From Mike Zeiberger of the Toronto Sun: If often-criticized defenceman Bryan McCabe is a potential victim of the imminent Maple Leafs housecleaning as is expected, it likely will not come via the buyout route.That was the word yesterday from Maple Leafs general manager Cliff Fletcher, who is aware that McCabe's average salary of $5.75 million US translates to a hefty cap hit (almost $3-million per
"This team needs a little more structure defensively," Wilson said. "It needs to do a better job killing penalties. I think I can help make a difference here."At least somebody knows what they are talking about east of Regina. How many years have the Leafs and fans alike butchered goalies when the majority of the time it was the team defence that sucked. Love to toot my own horn...."but I told you
According to TSN, Ron Wilson and the Leafs are close to reaching an agreement that could see Wilson sign a 4-year contract. He is supposed to talk more with Cliff Fletcher tomorrow and an announcement is planned for early next week or sooner. Judging by how Wilson coached the Leafs and even the Capitals, he does have a defensive-minded approach. But so did Paul Maurice, apparently. That didn't wor
Maple Leafs exploded in this one owning the Sens 5-0. Tucker scored twice and Mats Sundin scored the first goal. Vesa Toskala Earned his 3rd Shutout of the season. Next game for the Leafs, In Florida to face the Panthers.
GAME-RECAP(NHL.COM):
Toronto (AP) — The Ottawa Senators hardly left a good impression on GM Bryan Murray going [...]
From TSN: Nonis spent much of Tuesday and part of Wednesday afternoon in discussions with the Toronto Maple Leafs about their management restructuring with further talks over the next few days expected.Sources tell TSN Nonis hasn't been offered the position of general manager and the belief is Toronto's interest in bringing him on board seems to be directed more towards helping interim GM Cliff Fl
"I haven't talked to anyone from Toronto at this time," Nonis replied when asked about anonymously sourced reports out of Toronto. "If they do decide to bring me in [for an interview] and tell me what they're thinking, there'll be a decision to be made.Right now, Toronto is not one of the teams I've spoken to and we'll see if they do contact me." This what Dave Nonis told Team 1040. Elliot Pap has
The Toronto Maple Leafs have sacked coach Paul Maurice after the team failed to make the NHL playoffs for the third year running. Maurice had coached the Leafs for two of those three seasons. Maurice has one year left on his coaching contract.Speaking with The Canadian Press, Maurice said: "You know the way the season ended up and the changes that are going to take place on the team. So I was very
Go Home Team!!!...what??...yes...I'm in Toronto, actually born and bred here...my home town, so it was kind of fun to be creating this sculpture for some "Leaf" fans...They both have their hockey team jerseys on, and even her floral bouquet incorporates the color scheme of the Maple Leafs...Needless to say there is no need to "face off" over "scoring" a custom made hockey team wedding cake topper....just stick handle over to sports teams wedding cake toppers
Those are the reports coming out today. If Burke wants the job in Toronto it's his at the end of the season. Why is this rumor fun? Because I can't wait to hear Burke's angry reactions to it. Sure to be comical, as his face goes red with rage.Why Burke may not go to Toronto: Where would you rather live, California or Toronto? Burke loves the west coast and has always said that. Probably part of the reason why he took the Anaheim GM job in the first place. Burke's wife, Jennifer Mather-Burke, according to this site in January "is hosting a lifestyle show on CBC-TV called Living Vancouver." Is she going to give up that job? Mather has long been a figure on BC television.Is there any doubt that the Ducks will offer Burke a decent extension? The guy is a genius.Why Burke would take the job in
When defenceman Pavel Kubina agreed and then later refused to waive the no-trade clause in his contract, Cliff Fletcher lost his last chance to move any of the five Toronto Maple Leafs with those clauses in their contracts and had to settle for three smaller deals on trade-deadline day.Maple Leafs-Panthers Preview Though they're tied in the standings, the Toronto Maple Leafs were the sellers and the Florida Panthers were the buyers when the teams completed two deals before the trade deadline.Perhaps the reason was the result the last time these two teams faced off.The Leafs will look to avenge their worst loss of the season on Wednesday when they visit the struggling Panthers, who are coming off their own worst defeat of 2007-08.The teams face off one day after completing a pair of trades.
