Alibis

It was sometime in the third period last night, the Leafs were down by two and Greg Millen was excitedly pointing out how they have to be aware that every team in the league gets extra pumped up to play them. "They're the Toronto Maple Leafs!" he exclaimed.
Besides wondering how anyone ever survived without Leafs TV and this sort of penetrating analysis before, it got me thinking about excuses.
Let's throw this one out there today. Send in your favourite excuse story -- your own doggy-ate-my-homework howler, or someone else's, or perhaps even one to explain this, a 5-4 loss to a Washington side that outskated the Leafs, outshot them (but of course), outhustled them, outchecked them, outfinished them ...
Let's call the roll of blue and white alibis. Right off the top of my head:
Upset at Nathan Perrott's trade to Dallas.
Outlucked.
It was a back to back.
The referees stink.
Backup goalie was in net.
Eric Lindros has cooled off.
Mats isn't back up to speed yet.
Aki Berg is injured (and Wade Belak may go back to defence because of it).
They don't shoot enough.
They're inconsistent.
Quinn's a terrible coach.
Did we tell you Eddie Belfour wasn't playing?.
You can certainly do better than these, every one of them playing catch up with Millen. (All this time, I've been trying to figure out why the Senators put eight goals past the Leafs, why the Leafs have such trouble playing 5-on-5, why they're so careless with the puck, and have such trouble covering opponents -- of course! How could I have missed it?)
We are into the Sargasso Sea of the NHL season. The next two, three months, it'll be like this -- same water, different day.
In his latest epistle, Denial pointed out the other day, "this is what they are. They're a mediocre team who will get outshot and outchanced every game."
That's not good enough for me -- it's too real, for one thing. I want excuses, a good stock of them to trot out during the days of doldrums to come.
While you're mulling that one over, remember this is Hockey Hall of Fame night. Ken Campbell has a good one on inductee Murray Costello.
And have you seen Darcy Tucker lately? "(He's) starting to look like Frankenstein's monster," says Budblog's Mike Robinson. "My face is a road map of my life," says Tucker.
(C.Y.)

Comments

[Gary]

Excuse number 1: The Leafs were distracted by the possibility George Bush may attack Canada looking for weapons of mass destruction , i.e. Wade Belak on defense
Excuse number 2: The slow motion replay of Jason Allison skating in open ice was actually in real time and this confused the Leafs video crew analysis
Excuse number 3: "We are lacking in confidence because .....well, we just aren't very good and we know it."
Excuse number 4: The Leafs' necks were all stiff from watching Tampa Bay skate circles around them in the third period Saturday

[Carla]

You forgot this one: "The Leafs never play very well against teams that are lower than they are (are there some?) in the standings."

I did think the officiating was perplexing, although I didn't think it favoured either team. The diving call on Sundin was particularly questionable (as each LeafsTV announcer grumbled).

Speaking of officiating in that game, though, the thing that really annoyed me (and it's a personal pet-peeve, admittedly) was the linesman who seemed to be under the impression that the crowd and the cameras were there to see HIS show--holding onto the faceoff puck for so long that the players would get out of position in anticipation of the drop. Then he'd throw them out. Just DROP THE PUCK, buster! Your mommy is the only one who's watching the game to see you!

[bferg]

Excuses? What excuses? You make up excuses when you SHOULD win, but don't. That didn't happen last night. Good teams don't lose games they should win....especially after winning a momentum-building game the night before and having their captain come back in top form.
Question (not to change the topic or anything, Chris): Do the Leafs have to score 4 or more EVERY night in order to win?
The main problems (but it's early, so let's all take a pill here) are that their goaltending has been (with the exception of 3 or 4 games) mediocre and their D has serious issues moving guys and they seem to enjoy watching guys fly by them on the outside.
Is it just the goalies and the D, or do the forwards bear some of the blame for not helping??? Anyone...anyone?

[Guy Bastien]

Excuse: The potential viewing audience for a 5:00 pm Sunday game only available to Leafs TV subscribers was not of sufficient size to warrant the Leafs full effort.

[SensOwn]

All concentration was lost, Quinn's excitment at the Berg injury made him have to pee really bad but he didn't have time to run to the bathroom in this new fast-paced NHL...

Sundin's eye hasn't fully healed and he couldn't see they were actually just playing Washington.

[SuburbanHockey]

I don't know if excuses can be pinned on the goalies - although, one could say that Belfour is getting old, the new equipment and rules are hampering Belfour ... hey wait, maybe it is the goalies!

I think that Belfour is playing okay, and Tellqvist is actually outplaying him, but with the amount of cold rubber they've been seeing, goals are bound to happen, and most of the shots against are good quality ones.

The BIG problem is the defence - porous, slow, and lacking skill. I'm tired of watching McCabe pretending to be a pylon (I'm sorry, he's good, but not Olympic team good), I'm tired of watching Berg/Khavanov/Belak try to figure out which arena they're in, and I'm tired of D-men who think a pass out of the zone is synonymous with a clearing attempt.

Opposing forwards take shots at Belfour, Belfour gives up the rebound, the D-men are to slow to react, and the forwards blow by them to get a second chance at the garbage in front of the net. The Leafs are bound to get burned by that - and Belak won't help on D.

