tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353619842024-03-13T08:23:10.339-07:00The Mad Hockey BloggerA kaleidoscope of rants & raves on the Toronto Maple Leafs, their fans and the larger NHL universe.The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.comBlogger73125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-77589265162014925822009-02-03T07:23:00.000-08:002009-02-03T08:54:28.105-08:00Piling On: That Whiney POSAs timely as ever here at TMHB (just wait for my twelve part series on Gretzky's High-stick of Gilmour), it's time to call a spade a spade; Sidney Crosby is killing hockey.Background:Among my friends and cohorts, I've given Sidney Crosby as much leeway as any non-Penguin fan should. He's young, he's under extreme pressure and he plays for one of the worst coaches in the game. Yeah, I know, 2 The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-53205531565379449732009-02-02T23:25:00.000-08:002009-02-03T07:57:05.115-08:00So, is this thing on?Yeah, uh, took a two year hiatus from posting regularly. So, um, hey, what's new? The good news is that over the coming days I am going to try to start posting again. The bad news is that I am going to start posting again. Here's a little taste of what to expect:For now, if you are looking for literally* thousands of posts, articles and Leafs related 'stuff', we'd recommend heading on over toThe Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-21716454364401724802008-02-20T15:37:00.000-08:002008-03-08T15:55:54.441-08:00Fletch Lives!Ah the more things change, the more they stay the same in Leafland.Looks like the puppetmaster (for those of you that saw the bizarre show put on by Fletcher and Peddie during the presser from the ACC, you know what I'm talking about) has decided the best course to fixing the mess he created is to go with something old. Let's hope this summer brings us something new (in the form of a hockey man The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-84811472179943120042008-01-22T21:03:00.000-08:002009-02-02T02:25:13.930-08:00Ferguson Finally FiredAlliteration aside, this should have happened last summer. JFJ and the MLSE board have managed to take a once mediocre franchise and turn it into the Cleveland Browns of Hockey. A team so mismanaged and inept, so burdened with bad contracts that the only hope they have is for a return to the 'old' pre-salary cap NHL. Even if there are trades forthcoming, which there should be, this team's only The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-14548929199879496922006-11-17T10:15:00.000-08:002006-11-17T10:29:51.494-08:00Update on Hockey IntelligenceI am still working on my Hockey IQ stat (HIQ), but have hit a bit of a wall with regards to getting up-to-date, timely statistics. I have a few calls in, but if anyone knows of a source, other than manually copy/pasting them from NHL.com, please don't hesitate to drop me a line.On a personal note, I am going on a road trip through the high desert country of the American southwest, and will be The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-8878175521510953632006-11-16T18:31:00.000-08:002006-11-16T18:52:59.584-08:00Game Recap: Bruins 2 - Leafs 1Aubin deserved better than that finish. He won the team that point, making numerous miraculous saves when they needed them. Good for him for playing so solid.Looked like the Buds were skating in quicksand tonight. Not the terrible effort that the put out against Florida a few weeks back, but just couldn't seem to get anything going. Give credit where it is due, the Bruins played a really The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-38999117111243384012006-11-15T14:24:00.000-08:002006-11-16T19:45:59.244-08:00Ottawa's REAL Problem - UpdatedGo ahead, click on the image above. Notice anything odd about Gerber? Yes folks, his eyes are closed.EDIT: Egads, I am a moron... I was having this strange feeling of deja vu when posting this item, and now realize that I saw this image on a fellow Leaf blog a few weeks ago... my sincere apologies to the original poster, the great ninja of Raking Leafs ^ (I highly recommend making RL a daily The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-10849727102477884982006-11-15T11:54:00.000-08:002006-11-15T11:58:50.979-08:00A Picture is Worth a Thousand WordsCourtesy the crew over at the Battle of California ^ ("takes and trash talk from both sides of the NHL's most obscure rivalry"):Classic. I am going to wallpaper my house with this image.The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-45938055237005656842006-11-15T00:11:00.000-08:002006-11-15T00:14:42.983-08:00Jeff O'Neill - Faceoff SpecialistInteresting stat... among NHLers who have taken at least 50 faceoffs this season, Jeff is #5 in the league, with an amazing 60.5 winning percentage.Maurice has really done a nice job of allowing guys to grow into different roles and expand their responsibilities. Great to see O'Neill getting a chance, and great for the Leafs that they have yet another solid face-off performer!