Of course, his time isn’t finished yet. And he well may do something to improve the team and set the plate for whomever his successor turns out to be.
But as far as the all important trade deadline and the potential for increased returns because of the impending playoffs and the added pressure on the [...]
A big thanks to Doobie from the Spoked B for emailing me this news clip, as it made me laugh:Scientists have found a new threat to the planet: Canadian beer drinkers.The government-commissioned study says the old, inefficient "beer fridges" that one in three Canadian households use to store their Molson and Labatt's contribute significantly to global warming by guzzling gas- and coal-fired electricity."People need to understand the impact of their lifestyles," British environmental consultant Joanna Yarrow tells New Scientist magazine. "Clearly the environmental implications of having a frivolous luxury like a beer fridge are not hitting home. This research helps inform people — let's hope it has an effect."Click here for the rest of the Fox News article.Gee, Joanna, thanks for the advice....but fuck off and mind your own country's business! We don't have enough space in our regular fridges for all the beer we drink. haha.By the way, it appears Doobie has come accross a nude imag
The shootout is currently an important part of the NHL. Rip it all you want (and it is rip-worthy) but the ability to do well in the one-on-one tie-breaker represents the number of points that will decide whether many teams reach the playoffs.
With a dozen or so opportunities for most clubs in the regular season, failure to attach significance to players’ effectiveness at scoring goals in the shootout indicates a serious flaw in thinking on the part of coaches and management.
The Leafs are failing miserably in both performance and perspective.
The philosophy starts with coach Paul Maurice, who has a bizarre habit of ridiculing the shootout as well as flippantly dismissing his team’s ability to determine its outcome.
The thoughts and mood of a coach are contagious and influence the players a great deal. Here are some comments from Paul Maurice following the Leafs’ shootout loss to the Montreal Canadiens last night:
Coach Paul Maurice has little patience for questions
A simple, half-baked explanation used to describe the psychology behind the habits and style of business managers, is the “first rater, second rater” theory.
The first rater is the manager who is competent, motivated and concerned only about surrounding himself with the best possible people and achieving results. He will hire other first raters in an attempt to accomplish these goals, unconcerned by such petty things as internal competition or the possibility that he may not be the smartest person in the room.
The second rater, on the other hand, is a bundle of fears, insecurities and complexes. His every move and utterance is motivated by the desire to protect himself from criticism and at all costs, maintain his tenuous control over whatever situation he has blundered into.
The biggest threat to the second rater is the competence of others, for it highlights his shortcomings and risks unmasking him for the fraud that he is. To avoid such a catastrophe, the second rate
As England failed to qualify for the 2008 European football championship (Euro 2008) with a loss to Croatia last night, it raises the question of whether similar conditions surrounding two teams in different sports can lead to the same kind of results. Specifically, the Toronto Maple Leafs and England’s national squad.
There are many similarities between the two teams’ histories, fan bases, management, media coverage and lack of success in the recent past.
The last time England won the FIFA World Cup was July 30th 1966, as they beat West Germany 4-2 in the final. Less than a year later the Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup in the spring of 1967. Neither team has claimed the top prize since. The attention, hype, drama and failure that have dogged the Leafs and the English squad have similar qualities and perhaps can explain to some degree the elusive nature of again hoisting one of the most important trophies in both sports.
Both teams play in proximity to the bi
The Leafs have their work cut out for them on Tuesday night as they take on the smokin' Sens. Two 'new' faces could find their way back into Toronto's lineup for this one. Mark Bell, who has served his sentence for drinking and driving, and Kyle Wellwood, who seems to have almost completely recovered from sports hernia surgery. Wellwood is a game time decision.Maurice says he will break the 2 in slowly, playing them on a line with John Pohl. But what I can't wait to see is when Wellwood gets a chance to play on the 2nd line eventually. I get a funny feeling that him and Jason Blake are going to click when/if they get a chance to play together. 2 speedy players with Wellwood being the ultra-creative setup man and Blake the sniper. Can you tell I'm a Wellwood fan???The only problem is.... the Leafs played superb against the Habs on Saturday and looked like they started getting their act together. How are added players going to affect the teams' chemistry now? Word is that Darcy Tu
A piece of a flower with two leafs tattoo design.
