My Proudest Moment

It all started back when I was a kid, around 6 or 7. In my living room there was a United Way poster with Rick Vaive on it, holding a small child in a Maple Leafs jersey. Around the same time, Rick Vaive moved in across the street from me, which I thought was pretty cool but also accepted as normal and natural. At the time, Rick Vaive lived across the street from practically everyone I knew.

I don't recall becoming a Leafs fan. It's always just sort of been there.

You could say I suffered through the Ballard Era, but I was too young to know the difference. I don't remember Armstrong or Keon, but I do remember Sittler and Salming, Turnbull and Palmateer, Lanny McDonald, and of course, Rick Vaive. And I loved them all.

In the mid-to-late '80s I really did suffer through some horrible teams. And there were very few players, with the exception of Wendel Clark, that inspired adoration. I wasn't old enough yet to really realize it, but the franchise was in a terrible mess. I began to indulge in fantasies that Jari Kurri was my biological father, and thus, developed a deep resentment towards Gretzky, whom I felt was stealing all of my estranged Dad's rightful glory and fame.

Then Gretzky got traded to L.A.. Then Gilmour got traded to Toronto. Then Gretzky high-sticked Gilmour in the face.

Years later, I discovered DownGoesBrown, and a few months after that DownGoesBrown discoverd VHS tapes in his attic, or garage, or basement, or wherever. Then Bloge Salming set the Barilkosphere on fire. Pretty soon the NY Times was involved.

Sensing that my moment had come, I sent Bloge an e-mail.

And it's all come down to this - the result of everything that's happened in my life, from the moment that United Way poster went up on my living room wall, to Wendel's hat-trick in Game 6, to Gretzky's hat-trick in Game 7, to the invention of the internet, until now. I'm not sure it'll ever eclipse this...
This is the greatest thing that general borschevsky's name has ever been associated with. It's even better then that time Damien responded to one of my comments, or the time I punched James Mirtle in the gut for calling Kaberle a whore.

Thanks again to Bloge Salming for makin' it happen. If you don't follow his blog then Wendel Clark doesn't love you and you're going to burn in hell.

Mikhail "Difference Maker" Grabovski

Thought maybe the next one was going to be Kessel, didn't ya? Well, so did I, at the time, when I decided this would be a series. But then I read something insightful and it got me thinking a little...

"did anyone expect the Leafs to miss Grabbo that much? Since his return they are on a tear. Love that crazy bastard."

-JaredOfLondon, Die Hard Blue And White.

Totally agree. It made me realize that Grabbo's presence is really necessary as a secondary scoring threat, and without him, it's too easy for the opposition to focus their defensive muscle on Kessel. While Grabbo hasn't razzled and dazzled quite like he did last year, he's still an effective forechecker who messes with the opposition's heads, and screws with their rhythm and focus, altering the intensity of the game in the Leafs favor.

Then this happened...
That's pretty cool. But here's the real reason Grabbo is this edition's Difference Maker - did you realize that when Grabovski is in the line up for the Leafs, they are a BETTER THEN .500 TEAM? That was the goal, scored by Grabbo himself, that brought them up to the .500 plateau.

Tonight, Grabovski assisted on John Mitchell's 2nd period goal to cue the comeback, and then assisted on Kulemin's 2nd overtime winner of the month, to give the Leafs a 3-2 victory, thus pushing them one win over .500 when Grabbo laces up the skates this season. Grabovski was on the ice, as was Kaberle, for all 3 goals and both finished +3.

The Leafs record this season now stands at 28-35-12. When Grabovski got injured in the first period of the first game of the new year, a January 2nd 3-1 loss to Calgary, the Leafs record, that game included, was 14-19-9. From January 5th to March 7th, the Leafs record in Grabbo's absence was a brutal 6-14-3. Since returning to the line up on March 9th, the Leafs have been on a definitive roll, going 8-2-0.

14-19-9 + 8-2-0 = 22-21-9

or

28-35-12 - 6-14-3 = 22-21-9

Equals BETER THEN .500!

I'm not trying to say that Grabbo alone makes the Leafs awesome, but he makes them at least not horrible. Otherwise, they are. But when Grabovski's in the line-up, the Leafs are competitive, with a better then equal chance of picking up a point. Still not quite good enough to be playoff bound, but .500 is a lot closer then where we are now.

If the Leafs were in fact a .500 team, we would be ahead of Carolina, Florida, Tampa Bay, Columbus, and the Islanders.

Post Game Notes...

