: 30 P: 80

2013-14 G: 30 P: 70

2014-15 G: 30 P: 70

2015-16 G: 20 P: 50

2016-17 G: 20 P: 50

2017-18 G: 15 P: 29

2018-19 G: 10 P: 25

2019-20 G 7 P: 20

In 2015, with 12 years left on his deal, and Kovalchuk's production essentially cut in half, what kind of situation will the Devils find themselves in?

Feel free to poke holes in this argument as much as you want, but as a Leafs fan, I'm happy that Burke went fishing instead.

I just de-friended someone on Facebook because they posted "Go Habs Go!"

In hindsight, I probably should have hacked their Facebook account and deleted it. That might have been a bit harsh, but at least the punishment would have fit the crime.

It wasn't a close friend, so it wasn't a tough decision to de-friend - in fact, it saved me a lot of time. Telling Montreal "IENS" backers off has become a full-time job nowadays.

I say "IENS" because I don't see what's so "Canada" about the Habs. Their entire existence was devised to oppose all that I call Canada. And their fans look upon us like we're from another planet - and you know what, maybe we are. Either way, we're so radically different that only one of us can be Canada, and I assure you that this isn't Canada.

Fucking hell - they we're even booing Sidney "fuckin" Crosby. After that overtime goal in the Gold Medal game Sid could pimp-slap my mother and I wouldn't dare boo him.

As some of you may know, I'm Toronto born and living in Vancouver. Now, I have nothing but disdain for the Canucks and their fans, but in the last few days I lost whatever remaining respect I had for the Hongcouver Orcas. Is it too much to ask that today's sports fans, at the very very least, have a "(Home Team) Or Die!" attitude? Forget about the "WOO"ing, forget about the shitty jerseys, forget about the goalie-blinding laser beams, even forget about the outpouring of support for Bertuzzi after he committed a felony on the ice. The biggest knock on Vancouver Canucks fans is that less than 24 hours after their team was run out of their own building they all immediately turned around and dropped trow for the motherfucking IENS!!!

What bugs me the most is that the Habs have done nothing to deserve this support. For decades the IENS and their fans have run their mouths off about the superiority of their franchise. Fans of other teams have had to sit by and endure as the IENS have lifted cup after cup, and more recently, held public wank-fests over their team's deified "saints." In the sporting world in general, this is the kind of behavior that has led sports fans to loathe the Yankees, the Celtics/Lakers, the Cowboys, Manchester United, and of course, the Toronto Maple Leafs. And you know what, I respect that -  we got the banners, you don't - go ahead, hate me because I'm beautiful!

So, by this undeniable logic, everyone should hate the Habs, right?

But they don't. Even though IENS fans would never, ever return the favor, real Canadians from coast to coast have begun to cheer for a team that in no way represents them.

This madness must be stopped.

I implore you to NOT turn a blind eye or a deaf ear to any random or premeditated Montreal cheering.

You must take it upon yourself to be as aggressive as possible in turning back this nauseating wave of IENS support.

You must be the change you wish to see in the world.

A better world.

A Habs-less world.

Put IENS fans back in their place!

Leafs fans, it's dangerous to go alone: take these!

Off-hand Leafs bash: “Haha, stupid Leafs fan, Tuukka Rask is a Leafs draft pick. I bet you wish your team hadn't traded him!”

Appropriate response: “I hope you realize that goaltender development is not an exact science – Tuukka may have never developed into a good young goalie if he had played for the Marlies and not the Providence Bruins. Somehow that situation worked out well for the young goalie and allowed him to step into the NHL quite naturally. But regardless, you do realize that the Leafs traded Rask, when he was a raw overseas prospect, for a Calder winning goaltender. Say what you want about Andrew Raycroft, but he was a pretty substantial acquisition at the time. Rask was drafted 21st overall – last year a defensive prospect named John Moore was drafted by Columbus 21st overall. If you were Columbus, would you trade that prospect for Tyler Myers (potential Calder winner) straight up if the opportunity presented itself? Yes, you would! In general, there's a lot of risk involved in asset management – sometimes you sell a stock right before it tanks, and sometimes you buy a stock right before it blows through the roof. Obviously Rask's development has surprised even Boston, who now have to figure out what they're going to do with Tim Thomas, who will make $5 mil per year until 2012-13. In conclusion: Boston can suck it long and suck it well.”

