My Wife Thinks I Talk About Tomas Kaberle Too Much

Just look.
Look at this beautiful man. Look at the cool confidence he exudes, his poise and calm determination, his natural competitive intensity. He is the total package of skill and grace - casual, in control, ready to win. And this guy doesn't even play volleyball! He plays hockey. For us. The Toronto Maple Leafs. At least, for now he does, as long as nothing dramatic happens this summer.

Ah, but this post isn't just about the way he looks in a sexy, black, sleeveless t-shirt (though, it could be). Let's look at the way he plays... goalie.

Not bad.

How about we watch one of the league's best passers win the Shooting Accuracy contest at the NHL Skills Competition?


Awesome. And a little sad, too. This moment is the happiest I've seen Tomas in 3 years. The past 2 seasons Kaberle has been suffering from what I like to call "a startling non-commitment to execution", also known as "uninspired hockey". Still, after surviving the deconstruction of a terrible, dysfunctional team, plus a slow, painful year of rebuilding, Kaberle remains a Leaf (for now) and maintains his commitment to the uniform:

"I don't know how many times I have to tell people," Kaberle said at the time. "I want to be a Toronto Maple Leaf."

"My thing never changed. I signed here because I love to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs. That never changed. Let's leave it at that." Kaberle.

"My main focus is being a Leaf," said Kaberle. "I love being a Leaf. That's how it stands. I want to do my best here."

Love. Wow.

You wanna know the stats? Let's do it: 10 seasons, all with the Maple Leafs. The longest serving Maple Leaf by far right now with 738 games (12th all time, one behind Bob Baun, 39 behind Domi). 433 points, good for 16th all-time, one ahead of Syl Apps and likely to pass Wendel Clark(441), Doug Gilmour(452), Tim Horton(458), and Lanny McDonald(459) this season to move up to 12th. When he reaches 459 and ties Lanny, he'll move one ahead of Horton and become the Leafs' 2nd highest scoring defenceman ever, behind only the legendary Salming. 73 goals, 28 on the powerplay, 14 game winning goals, 360 assists (6th all-time, 2nd for defenceman), and an impressive plus 43. Also, the 2nd last Leaf player to score an overtime goal in the playoffs:

That was from Game 3, 2003, against the Flyers. Travis Green would actually score the Leafs' last overtime playoff goal that same series in Game Six but that's the kind of thing someone like me could easily overlook.

PPP mentioned this excellent quote once in a Game Thread and I actually just found it in a great little piece by Paul Hunter from January 2007:

Everything proceeded according to script until the new coach hit upon the subject of the power-play breakout. "They all looked at me like I had three heads... We give it to him," the players said, almost in unison, motioning toward defenceman Tomas Kaberle. "They were serious," continued Maurice. "It's the Kaberle breakout. Give it to Tomas, let him bring the puck up-ice and we'll set it up from there."

That's right. Nobody takes the puck from blue line to blue line like Tomas Kaberle. Nobody. And of course, the man makes a cross-ice pass like you wouldn't believe.

Interestingly, from the same article is another good quote from that terrible coach:

"I also think that most of the defencemen that get the recognition have... played on great defensive teams. I don't think Toronto has ever had that handle of being a shutdown defensive team."

Hmmm... I wonder what kind of team Burke wants us to be this year? A shutdown defensive team, maybe? Is this the year Kaberle finally gets the recognition he deserves? The point is, I think, that maybe with the right elements in place (Komisarek, Beauchemin, Exelby, Orr) protecting the goal and their teammates, Kaberle should be free to do what he does best, with a renewed commitment to execution.

"Do something with the puck; whenever I get the chance I try to do it. It's my comfort level. That's the way I always play," Kaberle said. "That's probably my game, if someone would talk about it."

Well, I don't mind talking about it, but my wife is bored to tears. Not that she thinks Burke should trade Kabby, but she fails to appreciate that one of the most talented Leafs of our generation is also one of the most charming and modest hockey players around as well. She also doesn't care about hockey at all.

Kaberle cares.

"I'm happiest when I make a nice pass for a goal".

Says it all right there.

I Don't See Why The Other Team's Trainer Deserves A Night Off

I guess you could say I was a little confused.

It wasn't that long ago when I concluded that a certain Leaf defender wasn't for sale, in a brilliantly prophetic post entitled, "Burke Won't Trade Kubina". Turned out to be complete nonsense.

