Who needs practice?

After an intense stretch of six games in 11 nights, the Leafs are off. Golfing.
Pat Quinn: "It was not an idea I liked, but it's part of the corporate responsibility."
Perhaps it's just me, but isn't golfing something you do in the summer? And I know this sounds dreadfully naive, but can't MLSE keep these "branding" exercises and their charity works to a time when the main property isn't supposed to be doing things that might  maximize their potential? Isn't it time to get down to business, the way the Leafs team has operated of late?

AP PHOTO

Leafs spanked the Thrashers Friday ... on the scoreboard too.>

A week ago Denial popped out of the rabbit hole and asked the question -- what should the Leafs do? Now the question is more like what can't they do?
And we know the answer: they can't practice.

"We had three work days that you really needed, but all of a sudden you lose one of them (for golfing). We'll do the work, but it won't be the cerebral work I'd hoped. The job for me, as far as I'm concerned, is to work on our team defence, because we can do a lot better in our defensive zone coverage."

I actually thought the defensive zone coverage Saturday night wasn't bad at all, Eddie Belfour chief among the examples covering the most important defensive zone of all.  Montreal's edge in speed, and their aggressive forechecking caused the Leafs the most trouble, at least it seemed that way to me. They were bailed out by Belfour, the power play and  Lindros and his linemates, who did some good forechecking of their own. It was a gritty back-to-back display, coming after Friday's fight night in Atlanta.
Oh, and one little thing that got lost, despite looming HUGE in the closing seconds: With the Habs on a two-man advantage thanks to the empty net and a Toronto penalty, Clark Wilm beat Koivu on that critical last faceoff in the Leafs end.
So this morning -- cloudy, cool, maybe some rain. What a great day for golf! -- 

Update: 10:30 am: hey Chris, whaddya know - it's actually clearing up out there. Great day for golf after all! See, that's why we love this Internet thing so much...instant updates! (that's what you get, CY, for waking up so early) -- SW

Ken Campbell takes a look at the Leafs' power play, which scored nine goals on the weekend, and checks back in with Jason Allison.
With the Leafs off until Thursday, the filings are light this morning, but over at Team Sun, Lance Hornby is saying three cheers for the little guys. The Globe's Tim Wharnsby looks at the Leafs' early form, the good and the not so good.
Oh, and top of the mornin', Theo Fleury.

(C.Y.)

---

Thanks Chris. Wow. Two great wins for the Leafs and we're talking about practice, man. We're not talking about the game. We're talking about practice ... Okay, enough with the Allen Iverson memories. Here's some links to get you through a Monday:

Neat little story from the Arizona Republic on Walter Gretzky remembering a 7-year-old Wayne, parked in front of the TV on Saturday nights:

On the paper he would draw a rink: the nets, the lines, the circles, etc. Once the game started, Wayne would chart where the puck went on the rink without lifting the pen or pencil off the paper. "I remember saying: 'What are you doing, Wayne?' He said: 'Look, Dad, see all these dark spots? That's where the puck is most of the time.' As you know, Wayne always played a thinking game. Already at that age, he was thinking."

We're sure Wayne, with that 1-4-1 start, is busy thinking of ways to remove all those dark spots in the Coyotes end of the rink so far this season. Too bad he'll have to do it without one of the game's greats. Brett Hull retired over the weekend. Have to admit, didn't see that one coming. Could poor Steve Yzerman be next? Just one game after his comeback last Thursday, the mayor of Hockeytown tweaked his groin and had to leave Saturday's game -- wouldn't speak about it afterwards.

"He's just so ticked off he can't talk," Wings coach Mike Babcock tells the Detroit Free Press.

Speaking of dark spots, did you see what Martin Havlat did to Boston's Hal Gill on Saturday? Not even the first time the Senators speedster has gone "south" on an opponent. And then there was the suspension for slashing then-Flyer Mark Recchi in the face in 2004. So goes Havlat's budding reputation as one of the dirtiest players in the league. Too bad because he's one of the most fun ones to watch play. Havlat's facing another suspension, and for good reason, but we did manage to find one argument for his case - out of Ottawa, of course.

Hey, they're chanting King Henrik's name in New York.

Dennis Leary vs. Rich Tocchet. Guess who won.

Here's former Maple Leaf Tom Fitzgerald on the visor debate:

"I'm an idiot for not doing it."

Well Tom, so are pretty much all of your co-workers. And after another poll of NHLers, it's pretty obvious the league isn't going to get backing from the players on making these things mandatory.

See you tomorrow, thinking today's a pretty good day to leave work a little early. Fore! (SW)

Comments

[Aaron]

Hum, some contradictions up there regarding the Leafs.

You said that, "I actually thought the defensive zone coverage Saturday night wasn't bad at all."