MONSTER MARCH! Gustavsson is 7-0-0 for the month, sporting a super-nifty .929 SV% and a 1.93 GAA during this amazing streak.

Kulemin's overtime heroics continue with last night's game winner. That's now 2 overtime goals this month to go along with 3 goals scored in the shoot-out as well. Meanwhile the Leafs now have 7 straight victories in extra-time, all in the last 4 weeks, as their once woeful OT record suddenly begins to balance out.

Nikolai "Difference Maker" Kulemin

A couple of mornings ago I awoke to discover more then 200 new comments scattered throughout my blog, all of them from a Chinese porn robot. So, while doing some house cleaning and deleting them all one by one, I stumbled upon a post I'd written a year and a half ago which I thought was worth revisiting.

Time will tell, I guess, but if he continues to hit the back of the net with regularity during the shoot-out, or actually during the "game" part of the game, then he might be making a huge difference after all - the difference between winning and losing. As a Leaf fan, that's all the difference in the world.

Hey, wow! Look at that, I've got a theme going. Maybe I'll make it a series. Did you know that Kulemin was my favourite NHL player after just his 3rd NHL game? Ya, me neither, but that's what I wrote. There's also a funny joke in that post about how I thought Jari Kurri was my father. Some day I'll do a post about that. But today's post is about Nikolai Kulemin, my new favourite NHL player again, not counting Kaberle.

"He's probably our most complete player now. He's everything you want in a hockey player."

Wilson's assessment mirrors my own in this situation, a rare occurrence lately. One of the few real reasons for joy this season has been the pleasure of watching Kulemin's game blossom and bloom. While, at the time, I really wondered about the coach's decision to sit Kulemin as a healthy scratch through 4 of the first 8 games, it's clear now that one of Wilson's few significant achievements this season is the management and development of Kulemin's skills, from a raw sophomore talent, to the potent, confident, first line player he is today.

"He was crawling, then walking, now he's running."

Pretty soon he'll want to borrow the car.

Well, since the loss in our last game against Florida was kind of a downer and it's much more fun feeling hopeful and optimistic, let's all enjoy a video tribute of a Maple Leaf that I hope will be with the team for many years to come.

First up; Nikolai Kulemin's first NHL goal. The first player to score a goal while making his NHL debut in a season-opener against the defending Stanley Cup champs since Eric Lindros in 1992. For whatever that's worth.
Next; his 2nd-ever NHL goal, a beauty back-hander against St. Louis.
Here's a great goal from earlier this season, January 12, during a 4-2 loss against Carolina, a second period goal assisted by Bozak and Kessel.
The very next game, January 14th, another 2nd period goal, again assisted by Kessel. The Leafs take this game 4-0, and it's at about this time perhaps that a Maple Leafs puzzle begins to take shape without a Stajan, or a Hagman, a Poni, or Stempniak.
Another goal against the Flyers in January, this one 8 days earlier on the 6th, a 3rd period goal during a 6-2 defeat that began a 4-game losing streak that would end the next time the Leafs played Philadelphia. Check out how much Kulemin resembles Kessel on this play:
In this month alone, Kuelmin has scored 3 times in the shoot-out; March 6th, a 2-1 win against Ottawa, on the 18th, a 2-1 win over New Jersey, and the next game, March the 20th, a 3-2 win over Montreal. Here's a sample, from last season, of what Kulemin can do as an extra-point sniper:
He's also scored an overtime goal this month, Toronto's long-awaited first overtime goal of the year, giving the Leafs a 4-3 victory over Boston on the 9th. This was followed up the very next game, March 11th, with Phil Kessel scoring in OT to give the Leafs a 4-3 win over Tampa Bay for their second consecutive overtime win. In all, that's 2 overtimes and 3 shoot outs - 5 extra points, 5 wins and not losses, that Kulemin and his linemates have captured for the Leafs, just this month.
So cheers to Nikolai Kulemin, who's making a huge difference to my enjoyment of the second half of this Titanic-like season. The last video, despite misspelling "diffrence" is actually pretty good with the music. They should make another updated version with all of his shoot-out and overtime and highlight reel goals with the same music. Or somebody else should. Or maybe I should learn how to do it and do it myself.

Dion "Difference Maker" Phaneuf

Since February 1st and the arrival of Dion Phaneuf - and the departure of Stajan, White, Hagman, Mayers, Blake, and Toskala - the Leafs have been clearly a different team. We've seen a few let-down games, but overall, the new, younger Leafs look energized, hard-working, and hungry.

