One of those nights

Tom Fitzgerald, the former Leaf turned Bruin, had this to say about last night's one-sided Boston win at the ACC, which followed a tirade from his boss about the "dysfunctional" B's:

"They weren't on a six-game losing streak. We were. Desperate hockey is where we're at and we're still desperate."

Ownership rants can backfire, but this one seems to have to work like a charm, as Andrew Raycroft put it to Dave Perkins: "The understatement of the century."
Still, a strange night. Boston's obvious motivation was answered by the Leafs with passivity, lack of offence, dumb penalties and Ed Belfour. Nobody in blue and white played well -- Barely settled into my chair, the Leafs were outshot 10-0 early and I was writing in my notes "this is the worst they've looked since the Ottawa game" (slight exaggeration there -- against Buffalo and Washington since, they've looked as bad, at least for period-long stretches).
Only one game. Doesn't mean much at all.
But come to think of it, taking a page out of Jacobs' approach and assembling the Leafs owners for a rag on the team's play might not be a bad idea from time to time. Imagine. The Teachers, the bank and Larry each speaking their piece. Might even get the Platinum Clubbers to their seats on time.

On to other business, and regular poster Carla hits a haiku out of the park (with a little dash of the Ogden Nash, too -- very nice):

Jason Allison
January molasses
Faster? The latter.

Poor girl's being force-fed turducken and football down in Salt Lake City today, and she comes up with this gem. An example to us all. Think you can do better? Bring it on.

Taking off the Leafs glasses for once, we find super agent Rich Winter has entered the Ted Saskin fray. I've been trying to stay away from this one, as it goes on and on, but what I find interesting is that finally someone is taking the focus away from bylaws, and due process and throwing some harsh light on THE DEAL:
Among Winter's complaints, writes Rick Westhead in The Star -- Who authorized Trever Linden to negotiate a salary cap; How Bob Goodenow was removed; and voting based on a synopsis of the CBA that fixed the escrow figure at "no more than 1 or 2 per cent" when it will likely wind up at 15 per cent.

Meantime, welcome home and happy (U.S.) Thanksgiving, Jiri Fischer.
(C.Y.)

Comments

[denial]

if the leafs actually had an owner, it might be possible for It to rip them, too. hard to get taken to task by a pension fund or dick petty (bad boys! bad boys! you're all naughty, naughty, naughty boys! now go score! go! WE HAVE NO MONEY HERE BY THE WAY).

here's what so many of you all thought: the leafs had won 4 in a row, and the question really was: when the leafs finish second in the northeast and as such 4th in the conference, who might they play in the first round at home? Philly? TB? etc etc

And here's what so many of you are thinking today:

.

i've said it so many different ways, that i want to be considered a group of people who all feel this way: for the leafs to do anything this year, they must play nervous hockey. not that tedium that they showed in the 3rd period against the Thrashers (was that not the most boring 3rd period you've seen all year? that wasn't the leafs playing well, that was an unconditioned atlanta team). The leafs have to play hard and that means that the people who get more than 11 minutes of ice time have to work for it. the new NHL doesn't serve the leafs unless they get 10 power plays a night. as soon as other teams realize this (and it's hillarious that so many of them haven't, but they will), the leafs will get 7 power plays a night, and maybe, maybe, score on 2 of them (it depends on whether they're winning or losing at the time). Then 1 more even strength goal for ruffage, and that's it. Ed has to post a GAA of under 3 or the leafs lose, and he can't do that when he faces 40 shots a night, with half of them in the first period.

there are floaters on the leafs. INCLUDING some of the young players who have been reading The Star too much. they've lost perspective. it's a long season. Stajan shouldn't be going on Off the Record. He should be practicing his damn shot.

[Carla]

I wrote this poime after last night's game, thinking the goal judge must go on high alert whenever Eddie wanders out of his net nowadays...

Belfour leaves his crease
Crowd holds its collective breath
Then basks in red glow.

*sigh*

As a side note, I'm wondering--does last night really count as Lindros' 700th career game? I mean, I don't think he was playing last night, was he?

[Jlo]

Four-game winning streak
warms grey, November air. Then
a loss, then it snowed.

I hadn't heard Joe bellow since
Tucker made it three to two.

Neil Young sang. Steen scored.
Youth moved the aged, made them feel
unsettled, quick, sharp.

It doesn't take long to slide
across a crease, down to ice.

[Jlo]

That was a renga: haiku, followed by tanka (2 lines of 7 syllables--usually more philosophical than the 5-7-5 haiku). Renga means chain, I think. The best thing would be to take all the haiku, and put them together, with tanka in between, to make a renga. Then we will get a sense of the Leafs season, at least poetically. So, feel free to add on...

