Troubles Are All The Same

So, we're at the 3/4 mark for the season, with just 21 games to go, and the Leafs are dead last in the Eastern Conference, 29th in the NHL overall. Seemed like it might be a good time to take a break and hit the "reset" switch. Yet again. And then I found out that the Leafs don't play another game for 3 whole weeks due to something called the "Oplinkits" - according to my 2 and a half year old daughter - which I've never heard of until just now even though every four years it gets more media coverage then Christmas.

Speaking of Oplinkits, you might already know that I think that women that compete are magnificent. So I've had my eye on the Canadian Women's hockey team with some interest. In 3 games now they've outscored their opponents, Slovakia, Switzerland, and Sweden, 41-2. I especially like the line of Wickenheiser, Apps, and Piper, who've totalled 27 points between them so far in the tournament. Piper is from Toronto, and Apps of course is a granddaughter of Maple Leafs Hall of Fame legend, Syl Apps. Wickenheiser is in her 4th Olympics, as is sweet-skating Jennifer Botterill, and ultimate hockey-mom and stay-at-home defenceman (defencewoman?) Becky Kellar. Good luck, ladies!

More Oplinkits! Nice to see Matt Stajan's favourite teammate, Jerome Iginla, with the hat-trick last night. The Canadian defence moved the puck efficiently all game while the forwards looked dangerous and determined. About half-way through the game I realized that if I screwed with the tint-control on the TV I could kinda make their uniforms look sort of a pinky-purplish-blue, and with the Maple Leaf crest on their sweaters, I felt like I was watching a beautiful, psychedelic dream.

I still can't cheer for Danny Heatley. His second goal of the game to make the score 5-0 was just a rocket of a shot, but it didn't make me feel good. I don't admire the guy. I don't think I ever will. I don't care how good he is. Is that wrong, or is it right? Doesn't really matter much, it's just the way it is.

I'm looking forward to seeing Tomas Kaberle and Pavel Kubina re-united tonight when the Czechs take on the Slovaks. Speaking of Kaberle, which apparently I often do, I think it's worth pointing out that on the last Leafs' goal, scored by Kessel on the powerplay in the 2nd period against the San Jose Sharks, Tomas earned his 40th assist of the season, and the 400th assist of his career - all in the Blue and White. Maybe not as glamorous or outstanding as 500 goals, but I think it's still worth recognizing.

The Leafs last game, an uninspiring 4-0 loss to Carlo Colaiacovo, Alex Steen and the rest of the Unstempniak'd Blues, was disturbingly familiar to many, if not most, of this season's performances. Made me feel nostalgic for the good old slightly less crappier days. The temporary glitz and sparkle of the new Leafs sadly faded in that game, revealing a team very much reminiscent of the old Leafs, with similar results but only half the personnel. It occurred to me that since Wilson came to town, Fletcher and Burke have combined to trade Antropov, Moore, Colaiacovo, Steen, White, Hagman, Stajan, Mayers, Blake, Toskala, and two 1st round draft picks, for Phaneuf, Kessel, Giguere, Sjostrom, Stempniak, and two 2nd round picks.

So with nostalgia in mind, and nothing else for me to say, I've decided to end this post with some favourite pictures of familiar faces from the recent past, starting with Alex Steen and his visit to the dentist!

"Yeth, a thorthanded goal. Weally cruffed thier thpiwit."

"A'splode for glory!"

"Hey, look at me! I'm worth a 2nd round pick AGAIN! I can't wait to play for my new team, the Buffalo Sabres Florida Panthers Montreal Canadians. I made Jason Blake's contract seem almost reasonable! I should be a billionaire!"

"Whoo! Antropov is Atlanta Thrashers leading scorer now! Ilya and I are unstoppa... wait, what?"

Dear Vesa; Please wash that blue and white out of your equipment. Signed, Finland.

Jamal Mayers: Motivation leads to success, or in this case, doing stuff."I am the God of Misfortune!"

He's a complicated man, But no one understands him but his woman...IAN WHITE!"Happily married? Well, yes. Why would you ask?""See ya next year, everybody!"

How To Get To Tomorrow Before Today Becomes Yesterday

Is it already too late to save the season?

JoeyMac had something interesting to say last night:

"We had a lot of young guys last year just coming into the league, trying to prove themselves every single night," MacDonald said before the game. "So they were working hard. Here, I think we're working, but we're working at times, and not a full 60 minutes."

If I'm reading this right, MacDonald is suggesting that last year's Islanders worked harder then this year's version of the Leafs. The difference, according to the third-string journeyman goaltender, is youth. The young guys. Players that want to "prove themselves, every single night."

One wonders how much Jason Blake feels he has left to prove to anyone. He proved it all 3 years ago when he scored 40 goals. He proved it again last year when he bounced back and had a terrific season. He's at the end of an 11-year career. He knows what he's done and what he can do, 'cause he did it. Four million dollars, please. What's there left to prove?

Dominic Moore was an excellent pick-up who spent the entire season last year trying to prove his worth. He didn't get the big paycheque that he was looking for but he did try to earn it. He set his sights high, above the expectations of others, and he worked hard to prove them wrong. Moore possessed a defiant, competitive desire to succeed that made him, Jason Blake, and the whole Leafs' team, better.