Huge collection of tattoos, find your favorite tattoos in this tattoos gallery, many models of tattoos are shown here. You can find any models of tattoos here.
I wouldn’t want to be Bryan McCabe heading into the Leafs’ Thursday night game against the Florida Panthers in Toronto. Well, OK, the 86, 000 plus dollars he will pocket for the match-up (at the 7.1 million he will earn this season in the front-loaded contract that averages 5.75 million per year, divided by 82 games) would make it more than tolerable.
But it’s still going to be a gut churning affair for the Leafs’ defenseman. McCabe has been abysmal this season and things got a whole lot worse when he scored into the Leafs’ net in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday. It was a performance in which he otherwise made relatively few mistakes in comparison to the blunder-fests of previous games.
Toronto fans have been relentlessly raining down abuse to let the highest paid player on the team know that he has to improve. The only other possible aim of the boo-boons is to pressure McCabe to waive his no-trade clause and hope the Buds can pawn
I had been ready to write a post about how rising player salaries and long-term contracts have resulted in performance based decisions regarding NHL rosters sometimes taking a back seat to monetary and perception concerns. Management and coaches have to demonstrate their confidence in an investment by allowing a longer period of sub-par or mediocre play before deciding to make line-up changes, trades or demotions.
Then the Toronto Maple Leafs went and started Andrew Raycroft in goal in their first game of the season against the Ottawa Senators. I was surprised and actually a bit heartened to see them buck the wisdom that you have to go with a newly signed but unproven player because of the hype surrounding the trade and the big contract. It would have looked a lot shrewder if Raycroft had been anything more than his usual uninspiring self.
At least they kept the media hounds guessing with the “clever” refusal to confirm who would get the start. Though the snickering Ray
E così, dopo l’entusiasmante partita di Baseball, è arrivato il turno dell’NHL. Avevo perso ormai ogni speranza di poter assistere a una partita di hockey perché tutti mi dicevano che è quasi impossibile trovare i biglietti. In effetti è stato più o meno così, visto che si trattava di una partita di pre-season, equivalente a un nostro Trofeo Birra Moretti, e siamo riusciti a trovarne in extremis 4 per una cifra non troppo modica, 40$.
Arrivati allo stadio siamo andati alla ricerca dei nostri posti. Fila 319. Saliamo. 316…317…318… E scusa, il 319 dov’è? Ma vuoi vedere che… Leggi bene il biglietto. Toh guarda, c’è scritto “stand”. In pratica erano biglietti per stare in piedi nell’ultimissima fila dello stadio, il posto più dimenticato da Dio e dagli uomini dopo il Darfur. La cosa bella è che non eravamo gli unici, quindi vuol dire che c’è gente che consapevolmente paga per stare in piedi.Fortunatamen
In my 2007-08 Predictions, I picked the Leafs to finish 6th in the East. There are several reasons for that.1. Their 2-tier goaltender tandem of Raycroft and Toskala is pretty solid. I know Raycroft took a lot of heat last year, but I still feel that was largely unjustified because the team in front of him played so mediocre. They were 4th-worst in goals against in the the East last season. That same concept of the Leafs being unable to play team defence may still be existent this coming season. Especially with a dolt named McCabe on the blueline and other Leaf d-men that like to get caught up ice. So how can I predict them to make 6th place with such a negative opinion?2. To me anyway, the Leafs and Bruins made the most signficant additions in the offseason. I would say that the Sabres were gutted and the Habs are just one big question mark. The Sens may be neutral (haven't gotten much better or worse). Weaker teams in your division makes for more wins as they play eachother so many
This celtic knot tattoo design shows the image of four leafs.
Huge collection of tattoos, find your favorite tattoos in this tattoos gallery, many models of tattoos are shown here. You can find any models of tattoos here.
Could anybody tell me, what flowers are they exactly?
Huge collection of tattoos, find your favorite tattoos in this tattoos gallery, many models of tattoos are shown here. You can find any models of tattoos here.
