Hey PPP fans,

I wanted to take this time to revisit a post I made in the summertime, claiming that, on paper, Toronto had one of the best defense corps in the league. Before I continue this post, let me make something very clear. I WAS WRONG. There, I said it. I was very wrong. Frankly, I feel a bit better having said it out loud.

Could the general ECHL-level play of Toskala be a reason for the underperforming defense? Yes. Obviously. A large part. Can my unrealistic expectations of rookie goaltender Jonus Gustavsson also have played a part? Why, yes. But, short of all excuses one can make regarding goaltending, it's pretty indisputable that the Leafs defense has been atrocious. A 6-4 win versus the Edmonton Oilers, great as it was to see 6 goals scored, was not encouraging. Nor was a 4-1 loss to the New York Islanders. Could this be the goaltenders' fault? It's possible, and I'm sure an argument could be made, but I'm going to say that would be a VERY weak argument.

So, what's going on with our defence? I don't actually have the answer. I'm more interested in getting opinions from the rest of PPP nation. Some analysis after the jump

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Have any of you heard this new ad for Pokerstars.net, where they mispronounce their celebrity endorser's name? The ad is airing in Toronto, and no doubt hordes of other Torontonians noticed the obvious and ignorant mispronunciation of Mats Sundin's name. I saw the ad on TSN early this morning (12:25 AM or so), and couldn't believe that nobody noticed the mistake in the editing process. Description of the ad after the jump.

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Hey PPP nation,

I'm sure some of you have heard of Movember before. It's a charity designed to raise money for prostate cancer research. What you do is, you grow a mustache for the month of November. This is not a beard, or a goatee, or a soul patch. It's a mustache. And we as Leafs fan have 2 of the most iconic mustaches in hockey history to which we can turn: Wendel Clark and Lanny McDonald. Much can also be said as well about the protective and perhaps magical powers of Ian White's mustache as well (shortly after growing it in 2008, he was unbenched and was able to succeed as both a forward AND a defenceman). After the jump, check out some of the greatest views of their respective mustaches, as well as the link to my Movember charity team, "Mustachulence". To decide if you want to even bother reading the rest of this post and participating, check out the Movember's YouTube channel. Just remember - to "honour" your Leafs, you COULD put a stupid paper bag over your head and pretend you're not jumping on a bandwagon, OR you could grow a mustache like some of the greatest Leafs of all time (plus Ian White). My Movember team, Team Mustachulence, could use your help and participation.

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I need a new name now that Heatley is no longer a Senator and the relevance of my name is lost. The best way to do this is probably via poll. Tell me what you think! Write-in votes strongly encouraged. I'm leaning towards Kessticle, but I also like Beauched Whale (especially with his play lately)

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Ok so let's be honest - the headline was designed to get your attention. BUT this is something that really warrants some debate! With the recent acquisition of Beauchemin, and the departure of contract busts such as Pavel Kubina ($5M) and Bryan McCabe ($5.75M), the Leafs may have the best defence core in the league. If you disagree with me about that, then at least look at the bang we're getting for our buck in Leafs Nation. I'm way too lazy to seek out the contracts of every team - I'll leave that to the pro bloggers (this is my first FanPost and I have to nap still before my hockey game tonight). But with Kaberle ($4.25M), Komisarek ($4.5M), Beauchemin ($3.8M), Schenn ($1.25M cap hit) and a healthy Van Ryn ($3.35M), is there a stronger core in the league with such value? The only blemish on this list is Finger ($3.5M). 

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