[cy]

Jlo, although it sounds at times suspiciously like Bob Cole when he's sort of sliding off the end of the bar (metaphorically speaking; UPDATE, clarification -- you know what I mean, when Bob starts saying something and forgets how it all started, and it kinda trails off...) on HNIC, that's good stuff and a good idea. kind of a wiki-poetry thingy. let's make it so.
meantime, i'm hoping Carla gives us one on turducken.

[billwoods]

Trade that Tie Domi
A goon in a goonless game.
Domi is crummy.

[denial]

for jlo's commentary to be an official bobcoleism, it would have to reflect at least 1 of the following characteristics in it:

- extended use of the adjective big, as in: big glove save, big keith primeau, big night for , big shoot-in, big icing, big popcorn, big woman down in row 12, big big, big small

- unnerving referneces to "a lot of people" in order to have self-contained conversations that don't involve dialogue with harry neale in which he might be proven wrong, as in: "a lot of people say that hockey isn't fast, but that's not the case anymore", or "a lot of people think that there are too many penalties called, and Pat Quinn is one of them".

- clinical inflection timing difficulties, such as when a leaf goes on a 1-4 rush through the neutral zone and it sounds as if it's sidney crosby on the breakaway of a tie game with 8 seconds left to go.

- being at least 30 seconds behind the play and not being the least bit apologetic about it

- dandy

[FlamFlim]

I guess in order to get the Hockey Night in Canada broadcaster's job, you need to be drunk and blind. Which is funny, because in order to tolerate the shoddy game play calling by Bob Cole and Harry Neale, and to be a devoted Leafs fan, you must also be drunk and blind. I'm beginning to understand how everything is connected in the universe ... mmm. Ahhh!

[zuckuss]

Jason, Pony, Nick
Call them the zamboni line
Big, Slow, Hits no one

[Jlo]

Dandy big play there,
a lot of people wouldn't make
that play, Harry. Boy!

[denial]

okay, hands up: how many of you are just waiting for this:

"And big jason allison shoots it in deep into the carolina zone, a dandy play by the big winger"

"you know bob, north carolina was settled by the europeans who encountered the costal Algonquian tribes--"

"Hold on a second Harry, that's a goal by big Eric Lindros -- wait the ref is blowing it off, his hands are in-the-air and it looks as though the play is going upstairs, what a development we have here in Raleigh tonight, you can bet that the fans here are loving every minute of the new N-H-L"

"I wasn't finished, Bob"

"Excuse me Harry, wasn't my intention to interrupt"

"It's never your intention"

"Well... look here Harry, we have to call a game here, you know it, I know it, Brian Williams who is in Newfoundland where it is 9:32 in the PM knows it, we all know it, and calling the game, yessir, is what we do"

"ANYWAY, while he have a lull in the action, the European and Algonquin coming together led to some interesting cultural--"

"Oh hold on a minute there Harry, just one minute or so, it looks like the referee might have something to say here, he's skating towards the timekeepers box, and he seems to be saying something, we'll try and get that for you just as soon as we can, maybe Elliott down on the floor might be able to find out what's happening, eh Harry?... Harry?"

"You did it again" (presses several numbers of cell phone) "Joe, it's Harry. Harry Neale. Yeah. Look, I really need to talk. What... oh fine, okay fine, you can just go on talking to Jim Ralph, see if I care. We'll see who you talk to on the TSN broadcast on Tuesday. I'll show YOU where you can scratch and win a V-tech model GO TO HELL phone, Joe"

"Apparently Harry, the commotion was because the period ended"

"I'm sorry Bob"

"we're all sorry Harry, we sure as heck are"

[Dave Alburger]

Couldn't resist writing some hockey haikus. Here goes:

Crosby breakaway
Beats him like a rented mule!
Rookie of the year

Cherry rants: "Visors!
If you wear one you're a wimp!"
Berard lost an eye

Heatley for Hossa
The Senators won that trade
just don't let him drive

And a limerick:

A play-by-play man, he's the worst
Bob Cole - if you have a mean thirst:
When he makes a mistake,
a shot of booze you must take
You'll be drunk by the end of the first

[Jlo]

Haiku, a drama, and a drinking game. The new NHL sure is exciting.

[Chris Corrigan]

Belfour stands alone
Peers at his forwards up ice
Dreams of his race cars.

Lindros to Kilger:
shoots, misses, Lindros passes
again: shoots, misses.

[Jim McDonagh]

Someone once told me that the empty trophy case at the ACC in Toronto is made from wood that was actually salvaged from the Titanic. Is this fact or fiction?

[Jlo]

Is that Jimmy McDonagh, known to many as "the Jimmer"? If that "someone" who told you that was Joe Flynn, it is probably fiction. Very appropriate though.