Off-hand Leafs bash: “Haha, stupid Leafs fan, you traded the second overall pick for Phil Kessel!”

Appropriate response: “You know that Phil Kessel already has 96 goals and 181 points in 4 NHL seasons, and he's getting better and better every year. You ever heard the expression that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush? That's literally what the Maple Leafs are going for here – they locked down a player that they knew was awesome now, instead of betting on an 18 year old kid that “might” be as good as Kessel in three or four years. Sure, I could flesh out your skin-and-bones argument for you, and add that Kessel is being paid $5 mil, where Taylor Hall or Tyler Seguin would be relatively cheap on an NHL entry deal. But that's IF those players can make the jump into the NHL AND make an impact. You know how many first round picks never pan out? When it comes to drafting, sure you sometimes get Steve Stamkos, but you are just as likely to get a player like Patrick Stefan with a high pick. So, go ahead Bruins fans, enjoy your second overall pick – I genuinely hope it turns out to be a good player, particularly on the defensive side, because you're going to need a good checking centre once the Leafs build a juggernaut offense around their superstar winger Phil Kessel! In conclusion - Bite it.”

Off hand Leafs bash: “Haha, stupid Leafs fan, you haven't made the playoffs in forever and haven't won the Cup in 40 years! Go Canucks Go!”

Appropriate response: “You know that the Canucks missed the playoffs for five straight years in the late 90's? If it were not for that stretch, and the draft picks that accompanied it, the Canucks wouldn't have the Sedins and thus, probably wouldn't be a contender right now. So, not to take anything away from your team's recent success, but I just want you to understand that NHL franchises have cycles of contending and rebuilding. Back when the Canucks were rebuilding in the basement of the NHL the Leafs were a Cup contender ('99, '00). But as for the 40 years comment, number one: go fuck yourself. Number two: did you know that if you take away their two runs to the Stanley Cup finals, where a cinderella, barely .500 Canucks squad fluked their way to championship defeats against the Isles and Rangers, the Canucks have won a combined 7 playoff series. Yes, let me say that again – since 1970, if you remove the playoff runs in 1982 and 1994, the Canucks have only won 7 playoff series in 37 seasons. That's pretty pathetic. If you compare that to the Maple Leafs, who since 1970 have had to endure the Ballard Era (1972-1990) where winning was not allowed, the Leafs still managed to rack up 19 playoff series wins to date. So in conclusion: fucking choke on it, Canucks fans.”

Perhaps over the last 20 games we have seen a glimpse of how next year's Toronto Maple Leafs squad will play. We've seen the emergence of Tyler Bozak into a skilled and tenacious centre – we've seen Dion Phaneauf drastically improve the Leafs defensive play in their own end – and we've seen Monster and Giggy consistently post a combined save% over .900, which has been a rare commodity in a blue and white uniform for far too long.

But Burke is nothing if he's not a tinkerer. He's going to be active at the draft and in free agency because, while Burke surely likes the youthful enthusiasm the Leafs are bringing down the homestretch, more consistent scoring next season will require a bit more veteran experience. However, it is important that the Leafs do not overspend in the offseason – unlike a lot of young teams, the Leafs are already paying their young guns (Kessel 5.4, Bozak 3.7, Grabo 2.9, Schenn 2.9). When Kulemin and Gustavsson sign RFA deals for (hopefully) 2.5 a piece over three years, I estimate that the Leafs will have just over $6 million in cap space to play with before the start of next season (assuming that Kaberle is traded).