But Blake's not the only Forward whose energy and competitive fire is missing its spark. Mayers, Mitchell, Stajan, and Hagman all seem less interested in (or incapable of) establishing their roles on the team, nevermind dominance on the ice.

(I'm hesitant to include Stempniak in this group. I think he does have something to prove and is playing that way. Success is yet to come, but the effort is there. It could be that he's just not that good, but he is trying to show that he belongs.)

Darcy Tucker, bless his bat-shit crazy soul, is off to a great start this seaon and looks re-energized and ready to compete again. Tucker helped the Avalanche defeat the Leafs last night with a goal and an assist, moving his team to the top of the Western Conference standings. In 6 games, Tucker has 5 points (3G, 2A), 11 penalty minutes, and 12 shots on goal. So why does Tucker look younger, and not older, then he did the last 2 seasons?

"I’ve got two guys (Matt Duchene and Ryan O’Reilly, both 18) who sit beside me on the road all the time and in the dressing room. They have a lot of questions and things I have to answer. That’s helped me out. They play with some good spunk and it’s actually elevated my game a little bit.”

Stalberg has already shown us that he belongs on the team. In fact, he sometimes looks like the Leafs' best player. Now he wants to see how he measures up to the rest of the NHL. You can feel it every time he touches the puck, he's trying to make something happen, testing himself against his opponents, and trying to be better then they are.

Bozak also looks like he's ready to show us what he can do. Hanson and Tlusty, maybe even Gunnarson, and how about one last shot for Frogren? We need to get as many of these fresh faces into the line-up as possible. We need to replace the fear of growing old with optimism and dreams.

The future is now. Every game and every shift should be a demonstration of who wants to be on the ice for the next game, the next shift.

Thanks to MacDonald for his honest appraisal, and best of luck to a rejuvenated Darcy Tucker.

*UPDATE * 10/16 11:00am

Darcy Tucker continues to praise the injection of youth into the lineup. From the Gazette:

“Our young guys not only bring a really good skill level, but an energy about them. We have to pull them off the ice half the time. It’s infectious.”

Expect More Then A Little Pay Back

Hello, friends! Some general thoughts about the Leafs before tonight's rematch against the 'Canes.

Pay Back Large

First; the theme of the evening should be Pay Back. Not just for Sunday, but for all of the rip-off losses the Leafs have suffered versus Carolina. Brind'Amour, with his fancy apostrophe, should be the main target. Knock out the three teeth he has left. With only a 2-2-2 record at the ACC, the Leafs need to establish a stronger presence at home, and tonight is the perfect night to do that. The Hurricanes got away with one in Raleigh - they won't be so lucky in our building.

The 'Stache Stays?

Did Ian White do enough in his first game to earn a continued spot in the line-up? Scoring a goal was good start, but in the end it's the points in the standings that are going to count the most. The mustache kinda freaks me out. I wonder if White remembers me saying, "as long as he doesn't grow a mid-season beard, I'm cheering for Ian White." I should've included "or a porn-stache". Whatever. When we try to hide our frustration under facial hair, it can have strange results.

Carlo and the Shuffle D-Men

Colaiacovo played only 41 seconds in the third period. "Carlo got hit with a puck and was limping around," Wilson said.

Is Carlo injured? Does this count if he's a healthy scratch tonight, or does he have to be put on injury reserve for someone to win the pool? In any case, I don't expect him in the line-up as Coach Wilson did not seem pleased with his play, and should open up a spot on the blue line for either Frogren or Stralman to get back in. Hopefully the Leafs are looking to deliver a more physical game and Jonas will get the call.

It could be a good night to give Schenn a rest. Not a benching or a demotion. Just a rest, so he's 100% for the next two games, particularly Saturday against Montreal. He is just 18 years old, and nobody expects him to play all 82 games this year. Sitting Schenn would help Stralman get back in a little easier, but would leave the Leafs weaker defensively.

Absent Steen

Could be time for Coach Wilson to send a message to Alex Steen by sitting him down for a game. So far, Steen has shown me surprisingly little, compared to the contributions of Hagman and Ponikarovsky. Statistically, he's way behind them, especially in shots on goal, with just 14 after 12 games. With his skills, he should be generating more offence, even if his primary responsibilities are defensive.

Moore-Mitchell Mayhem-Madness!

I'm looking for Mitchell to have another strong game. He looks like a player who responds well to the home crowd. Sunday's game was naturally deflating, but remember that after beating the Rangers, the Leafs had to travel to Carolina and then play a 5 o'clock start with a 41-year old back-up. What an embarrassment it would've been if Carolina hadn't won. As it was, they still needed some help from the refs to get it done. Mitchell and the Leafs will bounce back in Toronto. I expect a solid, physical, suffocating game. In fact, I expect the Leafs to thoroughly dominate for 60 minutes tonight. The Comeback Kids can have a go at being The Convincingly Better Team Throughout The Entire Game Gang.

Prediction: 4-0, Leafs.