Friday Incompletions

You wake up this morning and see the Maple Leafs with 74 goals against - 12 more than any other team - and there's really nothing more to be said. The club is in a shambles, yet those in charge, like the most ardent Leaf fans, appear reluctant to acknowledge the obvious. . .Poor Jiri Tlusty. First he's victimized by a gal pal. Then he has those who insert synonyms for the male appendage into their every writing rising to his defence. Otherwise, he's mostly getting support from those who can't argue the point so simply blast everyone who differs as a rascist and a homophobe. Meanwhile the basic argument, that the Leafs need to insist on a higher standard of behavior from their best young players should they ever hope to become a winner, is totally lost. And I know dozens and dozens of quality young teenagers who wouldn't be caught like Tlusty was. Don't you dare stigmatize an entire generation by saying this is what all kids do today. . .Don't know how the Bruins will fare this season. Do know they look spectacular in their home blacks. . .Somebody was doing some awfully sharp scouting for the B's to pick up hulking yet skillful Milan Lucic with a second round pick. . .Marc Staal skated more than 23 minutes for the Rangers last night, the fifth time in seven games he's played more than 20 minutes. Suddenly, he looks like the best Staal in the NHL.

If you're a Leaf fan, it had to be frustrating Thursday night to watch Peter Schaefer, hardly an NHL power forward, back Bryan McCabe into Andrew Raycroft's lap. But then, some will simply blame that one on the rules. There's always an excuse available if you cheer for the Leafs. . .It was symbolic how the two headlines ran side-by-side; Barry Bonds indicted and baseball zooms past the $6 billion mark in revenue. That's pretty much what it was all about, right? While Bonds now takes on the feds, you have to wonder if the Mitchell report will name him at all. Congress, after all, seemed to completely ignore the slugger when it was holding hearings. . .Boy, those Yankees sure play hardball, huh? Something tells me that with the conscience of the franchise gone - Joe Torre - some messy times lie ahead. . .The Argos and Bombers go into Sunday's Eastern Final with two of the league's best known and most successful kickers in Noel Prefontaine and Troy Westwood. Yet both teams, due to a variety of circumstances, are very worried about their kicking games.

To me, Tom Higgins had a little Jimmy Carter in him. Just too nice a man to be a CFL head coach. John Hufnagel, meanwhile, is a combination of John Turner and Paul Martin. We've been hearing about this guy for so long, you wonder if he won't end up being a major disappointment. . .Nobody, it appears, wants to win the national championship of U.S. college football. Oregon last night became the fifth No. 2 team to lose to an unranked school. . .Unable to beat U.S. military academies in back-to-back outings, perhaps Notre Dame should challege the U.S. Postal Service. . .Okay, it appears I may have been completely wrong on the Boston Celtics. Apparently these three fellows really will play unselfishly together. . .With Sheldon Souray now out indefinitely - good thing noboby gets hurt in hockey fights - the Oilers are facing a terrible problem. They could finish dead last, and the Ducks own their first round pick. I'm sure Brian Burke won't make a big deal out of it. Unless Dustin Penner (three goals, 19 games) picks it up, this could turn out to be as bad as Tom Kurvers-for-Scott Niedermayer.

Sooner or later, the NHL is going to have to acknowledge that it has a scoring problem on its hands again. My bet is on later. . .The next 10 days could be huge for the Argonauts in terms of laying down a new imprint in town. . .Don't forget, it was a critical fumble by Charles Roberts that cost the Bombers dearly in a semi-final match in the dome against the Argos last year. Resourceful Chuck Winters made the strip. . .Getting Obed Cetoute in the fourth round of the '06 Canadian college draft is making somebody (Nick Volpe, perhaps?) look awfully smart. . .So far Mark Bell, bless his heart, has challenged Chris Neil and fought Milan Lucic, losing badly. I just don't think Bell's future success can possibly lie in dropping the gloves on a regular basis. . .Go figure. Andrew Raycroft can't hold two, one-goal leads against the Habs or stop Mike Komisarek (eight career goals) on a breakaway and is rewarded with the next start. It's all hindsight now, but wouldn't the Leafs look completely different as an organization right now if they had Tuukka Rask and one of Angelo Esposito, Alexei Cherepanov or some other top pick from the '07 draft on their depth chart?

