Guest Post: The case against patience

Rebuilding In The Peaks And Valleys Of Leaf Passion

BY MOE GREEN

Sometimes we Leaf fans get a little unhinged. After all, it's a lot to ask of us: To be patient. To wait. Just a bit more. Next fall. Next spring. Soon. Soon, it will be different. Promise. It will be so much better. Maybe. Hopefully.

"The Passion That Unites Us All" is the corporate motto of the Toronto Maple Leafs as conceived by the board of MLSE. I do think it's accurate, though I would drop the "All."

We Leaf fans are a passionate bunch. Sometimes, passionate at the expense of patient. But that's just it, isn't it? Passion and patience do not mix well together. They are like oil and water, positive and negative, matter and anti-matter. They are diametrically opposed concepts. They cannot exist within the same time and space.

You can't have your cake and eat it too. "Hockey is a religion here," we're told, Toronto is the "Vatican of Hockey." The Leafs are "different than other franchises." We are "special and special rules apply."

Translation: An ordinary rebuild is okay for ordinary teams. But we want something – deserve something – more. MLSE and its chief representative here on earth, Brian Burke, sell this exalted ideal to us on a daily basis.

And we buy it.

Are they right? Are we different? We literally weep when our favourite players are traded. For us, a trade is like a death in the family. We feel the pain of every hit and share in the jubilation of every goal. We have supported this team through a success-drought that makes the dust bowl seem like a day at the beach. We post long, impassioned and erudite soliloquies on blogs at 3 in the morning... on school nights.

And all of this for a team now sitting in 22nd place.

So please don't tell us "patience for the rebuild" is somehow a gift bestowed from high above by our betters. That is simply not the stuff real Leaf fans are made of. Real Leaf fans are made of blood and guts and screams and tears and hair ripped out from the roots and, yes, passion.

We overrate our players' performances like doting parents overrate their kids' performances at their first school play. We see our players through the blinded eyes of love struck high-schoolers. We meticulously analyze every fragment of our season with calculators, spreadsheets and Ouija boards.

Then we follow every single move in the off-season. We read every article from every source no matter how obscure. We agonize over every trade rumour, every whisper no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. We record games and do frame-by-frame analysis of facial expressions on the bench to gain insight into moods and confidence levels. We follow the players on our team like John Hinckley Jr. followed Jodie Foster.

We are obsessed. And obsession, by its very nature, is impatient.

When we go to bed after a win, it's the goals we replay over and over in our heads like silent movies. After a loss, it's the forward lines we juggle, the defensive pairings we adjust. While the non-believers, those not burdened with this passion, drift into peaceful sleep, our minds never stop churning in blue-and-white.

So as the Leafs embark upon a road trip this week, as the games remaining dwindle down to single digits, let's make one thing clear: When you ask a Leaf fan to be patient, you are asking a lot. When you ask us to wait until next season or beyond for consistency and success, you really do not understand us.

If you are content to patiently watch this team develop under the thoughtful tutelage of Brian Burke and Ron Wilson, I cautiously and wearily submit that you may be a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs but you are not a real Leaf fan.

If you are not as deeply saddened at the sight of Tomas Kaberle donning the putrid brown and yellow of our hated division rivals as you would be watching your own son or daughter go off to war – on the side of the enemy – you are not a real Leaf fan. 

If you have the patience to happily wait until next season to taste the playoffs, if you can talk about trading Clarke MacArthur or Mikhail Grabovski without having a little sick well up in your throat, if you can enjoy the NHL postseason after the Leafs have been eliminated from contention yet again, then you may be a hockey fan, possibly even a fan of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but you are simply not a real Leaf fan. 

After all is said and done, it is the passion that unites us.

 

The pseudonymous Moe Green is a former-Torontonian and Leaf-lifer grinding it out passionately deep in the heart of Texas.

Comments

[Nick Verbaeys]

You just described how I feel and I'm from Ghent in Belgium, Europe.
The passion that unites us....

The biggest Leaf fan out of the GTA and North-America.

Ps: I love your Blog

VM Replies: Welcome, Nick. And thanks for reading from Belgium. The blue-and-white diaspora continues to amaze me.

[pinot]

Amen

(They are a long way from Toronto, so better shout it out.)

