tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-353619842011-07-30T22:36:55.898-07:00A 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.comBlogger731100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-77589265162014925822009-02-03T07:23:00.000-08:002009-02-03T08:54:28.105-08:00

As 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-53205531565379449732009-02-02T23:25:00.000-08:002009-02-03T07:57:05.115-08:00

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 to

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-21716454364401724802008-02-20T15:37:00.000-08:002008-03-08T15:55:54.441-08:00

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-84811472179943120042008-01-22T21:03:00.000-08:002009-02-02T02:25:13.930-08:00

Alliteration 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.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-14548929199879496922006-11-17T10:15:00.000-08:002006-11-17T10:29:51.494-08:00

I 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-8878175521510953632006-11-16T18:31:00.000-08:002006-11-16T18:52:59.584-08:00

Aubin 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-38999117111243384012006-11-15T14:24:00.000-08:002006-11-16T19:45:59.244-08:00

Go 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-10849727102477884982006-11-15T11:54:00.000-08:002006-11-15T11:58:50.979-08:00

Courtesy 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-45938055237005656842006-11-15T00:11:00.000-08:002006-11-15T00:14:42.983-08:00

Interesting 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!

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-4444242154243751122006-11-14T22:12:00.000-08:002006-11-14T22:55:57.718-08:00

Related 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-40953414474509399492006-11-14T14:25:00.000-08:002006-11-14T22:24:44.471-08:00

I 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-10716902076482584832006-11-12T17:54:00.000-08:002006-11-12T18:52:41.792-08:00

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-8625526774814698132006-11-12T16:46:00.000-08:002006-11-12T18:52:55.974-08:00

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-19155725206105471052006-11-12T16:03:00.000-08:002006-11-12T16:30:36.571-08:00

For 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-70358917845110779282006-11-12T15:33:00.000-08:002006-11-12T16:03:04.382-08:00

Complete 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 chances

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-77010056166087319742006-11-09T22:15:00.000-08:002006-11-09T22:08:15.886-08:00

My 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-7549058080447349992006-11-09T21:28:00.000-08:002009-02-02T02:13:44.960-08:00

You 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-55626976785641470782006-11-09T13:45:00.000-08:002006-11-09T13:54:33.178-08:00

A 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, and

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-86058659887900471252006-11-08T21:07:00.000-08:002006-11-12T16:28:53.587-08:00

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-47538178817608463982006-11-08T20:47:00.000-08:002006-11-10T11:24:13.294-08:00

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-68967480607300835752006-11-08T20:10:00.000-08:002006-11-08T20:47:21.275-08:00

Unless 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 in

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-67238693269650987392006-11-08T10:57:00.000-08:002006-11-08T11:14:32.498-08:00

If 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-606992130648196002006-11-07T19:06:00.000-08:002006-11-08T00:14:14.808-08:00

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 in

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-35796127421423217222006-11-06T15:52:00.000-08:002006-11-08T22:54:41.999-08:00

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-19435313737331750752006-11-06T11:36:00.000-08:002006-11-06T12:09:34.360-08:00

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 White

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-62674850904307824402006-11-03T11:47:00.000-08:002006-11-03T11:58:16.525-08:00

Wow. Quote the train wreck down in Philly these days. Besides getting spanked by a touchdown almost every other game, the Flyers entire organization from top to bottom appears to be in free-fall:http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog.php?post_id=3512 ^This is really something to see. I had the Flyers picked for 7th this season, but who could have imagined that 10 games into the season, Hitchcock and

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-25014974771992740742006-11-02T20:38:00.000-08:002006-11-02T20:48:50.986-08:00

The Leafs had no business being in this game. I actually was hoping that they wouldn't come back to tie it, they were so undeserving of it. What a frickin joke. How much are these guys making again?I'll say it... I thought Gill was OK. Aubin played well too, considering he faced around 60 shots through two periods.Other than that, putrid. McCabe? Putrid. Kilger? Putrid. Seriously, I know