Two goals from Jason Blake in 20 games and one from Darcy Tucker in 13 games, yet offence isn't really the Leaf problem. . .Worth remembering when the Leafs and Rangers hook up; the two teams have combined for one Cup in 107 NHL years. . .Early Hart Trophy candidates include Henrik Lundqvist, Vinnie Lecavalier and Henrik Zetterberg. Last year's three finalists - Sidney Crosby, Martin Brodeur and Roberto Luongo - aren't in the conversation right now. . .True story. A member of an opposing team was shocked to have a young Calgary Flame player skate up to him and request a fight in order to impress Mike Keenan, who had openly questioned the youngster's toughness. Tells you something about how the Flames are feeling about their coach these days, and something about the legitimacy of NHL fights. . . So Ricky Williams is back on the football field, again proclaiming his drug-free status and happiness to be a football player. He's confused, but harmless, I guess.

Comments

[jeff]

With all due respect Damien, what makes you think that Rask would have been a bonafid NHL goalie? So far, he is like every other young goalie, lots of promise, but little stats to back it up. Hmmm, sounds alot like Raycroft from a few years ago. Im not suggeting it was a great trade, but lets not hand Rask the Vezina just yet.

[J Detenbeck]

If it weren't for those pity points ( OT Losses) the leafs would be so deep in the basement, the season would be over now.

[dustin]

Damien, Crobsy is tied for the lead in points with Zetterberg, and you are suggesting that Crosby isn't in the 'conversation' for the Hart trophy right now? Hard to understand how that can be.

[FRT]

Lets see if I have this right. JFJ trades Rask (7-1 1.98 GAA in the AHL this season) for Raycroft...who did not make the playoffs last year...and is surely sucking this season...Then he goes out and trades a first & second round pick for a Finnish goalie anyway...who has looked less then average so far and a questionable 3rd line winger in Bell who surely can't fight! Then he empties the salary cap tank for Blake an over-rated at the end of his career winger who has scored 2 goals in 20 games Atta boy JFJ...any other magic tricks up your sleeve?

JFJ is a complete failure as a GM…most of the Leafs defense could not play Junior A Hockey…and Maurice couldn’t coach a Ringette team to victory!

By the looks of things…it will be another 41 years before we see a cup!

[Christopher Hunt]

Damien, the way you've been writing about Tlusty you'd think he'd killed someone... or at least drove drunk.

The fact stands that the kid did absolutely nothing wrong, morally or legally, and to portray his actions as having sullied the Leafs pride and tradition is unfair. Nude photos don't sully a team's reputation. 40 years of failure sully a teams reputation. Having a old, rich, white, Canadian owner resign over allowing an anti-war, African-American, Muslin Muhammad Ali to fight in the Gardens sullies a teams reputation. Everything Harold Ballard ever did sullied the teams reputation. Bags over heads, pyramid power and Tie Domi, these are the things that sully a team's reputation, not this so-called "mistake" of a nineteen year old.

You want a real Leafs disgrace? The team's roster currently sports two player who have broken the law, Mark Bell and Ian White. Where were your calls to ban Mark Bell from suiting up when he was convicted of drunk driving? Where was your outrage when Ian White was caught driving under the influence? Or again when he was caught driving with a suspended license? These are serious CRIMINAL acts that can ruin the lives of others. Does a perfectly legal act such as taking nude photos of oneself now outweigh breaking the law and endangering the lives of others? Does Tlusty really deserve to be in the minors when the likes of Bell and White are gainfully employed at the NHL level with the Leafs?

What Tlusty did he did away from the game, the same as what Bell and White did they did away from the game. The difference is that Bell and White's actions did hurt and could have killed others; Tlusty's actions hurt only your conservative sensibilities.

Had Tlusty actually done something illegal I might be inclined to agree with you. As it stands I can't.

[M. Forbes]

Poor Jiri Tlusty? Isn't he the guy you charged with disgracing a Canadian institution the other day? You know, in that column where you had Stafford Smythe spinning in his grave and compared legal action against a gossip site to bullying the victims of the MLG pedophilia ring...hard to beileve a basic point about decent human behaviour could be missed in a column like that.

[Nab]

Damien I must tell you, I so enjoy reading what you have to say and how you answer questions. Crosby may not be "being considered" according to you, but do you think all the kids all over the world who are begging Santa for a Crosby jersey this year care about that. A grade 2 kid doesn't go to school and discuss with his friends at recess time what the NHL suits are mediating over. If he doesn't ever win an individual award again, it still won't change the fact that he IS the closest thing to what Gretzky ever was. He will make Lemieux proud as his predecessor.