It should be noted that the Leafs should have a $3.5 million Finger that could be shoved in the AHL, and another $6 million to play with after Giggy comes off the cap in '11-'12. But I still think Burke should play it relatively safe – even after Burke trades Kaberle, the Leafs cannot overspend. To commit $6+ million long-term to Patrick Marleau, or one of the many sub-par $4 million + free agents, would: a) remove financial flexibility from the club which would hurt the Leafs ability to make trades, b) from a player development standpoint, locking up a high profile player could remove ice-time from our blue chippers, and c) create a cap-crunch situation in several years when potential high salary players like Kadri or Bozak go RFA. This last point may seem a little "pie-in-the-sky" to some, but it could happen - just ask the Blackhawks.

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Hey Leafs Nation,

The last two weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster ride here in Vancouver, and so I`ve been told, all across Canada. I stood there in the rafters of Canada Hockey Place, arm in arm with my brother, my best friends and 20,000 fellow Canadians, and sang Oh Canada at the top of my lungs as the Maple Leaf was raised high into the air. There is no way I can put this win into perspective - not now. Maybe in a few years I can look back and truly understand what this win, this Gold Medal, meant for this city, this province, this country, and my life. But until then, I will continue to bask in this moment of true victory. Victory like this, as all fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs know, is not something that is experienced very often. It washes away all bitter memories (Torino), it forgives all sins (Brodeur vs. USA), and it gives us a firm reminder of why we invest our time, our emotions, our fears and our dreams, in a group of twenty-three men - the best of our best - for two short weeks in February, and now, for all time.

Tons of Photos from GM Place and the post-game celebrations, after the break...

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Hey Leafs Nation,

It all comes down to this.

After the heartbreak of Torino, after years of speculation and anticipation, after the orientation camp of the summer and the selection announcement in late Decemeber, after the worrisome struggles in the preliminary round, after the jubilation following the Quarterfinal matchup against Russia, after grinding our way past a scrappy Slovakian side in the Semis...it all comes down to this.

Oh yeah baby!

I've seen Team USA play 4 times now...More pictures and my scouting report after the break.

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Hey Leafs Nation,

I'd like to introduce you to Martin Brodeur. Three time Stanley Cup Champion, four time Vezina winner, Olympic Gold Medalist and Canadian National hero. Surely, the performance of a player of such magnitude could not possibly come into question, let alone be the reason for our defeat in a long-awaited matchup of incredible importance...

"Hey guys? What's goin' on? Is there a game today? *yawn*

So I sprung for tickets to USA vs. Canada on Sunday. Now, I don't want to play the sore loser who blames the refs, but holy crap, can a brotha get a call? We get a goalie interference call in the second period and instead of going down 3-2 we get a powerplay with a chance to take the lead. Forget about the bad goals Marty allowed, that missed call was. the. game.

Tons of pics after the break...

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His Name is Jonas! And he's carrying the Swedes! Except for all the rebounds! Dumping pics after the break!

Hey Leafs Nation,

Just want to take a minute and give a shout out to a very important collaborator in these the XXI Olympic Winter Games – the weather!

I know that everyone around the world is assuming that the warm, sunny weather in Vancouver is an international embarassment for Canada, but I couldnt disagree more. The last four days have been absolutely gorgeous weather – bright and sunny, barely a cloud in the sky, a gentle breeze. People out walking around with their faces in the sun during the day and roaming the streets for hours at night. Basically, it's good enough weather that a Canada jersey is all you need to wear to keep warm during the day. I love it.

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Hey Leafs Nation, 

Wow. What a day.

Day 3 of Olympic hockey competition looked promising on paper, but in reality it turned out to be one of the finest days of hockey of my life.