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-54479248865576162762006-11-01T00:28:00.000-08:002006-11-01T00:30:39.424-08:00

A great little clip about one of Mad Hockey's favs, Wendel Clark:

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-68771755942738596652006-10-30T21:55:00.000-08:002006-10-30T22:03:57.604-08:00

Let's call a spade a spade folks, I am clearly a hockey god.After correctly predicting the demise of Hitchcock a few weeks ago, I am now going to re-visit my pre-season predictions for the Leafs performance in October:Prediction: A bunch of home games, but very tough opponents: 6W-7L (yes, I know that there are overtime games, etc, but count them for what they are, a win or a loss).After tonights

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-33483169540774549652006-10-30T21:34:00.000-08:002006-10-30T21:54:49.778-08:00

What a brutal game. Neither team played like they even cared if they won this game... and if not for some excessive penalty time in the opening ten minutes, this game would have basically been a 0-0 snoozefest.Honestly, is there a rink in the league with worse ice that the Air Canada Centre? The puck was bouncing around like a superball out there, with at least half a dozen passes hopping over

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-77875489621286475732006-10-29T22:18:00.000-08:002006-10-30T21:54:27.331-08:00

Captain Obvious here for anyone who has been paying attention lately, but Matt Stajan has probably been the Leafs best all-around forward for the past few games. He is taking charge on the second powerplay unit, and is winning more than his share of battles on the forecheck. He is also starting to look like a real 'NHL center', in that he is finding his linemates with regularity and has vastly

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-78058670268811013772006-10-26T23:04:00.000-07:002006-10-26T23:15:56.107-07:00

So, uh, how 'bout them Sabres?What a spectacular performance. Kaberle, McCabe, Sundin, Raycroft, etc, etc should all send their pay cheques back to MLSE after that disaster of a game. Oh, that's right, games. What a showing by our big guns. They really stepped up and displayed the kind of determination and heart that a team that is short on talent will need to make the playoffs this

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-8057427087939717082006-10-26T12:48:00.001-07:002006-10-26T12:57:13.517-07:00

I'm not really sure what to make of tonight's tilt in Kanata. We've all seen this before, where fans and media alike get all lathered up about the second game of a home and home tilt, only to see a game that is usually more disappointing than the Superbowl always is.I'm not sure this is the case tonight... the way the game ended in Toronto, and the way the barbs have been flying in the local

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-45871700275365526922006-10-26T09:38:00.000-07:002006-10-26T09:43:20.704-07:00

I wonder what McGratton was thinking with his classless taunt of Belak, who at the end of the fight looked hurt and turned away. For those that missed it, McGratton made a 'turtle' jesture to Belak after the fight...For those with a short memory, here is McGratton getting his ass handed to him by Peters, who had the decency to actually stop when McGratton got hurt. I wonder if big Brian

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-87822689979782396692006-10-26T09:31:00.000-07:002006-10-26T09:38:27.747-07:00

I have had no respect for Chris Neil ever since he sucker-punched Gary Roberts in a pre-season game 4 years ago...

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-28477809230320288632006-10-24T09:06:00.000-07:002006-10-24T09:14:44.864-07:00

"Roger got cancer. That wasn't our fault. We didn't tell him to go get cancer. It's too bad that he did. We feel sorry for him, but then he went goofy on us."Karma Bobby, karma. His 'resignation' couldn't have happened to a nicer guy. Having grown up in Lindsay, Ontario where the Roger Neilson hockey camps were held, I can say that Roger was one of the nicest, most sincere people in the

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-77126252995226944952006-10-23T08:32:00.000-07:002006-10-23T09:13:43.367-07:00

While seeing the Sens down and out is a pleasure to most Leafs fans, one could only wonder how long it would be until the Sens had a game like Saturday's, in which they pounded on the Devils 9-1.With a home and home series starting on Tuesday this week, Leaf fans likely are happy to see the Sens get those nine goals out of their system, but probably aren't happy at the thought of a rejuvenated