GO LEAFS GO

VM Replies: Alecia will no doubt be pleased with this shouting.

[We BeLeaf]

@ Nick,

I think Pyramid Power would have to disagree with you on that, but glad to see that you on here as well. Hopefully you are doing your part in Belgium to spread the word of the greatness of the Leafs!

Cheers!

[TPiddy]

Great stuff Moe.... but I respectfully disagree that being a Leafs fan means you can't enjoy other hockey clubs. You can't enjoy the Habs, Sens or Sabres... but you can absolutely watch another team. Most Leafs fans are hockey fans, who crave good hockey almost as much as they crave the Leafs. Sometimes those cravings overlap... and when they do... real Leaf fans are in a state of euphoria.

[Sue]

I have a tear in my eye Moe. Very well written.

Hey VM - Are we using this as the comment thread for tonight? Where's my email?

VM Replies: Sue! I may put up a dedicated commenting thread around 7 tonight.
Oh my God. I am so sorry. I'm going to dig through inbox now and reply to your email. Stand by.

[Robert]

AAAHHHHHH Moe Green. Yah dun it boy! If I can get my wife to read this perhaps she will finally understand the true meaning of 'Leafs Fan'. I read with consumate delight the lingering frustration, intricately woven into your piece - and the continued expectation that some how, some way, next year will be better. That the emotional caravan of ups and downs is not part of the game, it is part of the being!
Well done. Man, Vinnie, there are some great bloggers in the nation of ours.

VM Replies: All season long, Robert, the guest posts (including yours) have been far and away the best part of this blog.

[jt]

I don't know about anyone else, but I dream of Mike Komisarek agreeing to take a $3m salary cut and Brett Lebda discovering midseason he has a vocation to the priesthood.

VM Replies: And we have an early front-runner for Comment of The Day.

[Sensi-Bill]

And you, Moe, are the passion that inspires us here. (And I'm not even a Leafs fan.)
.
Well done sir. But then, I've come to expect nothing less from you. Great job in maintaining your own high standards.
.
Cheers

[Sensi-Bill]

Didn't want add a distraction in my last post, so here goes now . . .
.
*whispers*
.
go, Sens, go.

[Sensi-Bill]

Or, as we say around here . . .
.
GO SENS, GO!!!!!!
.
*whispers*
.
Pssst. Vinay, is this candidate for Comment of the Day? (naughty grin)

VM Replies: Sadly, no. But it is a candidate for Getting Cuffed Upside The Head By Alecia.

[Boo Who?]

Moe - this is a great, great piece. I am absolutely terrified by how much of this I identify with, because it makes me feel certifiably insane. (This is, of course, news only to me.)

I will submit however, that while passion is indeed an element of obsession that patience can be as well. Is that crazier? To be completely obsessed with something, and yet willing to bide your time until you get it? All I mean is that so long as you can sense that progress is taking place, or that you're on a course toward your goal, you quell your impulses to a degree...I think I've been watching too much Dexter again.

[gettingcozywithsarkozy]

argh... thank you moe for distinguishing Toronto Maple Leafs fans from Leaf fans. Couldn't have said it better myself!

[ValleyRed]

Great post, Moe, but I must qualify that note about Tomas Kaberle; watching him get Larry Murphy'ed by Mike Brown was something that I'd seen just a little too often with Tomas, and it's not something I miss. In fact, Vinay should put together a thread titled "Things I don't miss" which would be a list of various former players and their peccadillos, to put it gently.

VM Replies: What a great idea! I think it should be a group effort.
What *don't* we miss about this team? If anybody wants in on this, send your contributions to: vmenon@thestar.ca
Please put "no regrets" in the subject line.
Thanks.

[Raina]

Some of the best hockey games that I've watched -- that I've TRULY enjoyed and been able to appreciate every nuance of the games are ones that didn't feature a team I was cheering for (Habs) or actively cheering against (Boston or Philly), so the playoffs could continue to be enjoyable, even for Leaf fans, if the 8th spot ends up being unreachable.

Plus World Hockey Championships start soon after the end of the season, then the NHL Awards June 22nd, then FA day on July 1st -- two months of going outside in the sun --and it's training camp all over again!

The circle of life.

