z_The Hockey Page - Toronto Star

Youth gone wild

(Editor's note) Okay, we're a bit late this morning. Call it casual Friday. Couldn't decide between the Hawaiian shirt and the old-school Rick Vaive sweater.

(actually, it's technical problems. and we're not talking about the coffee machine)

Over to you Chris.

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Leafs win 4-3, everybody's happy except maybe the guy who had the most to do with it. Ken Campbell's excellent job on Kyle Wellwood's night against the visiting Habs includes the observation that the kid did it while toiling on the fourth line. Not bad. (And for a rant on all that, try out this morning's JABS opening post.)

Augmenting Ken's work, we add a few little notes of our own for you to digest:

Alex Steen. One of the other young 'uns had a quieter game than Wellwood on the scoresheet, if not on the ice. He tracked back quicker than Chad Kilger to check a Montrealer who had nothing but an open net in front of him, and would've had the assist of the night if Kilger hadn't have been stopped on Steen's clever feed from behind the net. That's one goal saved, and another almost scored.

Other good stuff was Steve Thomas's goal, Stumpy starting the play with a nice pass to Ian White then cannily following into the slot to stuff in the rebound of White's slapper; Antropov getting up off the ice not once but twice after crashing heavily - and creating the Leafs' first goal with a nice screen job in front of the net; JF Racine's second good half-game of the preseason in goal, including a nifty glove snare that was his cue to exit; they got more physical as the game went on, the forechecking getting a little more pointed and the area just outside the Habs' crease growing congested.

Not so good: the Leafs looked slow in the first period, especially during three early power-plays when Montreal's penalty-killing box showed off their superior team speed. Tellqvist's flopping style cost him on Montreal's second goal. And the Habs' first goal was a breakdown of a Leafs clearance, just about everybody on the ice out of position.

On to Spencer with the links du jour.

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Regulars to this space will recall Chris’s fine work at trainng camp last week – today we’re thinking he’s glad we’re not covering the Rangers. According to Newsday:

On Wednesday night, led by Army Rangers, groups of players and club staffers rappelled down a mountain with M-16s strapped over their shoulders. They pulled or pushed a Humvee up a steep hill. They rescued a 'downed airman,' carrying a stretcher through an obstacle course. They crawled through a swamp. … And yesterday morning, they were stunned by a staged hostage situation at a nearby building that included shots fired (that were blanks).

Those of us who know Chris, would agree he could actually handle that kind of stuff. Jaromir Jagr, we’re not so sure.

Yesterday we discussed Harry Sinden’s rant on the "flow" of the game. The penalty parade continues: after 28 calls in a Philly 2-1 win over the Islanders this week. "The only real flow was the steady stream of players getting in and out of the box." Worried? Flyers say relax.

First call in Carolina last night: 49 seconds in. What took so long?

"What they (have done) is what they told us they would do," Lightning coach John Tortorella tells the St. Pete Times. "The league is serious about this."

So the players will adjust. Good line from Bolts D-man Dan Boyle.

"It’s like a shock treatment right now."

Says Vinny Lecavalier: "I love it. There’s no clutching or grabbing, you have more ice and you don’t get as tired having to fight through," he said said after Tuesday’s game in Montreal. "It was a very fast game Tuesday. It was good hockey to play."

That's what's it's really about, isn't it? Keep the skilled players happy, give them the freedom to show their skills, get the coaches coaching offence.

Coupla weeks back we predicted Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo would have a big year, playing for his cushy contract. Last night he stopped 23 of 24 shots in the first period and 31 of 32 before sitting down half way through the second. The Panthers gave up 54 shots in a 4-3 win (!). This rate, Luongo’s going to be done long before the Olympic break, which he won’t get, playing for Team Canada (hopefully facing a lot fewer shots).