That lack of "first-pass" ability is also killing the Leafs. Only Kaberle can pass out consistently, but he's not enough. When the forwards come back to help out, you end up with 3+ passes in the defensive zone, and everyone behind the red line - how are you supposed to start a rush like that? Every team in the league knows that the Leafs have problems in this area (unlike the Sens), and they end up taking advantage of the Leafs.

We have good forwards (even the slow, laggy one is good), but most of our D-men don't deserve to be playing in the NHL. Quinn needs to shake things up (although I wish I knew how), otherwise the Leafs will be lucky to finish with a .500 average, and, with the Raptors, it will be a long winter for T.O. sports fans.

I can hear it now - ARRRRRRRGOOOOOOOOOS!

[denial]

epistle?

moi?

I liked your use of "penetrating analysis", cy in reference to Mr. Millen. I think my birth itself was sarcastic.

"Oh look, here he comes. Wow, must be so exciting to add yet another body on this floating spinning ball of lava that is inevitably going to get hit by a meteor and so really why bother having births anyway?"

Is there a word for what happens when you digress, but you weren't actually talking about anything to begin with? can we invent this word?

Epistle maybe?

Why did the Leafs lose yesterday? I have the best reason - and it's not an excuse.

The Leafs lost yesterday because they aren't a good team. They play in a 30 team league and so you have to be really, really bad to be really, really bad. And the Leafs aren't really, really bad. They aren't Columbus or Atlanta.

But they aren't good. Why SHOULD the Leafs walk into someone else's building and beat them? Why do we even expect this to happen?

Even Saturday's game was weird; and I know that there was a kind of uncomfortable waft that flew through the bretheren of leaf fans everywhere (I could feel it in my abdomen, next to my evil twin). It was a "it's good that the Leafs are winning, but really, they aren't GOOD"

Saturday's game was really boring. Belfour looked like a snowman making some of those saves; not like Hasek does, but like someone compensating for slower reflexes by just flat out taking up net space. When Hasek does that, it's out of physical desperation. But Belfour looked like he was just flailing, and if there were any rebounds the Lightening forwrads would have had a field day. And even as the Leafs won, we all felt that this wasn't the Tampa Bay team that humbled the almost every team they faced 2 years ago.

Aside from that Atlanta game -- where the leafs, I believe, scored 5 of their 8 goals on the PP -- the Leafs haven't really played like a very good team. They've been OK some nights (like against the Habs the game that they lost). but even during their weird little win streak, they weren't good. The other teams were just bad.

In a 700 game schedule (or has it increased?) this is the downside: you can't really hide the fact that you suck. any team can win a short series (well, except the cubs). But statiscally, eventually, over this season the leafs are going to play at their level: which is that they probably won't beat Washington in Washington, or Buffalo in Buffalo, or Ottawa in anywhere.

It's just because they aren't a good team. It's okay. Acceptance is a part of life.

LET THOSE WHO HAVE EARS TO HEAR, LISTEN!

my favorite excuse? try this: the leafs could have tied it up and sent the game into OT and perhaps beyond, but they wanted to get the HELL out of DC before they were shot.

[denial]

PS: Carla, the mommy of the linesman in last 'afternoons' game read your post and called me. apparently she doesn't care to watch her son. she was watching in the hopes that pat quinn might wag his finger in the air and tell wellwood or stajan that this wasn't the place for "Tom Foolery".

apparently she has a kind of thing for men who do that.

?????

i hung up at that point.

[Hapsters]

Will you guys relax with all your sarcasm?? It is just hockey. The leafs ARE a good team that played a very lousy game. It happens. They will come back and win the next matchup. In fact they might pull another 9-0 after that embarrasment. Don't be surprised - and for God's sake everyone - get a spine. It is so easy to just join the chorus and start bashing people after 1 loss and then hop onto the bandwagon after 1 win. Get a grip. Have a memory of more than 2 games at a time. They are not the senators or the wings this year - that's for sure. But they are not Atlanta or Washington either. And people are allowed to have lousy nights. They should hear about it of course - but don't go off the edge of the cliff everyone. RELAX!

[denial]

since we've entered generalization territory, allow me: anyone who thinks that the leafs will play well "tomorrow" but not actually give a reason why that should take place is missing much, much more than a spine.

You're right, they aren't Atlanta or Washington, either. Washington has Ovechkin and Atlanta has Hossa and Kovalchuk. Good point, thanks for setting me straight.

[Tim G]

I don't think the leafs are not a good team, they are...they are just foreign to the word consistency.
And aside from McCabe and Kaberale, they seriously lack on D. I agree that this is where they lack, and everyone is taking advantage at this...and just like denial said about the feeling in the pit of the stomach feeling, I got it Sunday..I think McCabe and Kaberale are being played to the point of exhuastion whereas they can still play, but cannot be effective.

[Chris Corrigan]

Teachers don't work on Sunday.

[Martin]

Excuses? Fortunately for the Leafs Don Cherry regularly uses his HNIC soapbox to generate a few for the blue & white:
"Too many Euros"
"Not enough players from Otari-ari-ario"
"Visors"
"Trading Marchment"
"Trading Roberts"
"Allowing Gilmour to retire"
"Damn Toronto media"