So after regrettably leading my readers astray, I'm now trying to sort out where my assessment missed its mark. Not that I feel a little hoodwinked, but it was Burke's own words that seemed to indicate a preference for players who could survive and endure the NHL schedule, game in, game out, without setback. On the day the Leafs were officially eliminated from the playoffs, Burke declared:

"We were plagued by injuries. I don't make excuses, but playing without half your defence for a good chunk of the year...We have to find a defence that can stay intact. ... We have to figure out how we can get more games out of the guys we have or we have to get more durable people back there. I think that was our biggest problem."

I didn't say these things. DownGoesBrown didn't say these things. It was the real Brian Burke, actually speaking out loud in front of a reporter, something we know he rarely does.

Pavel Kubina played 82 games last year. He and Ponikarovsky were the only two Leafs to not miss a single game all season. Kubina led the team in overall ice time, totalling over 1,800 minutes. That's 22 minutes a game removed from a defence that can't stay intact and from a line-up that needs to get 82 "more games out of the guys we have" left.

Exactly a week ago, Burke re-enforced his intention to add toughness and durability:

"I like a lot of hitting. I like a lot of fighting. We have a passive group. All year long, when a trainer was on the ice – it was always our trainer– that really bothered me. It will be a more hostile group in the fall."

Maybe I was lookin' at it all wrong. Maybe it's Kubina's belligerence that isn't as truculent as it should be, an approach that keeps Kubina safe from injury, but doesn't discourage opponents from illegal runs at Van Ryn, Schenn, Kaberle, Finger, and Frogren. If only one defender is injured all year, then fine, look at that injury and that player to see why it happened, but if nearly all the defenders are injured at some point in a season, maybe it isn't so counter-intuitive to be looking at the one player who somehow remained healthy. Get it? Komisarek, Exelby, and Orr will take on the task of ensuring the defence stays intact, or at least, if somebody does get hurt, there'll be more then just one team's trainer on the ice.

Still, let's not forget who we gave up here. The leader for the Leafs in overall ice-time, Kubina also led the team with 9 powerplay goals, and was 2nd in game-winning goals with 4. A towering presence on the blueline (6'4", 244 pounds, 91 hits, 133 blocked shots, 94 PIMs), Kubina also seemed to wear the "A" more effectively then Kaberle. Though he was the Leafs' highest paid player, I rarely heard his value questioned. Kubina was one of the Leafs' most talented players, and also the most durable and consistent.

Oh Lord, Kum Ba Yah

"When I do go to mass on Sunday...

I pray for help...

at the goaltending position".

Please join Toronto Maple Leafs GM, Brian Burke, in calling upon the divine favour of the Almighty creator, that we may yet rejoice and celebrate with renewed hope and faith, the sacred arrival of a holy goalie.

100

Hey everybody! It's a milestone! This is my 100th post! I think that's kind of amazing since I only started this blog a little less then a year ago. So, for the occasion, I've decided to do a nostalgic retrospective celebrating my favorite posts. If you've enjoyed any of my stuff so far, please take the time to review what I think are the best examples of my work from my first 100 posts.

Top Ten Leafs Games, 2008-9, Sensational Season-Ending Super-Post Spectacular!
-April 9, 2009

This post got a really good reaction, so I ended up double-posting it over at PPP. Totally stole DownGoesBrown's thunder, but honestly, if he had posted his first, who would've read mine? I admit I jumped the gun by publishing it with one game left in the season, but truthfully, even if Boyd had scored a 4th and a 5th goal, I still doubt that last game would have made my top 10.

Live From Leaf Nation, It's Saturday Night!
-December 13, 2008

This one was also double-posted at PPP, but this time I published it there first. It was a cold, lonely Saturday night in December, and the Leafs were not doing the one thing they were supposed to be doing - entertaining me. So, I thought I'd entertain myself by imagining what they might be doing with themselves on a rare, free Saturday night.

It's Not Funny If It Isn't Raycroft
-November 17, 2008

This is just a short sight-gag really, but it seemed to strike a chord with Leaf fans. At first I wasn't going to publish it, 'cause it seemed mean-spirited and I didn't want to get too down on the Vesa, but after giving up 2 goals in the 1st period on 10 shots and spotting the Bruins an early 2-0 lead, I lost my patience and fired this one off out of spite.

Hockey At The Gardens
-November 7, 2008
Here's one of my posts that I'm most proud of. Ever since the Leafs moved out of the Gardens I've dreamed of them returning someday to play a series of "black-tie affair" Original Six games there. I was really pleased with how well this post was received, but the best part, was that just 2 weeks later, CBC aired a special video of Wendel Clark revisiting Maple Leaf Gardens as part of the Leafs' tribute that night to their great Captain.