Phaneuf has now played 15 games for the Blue and White. The Leafs record in that time, thanks to 5 wins in their last 6 games, including Thursday's shoot-out victory over the Devils, is 8-6-1, 17 points in 15 games, a .566 winning percentage. On pace for 92.9 points over an 82 game schedule. That's fairly promising considering this is only the beginning.

Phaneuf might not be having the offensive impact that people imagined - yet to hit the back of the net after 45 shots, with just 4 assists - but other newcomers are filling in the scoring gap created by the Jan-31st-Overhaul. Sjostrom has 2 assists after 8 games, Lundmark has 3 points after 10, and Caputi has 5 points already in just 9 games as a Leaf. The team's 40 goals-for in the last 15 games (2.66) is exactly in line with what it was for the first 56 games of the season (146) at 2.6 per game. The bigger difference is in the goals-against, which has gone down from 3.3 (185) in the first 56 games before Phaneuf, to 2.6 (39 goals) allowed in 15 games after.

For the month of March, Gustavsson is 4-0, with a .920 SV% and 2.16 Goals-Against. Kulemin has 9 points in the last 10 games. Grabovski returned to the line-up with a 5-game point streak and is a +3.

Kessel has 17 points in 15 games since Phaneuf came aboard. Bozak has 13 points in the last 15 games. Gunnarsson is a +9 over that same period, and Luke Schenn has scored 7 points and is a +3. Even Jeff Finger is a +3 in 7 appearances since Dion came to town.

About the only player who hasn't benefited from the turnover is Kaberle, with just 4 points and a -6 since Phaneuf's arrival. A combination of fatigue, unfamiliarity, fewer opportunities with less ice-time, and a little bit of bad luck, has seen Kabby's once consistent point-production fall off the side of a cliff.

"It's not just about the points, it's about the two points at the end of the night."

-Kaberle, March 14th

I like that quote. As long as WE get the two points, that is. Doesn't help much if they get the two points.

However, a player's lack of on-ice production can be counter-balanced positively - by the way the player perseveres, by the encouragement that they give their teammates, and by the enthusiasm they bring to their next assignment or opportunity. Even if their names don't appear on the scoresheet, we know who they are - we call these players difference-makers.

And now some Leafs Trivia to end this post with: Name the only 3 Maple Leafs who have appeared in all 71 games thus far this season... The answer: Tomas Kaberle, Francois Beauchemin, and... did you know it? - Colton Orr. That's right. Orr has skated on the ice for every game and has yet to lose his spot in the line-up or miss any action due to injury. Having recently surpassed 200 penalty minutes, I'd have to say that he's doing his job, and doing it well. Definitely want him back next year. Nice job, Cowboy Colt.

BoOBbB 2009-2010: Episode VI

Super Kule is Super Hot.

That would have been the title for this post except that the Leafs are playing Ottawa again, so instead we're back with another episode of the Battle of Ontario Blow-by-Blow. Hard to believe, but this is the last time these two teams will meet this season. The Leafs have won 3 in a row against the Sens, and look to make it 4 straight tonight. Toronto leads the season series, 3-2 (6 points to 5), including the overtime victory from their last meeting just 10 days ago. In those 5 games, the Leafs have given up only 8 goals to Ottawa, while scoring 13.

Before the game starts though, let's talk about Nikolai Kulemin for a second. I'd say he's probably my favourite Leaf forward right now, with Bozak as a close second. Currently, Kulemin has a 5-game point streak going, with 4 goals and 3 assists in that span. He's also a +3 for March after 8 games, averaging nearly 3 shots (2.875) per game since the Olympic break. He has 2 game-winning goals to his credit, plus a shorthanded goal. Right now I think he looks terrific on the top line with Bozak and Kessel as those 3 have combined for 17 points over the last 4 games.

A couple more thoughts before the game...

Gunnarsson is an incredible +11 after just 30 games played. He has 4 points in his last 5 games, bringing his season total up to 11 (2G, 9A), and is a +8 in 8 games since the break. His numbers, averaged out over an 82-game schedule would look like: 5.4 goals, 24.6 assists, for 30 points, and a plus 30. Wow. Only 9 NHL players have a plus/minus above 25, and all of them play for either Washington or Vancouver. Last season, only 8 players finished the year with a plus/minus at 30 or above.

I'm still very interested to see how the Leafs scoring race will shake down over the remaining 12 games. Kessel, with 6 points in his last 4 games, has taken over the team lead in scoring, 1 point ahead of Tomas Kaberle who appears to be struggling since returning from the Olympics. My instinct tells me that Kaberle is not going to end his season (and possibly his career as a Leaf) mired in a lengthy slump, so I expect him to bounce back and to make a run at reclaiming the team scoring title. Time will tell, I guess. 13 games to go.