[Michelle]

A few months ago, a gentleman that I was involved with told me in all seriousness that I need help due because of my "obsession" with the Leafs. Well, of course that was some of the proverbial writing on the wall and we're no longer seeing each other, although we remain friends. This guest blog, along with writings I have enjoyed on this site, just reassures me that I am not alone. Yes, we are a very passionate fanbase. This roller coaster ride is simply the most exciting ride I've been on, the low's notwithstanding.

I've been a fan of this team for 40 plus years, longer than almost anybody has been a part of my life. My mom, my siblings, extended family, yes, they've been along for the ride (my ride only, they're not fans). But nobody else have I cheered for, wept for, laugh about (in frustration and in joy) to the same degree (okay, I don't include my kids, that's a whole other emotion altogether...). This team is a part of the fabric of my life, a part of the person I have become. I confess, part of the best thing about being a Leaf fan is sometimes just being a part of this passionate, crazy fanbase.

[nugentmania]

So.....what are your options tonight then? (a) Cheer for the Habs, (b) cheer for the Sabres, or (c) do neither because a or b would make your head explode?

[Raina]

@nugent -- I've been known to cheer against a game instead of picking a side when I truly detest both teams playing. When Boston plays against the Flyers, I hope that the power will go out and the game will be cancelled. I don't cheer for injuries or for natural disasters (that's just wrong!) to end the game, but something that is enough to end the game (like glass breaking won't be enough) without costing anyone their lives or limbs. Power going out is perfect.

Yes, I realize the game will eventually be made up but in the meantime, it helps. The last Cup playoffs that I didn't want either team to win ended up ending in one of the most divided, hotly contested finals ever (1999 - had to choose between that traitor Hull or awful Hasek as the winner). Because of the tainted win, I'm satisfied with the outcome -- even if that means that Hull has a Cup (didn't know he was going to go to Detroit and win again), but only because his foot was totally in the crease.

[Ostrich_Lover]

I think what Moe is saying - and please correct me if I am wrong - but he is saying that to be a "real Leafs Fan" you have to be a blindly led moron who doesnt think for himself or analyze the game in any rational way?

That would explain why "real Leafs Fans" are always insulting me when I provide them with facts.

Count me out. I love the Leafs, but if you consider something in hockey akin to a death in the family or sending your kid off to war, you have lived a blessedly sheltered life.

I was glad when they traded Kaberle b/c it made sense for the franchise and frankly, he might be the most over rated player to ever don the blue and white.

I think it makes sense to trade both Macarthur and Grabovski, since if you did so at their peaks you would make room for Kadri, Coulbourne and maybe a free agent or a trade or two. On top of which, you would be selling high, because these are career years for both of these guys.

I think that Burke is doing a hell of a job and am more than happy to be patient with this team as I consider it a treat to watch the development of Schenn, Grabovski, Bozak, Phaneuf, Kessel, Riemer, Aullie et al.

It might not make me a "real Leaf Fan", but it does prove I have an I.Q over 6.

[Ostrich_Lover]

I disagree with Michelle. I think that the worst thing about being a Leaf fan is the fans. I have been a Leafs supporter my entire life and would never cheer for another team. That being said, "Leafs Nation" is filled with people who will argue to the death about all things hockey just b/c they think being a fan means they know something about hockey. Frankly, I find the whole thing preposterous and offensive. Be a fan, but try being gracious. There is nothing more annoying that hearing a Leafs fan degenerate into a hate filled rant about Montreal, since if Montreal traded their entire roster for ours, your most hated players would now be your favorites. If the Leafs dont make the playoffs, then I will be cheering for the Habs. Why? Because Carey Price is THE story of this NHL season and hes done it in the biggest -no offense Leafs nation - hockey market and pressure cooker in the league.

[ValleyRed]

/puts on Engineer's cap

/re-rails derailed thread.

Carry on. (leaves a silver bullet on a nearby table. Who was that capped man?)

[palbo]

Ah , Moe ... you and i don't always agree, but, I am obsessed with the Leafs and am OK with that. I also lose sleep on many nights contemplating what might have been and what is to come, and how to make it better.
A true leafs fan could never truly cheer for another team. Ever.
Good post. Keep the faith, but always ask for more.

[Boo Who?]

*thinks of something nice to say*

Um...Mikko Koivu is a very cool sounding name?