But the Leafs were outshot 31-21. How can your defensive zone coverage be okay if you're getting outshot?

I wish there was an easy stat out there to see who had possession of the puck all night, because it looked like Montreal did 80% of the time. Luckily though, as you say, "They were bailed out by Belfour." In other words, this was a typical Leaf game, a typical Pat Quinn result. And - it all makes sense. If you look up the Leafs in years past, and check out their shots allowed, you'll see that the Leafs are near the bottom of the league nearly every season in that department.

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if you do that often enough - you'll lose.

The Leafs rely too often on Belfour to produce supernatural performances to win hockey games. It masks a true deficiency of the team - an inability to play sound defensive hockey.

Unlike you though, I DID see the Leafs blow a lot of defensive plays in their end - Belak let his man go on a number of occasions, and even passed the puck to a Montreal forward, leading to a scoring chance. Way to earn your 850K, Wade. Berg wasn't much better.

If this team is going to contend long term, it needs a solid, quick, stay-at-home defenseman (offense from the D doesn't look like it'll be much of a problem) to push stiffs like Belak and Berg down the ol' depth chart.

If not - get used to the identical result at the end of this season. Lots of goals, a decent regular season finish, and an early playoff exit.

But nothing about the Leafs' performance over the last several years suggests we can expect anything else.

[cy]

contradictions? Aaron, you're reaching. shots on goal can point to other factors.
the leafs were pinned back in their own end by montreal's forechecking. that's where a lot of the montreal chances came from. That's where Montreal's second goal came from (their first was just a dumb misplay by Belfour, a blind clearance). the first 10 minutes or so of the game, the first five minutes of the third period were all about that forechecking.
If you call that bad defensive zone coverage, so be it. i call it an inability to move the puck out against pressure.
I actually thought they did a decent job, too, of eliminating any Habs second chances -- there's a stat i'd like to see, rebounds allowed and converted.

[Aaron]

Perhaps you don't want to debate it - but it's an alarming trend with the Leafs this season that they have been unable to hold leads in the final period of play. When opposition teams are pressing hardest, this is where the deficiencies in your defense become the most apparent. Heck, even though they won Saturday, they DID blow the lead until Lindros saved their bacon.

Here's a Pat Quinn quote from a couple days ago: "Our defensive zone coverage has been a problem for us."

Finally, the Leafs have allowed 19 goals so far - only seven other teams have allowed more.

What you say about the forechecking is true - but I say that the defensive breakdown arguments are *more* true, if that makes any sense.

[mm]

Alarming trend? Two ties and a loss and it's an 'alarming' trend? Wow things move so fast these days...from zero to panic like that! Defence has been the Leafs achilles heel for the past few seasons. One quick trade will take care of this and it should be coming shortly if my Spidey senses prove right. Carney? Witt? Brewer? mmmmmm

The hardest (or fun-ist, haha) part of watching the Leafs is that every cotton-pickin game they guarantee at least 2 five minute spats where they disappear completely. It's like watching that Harry Altman kid in the documentary Spellbound...moments of genius interjected with long spells of absolute disorder and irrational thinking....'can I eat that?'.

With age (or senility) I am learning to take or accept these moments as part of the Leafs make-up. When they first started happening (oddly enough around the same time Quinn came on board) they had me yelling at everything in sight. Now? Just another Saturday night. I like to think they are doing it just for me...as a way of thanks perhaps (for what? who knows) and this thought alone keeps me happy whilst the mind numbing defensive zone gong show runs its 5 min. cycle.

it too shall pass
it too shall pass
it too shall pass

[FlamFlim]

So the Leafs killed Atlanta on Friday and touched off a sh*t-storm in the process. It's the one game of the year that there's actual justification for Wade Belak being on the team. So good game Wade buddy!

What the heck was Santa Claus yammering about last Saturday night on Coach's Corner? God knows I find it tough to defend Pat Quinn, but to hear Don Cherry criticizing him for running up the score on Atlanta, that made me shake my head. What would YOU do as coach of the Leafs in the new NHL? Not try to score on the opposition despite being handed multiple power plays?

You know, like most things that comes from Grapes, if it were the 1970s, he might have a point. *Might*

Meanwhile, if not for Lindros and Belfour, God knows where this team might be.

So admittedly I'm all warm and fuzzy inside after a weekend of victories, especially against Montreal. And I'm happy for The Big E that he bumped Bobby Clarke off the top 100 NHL goal scorers' list as mentioned in Damien Cox's most recent column.

Pfft! Clarke -- that Great Canadian Hero(TM) of '72 that went out and intentionally injured the competition to help Canada win the Summit Series ... now there's a class act. Bobby Clarke puts the 'ass' in 'class' you could say, but j'ai digress.

Toronto ought to take care of Carolina unless they're suddenly convinced golf is the best way to improve on the team's overall play on ice.