Out west, they’re talking up a Oilers-Canucks rivalry. (Though the Flames will have a say in how the west was on). This was the NHL’s plan all along with their new ‘unbalanced’ schedule. Which is why we won’t see the Red Wings this year. But Ottawa eight times.

"I think it will happen quickly because I was looking at our schedule, and there comes a time where we play Tampa three times in 10 days," says Bobby Holik. "And believe me, hockey is a very emotional game and things happen."

Yes. "Things".

Quickly:

What ever happened to Al Iafrate?

The Islandia Islanders?

Last word to Mike Keenan, sharing regrets in leaving the Rangers after ending a 54-year Cup curse.

"We had a young team based on today’s standards, but we had a lot of experience. Just look at Mark [Messier]. He was in his early thirties and played 10 more years. We had a chance to do it again."

We just want the Leafs to do it once.

To and flow

We were holding back on responding to conin79's comment from yesterday, asking us to give a look at his suggested 20-man roster. Now, that looks suspiciously like a Pat Quinn incognito roster.

Is that really you lurking behind that handle, Coach? I mean, there's no Wellwood. No Wilm. Not going there, Pat/conin. Me no likey. Our good friend Mark Zwolinski gives us an idea, though, of how the Leafs roster is taking shape this morning. And it does include Mr Steen. And Mr. Stumpy - what would one of these mornings be without Steve Thomas to ponder?

Meantime, over at the Sun, Paul Maurice gets some mentions.

Some good news on "antsy" Jason Allison - why all this injury talk so soon? Beathe, Leaf Nation, you're not alone. As if we needed another reason to blame the lockout (reg. req'd).

Okay, while we're playing the blame game, the first flood of exhibition play has the critics in full swing.

"They all talk about flow, these new guys on the owners' board of directors,'' Harry Sinden tells the Boston Herald. "We've got to get the flow back,' they all say. I asked them, 'Do you know what you're taking about? What do you mean when you say flow?' They're not really quite sure what to say."

We love Harry Sinden. Please, go on.

"I say to them, 'Well, I think you mean this: One team comes down on the attack here, then the other team gets the puck and goes back the other way. That's the kind of flow you like. But I said, 'Can you think of anything that disturbs the flow of a hockey game more than a two-minute penalty? The flow ends as soon as you call the penalty."

So Harry's not sure yet. But in the interest of being fair and balanced (hey, that's what they taught us in school) the Preds seem to have no "flow" problems. But if you're looking for answers, why not ask the best player in the world (arguably, quite).

"I think it's going to be easier to score goals," says Jaromir Jagr.

Good line (reg. req'd) in the Inquirer today, where we hear the first call for more penalties, as in two minutes for "boring".

"Last night the score was 2-1 Flyers and 28-0 referees."

Finally, Sid Crosby made his NHL debut last night. One assist, 16 shifts, 5 shots, drank from the water bottle 17 times ... etc. etc. But they're saying he's found some chemistry with Mark Recchi.

OHL report: Dylan Hunter impressing in Buffalo -- was last year's London Knights (79-9-2) one of the most dominant teams of all-time or what?

Adam Deadmarsh is retiring.

Now shooting for the Leafs, Cliff Johnson

CP PHOTO

Wade Belak wears the A. Does that mean Carlton the Bear had the C for the night?

A Leafs win and some pretty good performances from some of the youngsters should cool the Stumpers, at least for a day.

Best read: Rosie on the DS (designated shooter), an outgrowth of the new rules, perhaps:

"It flies in the face of all that is holy in team sport."

You'd think she was talking about Terrell Owens, or somesuch. No, it's these shootouts. They play 60 minutes, then three guys on each side decide a game. And we didn't even mention the Zamboni break in between.

RD mentions Kyle Wellwood as a possible beneficiary. But I'm thinking that, in baseball, the DH has extended the careers of the likes of Dave Parker, Cecil Fielder et al. Who'd be the equivalent in hockey?

Our good friend Ken Campbell has a good look at some things to take from this one, a too-easy 5-0 shutout of the Bruins -- their first preseason game, and it showed.