Komi is apparently sitting it out tonight; still nursing that groin injury. (Which I swear I had NOTHING to do with.)

GO LEAFS GO!!1!

[gettingcozywithsarkozy]

"being gracious" Ostrich, this is you in a nut-shell??!

[Sensi-Bill]

I'm not a hockey genius (tic), but since we're past the trade deadline and MacArthur's contract expires at the end of the season, wouldn't the Leafs have to resign him BEFORE they could trade him?
.
Something seems a little convoluted here.
.
But then, as I've noted, I'm not an infallible hockey genius.

[missideb]

Finally, someone who truly understands me. Great post, Moe.
Looking forward to tonight's game.
GO LEAFS GO!

[Long Time Listener]

Good post - it was sad to see Kabs go but it appears that we are presently the beneficiary of that trade, the playoffs for the B's will be the real test for Kaberle
@Raina - I agree, when my team (Leafs) are in the playoffs or a game that has playoff implications (their latest run)I am nervous and antsy and I am not really watching the hockey but am watching the Leafs. When I have no emotions invested in the game I can appreciate the quality of hockey. But don't get me wrong, I would take that nervous excitment anyday over that passive hockey watching.
I last checked my IQ and it was at 7, so not sure what Ostrich's point was.

[Geoff Read]

Good post.

An answer to one question from the blog: no you're not different - Montreal fans are pretty much the same. The only difference is our team isn't so consistently disappointing so we suffer a little less angst.

I suspect every sport has a franchise or two with followings like the Leafs and Candiens - think Inter Milan, Man U, Bayern Munich, the NY Yankees, the Dallas Cowboys, the LA Lakers, the Celtics... I could go on. Certain teams just have die hard and widespread followings because of their history in the game and so on.

[Robert]

@OL there is always someone who will throw rocks into the reflecting pool. It is unfortunate in all your self proclaimed intelligence, you can't simply enjoy something that is well written and true.
Life must have done something terribly mean to you when you were young to carry such a mean spirited attitude to everything you touch.
Moe's article is true for many of us.
Simple as that.

[Wandering Penguin]

My vote for comment of the day: "Be a fan, but try being gracious."

But only because of the incredible, blinding irony of the source.

[Michelle]

@Ostrich_Lover

With respect to your comment "I think that the worst thing about being a Leaf fan is the fans.", oddly enough, I don't disagree with this sentiment as well. Possibly not necessarily for the same reasons as I don't particularly care if other Leaf fans also cheer for other teams. Nevertheless, with a fanbase as large as this one, there are sure to be the very vocal know-it-alls that may reflect poorly on the rest. What I do enjoy about being a part of the collective group is that I have lived in many places (a very minor length of time in Ontario) and it absolutely delights me everytime I see someone wearing a hat with the TML logo on it, or a Leaf sweater or tshirt, or with a licence plate with the ML logo on it, etc. It just makes me smile. It's just nice to be apart of something so enduring.

[enJoy hockey]

Great article, Moe. Very reassuring.

GO LEAFS GO!!!

[TG77]

I will agree with the one point that OL made about Carey Price as he has/did face a ton of pressure this year given Halak's hero status after the playoff run. The trade was univerally slammed by Habs fans, Halak was feted out of town at a mall by 5,000 fans, and then Price was booed in the pre-season when he let in a few soft ones so it certainly wasn't the easiest way to start the season. He has responded and played great but the point could have been made without the IQ slam etc.

Anyway, well done Moe. A good read overall and I noticed you couldn't let a chance go by without slamming MLSE and their evil corporate motto...haha. I truly doubt the board developed the motto, they have underpaid minions in the marketing department who are shackled to their desks while the execs bathe in 1000 dollar bills waiting for the motto to be developed.

[palbo]

Brian Burke, President and General Manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, announced Monday that the hockey club has signed forward Tyler Brenner to a two-year entry level contract. Brenner will report to the American Hockey League’s Toronto Marlies for the remainder of the season.