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-4444242154243751122006-11-14T22:12:00.000-08:002006-11-14T22:55:57.718-08:00Leafs Hockey IQ, Year to DateRelated to my earlier post, here are the Leaf rankings to date on my 'Hockey IQ' metric (HIQ), including the three components of the measurement; Defensive Intelligence (DI), Offensive Intelligence (OI) and Physical Intelligence (PI). These numbers are based on pure statistics, with no special weighting or 'tweaking'. The formulas I am using are a work in progress, so I won't post information The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-40953414474509399492006-11-14T14:25:00.000-08:002006-11-14T22:24:44.471-08:00Top Secret: An Improved Hockey StatI am hockey stat crazy. As an aficionado, the +/- statistic has always irked me. It just doesn't seem like a very telling stat when it comes to an individual hockey player. By way of example, look at Meszaros in Ottawa. Last season, when the team is tearing it up, he is an amazing plus 34. This year, with the Sens struggling to a 6-10-1 start, he is now an ugly minus 3. Does this stat really The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-10716902076482584832006-11-12T17:54:00.000-08:002006-11-12T18:52:41.792-08:00Video Clip: Nik the Stick Wins it!My favorite Leaf memory... my heart still races watching this clip. This, to me, was a turning point for the franchise.The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-8625526774814698132006-11-12T16:46:00.000-08:002006-11-12T18:52:55.974-08:00Sens Going After Critics?It would appear that the Sens are feeling the heat, and apparently lashing out at the fan-base ^ seems to be their recipe for fixing what ails them. This is of course speculation, and I am not implying any of this is true (down Sens lawyers, down!).For a bemused Leafs fan, this does explain why a fool like Gord Wilson ^ continues to collect a pay cheque. It is true that every organization out The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-19155725206105471052006-11-12T16:03:00.000-08:002006-11-12T16:30:36.571-08:00Pogge Looking Better by the DayFor those following the Marlies this year, you may have been surprised at Leafs goalie prospect Justin Pogge's 2W-5L record ^. The Sun had a good article ^ on Pogge today; In short, he is slowly but surely adjusting to the pace of the AHL game, and while he hasn't been lighting the world on fire, his numbers are respectable:The 6-foot-3, 198-pound Pogge has won just two of seven AHL decisions The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-70358917845110779282006-11-12T15:33:00.000-08:002006-11-12T16:03:04.382-08:00Game Recap: Leafs 5 - Habs 1Complete domination of the Habs by the Leafs. Out-shot them 42 to 26, with the Leafs missing an amazing 22 shots...This game was won by hard-work and pure determination. The Leafs won virtually every battle along the boards, and save for a few isolated shifts, were able to keep the Habs on the outside looking in.Aubin looked a little shaky, but the Habs really didn't generate many great chancesThe Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-77010056166087319742006-11-09T22:15:00.000-08:002006-11-09T22:08:15.886-08:00Video Clip: Gilmour TributeMy all-time favourite, although I have to admit, Mr. Sundin is on the verge of supplanting him.The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-7549058080447349992006-11-09T21:28:00.000-08:002009-02-02T02:13:44.960-08:00Site News: Hockey QuotesYou may have noticed the quotes box in the left-hand column... only a few quotes now, but we will be adding many more in the coming days/weeks.If you want to add famous hockey and sports quotes like this to your site/blog/forum, simply cut and paste the javascript code below:<script type="text/javascript"><!