Let's get this one started...

First Period

20:00 Gustavsson in goal. Awesome. He's got 3 wins in a row, lookin' for his 4th. Kessel, Bozak, Kulemin up front. Phaneuf and Beauchemin on the blueline.

19:35 Bozak bumped off the puck behind the Senators net.

18:05 Caputi cruises through the crease but can't hit the empty goal.

16:58 Penalty. Winchester. Didn't really see it. Called for elbowing.

15:55 Minute gone in the powerplay, nothing really happening.

15:25 Monster gives the puck away and the Leafs are hemmed in their own zone for 10 seconds by the shorthanded Senators.

14:55 Grabbo just misses with a backhand as the penalty expires.

14:09 Penalties. Phaneuf and Foligno for yapping, I guess. They call it roughing. 4-on-4.

13:20 Mitchell digs the puck out behind the Sens goal, sets up Beauchemin. Save Elliott. Good chance.

11:40 Kaberle with a nice defensive play to clear the zone. Yes, really.

11:30 Sens back in, Gustavsson with a good stop, rebound bounces off traffic and trickles past the post.

11:00 Huge kick save by the Monster.

9:10 Sens controlling the play for several consecutive shifts but no real scoring chances.

8:40 GOAL!!! Kessel! Awesome wrist shot eludes Elliott. Great pass by Kulemin. Bozak with the 2nd assist on the 3-on-2, sent away by XLB. 1-0 Leafs. Six game point streak for Kulemin.

6:20 Leafs control the play in the Sens zone for a long stretch without a solid chance.

5:55 Primeau tries to shovel a loose puck into the net.

5:40 Fight! Carkner looks like he's challenging Orr, but they both look like they're too tired to go, when suddenly we have XLB and Neil squaring off at centre ice. Stupid linesman won't get out of the way and what could have been a good scrap becomes a farce.

5:15 Save by Gustavsson, dangerous rebound cleared away.

4;50 Kessel gives the puck away right in front of the Leafs goal and the Sens get a chance out of the confusion. Alfie sets up Spezza who misses wide.

3:30 Gustavsson good kick save, rebound bounces over Spezza's stick.

2:45 Gustavsson with another good save, no rebound, after Gunnarsson gives the puck away.

2:20 Kaberle throws a hit and knocks down his man. Yes, really. Might have been accidental.

2:00 Carkner is flattened into the boards by Schenn deep in the Leafs zone. Scrum ensues.

:38 Penalty. Just as Stalberg is breaking towards the goal, Grabbo gets called for tripping a defender.

:00 Senators didn't really have enough time to threaten on the PP and the period ends. 1-0, Leafs.

Second Period

20:00 Sens still on the powerplay for a minute, 22 seconds.

19:15 Alfie with a hard shot from the point, stopped by Gustavsson. No rebound.

18:25 Chance for Ottawa, Gustavsson makes the save with his shoulder.

17:54 Penalty. Stalberg lazy hooking penalty in the Sens zone.

17:35 Beauchemin stands up Spezza just inside the blue line.

16:40 Another hard shot by Alfredsson from the point, big rebound bounces harmlessly away as the Leafs all have their men tied up.

16:00 Kulemin rubs out Neil behind the Leafs net.

15:27 GOAL!!! Terrific goal by Mitchell. Nicely dodges a hit and then sends the puck top shelf. Bang. What a goal.

15:08 GOAL!!! Grabbo scores! 3-0! Stalberg and Caputi retrieve the dump-in and find Grabovski in front who slides it in. Suddenly the game is blown wide open. Sens call a time-out.

14:35 Dangerous rebound cleared away by Kaberle. I'm serious.

13:24 Penalty. XLB. Interference. That's like the 4th penalty tonight that I didn't really see. Either they're happening behind the play or the refs are being finicky.

12:40 Mitchell rags the puck shorthanded, killing a good extra ten seconds.

11:35 Spezza at the point (?), hard shot, dangerous rebound but the Leafs tie up their men. Doing a good job of that tonight.

10:56 Penalty. Ottawa. Volchenkov breaks up a chance in front by breaking Bozak's stick. Two minutes for slashing.

10:20 Shorthanded chance for the Sens, shot from the slot, another good save by Gustavsson, no rebound.