I began my day by paying tribute to our Veterans at Vancouver's war memorial.

via i859.photobucket.com

I figured it was a good way to earn a bit of karma heading into the afternoon clash between Switzerland and Canada. I still couldn't believe that I was going to get to see Team Canada live in person – I think a lot of fans were in the same boat as myself, as there was a definite, audible buzz around Canada Hockey Place as early as two hours before puck drop. I can't quite put into words what it has been like around downtown Vancouver before and after a Canada game – it's kinda like how it is during a Canucks playoff game, except I can actually join in on the revelry and not feel obligated to spit on every Canuck fan's cupcake.

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Hey Leafs Nation, 

I'm currently fighting a hangover after partying with random Czechs and Slovakians last night on the streets of downtown Vancouver - these crazy Euros have really mastered the international language of drinking!

Yesterday I was at two men's hockey games - Sweden vs. Germany in the afternoon, and the 9pm grudge match between the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

The Swedish fanbase was pretty overwhelming for two reasons: a) Swedish women are freakishly beautiful, and b) Most Vancouverites cheer Sweden hard on account of the Sedin sisters. I'm really not a fan of the Canucks or the Sedins in any way, and I get it that it's fun to cheer on your home team's players as they compete internationally, but just because The Monster was also on the Swedish roster doesn't mean I was dressing up in a yellow shirt and a viking helmet.

That said, I was marking out pretty hard for Gustavsson in the warmup. I snagged a few pictures. 

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Hey Leafs Nation,

My beautiful coastal city of Vancouver has been turned upside-down by the 2010 Olympic Games - it's a completely different city than it was two weeks ago, and I for one am right in the eye of the hurricane with tickets to 9 preliminary mens hockey games, a mens quarterfinal, a mens semifinal, and the gold medal game. That's right. I know.

Yesterday I saw Phil Kessel skate beside Joe Pavelski as the USA beat Switzerland 3-1, then I saw Ovechkin and the Super Russians beat down a heavily supported Latvia side 8-2. A little instant analysis after the break. 

USA vs. SUI

Switzerland actually played quite well in this one, although their puck control, or lack thereof, ultimately killed them. You could argue that they actually had more scoring chances than the heavily favoured yanks, who seemed kinda disorganized for most of the game. Our boy Kessel didnt have a great game, ripping a few shots high and wide and not really getting much ice time. It seems like the US will be leaning more heavily on the Kane-Stastny-Parise line.

CAN vs. NOR

Didn't get into GM Place for this one unfortunately, but the post game celebrations along Robson street were awesome. 

Robson Street Post-Game via i859.photobucket.com

RUS vs. LAT

The Latvians actually had some great chances, but they were just way too soft on the puck and had a lot of "two-thirds of a good play" moments. It was great when the Latvians scored to open the third period - the Latvian contingent at the arena were very boisterous the entire night. However, the Russians can score with the blink of an eye. They are scary, but by giving up two goals, they have showed that they are not flawless.

 
Here's a pic of Ovechkin juggling a puck.

Anyways, I'm out the door for two more games...got a date with Peter Forsberg at 4pm, and then a nightcap with Jagr and Kaberle at 9pm Pacific. I'm wearing my Kaberle jersey and holding a Leafs flag if you see me on TV.

I've been a Maple Leafs fan since 1992. That might not be such a long time for some of you, but for a young man like myself this eighteen year period has spanned most of my life. I could continue this post by talking about how my devotion to the Maple Leafs borders upon a relationship between a religion and it's faithful. But I'm not – this post is about the 2009-2010 team claiming the title of worst Maple Leafs squad I have ever seen.

Going point form after the break.

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Colton Orr has played all but one of the Leafs 16 games this year, recording one point, 12 shots and 47 penalty minutes with a -2 in the plus/minus column. In tonight's game vs Minnesota he logged 5:22 mins of ice time, roughly half of what his usual linemates Rickard Wallin and Wayne Primeau registered. He had one good chance for a goal - fanning on a cross ice pass that Nik Backstrom probably would have had anyway...

But what Colton Orr will be remembered for in tonight's game is the ridiculous penalty he took early in the second period. After Derek Boogaard tickled Kaberle in the corner, Orr skated up to the Boogieman on his way to the bench and tickled him right back. In skates the ref...and off goes Orr to the box for "interference."