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-24552798233496327192006-10-22T19:31:00.000-07:002006-10-22T19:34:27.845-07:00

We showed Tucker rocking Kapanen earlier in the week, so turn-around is fair play:

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-82771924641759578112006-10-22T19:05:00.000-07:002006-10-23T08:32:08.493-07:00

Looks like my earlier prediction of Hitchcock getting canned was correct, not that it was rocket science or anything.One thing I didn't see was Clarke getting shown the door as well (it looks like he retired, but I think Mr. Snider likely gave him the option given his years of service...)"I felt strongly that from the end of last season on, I don’t know if I was burnt out or tired or something,

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-75486055216424440552006-10-20T17:40:00.000-07:002006-10-20T17:57:26.815-07:00

God bless the Internet... 10 years ago you would have waited eagerly for three weeks to read in-game comments from a random guy sitting in front of the TV... uh, right.Looks like more than a few Leafs are being sized up for the goat-horns through 1+ periods tonight. I won't mention names, don't want to jinx anyone, but my pick so far has a name that starts with 'K' and ends with 'aberle'. Ugh

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-90831077776674345142006-10-20T17:08:00.000-07:002006-10-20T17:39:55.158-07:00

Seeing as this is pretty much the first time the Leafs have ever played the Blue Jackets, I was curious... which of course led me to Wikipedia ^:The team's nickname was selected from suggestions by fans. There are at least four possible factors that may have contributed to the selection of the name: At the time the name was first announced, some media reports speculated that because team owner

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-2234877092914459142006-10-19T14:45:00.000-07:002006-10-22T19:35:42.922-07:00

Obviously, I am bored and surfing YouTube... kudos to Kappy for making it to the bench...

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-86970954845644451902006-10-19T14:29:00.000-07:002006-10-19T14:43:20.947-07:00

This is in response to an absolutely great post over at Leaf Club ^. He is 100% correct in that we have absolutely nobody on this team outside of Sundin who even puts a kink into the other teams stomach.My feelings on the shootout... I hate it.Ok, hate isn't the right word... fear might be closer to the truth. Whenever a game goes into OT, I am usually very confident. The Leafs, if anything

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-56903974149770528382006-10-19T12:39:00.000-07:002006-10-22T19:35:13.238-07:00

This is pretty amazing stuff...According to one of my favourites over at Scarlett Ice ^, who has much more time than we have, perfectly legal as well ^.

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-36020775564719493952006-10-18T19:04:00.000-07:002006-10-18T19:29:17.210-07:00

Seems like the team had a huge let-down tonight, following the big Saturday night win and the 500th goal... in short, they played brutal. Sundin was given a golf vacation to Ireland by his teamates for the milestone, and it looked like most of the guys spent the game dreaming of the emerald isle.Scary thought, I had a flashback to the Leafs team of last February, rather than last week. Losing

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-75676027205829517462006-10-18T16:01:00.000-07:002006-10-19T12:39:40.898-07:00

Well, consider this a follow-up to the post about the Flyers/Sabres debacle from October 17, 2006.It is clear early this 2006-2007 season that several teams widely chosen to compete are playing well below both their talent level and expectations. Two teams in the Eats that stand out for me are the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Tampa Bay Lightning. We look now at each situation.John Tortorella -

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-35782028707411561342006-10-17T19:55:00.000-07:002006-10-17T20:40:24.816-07:00

Over the past few hockey seasons, the Buffalo Sabres have initiated a rich tradition of truly and utterly embarrassing the Philadelphia Flyers. I can't be the only person that remembers the 8-0 drubbing in the playoffs a few seasons ago when ESPN decided to pull the plug on the game in the third period, or the pair of beatings from the playoffs last season, 8-2 and 7-1 respectively. Tonight,

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-59420967081577376582006-10-15T21:40:00.000-07:002006-11-09T21:41:25.426-08:00