Actually, the standout thing for me about last night's way-too-easy 5-0 shutout of the Bruins -- Boston's preseason debut, and it really showed -- was the play of defenceman Alexander Khavanov. The little feint at the point that opened up space and started a nifty three-way passing play for the second goal was a thing of beauty. I could have shut it off then, I'd seen enough -- the guy has puck sense. I think everyone knew that. It was just good to see it, this early in the big show.

As for Ben Ondrus, he's making headlines this morning. It was Ondrus who finished off that bing-bang-boom play, with John Pohl -- now there's a journeyman name if I ever heard one -- in the middle of it. Threw his weight around, too.

And those new rules? You know we couldn't go a day by without more on them. This just in: They're adjusting. And wondering.

Some links for you, from around the league:

LeCavalier a Hab? For one day, yes. Then he thought about it, and Montreal "is like England with their soccer teams."

Khabiboulin gets his first start as a Blackhawk tonight -- one of just five Cup-winning goalies in the league.

Luc and Stacia Robitaille are putting up two families left homeless by Hurricane Katrina. 

I know captains, Mr. Yashin, and you are no captain!

And so far, so good for former Leafs Alexander Mogilny (registration required).

Update: Lineup for tomorrow night's date with Les Habitants (thanks again, Zoro!)

Forwards - Alex Ponikarovski, Nik Antropov, Matt Stajan, Chad Kilger, Nathan Perrott, Kyle Wellwood, Mats Sundin, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi, Steve Thomas, Alex Steen, Mariusz Czerkawski, Clarke Wilm

Defencemen - Carlo Colaiacovo, Aki Berg, Thomas Kaberle, Andy Wozniewski, Bryan Marchment

Goal - JS Aubin, Mikael Tellqvist

In comes Tonto

Our good pal Kenny Campbell (treeware division) has a real nice one this morning on Steve Thomas -- the talk about possible contract terms, and the talk from Stumpy:

"I'm just concentrating on doing what I have to do to make this team. I plan on having 15 goals by Christmas, anyway."

Whew. Is that all? This is the new NHL. These guys are supposed to be scoring 15 before the platinums are filled at the ACC.

And about this preseason game tonight, in Hamilton against the Bruins -- keep an eye out for Wade Belak, defenceman. Yup, call this one a training camp experiment. And when do the experiments stop and the preparation begin? (Like, say, cutting some players -- subscription required -- down from an unwieldy 56?) Only Pat Quinn knows for sure.

God love Brett Hull, who has this to say about Ted Saskin taking over atop the NHLPA in place of Bob (Not)Goodenow: "It's like firing the Lone Ranger and hiring Tonto."

Now here's something we mentioned here yesterday: Jason Allison's owie is still bothering him, and he's not playing tonight.

Down in the U.S., they've got hockey fever. Why, the McPaper has a big takeout on Ken Dryden to take care of that.

Down in Miami, Joe Nieuwendyk says he's never thought about retiring.

The Lightning are back, with a win -- and a commitment from their owner.

And a couple more, if you must: The NHLPA is grieving Keith Tkachuk's suspension (Atta go, Tonto!). And no, please -- not another Pavel Datsyuk update. (This time, it's the last one. We can only hope, anyway.)

Colorado, sans Peter Forsberg and Paul Kariya, will count on Milan Hejduk, among others, to score more. His knee injury looks like very bad news. But congrats to Peter Budaj, former OHL puckstopper in Toronto, who appears to have won a job in the bigs. Update: Hejduk will have more surgery and is out 4-5 weeks.

OHL watch part II: Robbie Schremp and Danny Syvret, standouts for the unstoppable London Knights last season look like faves to crack the Oilers lineup.