Brenner, a 22-year-old native of Linwood, Ontario, has played the last three seasons for the NCAA’s Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers (RIT). This season the 6-2, 200-pound forward played 37 games for RIT registering 26 goals, 15 assists and 41 points along with 39 penalty minutes. He ranked first on the Tigers in goals and powerplay goals (11), and second in points.
He was named the Atlantic Hockey Association’s (AHA) player of the week for the period ending January 2 when he recorded eight points (six goals, two assists) in three games. As well, he became the fifth player in RIT history to record 100 career points when he scored a goal March 11 in the AHA Quarterfinals. In 2008-09, he was named to the AHA All-Rookie Team.

[TG77]

Oh right, I forgot: GO LEAFS GO!!!

And just so I know, is 3 exclamation points the minimum number? Sort of like in Office Space, we need a minimum number of pieces of flair?

[missideb]

Let me explain the facts to you, Sir. Everybody is entitled to their own opinions. Mature, respectful people can agree to disagree without throwing insults in a condescending manner. I suggest you put on your big boy pants and play nice.

"try and be gracious" yeah, right. Pot meet kettle

[ValleyRed]

Now, now, everyone, don't give the attention hoor his drug. Left alone, he should stumble off somewhere else to get his fix.

[Rooney]

Yo Moe, you rock 'cause that's how we roll, GO LEAFS GO!

[hoofheartz]

Count me out. I love the Leafs, but if you consider something in hockey "akin to a death in the family or sending your kid off to war," you have lived a blessedly sheltered life.

Isn't the statement I've outlined with quotation marks considered a metaphor? Shouldn't someone who aspires to one day have a PhD in English Lit know this, especially if that someone has an IQ higher than 6 as they claim?

[TPiddy]

@missideb - Where can you buy these 'big boy pants' you're mentioning? They sound comfy and I think I could use a pair :)

[TheGo2Girl]

Great post Moe. You really captured the heart and soul of the Leafs fans. I agree with all that you said watching Kaberle don the Black and Yellow was something I still can't get used too; whether he was over-rated or not, he was still very much blue and white.
I, of course, like many disagree about cheering for another team when the Leafs shut it for the season. I may make some enemies but that team would be the Habs. No other team (even fans as classless as they may be sometimes) are as equally passionate for their team as us. They are a distant second especially with the likes of Carey Price this year.

[hoofheartz]

@tPiddy, I think from the ads I've seen on TV they're called pull ups and you clearly don't require them.

PS - one word about your guest blog - BRILLIANT!

[enJoy hockey]

@hoof: I agree. I think that the expression you refer to would be a simile, but more accurately, hyperbole. Definitely metaphoric, or figurative, not literal.

[palbo]

@thego2girl - honestly- if you're a Leaf fan - you just cannot cheer for the habs - its in the genes - it is just not possible - no disrespect intended.

[hoofheartz]

@Moe - damn, I was just reading through the comments on your guest blog and realized the comment I thought I had posted earlier didn't show up. Anyway, excellent guest blog (again). You've truly captured the essence of being a leaf fan for most of us.

VM Replies: What? Comments are vanishing again today? There's nothing in the spam filter...

[hoofheartz]

VM - I won't be able to post on the game commenting thread so I'll post a couple of tunes now. I'm sure TG77 can take over the Zamboni and get everyone through to game time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwayI9VYgc8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXYl5NrHPb4

[missideb]

@tpiddy - your guest blog was a great read. I, too, am very excited about the future of our young Leafs.

As for big boy pants, don't really think you're in need of them.

GO LEAFS GO!

[hoofheartz]

Sorry VM - sometimes when I post from work stuff seems to get lost from my end. We have an unbelievable number of firewalls to go through both sending and receiving.

VM Replies: No worries! Your DJ contribution is up. TG77 can take over in the official game commenting thread, unless he's busy with his thesis and/or entertaining Ms. Boo.

[Geoff Read]

@ VM - don't worry about it. I'm sure HH just keeps mashing his keyboard with those cloven hooves of his. Either that or his many years of weeping over Leafs' losses have drenched the thing and caused a short circuit.

[TimB]

Good one Moe. I'm willing to un-shun the Habs tonight because it affects our Leafs.I came off my chair hand pumping when Nashville tied the Sabres because it affected our Leafs.As soon as our Leafs exit the scene my attention moves towards local junior action.I love my wife dearly,but she knows to make plans around our Leaf's schedule.I'm not joking about that.I don't much care for the way the NHL is going.No,I'm not an NHL fan.I am a Leafs fan and if you really want me to attend your wedding,don't schedule it on game day.
GO LEAFS GO!!!