Well, we have a shorter URL for you to remember if you want to access The Mad Hockey Blogger:http://themadhockeyblogger.comThis will forward you to this page and all the latest posts. Just think, this will save you three to five seconds each and every time you visit the website (over the older, longer url). Over the course of a year, that is enough time to, say, clean the garage or write

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-89919484599237290952006-10-15T20:57:00.000-07:002006-10-16T06:41:19.294-07:00

What a great performance from Mats last night. Truly amazing. The guy is playing the best hockey of his career right now, and looks to be absolutely loving the extra ice-time under Maurice. Good for him!Now, I was going to post a Milestone Watch today, mentioning that Mats was closing in on 500 goals, but of course, he had to go ahead and blow it... ;-)So here it is, a little late of course:

The Mad Hockey Bloggerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17127703981150507805noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-10840256041306481322006-10-14T12:39:00.000-07:002006-10-14T13:37:46.948-07:00

This guy is by all accounts a real offensive firecracker, but he has looked capital B brutal out there in his limited opportunities. I hope that he shows the hockey sense to figure out where his own end is, but I fear that he would only really work in the Leafs lineup on lines #1 or 2, not as a fourth line 'grinder'.If Suglobov plays tonight, it will be his make or break moment for the

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-51636899323642171182006-10-14T12:31:00.000-07:002006-10-14T12:39:42.714-07:00

Leaf fans can attest to that after that terrible third period they played on Thursday.It is one of the great things about the re-birth of the NHL. Teams are never out of a game, no matter the goal differential. I used to be a big fan of the grinding style of play we saw just a few years back, but in 2001, a two goal lead in the third was money in the bank. Heck, a two goal lead in the second

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-18277286787859464382006-10-10T21:37:00.000-07:002006-10-10T21:51:01.722-07:00

Which explains the Leafs start to the season nicely. The Buds are averaging exactly 40 shots a game so far, which is nothing short of amazing considering they might have only passed the 30 shot mark something like -10 times last season.Sure, they won't avaerage 40 a game, but damn it is refreshing to see the Leafs getting the opposition back on their heals for a change.

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-75814760369307160572006-10-09T21:15:00.000-07:002006-10-09T21:49:46.386-07:00

The first home win of the season for the Leafs, although they could have easily lost thanks to Auld... his performance was something special.The Leafs dominated large sections of the game, and had five or six point blank chances, including numerous posts. Auld stood on his head, and really deserved better than a shut-out loss. Good for Leafs TV for at least giving him the first star.Late in

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-16551518307195882762006-10-09T10:36:00.000-07:002006-10-09T10:43:49.288-07:00

It doesn't quite have the drama of Cujo returning (karma is a b!tch Cujo), but Eddie the Eagle returns this evening to Toronto.There was lots of noise made by the mediots this summer about Eddie and his poor play last season (agreed), but you know what? I have no ill-feelings towards him. By all accounts, he was a 'good soldier' while with Toronto, and he certainly cannot be singled out as the

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-72740938800772939022006-10-09T10:25:00.000-07:002006-10-09T10:35:29.571-07:00

No detailed break-down on the Habs game, as I didn't really get to watch it as closely as normal. Needless to say I thought that Toronto played very well, and if not for Aebisher playing out of his melon, it would have been an easy Leaf victory. Nice to see the powerplay looking as dangerous as it does. Marurice has done a great job of preparing the Leafs to deal with teams jamming up on

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-39823526629273026372006-10-06T17:46:00.000-07:002006-10-06T17:55:53.930-07:00

Maybe it's the beer talking, but these two teams are absolutely buzzing around the ice. Speed kills in the new NHL, and both of these teams have speed to burn.Is there a better goalie in the NHL than Ryan Miller when it comes to his footwork? Pretty amazing stuff.Glad to see a quality guy like Koivu back and healthy. I dislike the Habs as much as the next Leafs fan, but you have to give