Well, It's Not Gonna Be That Guy
-August 20, 2008
In the summer I began writing a series of posts entitled "The Blood Of My Chief" about the great line of Leaf captains. I was hoping to time the conclusion of this series with Sundin's decision on his return, but that became a colossal miscalculation on my part as we waited in vane throughout the summer. When it became clear that the Leafs were going to have to start the season without him, I realized he was no longer the Captain, even if he decided to return. He had retired, at least, from that responsibility. The obvious question then became, who would the Leafs name as their 17th Captain? As usual, DGB had the answer.

Hockey Or Death!
-August 1, 2008

Ever since I published this post, this has been one of the most popular on my site according to Google Analytics, probably from people finding it through Google Images because of the picture of Robert Smith in a Leafs jersey. This post is the kind of stuff I wish I could do more more often, but I've come to realize that this piece was uniquely inspired. It basically wrote itself and perfectly captured and summarized my feelings about Sundin, in the end concluding that "Black is the colour of our love".

Maple Leafs Nation: Meet The D-Men
-July 3, 2008
I still like this one a lot. I think it's a good example of the kind of stuff that I do well. Interesting to note that 6 of these 9 defenceman are still with the Leafs. I wonder how many will be left by the time the season opener rolls around in October?

How Creepy Glenn Sabotaged Our Future
-June 18, 2008

If you're a Leafs fan that's new to this site, or if you've just stumbled through accidentally, this is the one and only post that I really think you should read. The reason why, simply put, is because every word is the absolute honest truth. This is the stark reality that the Hockey Hall Of Fame doesn't want you to know about, but it had to be told. History books will tell you a different story, but we don't forget.

Ron Wilson And Me
-June 11, 2008
Soon after Ron Wilson was hired to be the coach of the Maple Leafs, he held a Q&A session with the media in Toronto that was covered by Paul Hunter in the Star. There was a ton of great quotes in there so I decided to make up my own questions to Wilson's responses and this is the result. This was one of my earliest posts, and it was a lot of fun to do.

Is There A "Todd Gill" That Isn't Todd Gill?
-May 24, 2008

Just before Wilson was hired I decided to speculate on what kind of a coach would be good for the Maple Leafs this season. The best thing about this post, just my second ever, was that I didn't even know Todd Gill was a coach when I'd written most of it. After I was about 2/3 of the way through it, I thought I ought to do some research (i.e. Google "Todd Gill", and then click Wikipedia), and was flabbergasted to discover that he actually was coaching and was in fact doing it very well. Gill was named Canadian Junior Hockey League Coach of the Year for the 2006-2007 season and is still coaching the Brockville Braves today. Recently, Gill's underdog Braves defeated division rival Smith Falls in the opening round of Junior A playoffs, and then pushed their semi-final series with the Pembroke Lumber Kings to 7-games before finally ending their season. One of my favorite Leafs of all-time, I could just as easily have written 100 posts about Todd Gill exclusively, and to be honest, a part of me thinks maybe I should have.

Thanks again and cheers to everyone, especially for the comments which I really appreciate. For those of you who've been here for the "entire journey", I hope you've found this blog to be fun and meaningful, like a playoff run to the Cup Final, and not a series of increasingly joyless and deflating moments, like a Maple Leafs' regualr season.

Even More Maple Leafs In The Playoffs!

Some of the Maple Leafs are still playing playoff hockey. 11 players who dressed for the big club this season will be lacing up their skates for the Marlies tonight in their pivotal Game Five match-up against the Manitoba Moose. Any Leaf fans attending the game will be automatically familiar with about half the Marlies playoff line-up, which features a combined total experience of 205 NHL games with the Leafs this year.

Jonas Frogren

The Viking returns from a knee-injury suffered March 7th against Edmonton. I like Frogren a lot, but the NHL has banged him up a bit in his first season, and getting a chance to help the Marlies in the playoffs may be an opportunity for him to show Burke what kind of physical resilience he has.

41 games with the Leafs. 1G 6A 7P, 28PiM.

Played in his first game with the Marlies Tuesday night without impacting on the scoresheet.

Justin Pogge

The upcoming games in this series are a big test for Pogge. If the Marlies can upset the Moose and Pogge can get them into the next round it will be hugely beneficial to his confidence. On the other hand, should they lose 2 out of their next 3 games and have their season end, Pogge will be back to square one, with little or no progression to show for the year.

7 games with the Leafs. 1-4-1, 4.36GAA, .844 SV%.
53 games with the Marlies. 26-21-5, 2.70GAA,, .895SV%.