9:20 Puck goes over the glass and the refs are showing some amazing collective indecision. No penalty but they don't look entirely sure about it.

9:00 Penalty. Another one against the Sens. Sutton highsticking Beauchemin in front of the Sens net.

8:00 Good puck control by the Leafs. Shot by Kessel stopped by Elliott.

7:05 Monster stop on a breakaway for the Sens!

6:20 Nice play by Hanson to chip the puck out of the Leafs zone. Little things...

5:40 Neil with a chance alone in front, stopped by Gustavsson with a butterfly kick save.

5;00 Phaneuf loses the puck to create another chance for the Sens but then recovers nicely and ties up his man, and Monster is able to slap the puck into the corner.

2:50 Dangerous centering pass by Spezza knocked away by Schenn.

2:05 Kessel, set up by Kulemin, nearly scores again with another hard wrist shot.

1:34 Goal. Sutton scores after Cullen steals the puck from Kaberle. 3-1.

1:15 Sutton again with a hard wrist shot off Gustavsson's shoulder.

:00 Second period ends without much action after the Sens goal.

Third Period

20:00 Kessel, Bozak, Kulemin up front.

18:00 Not much happening first two minutes of the third. Chippy.

17:45 Kulemin skates in off the wing for a shot on goal.

16:55 Shot on goal by Lundmark from a bad angle and then Kaberle's point shot is deflected by Mitchell out of play.

16:10 Phaneuf hit from behind by Neil into Winchester. Dangerous hit, no call.

15;35 Kessel dishes to Kaberle, weak shot on goal, Kulemin looking for the rebound.

14:30 Alfie centres to Cullen with a nifty behind the back pass from behind the net. Cullen's shot deflected out of play.

14:20 Good chance for Kelly. Phaneuf saves a goal deflecting the puck over the net.

13:35 Caputi backhand just misses.

12:55 Stalberg breakaway... saved by Elliott

12:35 Kessel nearly sets up Bozak for a tip-in.

12:13 Nice. Schenn knocks Neil to the ice, starting a big scrum. XLB, Schenn, Neil, and Ruutu go to the box.

11:22 Oh, Jesus. Terrible hit from behind by Alfredsson on Beauchemin. Another scrum. Totally uncalled for. Should be 5 minutes. Just a minor. Not happy.

10:50 Hard shot by Phaneuf, set up by Kaberle, hits Elliott's mask, shaking him up.

11:00 Down at the other end, a great sprawling save by the Monster.

10:45 Nice glove save by Elliott. At the stop in play, Elliott goes to the bench and switches to an all-black mask.

10;30 Elliott makes a save on Stalberg, set up by Grabbo, and then goes to the bench again and switches to an all-white mask.

9:55 Gustavsson bobbles a glove save then needs to scramble for another save.

9:29 Penalty. Sutton hits Gunnarsson with an elbow.

8:20 Leafs struggle to get out of their zone on the powerplay.

7:20 Penalty ends without any good opportunities for Toronto.

6:50 Mitchell with a shot on goal, stopped by Elliott.

5:20 Sens pressing the Leafs for a minute but they're being held to the perimeter.

4:50 Schenn takes a hit into the glass but keeps on truckin'.

4:20 Wallin gets away with one, shooting the puck into the crowd, but the refs decide not to call it.

3:05 Kulemin with a nice play to knock down a nuetral zone pass and then knock a Senator into the boards before dumping the puck back in deep.

2:30 Caputi, Grabbo, Stalberg, 3-on-1. Caputi takes it all the way but doesn't really get a good shot away.

1:50 Good work by Grabbo and Caputi deep in the Ottawa zone. Clock ticking.

1:20 Elliott goes to the bench.

:55 Great kick save by Gustavsson.

:50 GOAL!!! Wallin hits the empty net from centre ice. Assists to Lundmark and Beauchemin.

:30 Ruutu bumps Schenn into the boards.

:10 One more good save by Gustavsson.

:00 Game ends. Great complete game for the Leafs. A bit sloppy in the 2nd period, but totally outworked the Senators for the win.

The First Star - Phil Kessel. Big goal set the tone and looked dangerous all night.

The Second Star - Jonas Gustavsson. Monster with 30 saves and his 4th win in a row.

The Third Star - Nikolai Kulemin. Solid 2-way effort continues to impress.

Honourable mention to John Mitchell who probably played his best game of the year.

And that's the end of the BoOBbB, at least for this season, possibly forever. Who knows. Leafs win the season series 4 games to 2. Super Kule, super hot. See ya all next time!