Everyone knows what happened after that. Poni gets called for a questionable delay of game, the Wild score on the 5-on-3, and the once close game rolls downhill from there.

Now, I know what you're thinking...poor officiating, Orr is a fighter, TRUCULENCE!!!1

Okay, okay, I agree. I love a fight as much as the next guy, and while skating up to Boogard behind the play was dumb, I don't think Orr committed a foul that warranted a penalty.

But a penalty was called, and when it comes right down to it, that sequence of unfortunate events was the turning point of the game. People rag all the time on Vesa Toskala for taking the wind of the Leafs sails by allowing bad goals - well, Orr sucked all the momentum right out of the Leafs with that bad penalty.

To get to the point, here are my three main complaints about Colton Orr:

1) TRUCULENCE: If Colton Orr was signed as an example of the Leafs new committment to team toughness - and ten games into the season the Leafs had seemingly abandoned that committment - then what is the point of keeping Colton Orr in the lineup? The Leafs are having moderate success as of late by playing smart, getting good goaltending, and harnessing whatever talent they have - not by beating the shit out of their opponents. That would be fun, but it's just not gonna happen. Furthermore, just look once more at Orr's penalty tonight - that's not truculence! Orr overreated to a nothing hit on Kaberle, skated up to Boogaard like a schoolyard bully, and then postured aggressively until he took a penalty. If truculence means refs will call penalties against us for thinking about fighting, count me out.

2) WHERE'S THE FIGHTS?: I'm not sure if anyone else has noticed, but Colton Orr hasn't fought in over two weeks. His last fighting major was against Anaheim. While Orr is close to the lead league in fights, most of those contests were in the first week of the season. It seems to me that the Leafs weren't winning when Orr was fighting, and the coaching staff has told him to keep his gloves on since the club started accumulating points. If this is true, then again, why is Orr in the lineup?

3) STAJAN TO...ORR???: Due to Phil Kessel becomming John Mitchell's BFF, Matt Stajan rode the fourth line for much of tonight's game. While that is indeed head-slappingly embarassing for Stajan, putting Colton Orr on his wing pretty much killed any chance of Stajan performing well enough tonight to get out of Wilson's doghouse. But the demotion of Stajan down to the fourth squad really identifies a key failure of the Leafs season so far - to build a fourth line with a tough-guy/ high energy identity. Out of training camp I thought the Leafs may have had a bash brothers-esque checking line in the making, provided that Wayne Primeau and Colton Orr could gel with Rickard Wallin. But after the first month, quite frankly, the Leafs don't have a checking line - the pieces are there, but they just don't fit together, and the line usually gets hemmed into its own zone by whatever opposition line they are facing. It's pathetic really, considering those are the guys that are supposed to be intimidating the other team. 

I guess what I'm saying is, if the fourth line isn't going to work like a fourth line should, abandon the concept.

Move on.

Put Orr on the bench and bring in a forward that can actually be productive in some way - either by scoring, killing penalties, blocking shots, or just by doing the little things that can help a team win. Because right now Orr is doing all the little things that cause a team to lose, and we cannot afford that.

Not anymore.

A certain rosy-cheeked young man named Tomas Kaberle is currently leading the NHL in defenseman scoring. This is unprecedented enough as it is, given the sheer amount of talented offensive blueliners that have emerged since the lockout.

But forget about the season for a second - consider the week that was - Saturday October 24th to Saturday October 31st. Tomas and the Buds played five road games (VAN, ANA, DAL, BUF, MTL) and in that span 'Kaber recorded 13 points (2 goals and 11 assists) with a ridiculous 9 powerplay points and 1 shorthanded assist. He was a +1 and fired 12 shots at the net.

This is quite possibly the greatest offensive week ever by a defenseman, and quite certainly the best ever by a Maple Leaf dman.