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-39140741139079614022006-10-06T11:01:00.000-07:002006-10-06T11:14:28.376-07:00

My new name for Chris Neil. He's got two facial expressions: an over-the-top scowl/grimace that looks like he is in a face-making contest with an eight year old kid, or the 'happy face' that he makes when he does something of acheivement (like finishing a Popular Mechanics for Kids magazine or remembering that the stove is hot and he shouldn't touch it).Man would I like to play poker with this

Paulnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-19606521643267385142006-10-06T00:42:00.000-07:002006-10-06T01:08:38.907-07:00

Wow, what a difference 24 hours can make. The Leafs decided to play with a little pride tonight, and boy did it show. Instead of playing hesitant, listless, lazy hockey, the Buds forechecked the Sens into the end of the rink, finished each and every check, and capitalized on their chances.Simply put, that game might have been the worst beating that the Leafs have ever put on the Sens. Not that

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-1254243950816456162006-10-05T14:38:00.000-07:002006-10-05T15:02:42.552-07:00

Seeing as the Sens did not exist a mere 15 years ago, this question naturally arises in the minds of many Leafs and Habs fans.Really, there are only three possibilities, in my view:The current Sens fan was so young that the Sens are in fact the team that they grew up with and naturally followed;The current Sens fan was not a hockey fan before 1992, or;The current Sens fan was a 'fan' of another

Paulnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-42214445883749850882006-10-05T14:17:00.000-07:002006-10-05T14:37:12.845-07:00

As in, the Leafs will need some. After the late-game shenanigans of the unchallenged Chris Neil, the Leafs will need to come out tonight and actually, you know, play as if they want to win. I know, we can't expect the boys to get fired up for every game of the season, but certainly a season opener at home against your biggest rival should have been enough for the underdog Leafs. Of all the

Paulnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-47018595413411341702006-10-04T23:24:00.000-07:002006-10-05T00:00:25.322-07:00

Well... what to say. The Leafs came out very strong, had the first three or four solid chances of the evening, but Gerber stood tall. The game settled into a fairly bland pace, with Wade Belak taking a few silly penalties. Some decent chances both ways, with the Sens capitalizing on them more effectively than the Leafs. An empty-netter made it a 4-1 final for the visitors.You know, in past

Paulnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-68926232914110715072006-10-04T12:49:00.000-07:002006-10-04T12:55:30.612-07:00

http://www.torontosun.com/Sports/Hockey/2006/10/04/1949276-sun.html ^Looks like the drama surrounding O'Neill has already started, and we have yet to drop the puck. The best part of the article is this:'...O'Neill implied several times that he would examine his options if the Leafs brass is not happy with his performance...'This guy has should be pissed, and this should motivate him, but idly

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-1159978972029721742006-10-04T09:08:00.000-07:002006-10-04T09:44:09.480-07:00

Well, I don't want to be the only blogger NOT posting my predictions for how the standings this season will shake out, so based on my lucky eight ball, the fact that I did not put my pants on one leg at a a time this morning, and that I'm bored, here are The Mad Bloggers predictions for the final NHL standings (I will only analyze the East, as I am not nearly as knowledgeable on the West):Eastern

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-1159939419472503492006-10-03T21:32:00.000-07:002006-10-03T22:30:43.943-07:00

To recap, this is the second of two installments, containing our pre-season prognosis. The first-half can be found in our previous post.In this second and final installment, we look at the last-half of the season.Second HalfJanuaryStarting the new-year with two against the Bruins, the Leafs spend most of January on the road. 7 of 12 games will be away from the ACC, including a three game swing

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-1159925264942879312006-10-03T18:18:00.000-07:002006-10-03T20:55:32.640-07:00

A short note here...Let me say that Lou is, in my view, one of the two or three best GM's in the NHL (wow, really sticking my neck out there...) The guy has managed to keep a competitive team through seemingly thick and thin and even though he showed a few chinks in his armour with the original signings of Mogilny and Malakhov, he has performed nothing short of a miracle to get out from under

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-1159902149943732772006-10-03T11:52:00.000-07:002006-10-03T14:04:37.820-07:00

Since the Ottawa Senators brought Joe Corvo on-board to help offset the loss of Chara this off-season, I have had more than a few of my sens-friends tell me what a great addition he is. They will then, as is typical, launch into some rant about what a bunch of no good, dirty SOB's the Leafs are, taking shots at various players for their apparent failures, both on and off the ice.A refresher:"...