After 4 playoff games, Pogge is 2 wins, 2 losses, 2.70GAA and .911 SV%.

Ryan Hollweg

Hollweg made a name for himself early on this season by hitting opponents from behind and then getting beat up. His AHL stats are pretty much the same as his NHL stats.

25 games with the Leafs. oG 2A 2P, 38PiM.
28 games with the Marlies. 2G 1A 3P, 34PiM.

No points in 4 playoff games and 6 penalty minutes.

Ben Ondrus

To be honest, I don't think I could really tell the difference between Ondrus, Sifers, or Oreskovic if they weren't wearing uniforms with numbers and their names on the backs. I think Sifers is the one I like but  maybe it's Oreskovic. They all have decent numbers at the AHL level but none of them managed to make a significant impact with the Leafs. Ondrus distinguished himself slightly from the other 2 by dropping the gloves more often, while Oreskovic can play a solid, stay-at-home physical game.

11 games with the Leafs. 0G 0A 0P, 38PiM. 

57 games with the Marlies. 10G 7A 17P, 83PiM.

No points in 4 playoff games. 2 penalty minutes.

Jamie Sifers

23 games with the Leafs. 0G 2A 2P, 18PiM.
43 games with the Marlies. 4G 16A 20P, 47PiM.

Appeared in 2 playoff games so far, with no points and 2 penalty minutes.

Phil Oreskovic

10 games with the Leafs. 1G 1A 2P, 21PiM.
65 games with the Marlies. 1G 10A 11P, 103PiM.

No points in the playoffs after 4 games and 12 penalty minutes.

Andre Deveaux

I liked Deveaux at first but NHL competition seemed to wear him down after 20 games. I remember he gave a good effort though as the Leafs were desperate for some toughness before the arrival of May. His numbers for the Marlies are pretty good for a tough guy, but he has to be careful not to hurt his own team at important times. Tuesday night in Game Four, Deveaux was singled out by the coach for undisciplined penalties.

21 games with the Leafs. 0G 1A 1P, 75PiM.

38 games with the Marlies. 14G 11A 25P, 114PiM.

3 assists in 4 playoff games and 12 penalty minutes.

Jeremy Williams

Williams is a natural goal-scorer but for some reason he's been unable to convince Toronto management that he belongs on the big club. Injury trouble has slowed him down a bit this season, and so far he's yet to hit the back of the net in the playoffs. Heading into tonight's important match, Williams' confidence might also be hurt by his own "dumb mistakes" in Game Four.

11 games with the Leafs. 5G 2A 7P, 2PiM.
46 games with the Marlies. 27G 13A 40P, 29PiM.

1 assist and 4 penalty minutes after 4 playoff games.

Tim Stapleton

Stapleton looks like a nice kid. Scored a beauty shoot-out goal when he was up for his brief stay with the Leafs. He can certainly score in the AHL, but so far in the playoffs is having a quiet series with just one goal and no assists.

4 games with the Leafs. 1G 0A 1P, 0PiM.

70 games with the Marlies. 28G 51A 79P, 26PiM.

1 goal no assists and 2 penalty minutes in 4 playoff games.

Jiri Tlusty

Tlusty was up with the Leafs for the first 14 games of the season and did absolutely nothing for 11 games, then had his first 3 assists all at once in a 6-4 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, assisting on all 3 goals for Jason Blake's hat-trick against his former coach. Tlusty earned another assist in the very next game and then played one more game for the Leafs and that was it. He has since spent the rest of the season developing with the Marlies, and has become one of their key contributors, averaging a point per game.

14 games with the Leafs. 0G 4A 4P, 0PiM.
66 games with the Marlies. 25G 41A 66P, 26PiM.

In 4 playoff games, 1 goal, 2 assists for 3 points, and zero penalty minutes.

Anton Stralman

Stralman was with the Leafs for nearly half the season, and played pretty well. Nothing spectacular, but he didn't stand out as particularly weak or vulnerable either. His stats aren't bad considering he should still be developing and getting better, and of all the defenceman on the Marlies, Stralman could have the inside track on a permanent job next season with the Maple Leafs.

38 games with the Leafs. 1G 12A 13P, 20PiM.
36 games with the Marlies. 7G 9A 16P, 24PiM.

After 4 playoff games, 2 assists and zero penalty minutes.

So there may be only a couple games left for the Marlies and tonight might be the last home game of the year. If you're in Toronto, I urge you to see what you can do to get down to the Ricoh and cheer on our beloved Blue and White. Wear your Leaf jersey. After all, 11 of these guys have worn Leaf jerseys this season too.