--var font_family = 'arial, helvetica, sans-serif';var font_size = 'small';var The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-55626976785641470782006-11-09T13:45:00.000-08:002006-11-09T13:54:33.178-08:00Game Day: Leafs vs. BruinsA couple of interesting story lines to follow for this evening...The return of Raycroft to Boston. With the Bruins goaltending situation in complete disarray, there has been a little bit of noise made on how and why the Bruins traded Raycroft ^, who has been stellar if you conveniently forget the two games against Ottawa a few weeks ago. I am looking forward to seeing the reception he gets, andThe Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-86058659887900471252006-11-08T21:07:00.000-08:002006-11-12T16:28:53.587-08:00Battle of Ontario Losing Steam?So the Gm's, busy schmoozing, boozing and taking in some of Toronto's culture ^ (nsfw), decided to stick with their original three-year plan and keep the current un-balanced schedule for next season. Glad you guys all got together to agree to do nothing. Actually, that sounds like every meeting I have ever been a part of, but I digress...For Leaf fans, this can mean only one thing; 12 more The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-47538178817608463982006-11-08T20:47:00.000-08:002006-11-10T11:24:13.294-08:00Who Put the Flyer in Filly?Posting as much as I have about the greatest hockey story of the season (aka the dismissal of Bobby 'cancer sucks, just don't go goofy on us' Clarke), I began to wonder about the origins of the Flyers name. No not Philadelphia, although... no, no, I of course mean 'Flyers'.I thought, "Self, surely this must refer to some past linkage between Philadelphia and actual flying." Like perhaps The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-68967480607300835752006-11-08T20:10:00.000-08:002006-11-08T20:47:21.275-08:00Mats is Gone ... Time for Sombody to Step UpUnless you were in a coma today (beer induced does not count), you have likely heard that our captain, Mats Sundin, is out with ligament damage ^ in his elbow. He suffered the injury on Monday during a first period collision with Ben Eager of the Flyers, but stayed around to finish the game, even though in pain.It is expected that the big Swede will miss up to four weeks, leaving a hole so big inThe Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-67238693269650987392006-11-08T10:57:00.000-08:002006-11-08T11:14:32.498-08:00The Sainted Sens: No Laughing MatterIf you were to believe Alex Ovechkin (and we have no reason not to), the Senators were making less than flattering comments ^ about the Capitals on Monday when they strode out to a quick 3-0 lead. Needless to say the highly motivated bunch in Washington ended up winning the game in OT, 4-3.For those with a long memory for anything Sens-related (I am seeking treatment), this is not the first time The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-606992130648196002006-11-07T19:06:00.000-08:002006-11-08T00:14:14.808-08:00Leafs Ranked a 'Sell'For those not familiar with hockey coverage south of the border, John Buccigross is one of the more colourful hockey analysts for ESPN. He usually has an interesting take on things, but as per what I can only imagine are ESPN guidelines, makes a habit of drawing lame cultural comparisons between what happens on the ice and, say, Justin Timberlake... bizarre.Anywho, he has ranked the 30 teams inThe Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-35796127421423217222006-11-06T15:52:00.000-08:002006-11-08T22:54:41.999-08:00OT: Remembering "The Great War"I won't make a habit of straying from hockey talk, but I was forwarded an email today that is for what I consider a very worthy cause.Hi all. I am usually the last person to send out mass emails, but Ithink this one is important enough to warrant it. I know on-line petitions are usually bunk, but who knows, maybe this can make a difference. I will be writing the Member of Parliament later The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-19435313737331750752006-11-06T11:36:00.000-08:002006-11-06T12:09:34.360-08:00The Toronto Mediots are at it Again...If one were to be parachuted into Toronto, and handed a copy of the Toronto Star/Sun in the last week, one could have been forgiven for thinking:On Friday, following a loss to Florida, the Leafs were the worst team in the NHL;On Sunday, following a win over Buffalo, they are the best.Leaf fans have a reputation, much of it deserved, for being irrational when it comes to the team in Blue and WhiteThe Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0