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-1159891173353333722006-10-03T08:27:00.000-07:002006-10-03T09:06:29.040-07:00

Looks like the final lineup has shaken out for the Buds to open the season.Not ideal, given the injuries and the suspension to Kubina, but here it is, in all it's tepid glory:Forward LinesLWCRWPonikarovskySundinWellwoodKilgerPecaSteenTuckerStajanSuglobovBattagliaPohlBelakDefenseLDRDKaberleMcCabeWozniewskiKubinaGillWhiteGoalRaycroftAubinTellqvistAs fellow blogger MF37 ^over at Bitter Leaf ^

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-1159842502465038692006-10-02T18:59:00.000-07:002006-10-03T14:05:09.816-07:00

Well, given the dearth of scoring talent up front on the Leafs, there really aren't too many players to even consider drafting. I know I won't be playing the 'hometown homer' in my pools when we do our drafts over the next few days. Let's look at the possibilities, position by position:Forwards:With only one bonafide star player, this is going to be a short list.Mats Sundin, maybe the most

Paulnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-1159826456222645542006-10-02T14:30:00.000-07:002006-10-02T17:24:07.206-07:00

First off, the official schedule ^ is available from mapleleafs.com ^. You can even download it and add it to Microsoft Outlook, which is handy for figuring out when you will need to skip out on your kids lame school plays and, of course, your date nights with your mistress, playboy.In this first installment, let's examine the first-half of the season.First HalfOctoberThe boys in blue start the

Paulnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-1159805036259540032006-10-02T08:54:00.000-07:002006-10-02T10:13:43.683-07:00

According to reports out this morning ^, Jeff O'Neill will NOT be sent down to the Marlies, at least not for now.Form our previous post, we can see now that for the short-term, Jeff O'Neill's career, at least with the Leafs, appears to be in limbo. BY opting not to send O'Neill to the AHL Marlies today, Maurice is sending O'Neill as clear a message as one can; pick it up or pack it up. O'Neill

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-1159768684580768822006-10-01T22:15:00.000-07:002006-10-02T08:51:46.170-07:00

I know I am just repeating what every single Leaf fan has heard, thought, dreamed, translated into Esperanto, but seriously, why can't the Leafs draft and develop a single top 50 NHL forward to play for them?I urge you to name the last great forward that the Leafs have actually developed in-house. The Sens, for their part, have managed to bring up a Hossa, Alfredsson, Yashin, Havlat, etc. Sure,

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-1159746113800251212006-10-01T16:18:00.000-07:002006-10-02T15:52:10.723-07:00

We shall learn shortly whether one Jeff O'Neill, former 40-goal scorer and current under-achiever, has a future with the Leafs.It has been recently rumoured ^ that the enigmatic forward may be on the 'outs' with new Leafs bench-boss Paul Maurice. Maurice and O'Neill have a long history from Carolina, with Maurice having the advantage of seeing O'Neill at both his energetic best (circa 2000-2001

Paulnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35361984.post-1159744555265143882006-10-01T16:11:00.000-07:002006-11-09T21:41:38.477-08:00

Welcome to what should be an almost daily Leafs/NHL related 'blog'. There are of course many out there, but they all seem to either: 1) suck, b) be run by complete fan-boys or, iii) appear to be written by a monkey mashing a keyboard.I will strive to be no more than one of the above at any given time. Now, on to the rants!

Paulnoreply@blogger.com