[M.B. Milton, Ontario]

Damien

Kurvers for Niedermayer is the reason they should clean out the current management at MLSE. The GM and coach made the deal at that time trying to save their job.

The current team can't cut it - let's make sure JFJ and co don't ruin any future trading away a #1 pick so we can finish 9th.

[Paul Batte]

I play hockey 3 times a week, and have turned down tickets so I could play rather than watch. The reason I gave that preface is this :
When people ask me why I don't cheer for the Leafs, I state "I am a hockey fan. Therefore, by definition, I can't be a Leaf fan."

I watched the Ottawa/Montreal game last weekend, and that was a joy to behold, even though my Habs lost.

Toronto will never, ever play a game to that level. That is until all Leaf fans cancel their Leafs TV and refuse to buy any memorabilia, and maybe even stay away from the ACC. Until then, MLSE will gladly take your money and give you mediocrity on the ice.

[DK]

Wow! What a negative and sarcastic article by Damien! I usually like reading your honest assessment of sports, but this article is tabloid-like and nasty.

[Adrian]

So let me get this straight...Damien Cox doesn't understand why people are making a big deal out of the New England Patriots video taping an opponent's sideline (which is quite clearly laid out in the rules as a no-no), or why people are "outraged" about the Sean Avery/Darcy Tucker scrum (even though this isn't Avery's first time stirring up trouble during the pre-game - another no-no in the rulebooks)...But when a 19-year old displays poor judgment (ok, EXTREMELY poor judgement), the Leafs should be sending him back to the Marlies or benching him - and basically making a big loud statement about the whole thing?

Stop being so ridiculous - or at least be ridiculous in proportion to other issues as well.

[Don]

To say that a 19 year old man should be held up to some standard of conduct on a club for the aforementioned " crime" is silly and idiotic. We persecute athletes for taking enhancing drugs, shooting guns outside a nightclub, drinking and driving, dog fighting, but I'm sorry, NOT a single nude photo. It's a laughable situation more than anything.
I take exception to you pushing your prudish attitudes on me. This is nudity..not a crime. People who are outraged at the statue David, bother me. This is essentially the same thing.
Don't tell me if your wife asked you to give her nude photo of yourself to look at when you were away, that you would do it..wait, then again I suppose you wouldn't would you?

[Jim Hayes]

You never fail to take shots at Leaf fans, eh Damien. Of coarse we only make up most of your readership but you probably do not care about that. By the way, Bell chalenged Avery but he knew better. Lucic is really tough. Don't worry about Bell he will prove to be more than tough enough. Also, McCabe does not make a mind boggling 7 million per year. He makes 7 this year but averages out at 5.75. That is his cap number. It's kind of important- you should know that.

[chris]

WHAT? Nothing about the new XM Satellite Radio show called NHL Hour that will be hosted by commissioner Gary Bettman? That should have been worth a few laughs and/or scorn.

[Mike Milner]

Hi Damien

Care to change your opinion after tonight's game?

They beat Ottawa, all's well in Leaf Nation.

[mimo70]

I have to agree with previous comments and say that your criticism of Tlusty is way out of line. I don't think that his actions can, in any way, be considered inappropriate. Were they not private shots, intended to stay private? If so, then he did nothing wrong. And to suggest that any current or future Leaf who takes nude pics of himself is going to keep the blue and white from being a winner is just bonkers.

Also, can you get your paper's other columnists, like Feschuk, to stop slamming Leaf fans as goof-ball optimists. Again, there actually are Leaf fans who are intelligent and quite realistic about our chances this season.

[Jimmie Hopkins]

Damien, leave Jiri Tlusty alone! The Leafs have enough problems without the local media eating their young.

[Drew]

Hey "mimo70" ... there may be some Leafs fans who are intelligent, but take a look at the entry above yours from Mike Milner ... says it all, eh!?!?! SOME fans may have intelligence, but Mr Milner is so typical of a Leafs fan, and why there is so much ridicule to go around ... sorry you get caught in the cross-fire ... and to be fair, it is almost too easy to take shots ... when we hear Leafs fans who insist that their 8 wins, 13 loss team is playing 500 hockey ... or who drive around with flags hanging from their car after a win ... indeed, all is well in Leaf Nation, Mr Milner!! The nation is just as delusional as ever!!