[Lasogga]

@Nick Verbaeys
i challenge that statement!Berlin, Germany...
any other overseas leafs out there?
To the post:Best guest post so far.Spoke from the heart,especially about Kaberle...he was the last player left from the time when I lived in Toronto...

[pinot grigio]

".....but it does prove I have an I.Q over 6."
On the basis of what I have seen, you're right. I would say it hovers between 8 and 12 (that means 10 plus or minus a 2 point margin of error). To put that in perspective, that is somewhere between rapini and a turnip.

[Waiting for Godot]

Well Moe,

You have confirmed that I am insane - or just addicted. I do want my cake and eat it too. My head says patience, my heart says we need it now. I can look at objective value of certain trades and say that Kaberle trade was good for the Leafs (long term) but bad for the long-time fans. I hear people say trade MacArthur and/or Grabovski because their value is higher now. In the end though there is only one goal. Win the Cup. Preferably, every year!

To do that, prospects and potential mean absolutely nothing. We need a team that plays together. It could be veterans and rookies. I don't care as long as they complement each other and collectively give their all to the team.

The kids are playing well now. They may play better next year. That gives me hope but until this season is dead I don't care about next year. After all, last year Schenn was so bad the posters were calling for beheadings from Burke on down. Next year may be loaded with injuries. Kadri might learn to play without the puck. Gustavson may mature. Wilson may still be coach. These factors may trash the best Burke plan (he has one so I'm told).

I'm glad this blog is here to save all the money I would otherwise need in therapy!

Go Leafs (forever).

[Boo Who?]

@ VM - TG has learned the hard way that you'd better lock up your women around Ms. Boo. I am planning to steal his lovely girlfriend for a girl's night tomorrow.
(I work fast, what can I say? Being irresistible totally helps. One day my magic will work on men...one day.)

GO LEAFS GO!!1!

VM Replies: That poor bastard. He had no chance.

[TimB]

I don't think we should name any guest post as "The Best". They have all expressed different aspects of being a member of Leafs Nation.That's what VM's blog is all about.They have all been great.I'm working on mine for the fall.
GO LEAFS GO!!!

VM Replies: Yes! You definitely need to write one.

[moe green]

Hey all I have been busy all day and have to head out for an hour or so but should be back and ready during the first period. The "must-winningest" game of the season looms large in our sites and I know that the bastards are NOT GOING TO DISAPPOINT tonight! So please will in a couple of early goals (those who have psychic powers to spare) so I don't have to endure that sick "need-a-comeback" feeling when I return. Go Leafs, Go!

[Princess Mononoke]

Wow! What a fabulous post!
Great writing, and some very valid points expressed in a classy, eloquent and entertaining way.
Mr Green, your contributions to this blog have always been high-quality, and this longer glimpse at your talents was worth the wait!
(Plus, I see you are a goalie....and since I am a Quebecer and Mom to a great young goalie, this gives you insta-cred and much charm in my books!).

@hoofheartz: indeed, the quote you mention is supposed to be a playful image, not the description of a literal emotional experience (hockey being akin to a death in the family): it is a simile, but we could really look at it as hyperbole i.e. an obvious and intentional exaggeration by the writer. I think most of us understood it that way, and knew that the statement was no reflection on Moe's life or feelings for his family.

@all: don't worry about cheering for the Habs, Geoff and I will do the work on that. I cannot guarantee anything, but the decimated Habs certainly want the 2 points tonight.

The contrast between Mississauga and the South Kohala Coast is a harsh one, my friends. My tan is fading fast, but some great memories will endure.

VM Replies: Welcome back to the concrete grind, Princess. Yes, do what you can tonight to help your team.

[Simmer]

So after a day of chasing kindergarten students through grade 7's around the curriculum I decide to get my ears lowered on the way home. I find myself half dizzy in the chair feeling fickle for feeble follicle fortitude (that's alliteration to you miss princess) and a little down. So as I sit there I am also thinking about this evening's contest and how my day could end on a high with a Leaf win. So here is to hoping the day ends on that high note.

And with that GO LEAFS GO!

[Simmer]

BTW enjoyed both guest posts these last two days and have to note to TPiddy hello from the Bay!

