SB Nation User Blog: general borschevsky

Forward Alexei Ponikarovsky missed Monday’s practice. "I was going to tell you we traded him and y...

general borschevsky — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:58:25 -0000

Forward Alexei Ponikarovsky missed Monday’s practice.

"I was going to tell you we traded him and you guys would go running," Wilson told a clutch of reporters. "But his wife had a baby at 3 a.m. last night. So, obviously, I excused him and congratulated him and he’ll be in the lineup tomorrow."

Was it a boy or a girl?

"He had a boy," Wilson said. "He named him Ron."

It's a Poni-boy! Congratulations to Alexei Ponikarovsky, and to, uh, Coach Ron Wilson, I guess. Good call, Alexei.

Kaberle = Superstar

general borschevsky — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:24:33 -0000

Editor's Note: The General takes a look at the Leafs' forgotten superstar in a great fanpost.

Congratulations to the Toronto Maple Leafs for their 6-5 shoot-out victory last night over the Devils. Congratulations to Toskala for the win and for killing the Cujo-switch experiment. Congratulations to Niklas Hagman for the beautiful, memorable winner, and getting a laugh from Marty too. And congratulations to Wilson and the entire team for showing that hustle and perserverance really do pay off.

But mostly I want to congratulate Tomas Kaberle. For being a superstar. I've known Tomas was for a long time, but I admit, this year I was beginning to wonder about him. I wasn't worried that he'd be a bad defenceman - Tomas will never be a bad hockey player - I was just worried that without Sundin and McCabe, he might have lost some of his extra-special-ness, and had become just a good defenceman who was okay in a lot of situations. Heading into last night's game, Van Ryn was the leading Leaf defenders with 6 points, while Kablere had just a goal and an assist for only 2 points. In the win against the Devils, Tomas did pick up 2 assists, but it was during the shoot-out where Kaberle showed he still has superstar stuff.

(3:27) Have a good look at this moment in the shoot-out. When Kaberle steps up, the Leafs are down 1-0 and down to their final shot. Kaberle needs to score or they lose. He knows it. Hagman didn't have the same pressure. If he had missd, the Devils would still have had to score. If Tomas misses, the game is over, the Devils will celebrate, and reporters will say yet again that the Leafs couldn't do it. And to keep that from happening, Kaberle, alone, needs to beat the mighty Brodeur.

Watch it again. (3:27) With the weight of the game on his shoulders, Kaberle takes two soft, casual steps, and then puts his head down and takes 4 quick power-strides up to centre. There's a smooth, gentle stutter-glide as he picks up the puck, and then he's back in high gear again as he hits the blue line. Arching to his right to set up the angle for the left-hand shot, Kaberle explodes towards the goal with amazing speed, and then simply beats Brodeur with hands that were faster then Marty's pads. And the shoot-out continued.

The Devils came close but the Leafs prevailed, thanks to Hagman, and then Toskala. But let's not overlook Kaberle's excellent contribution in this one, keeping the game - and our hopes - alive, with a big-time, superstar performance.

Kaberle = Superstar

general borschevsky — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 14:37:29 -0000

You're all clear kid! Now let's blow this thing and go home!

general borschevsky — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 23:37:55 -0000

You're all clear kid! Now let's blow this thing and go home!

Did anybody in Vancouver get a similar letter?

general borschevsky — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:22:03 -0000

An open letter from Mats Sundin to the city of Toronto, and to the fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs, for whom he cares so deeply:

Dear Friends in Leaf Nation,

I think Leaf fans are going to be surprised about some of the younger players that are coming through the Leafs system.

I saw they won their first exhibition game so that was great.

I think the Leafs are going to have a good year. They should be fun to watch with a lot of new faces and some excitement around the team. I'm going to follow them here as the pre-season goes on.

There's always going to be a hockey itch with me. I love the game of hockey. It's been the biggest part of my life my whole life.

I am going to go back to Toronto at some point. I have my house there. I obviously consider Toronto as my home still.

Best Wishes, Mats Sundin

Sundin Coming Home?

general borschevsky — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 01:51:03 -0000

Sundin Coming Home?

This is good. Really good.

This is a video that takes a close-up look at Mats Sundin's thought process with a graphic...

general borschevsky — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:37:06 -0000

This is a video that takes a close-up look at Mats Sundin's thought process with a graphic illustration of what's going on inside his head. The ping-pong ball represents his decision making abilities, while the guy in Red represents his desire to control his own destiny, either to leave the game or to come back and keep playing. The guy in Blue represents the Leafs - entertaining the fans with no idea how to actually win.

I'm sorry. I miss hockey so much.

"Caber would be a great addition to our team," said Belak. "Now we have to work on Mats. Let's get...

general borschevsky — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 12:14:45 -0000

"Caber would be a great addition to our team," said Belak. "Now we have to work on Mats. Let's get the entire band back together, man! I'm all for that."

Wade Belak gives his thoughts on McCabe to the London Free Press. Go Belak!

Gary Bettman's Suggestions To Improve The NHL

general borschevsky — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 12:27:01 -0000

Gary Bettman's Suggestions To Improve The NHL

Immediate expansion into Europe with an eye on Japan and China
Increase obstruction/interference calls. Eye-contact between opposing players should result in coincidental minors
One shot per team in each shoot-out will be "judged" and awarded a point based on "brilliance and immagination", resulting in 4, or even 5-point games
No blue-lines, 3-on-3 overtime, and 2 basketballs instead of a hockey puck
get a different commissioner

Okay, y'know about Todd Gill, but what about this?

general borschevsky — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 00:45:56 -0000

Okay, y'know about Todd Gill, but what about this?

How weird is that? The Todd Gill thing is odd, but this is another level entirely. Try, spooky.