After seeing the Canucks unveil their jerseys this week, Leafs brass is deciding to emmulate the Canucks' fashion sense and put a big TORONTO over top of the logo. Authorities at the ACC mentioned that they didn't appreciate Vancouver calling itself the most beautiful city in Canada and the Canucks being called "Canada's team" and wanted to counteract. There are also whispers that the Leafs are jealous of the Canucks' success last season and wanted to do anything to inspire their players to make the playoffs this season. The new Flyers jersey apparently looks like this.T Tags: NewLeafsjerseyleak
Toronto and the former Brodeur backup goalie have agreed to a 1-year deal. Surely that means that Andrew Raycroft is on the trading block right? Clemmensen has minor NHL experience (as Brodeur always plays the majority of the season) and is a decent goalie. The Toronto Marlies already have Justin Pogge and J.F. Racine as netminders. Where does Clemmensen fit in? Backing Toskala. Uh-oh. Let the
Thanks to Matt for pointing this out. This story was broke by William Houston at Globe and Mail Sports a couple of days ago. It appears that there will be some changes to CBC's play-by-play department and their televised games.Jim Hughson and Greg Millen will take over as the top play-by-play team, replacing the long-standing Bob Cole and Harry Neale tandem, who will have a reduced role. Hughson and Millen are younger and more fresh and deserve the promotion, as Cole and Neale have sounded a lot less enthusiastic and more prone to Alzheimer's in recent years.All the years of hearing Bob Cole countdown until the final buzzer of a Cup-winning game and Harry Neale quoting Shakespeare and the like away are officially over. It's been over 20 years.To the joy of many, the Leafs will get less exposure on national Hockey Night in Canada than ever before. Teams like Ottawa and Montreal will get more national exposure. William Houston put in this controversial way: Another issue for Hockey Ni
What the fuck? The Leafs have acquired Vesa Toskala and Mark Bell from the Sharks in exchange for a conditional first round pick, a second-round pick in 2007 and a 2009 fourth-round pick. As TSN puts it: The first round pick is set for 2007, but if the player the Sharks want isn't available, San Jose has the option to move the pick to 2008 with a top 10 protection covering the Leafs. That means if Toronto's 2008 pick is a top 10 pick then it will slide to 2009. Options....This does give the Leafs a 1-2 punch in goal with Raycroft and Toskala, which isn't a bad thing. But Mark Bell? He had a dismal 21 points in San Jose, didn't click with Thornton, and is making $2 million per season. He may rebound in his home province.The Sharks once again secure their future with draft picks and the Leafs try to buy a championship team to win "NOW", once again. It doesn't leave a good taste in my mouth. Is this deal going to make the Leafs better? In my opinion, only a little. The Raycroft-Toska
Is that Leaf are Moving?This is similar to the Moving illusion, the leaf are designed so Amazingly which looks like Moving Constantly, when you look at the leaf which designed in the first row at that time leaf which designed in the second row it will appears to rotate slowly and when you look at the second row's leaf then the first row's leaf appears to rotate slowly.
So apparently there are a few things in hockey that all fans have in common. And, when I say fans I mean us die-hard support our team through thick and thin fans. One of the biggest things is most of us hate the Leafs. Personally for me, as soon as I got into hockey I knew I didn’t like them. They were just one of the teams that I had no feelings but dislike for. So I decided a bit ago to
Leafs management is going to have some difficult decisions to make this summer in order to turn the teams' fortunes around. Is it time to hit the rebuild button? Do the Leafs even know how to rebuild? Or are they going to continue their gluttonous ways in the free agency market? Something has to change. If I was the owner of this organization, here is what I'd do:1. Fire John Ferguson Jr. Then bring back Cliff Fletcher, or a GM that has balls and brains. Or, a GM who doesn't piss away young talent on aging veterans.2. Do everything in my power to trade Bryan McCabe and shed myself of his $5.75 million salary. Leafs are currently stuck with the mindless tit for 4 more years.3. Resign Michael Peca, and forgive him for writing checks with his mouth that his butt can't cash. 4. Resign Ponikarovsky (done) and Antropov, but not for any more than 2 million each.5. Keep Raycroft. Second chance Motel.6. Have one of my henchmen take Hal Gill out back and shoot him. (He takes up $2.1 million