[LaineyTML12]

@VM: where's the new thread? I don't want to sit here screaming at my old tube TV by myself while everyone else is in the big comfy chairs and watching the big screen

VM Replies: Lainey! I think we should stay here tonight in Moe's honour. Good karma.

[LaineyTML12]

@VM: great idea!
@moe & tpiddy: Both excellent guest posts, well done gentlemen!

now... GO LEAFS GO !!!

[TimB]

In Moe's honour (honor in Texas) I have hung fuzzy Leafs dice from the rear view.Alright,it has nothing to do with Moe.I just love those fuzzy dice.And maybe "dingle balls" when we head for Colorado.

VM Replies: The dingle balls would probably have something to do with Moe. Damn. I just violated my own ball-talk rule.
Okay. Let's do this. GLG.

[TimB]

Forgot.
GO LEAFS GO!!!

[ken baumgertner]

Nice Moe. You too TPiddy.

If ever there was a most important game of the season it is tonight. I hope this team is ready to play.

[Pyramid Power]

Great post Moe. Outstanding as always.

Wild have lost six straight, but they have four points more than we do in a far tougher conference. Hope the guys don't take this game lightly as they did Miami. Need help out of town and are getting it so far.

GO LEAFS GO!

VM Replies: PP in the house.

[Pyramid Power]

Win out and we finish 40-30-10. That would be great. And let the chips fall where they may re the playoffs.

Just win you magnificent bastards. Watch Havlat and Backstrom or Theo in nets.

GO LEAFS GO! GO LEAFS GO! GO LEAFS GO!

[LaineyTML12]

woo hoo!! GOOOAAALLLL!!!!!

VM Replies: Lupul! Wow, it sounds like they are playing in Toronto. Huge turnout of Leaf fans in Minnesota.

[gettingcozywithsarkozy]

ha ha, the minnesota announcers just called our goalie "jason reimer"

VM Replies: Oh, man. Well, let's hope it's another Friday the 13th kind of game for their team.

[TG77]

Yeah, thesis work all day including a 2nd stats consultation in a week. I am no fan of stats. And yes, in an unforeseen plot twist I have been pushed to the sidelines so that Ms. Boo Who and my gf can hang out and have girl time. Impressive if nothing else that within 2 meetings I have been removed from the equation!

GO LEAFS GO!!!!

[Pyramid Power]

Searching for a stream, tough to find and to my delight Lupul has scored.

Belated over the top goal celebration: YES YES YES YES YES YES YES!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!

LUPUL! AWESOME!

GO LEAFS GO!

[gettingcozywithsarkozy]

Guys, I think Nick Verbaeys is saying he is the furthest natural leaf fan, not transplant. Oh, and according the Wild, Dion's last name is Pan-oof!

VM Replies: I don't understand this. How can basic prep be ignored when you're an *announcer*? Crazy. Hilarious but crazy.

[Pyramid Power]

I would like Clayton Stoner to play for the Leafs. Something about that appeals to me.

[TG77]

And on a side note, I need a link if anyone is able to help out. The myp2p or whatever has nothing for the Leafs game. And the atdhe.me made me add this really annoying plug-in that kept asking me to take surveys for days. anyway, great to see an early goal and on the powerplay no less.

On a side, would it have killed the Sens to play their newly minted #1 goalie for the next 4 years in tonight's tilt against the Canes??? This pains me greatly...but go Sens, go Panthers, go Bruins, Go Bolts. But most importantly, GO LEAFS GO!!!!

[Pyramid Power]

Good pressure by the guys. Mac just missed one. Dead building. Love it.

VM Replies: PP, TG needs a link. What did you find?

[ken baumgartnerr]

Lupul? Wow . He needs to get hot.

VM Replies: I know we're down to the ninth last game. But what's up with the spelling of your screen name? It's been different the last two times and neither one is "Ken Baumgartner."

[Pyramid Power]

Spray Backstrom up Rosey. No problem. Just don't wake the crowd up please. A fight would probably not be a good idea right now.

Did I just write that? I am losing my nasty.

GO LEAFS GO! Let's get another one here. Am looking at you Philthy.