Tonight, we get a close look at Brad Boyes on Hamilton ice. Most remember when the Buds traded the Mississauga native along with Alyn McCauley in exchange for Owin' Nolan (or 2 playoff goals and a lawsuit if you're counting with Leaf Nation dollars). Says Boyes:

"It's going to be good. I get to play at home and against the team that traded me. I'm definitely excited."

And note to NHL sharks: call Devils GM Lou Lamoriello is deseperate to sell with a club that:

"Couldn't take the ice with a payroll in excess of the cap opening night (Oct. 5)," and that the league would "compel" the Devils to cut salary to comply," according to the New York Post.

Is there a capologist in the house?

Reality bites

Preseason games are right up there with chain letters and the Daytime Emmys on my must-do list. But before we head out to practice this morning for a brunch of warmed-over alibis, some quick observations (disclaimer: I didn't see all of this one, my wife insisting quite rightly on the latest episode of Rome, which sure beat the heck out of watching Jason Spezza skate rings around the home team):

First off, that message on the ice. Something about thanking Leafs fans. A nice sentiment. Nicer would be: cheaper tickets. Players shaking fans' hands as they come through the turnstiles. A run deep into the Cup playoffs. Hockey Night in Canada. I'm sure you can come up with some more suggestions.

Nice, too, was the flow to the game -- at least when they weren't calling penalties. Welcome to the new NHL. Look around this first weekend of make-believe games, and hey, everyone's wondering what's going on. After an 8-6 loss to the Flyers, Atlanta coach Bob Hartley sounded like Dr. Phil:

"I told them not to think about what they can't do, but try to figure out what you can do with the new ways of calling things."

And as Damien Cox notes, the Leafs are especially going to have to adapt, the faster Senators a little quicker study, at least off the evidence of this 5-2 Ottawa win.

Mark Zwolinski calls in this just out -- the Leafs' starting lineup for Tuesday night against Boston (thanks, Zorro):

Forwards: Eric Lindros, Matt Stajan, Kyle Wellwood, Alex Steen, John Pohl, Ben Ondrus, Steve Thomas, Mariusz Czerkawski, Jeremy Williams, Jeff O'Neill, Darcy Tucker, Nathan Perrott.

Defence: Wade Belak, Jay Harrison, Marc Moro, Alexander Khavanov, Thomas Kaberle, Andy Wozniewski

Goal: Ed Belfour, Jean-Francois Racine.

What does this mean? Not much, except that the preseason playing debut of Jason Allison is on hold, apparently because of that nagging hip flexor.

Elsewhere, the Capitals are finally welcoming Petr Sykora.

The Coyotes' opening-night goalie is already set.

The Blues have suspended Keith Tkachuk.

And in the Islanders camp, they're set to name a new captain.

Oh, and starting tomorrow we'll be changing it up slightly around here. I'll be starting up a new all-sports blog, while keeping an eye on this one. And I promise I'll try and post earlier in the day.

First cuts

Mark Zwolinski from the treeware division just called in this bit of breaking news from the Leafs dressing room at Ricoh. The first cuts are in, and they are:

Drew Kivell, defenceman, will return to Lakehead University.

Derek LeBlanc, forward, goes back to Brandon Juniors.

Pat Sutton, defenceman, late of Belleville OHL, going now to Pensacola of the East Coast Hockey League.

Brent Aubin, forward, returns to Rouyn-Noranda of the Quebec Major Leagues.

Line juggling

Through four days of scrimmaging here, the coaches have been trying different line combos but the most established units so far are these three:

Sundin-Tucker-Antropov. Easy to say that Sundin has looked good. In this environment, with little physical play and a fair amount of open ice, he shouldn’t be anything but. 20-year-old Shaun Landolt has spent a bit of time on the right wing here, with Tucker sliding over to play Landolt’s usual spot alongside Alex Steen and Marius Czerkawski. So far we’ve read a lot about Steen getting a shot at playing with Sundin, but it hasn’t happened yet in these practices or games.