If you can dig up Paul Coffey's game logs from the 1986 Oilers campaign, I will back down - but everyone knows the new NHL is a different era with a different style of play. To truly grasp how awesome a week Kaberle had I will compare him to another booming blueline behemoth from the current era - Washington Capitals D Mike Green.

The 2008-2009 season was a magical one for Mike Green. NHL defensemen rarely crack the 60 point plateau, but last year Mike Green hit his stride and never looked back, potting 31 goals and finishing with 73 freakin' points.

Mike Green's best week of 08'-09' was a five game stretch between january 31st and february 7th. This was in the middle of his epic 8 game goal scoring streak. Green and the Caps played home games against Detroit and Ottawa, went to New Jersey to light up the Devils, and then returned home to host LA and Florida. He recorded 13 points (6 goals and 7 assists) with 7 powerplay points and one shorthanded goal. He was +3 and hit the net 14 times.

It's also important to note that Mike Green was passing to/ receiving pucks from the likes of Alexander Ovechkin, Niklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin. Meanwhile, Kaberle has been setting up Nik Hagman and Mikhail Grabovski. I love Grabs and Hags as much as the next Leafs fan, but obviously there is a huge disparity in offensive talent there.

With this in mind, I rule in favour of Tomas Kaberle - this last week was the greatest offensive output by a defenseman since the lockout - and possibly much longer.

The amount of fanfare that surround Mike Green during that memorable week last February was much greater than the tributes that have been paid to Tomas so far. This is mostly due to the fact that the Maple Leafs won only one game during that stretch. But I think that Kaberle's 13 point week is still a momumental accomplishment for a very underated and under-respected defenseman - and without his contribution during these last five games, the Leafs could have easily gone 0-5.

For a team that is criticized for its lack of offense, I think all Leafs fans should take a moment to appreciate the phenomenal offensive numbers that #15 just posted. He may never develop into a leader in the dressing room, but Tomas Kaberle can certainly lead by example.

Hello Leafs Fans,

I hope you enjoyed watching the game tonight (Leafs@Sabres, 30/10/09) - I hear we outplayed the Electric Swordslugs pretty handily, but once again emerged with ONE POINT. That's right, in tonight's game the Maple Leafs earned the same amount of points that we accumulated in the first 8 games! That also gives us four points in three games! Break out the Champagne!

Anyway...I say that I "hear" we outplayed the Sabres because I didn't get to watch the game myself. So that pretty much rules out any post-game analysis from this guy. Unfortunately, unlike a lot of you people, Leafs games aren't always on in my region. I know, I know - it's a travesty! I live in Vancouver, home of the 2010 Winter Olympics, the world's finest marijuana, and lots and lots of hot asian girls who will never ever look you in the eyes.

Also, we have the Vancouver Canucks - and they played tonight!  So instead of watching my heroes play a tight game against a division rival I was forced to watch the schmucks vs. the ducks on Sportsnet. And you'll never guess who was between the pipes...

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I was going to start posting earlier this season, but the problem with the 2009-2010 Toronto Maple Leafs is that there really was nothing positive to post about...until the last three games.

You see, I live in Vancouver. If the Leafs suck and you live in Toronto, at least somebody, probably lots and lots of somebodys, are in the same boat with you. But if you live in another city and the Leafs suck, AND that other city has a non-sucky team, AND that other city is Vancouver so its fans are total douche-bags...it can get a little depressing. Also it rains a lot here.

Nevertheless, I decided to start posting after I got tickets to the recent Leafs-Nucks battle at GM Place. They were awesome tickets right behind the glass in the Leafs end. Even though the Leafs ended up losing that game due to poor officiating, it was a key game for the Leafs. Because the Canucks are a very good team, and the Leafs outplayed the Canucks to the point where Vancouver fans around me, between empty, half-hearted chants of `Leafs Suck!` were downright terrified of the Leafs attack. For the first time this year, I saw positives...lots of em...positives that should have put the Leafs over the Dallas Stars tonight, two games later...

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