Now that was one messed up game. For a couple of teams that were fighting for a playoff spot, they sure as hell were fragile mentally. The Leafs came out in the first all guns firing, out shooting the Habs 23 to fricking 9 in the 1st period, and only having a 2-1 lead to show for it. Thank Huet for that. But then the 2nd period was the extreme opposite. It turned into the Michael Ryder show. As soon as Andrew Raycroft let in a weak one off his glove, the dominant Leafs lost all of their confidence and looked like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off. Typical Leafs. Where the hell did their defence go? Same place as always..into the shitter.Ryder had a 2nd-period hat trick in under 5 minutes, helping the Habs go up 5-4, and silencing the ACC crowd. I was so pissed off that I went home and got my Sundin jersey and brought it back to the party. I was going to burn it in disgrace and shame.But when the Habs got into penalty trouble early in the 3rd, the Leafs capitalized with 2 pow
Here I bash the Leafs this afternoon pregame and then they come out and shut the Buffalo machine down tonight. Why can't the Leafs play like this all the time? They looked like the Canucks in a sense, playing so tight defensively. But they also forechecked hard and stayed on the Sabres players. In the beginning of the 3rd, their brains farted for about 5 minutes, and that insanity took over again, coughing the puck up, scrambling, giving up 2-on-1's, breakaways. Andrew Raycroft stoned Buffalo though. When Antropov tipped a McCabe point shot at 5:04 of the 3rd, you had to wonder if it was going to be deja-vu all over again. But it didn't happen. The Leafs shut them down the rest of the way in convincing fashion.Unreal..The 7th-11th seeds in the East all won tonight, making last night's Leafs meltdown that much more difficult to accept. What a race.Coach's Corner was good tonight. Don Cherry tackled the 'fighting issue' in the way that you knew he would. And yes, Ron MacLean is an
How can a team be so inconsistent? On a night where the Stajan-Steen and especially Boyd Deveraux line was flying, and the Leafs looked to be playing a decent team game defensively, they blew a 4-1 lead in the 3rd period. In a game they had to win. But it was an unfortunate series of events that rattled the Leafs out of their composure. Devereaux's 2nd goal of the night to make it 4-1 early in the 3rd, was the direct result of a Sabre player clearing the puck behind his net and the puck going off a ref's kneecap and right in front of the net to Devereaux....who buried it. Times were so good for the Leafs for that moment. They were going to kick Buffalo's ass weren't they? They had found their groove back and were going to storm into the playoffs.Nope. The refs made amends for assisting on Devereaux's goal and called a tripping penalty on Pavel Kubina less than one minute later. You knew it would happen. Thomas Vanek scored on the PP less than a minute after that, and the Sabres t
Thinking about fall (the season) brings back the memories of dead and fallen leafs. Think twice… Those fallen leafs mean life, color and beauty.
This picture was taken in Huehuetenango on my way to Yolnabaj, the “Laguna Brava”.
Guatemala doesn’t have a “fall” properly talking (season) and most of the trees kept their green color all over the year. But some, as the Roble and Liquidambar might give this look of fallen leafs to the ground.
This leafs form a cover on the ground that prevents the water and moisture to evaporate during the dry season (if any). So, if you can, try not to take them away as you will be damaging the environment. They feed some little life forms too.
And tell me if this doesn’t look as something you would want to see in your garden…
The Leafs have apparently upped the ante on the Roberts sweepstakes by offering the Panthers second and fourth round picks, plus a prospect defenseman, which could be Brendan Bell or Staffan Kronwall. There is still no word from Roberts over the Pittsburgh saga, meaning he probably doesn't really want to go there. With the added pressure for the Leafs to make the postseason, and the loss tonight to Montreal, it may only take a small improvement to their offer for Jacques Martin to pull the trigger on a deal. Like Bob McKenzie said, Roberts is playing a game of 'chicken.' This ordeal could drag out until the last minute tomorrow while Roberts plays asshole.The Bertuzzi situation is different. It could take one team missing out on a big-name winger like Bill Guerin perhaps, for them to cut their 'losses' and trade for Bertuzzi. I still get a feeling that Big Bert won't go anywhere and the Panthers will try to sign him in the offseason. But that is just my opinion and guess. Why wou