[TG77]

Meh, I don't need a link. I am expecting another Leafs goal in the next two to three minutes of play. Maybe a d-man. Aulie with goal #3? I should be doing work anyway. I have a class to teach in the AM! GO LEAFS GO.

[Pyramid Power]

Phanoof would be OK, but not Panoof. Wow!

TG77 Do you want the link or not?

[gettingcozywithsarkozy]

Exactly VM. You know the funny thing??! Dion played in the same division as the Wild for 5 years. You'd think there'd be some familarity.

[Tom]

Hi VM. :P

VM Replies: No flight simulation for you tonight, Tom?

[LaineyTML12]

REIMMMMMERRRRR!!!

[TG77]

I really should be doing work but yeah okay. I may as well take in the 1st period. Right?

VM Replies: First period is nearly over. You should watch until end of second. With the time difference, you'll still have many hours to work.

[Pyramid Power]

Wild announcers actually called that hit by Cullen on Lupul "clean". Unreal.

Bad giveaway. Great save by Jimmy.

[LaineyTML12]

2-2 for REIMER!!! Stone Cold Reimer!!

[Pyramid Power]

Another freakin' breakaway. Attaway Jimmy!

[LaineyTML12]

anybody know if Stan and Ollie are scratches tonight? Haven't heard either name. Oh, wait... one's on the shelf, right?

[Sue]

Ok. I am here now. Just sat down and am waiting for the 2 goals that occur in seconds after I make my appearance!

Waiting ... waiting ... hello? anytime Leafs!

Are all the Leafettes here tonight? I know my friends Boo and Lainey are? Oakville_girl?

Speak up! We need our prescence felt.

Go Leafs Go!!

Hello VM and boys as well. Don't mean to exclude anyone. Sorry.

[LaineyTML12]

nevermind... Ollie's name was just announced and Stan has a jennie problem

VM Replies: The word jennie continues to bring me nothing but joy.

[Pyramid Power]

vodkasports.com TG77 Let me know what happens for you there. My stream is perfect - so far.

Another goal before the end of the first please guys! Again, I am looking at Philthy for a dirty filthy goal.

GO LEAFS GO!

[gettingcozywithsarkozy]

ha ha PYramid, you're watching the wild feed to, eh??!

[gettingcozywithsarkozy]

whoa... late call for kadri there, but well deserved.

[ken baumgartner]

The senators Just went 3-2 to tha Canes. Sensi- Bill, will you please do something about this

[Pyramid Power]

Lots of Leafs sweaters in the crowd particularly behind our bench. Love it.

Have to say we were fortunate to come out of that period up 1-0. Thank you King James.

[Pyramid Power]

Sarkozy Are these guys homer announcers or what? Wild so to speak. lol

[LaineyTML12]

Sue! Was getting worried you weren't going to make it. So far it's just me.. Boo is out with TG77's gf on a girls' night (I don't recall Boo clearing this with any of us, especially on a game night.. right VM???). Haven't seen Oakville_girl since an earlier post. Princess was here earlier too, I'm sure all our Leafettes are here in spirit. GO LEAFS GO!!

VM Replies: I think the girls' night is tomorrow. But perhaps TG77 can confirm.

[Princess Mononoke]

Vomit scores for Buffalo, 1-0 Sabres :(

VM Replies: Uh oh. Do something, Princess. Whatever you Habettes do for good luck, do it now.

[Pyramid Power]

Sarko Think the Wings are gonna do Motown proud and win the West as in make the finals? I think and hope they will. I hope you are well btw.

ABC - Anybody But the Canucks especially now that they have Yappy Lappy a.k.a. Maxim Lapierre.

[Robert]

Well of course there are Leaf Fans at the game. Geez, ain't we everywhere?

[Pyramid Power]

Gerbe scores in Montreal. 1-0 Buffalo. Go Sabres!

VM Replies: Go Sabres? What? Am I drunk? Because I haven't had a sip of anything yet tonight.

[jp]

I love this blog I read it every day "Stone Cold Reimer" that is a keeper!! I like the "Reimer Express" great guest post MOE.

VM Replies: Great to have you in the booth this evening, jp.

[Pyramid Power]

Rangers and Panthers tied at the end of two 0-0. Some good things happening. Now get it together Ottawa. Jersey losing too 2-1 at the end of two against the Bruins.

Let us pray for help. We need it.