Lindros-Domi-Kilger. Truth is they’ve all played with a variety of linemates, but at yesterday’s morning practice involving Team C that didn’t make the scrimmage final, this was the group working together in the dark blues. Kyle Wellwood has also played some with Lindros, but has yet to stand out.

Allison-O’Neill-Ponikarovsky. Since his short opening day, Jason Allison has actually been double-shifting at times in scrimmages, and seemingly doing fine. O’Neill has shown a quick and accurate shot. This is not a No. 1 line, but as a three-man group, I think these guys have worked the best together of all the lines here.

The check, please

It was getting toward the end of today’s championship scrimmage – an oxymoron, yes, but that’s their schedule and they’re stickin’ to it – and just when I thought my eyelids were beginning to feel the pull of gravity, it happened.

Bam! Marc Moro (immortalized mentioned here yesterday as half of the “Later-to-Moro” funny) stood up Matt Stajan with a well-timed, honest check at the blue line that put Stajan on his fanny. Down at the other end a few seconds later, Nik Antropov shoved Bryan Marchment into the post after the whistle blew, and Marchment took a swipe back at him. A couple of shifts later – that’s how long it took for him to catch up, I guess – Marchment was seen telling Nik to knock it off, give or take a few choice words.

And as the clock wound down, that was Steven Later (mentioned here … aw, let’s just leave it alone, okay?) being clipped under the chin by Ben Ondrus against the end boards – Ondrus was actually penalized – and all of a sudden, there was a bit of a scrum and Darcy Tucker came flying into it pushing and shoving.

Well, it’s about time. There’s been a week of pattycake tomfoolery here, but the punnymoon is over. Save for the shootout, that is – the Leafs aren’t practicing ‘em, but they seem to be having ‘em, this being their third of them – and that was Antropov scoring the clinching goal after O’Neill and Sundin had matched goals, and Allison, Czerkawski and John Pohl missed.

Scorers during the game were O’Neill and Martin Sagat for the eventual winners, the latter coming on an Eddie Belfour giveaway when he strayed into the corner and tried a cross-ice pass (he was well over the red goalline extended, so unlike yesterday’s wandering this was a legal, though inadvisable play for him under the new rules).

Khavanov and Sundin scored for the whites, the captain given a breakaway thanks to Tucker’s lovely two-line pass in transition. This might be the kind of play we’ll see a lot of later – the defence turned the wrong way, the puck coming loose just inside the defensive zone, and a quick and heady turnaround going the other way.

Early-morning musing

LUCAS OLENIUK/TORONTO STAR

Mats Sundin and ... who do you want on the ice for the Leafs during shootouts?

"It was a deal, like the American Dream. But now they’re getting shafted … The NHL is reneging – in somewhat spiritual terms – on a promise that it made to these guys."

So writes the always eloquent and provocative Denial in yesterday’s comments, pointing to Paul Hunter’s story in last Saturday’s paper that reports on marginal NHL role players who thanks to the new collective-bargaining agreement are looking to Europe for jobs.

I can appreciate the sentiments -- and reading through the story (three times), it’s a pretty complex beast, this little corner of the CBA -- though I don’t agree with them. In the wake of any labour stoppage, there are winners and losers. And if anyone broke a promise here, it’s the NHL players’ association for their capitulation -- and I have no doubt that the players who accepted that capitulation had little regard or even a passing thought for the possible plight of their younger or less established hockey-playing brethren. As in any pro sports league, a Darwinian social order prevails.

Besides, the NHL, in its greed-driven expansion spree that has marked the past decade and a little more, has done more to create more jobs for young hockey players (and create more bad hockey teams, but that’s another argument entirely). It’s turned marginal players into second-liners – because even on the truly wretched squads, SOMEONE has to score. And of course, the NHLPA has been with them every step of the way on this one – until the lockout forced them to take a stand. And they failed miserably.

In the bigger picture, of course, we’ll all continue to believe in the Canadian Dream – the Scrubs on Skates model, that has the latest Bill Spunska skating with the Leafs in the fall, trying for that last roster spot. But (and again, this is the bigger picture) look around the real world, where we want customer service and are connected to a call centre in India, where we go to the mall to buy clothes made in Indonesia, and on and on. Hockey players from Canada, playing in Europe, and slightly better (or more highly regarded, or CBA favoured) hockey players from Europe, playing in the NHL. Should we really be all that surprised?

Oh, and here’s one more for you to mull over: If you had to pick your five-man Leafs shootout order, what would it be? Besides Sundin and Lindros, that is.

Pun in the oven

Ace colleague Ken Campbell from the treeware division doesn’t miss anything.

"It’s Later to Moro," he said, gazing out at the defence pairing in white. "Get it?"

It did take a while, but yeah -- not bad. Sorta like Bogie and Bacall. Okay, maybe not, but certainly the equal of jock and jill.

Another brunchtime scrimmage out here at Ricoh, where at least there’s no fog on the glass and the quips are crashing harder than Carlo Colaiacovo.

A note about this Alexander Khavanov, the veteran Russian defender who has a spot on the Leafs. He spent most of the game partnered with Bryan McCabe, which made for a nice contrast, Khavanov staying a good 10 or 15 feet back of him. This is his m.o. apparently – a tidy, positional-oriented, defence-first game. He must have been doing his job okay, because I barely noticed him.

But Alex Steen? Oh yeah. Best player on the ice, to these eyes. A real dynamo, and his stamina held up longer than the day previous. Carlo, too, was jumping into the rush with abandon, which is nice for a no-hit scrimmage like this, but somehow I don’t think that’ll wash even in preseason games.

Three days of this and if you’ve been looking in regularly you know our favourites include Steen and Steve Thomas, playing for a job. And yeah, the 42-year-old Thomas didn’t disappoint either. He followed up a giveaway at his own line by hustling down the ice and being rewarded with a loose puck at his feet and the day’s first goal, on a quick snapper high to Eddie Belfour’s glove side.

Thomas is playing a lot with Eric Lindros and Chad Kilger, but slick winger Colin Murphy got some playing time in lieu of Kilger in this game.

(Late update: Pat Quinn on Steve Thomas:

"There's no doubt in my mind the one muscle that hasn't got any lesser in age is his heart. That's always going to be his strength ... Whether the feet, the head, the hands and all the other stuff are still there, we're going to find out, hopefully -- and obviously try to make that decision without the passion for a guy like him, so that you are still operating in the best interest of the team and not just because you like somebody, our job can't be that way. But it'll be a strong pull.")

The only shame of it for Thomas was in the shootout following a 2-2 tie – Colaiacovo scored the equalizer in the final minute; other scorers were Sundin and Tucker – with the crowd of a couple hundred calling out his name, Stumpy was stopped cold by Todd Ford, and his Team A lost the game.

Oh well. This brings us to one thing that the Leafs aren’t doing here: incorporating a shootout in their practices, like some other teams are doing already. Presumably, that comes later.

Other random stuff: Brad Brown didn’t impress anyone with a bad giveaway that led directly to an Antropov breakaway – it wasn’t so much the turnover, as the fact that he didn’t show any interest in giving chase. Tomas Kaberle, who has looked best among the defencemen this week, threaded a lovely long pass from his own corner to the opposite blue line, and Brendan Bell tried a similar stratagem that would’ve worked beautifully if his two teammates hadn’t have collided with each other trying to get it. Some nice stops by Belfour too, during his stint in goal – but he also would’ve been called for a penalty on one play where he came out into the corner to play the puck out of trouble (so far this week, the referees in scrimmages are in most cases only telling the players when they would have incurred a penalty). If the whole point of this is to get ready for the season, why is Belfour bothering with that stuff?

That’s about it for now. We’ll be back Later. Or maybe ToMoro.