Thursday Mail Bag

AP FILE PHOTO

The light went on last night for Tusty - five times.

Patience, people.

If Jiri Tlusty’s five-goal game for the Marlies Thursday Wednesday night teaches us anything, its to not be too hasty in judgment on young hockey players hoping to one day become Maple Leafs.

Tlusty made a fool of himself with his web antics last year and hasn’t blown the doors off anyone as a professional, but then suddenly he had one of those nights that make you think that eventually, he’s going to get it.

“At some point, it’s like the light just goes on,” said Ron Wilson recently, not referring to any Leaf prospect in particular.

Same goes for Justin Pogge. To me, the way in which the Leafs have gone about trying to develop this young goaltender has been intelligent and exemplary, with the exception of sitting him down for almost the entire AHL playoffs last spring.

Whether Pogge makes it as a No. 1 NHL goalie now is almost beside the point. The idea is to bring him along slowly and hope he gradually finds his game and learns from his mistakes. It’s incredible how many want to make snap judgments on whether he can play or not, applying very different standards to his play than would be applied to a forward or defenceman.

Give the likes of Tlusty and Pogge time. After all, it’s not like the Leafs are going anywhere fast right now.

One final note. It continues to blow my mind that some insist Mats Sundin “owed” the Leafs the chance to trade him last winter and get draft picks and prospects for him.

Here’s what he owed the Leafs.

He owed them a willingness to play hard under the terms of his contract, to play through injuries, to provide solid leadership, to put points on the board and to set an example for young players. His job was to fulfill his playing contract, period.

To wallow in these ill-conceived, illogical past grievances against the player who was the team’s best for more than a decade is to demean not only him, but the franchise and the sport.

Now on to this week’s mail bag:

Q: It's interesting that GM Bob Gainey is the one dictating Alex Kovalev's sit-down for a few games. Doesn't that indicate the coach's lack of authority ? If this happened in Toronto, wouldn't the scribes and talk-heads be criticizing Brian Burke for meddling in the coach's realm? Me thinks so. Gainey's nice guy image and personal suffering seems to buy him sanctity. N'est pas?

Carlos Harvoski, Peterborough

A: All I can tell you is that if Burke did something similar with, say, Nik Antropov, the point on which I might criticize him would not be for usurping the responsibilities of the coach. The coach’s job is to take the players given to him by management and deploy them as best as possible. Gainey was perfectly within his job description to send Kovalev home. If he was to dictate ice time and linemates, that would be a different story.

Q: Hi Damien,

My comment/questions are specific to tennis but related to all sports in that it has to do with drug testing. First my question: would you agree that the current system of testing in all sports is not designed to identify positive tests but to allow the respective leagues to say that they have a system in place to test and that "their athletes are the cleanest (hockey for instance)"?

Second, my comment: I was surprised to hear your comments agreeing with Serena Williams in denouncing the new testing proposal in tennis. I would argue that your point of tennis not having a history of "steroids problems" is more a function of effectiveness of the testing system and even less about the evolution of the modern game. When I look at tennis, and I love the sport, I can't help but see trends that raise the suspicion: the players are bigger, faster and hit the ball harder than ever. The current dominant players on the men and women's tour happen to also be the most physically developed and arguably the hardest hitting - Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal. They also happen to be the two players who have spoken out against the new proposed drug testing. I will grant that it does seem rather onerous, however, is it not strange that Federer is willing to comply and the aforementioned have been very vocal against the testing? Maybe tennis is in a denial stage like baseball was in during the home run derbys (ie steroids don't help with hitting home runs) and the current stage the NHL is in with hockey being the cleanest of sports. We all know how this has played out with baseball.

I guess my concern is that perhaps we are ignoring some of the very same, even though more subtle, signs in tennis that has led us to where baseball is mired in today and when I hear athletes denouncing testing for being intrusive it raises a bit of an eyebrow.

Your thoughts?

Tony Boss, Toronto

A: Interesting points. I’m not sure I would agree that the styles of modern tennis on their own make me suspicious about drug use. Believe me, I’ve seen plenty of 10-year-olds who can knock the bejeezus out of the ball, something that has more to do with technique and racquet technology than size and strength. I’m not sure Williams and Nadal are saying no to drug-testing, just the plan that would have them forced to make themselves available one hour for every day of the year. That seems a bit over-the-top, to me.

Is tennis in denial? Maybe. I would agree that some sports, certainly the NHL, are all about trying to portray their athletes as clean rather than catching drug cheats. Tennis is not the force on the pro sports landscape it once was and has had to deal with, among other problems, allegations of match-fixing. Part of the effort to sell the game, I think, is convincing the public that the athletes are clean and the matches are on the up-and-up. But like hockey and other sports, tennis is facing the difficult question of how much drug testing is enough, and what damage can be done to a sport when drug cheats are found.

Q: Hi Damien,

I I have a question about doping. Not in light of the A Rod scandal, but the story from a few months back about the death of Rangers' prospect Alexei Cherepanov. After his death, tests revealed he had been doping for some months. I'm surprised this didn't unleash a series of "this must be more common than anyone realizes" columns in the press.

I remember hearing Bobby Orr preferred not to work out too much as it limited his movement, but the game has changed. What do you think? Do steroids have hockey benefits for someone who isn't say, John Kordic? Is this going on more than we know in the NHL?

Robert Breen, London, Ont.

A: I think it's pretty clear steroids could benefit hockey players enormously, although you’ll hear nonsense about NHLers not needing muscle but quick reactions and such. I have absolutely no evidence, however, to suggest that steroids are prevalent in the NHL or hockey in general. I know of one prominent former NHLer who tried them briefly, then abandoned the notion. I would guess more are dabbling in performance enhancing drugs than are being caught, particularly given the league’s absence of off-season testing. But other than the cases of Jose Theodore and Sean Hill, there’s little hard evidence.

Q: Hi Damien,

With the deadline looming and much talk about the departures; Antropov, Kubina, Kaberle, Blake, Toskala, Pony. Where do you think Matt Stajan fits in moving forward? Does he stay with the team under Burke?

Thanks,

Stuart Smith, Calgary

A: At this point, I don’t see Stajan as a long term fit for Burke’s “top six” in terms of skill and point production, and he would have to add a lot of sandpaper to his game to fit in Burke’s definition of a “bottom six” forward. So right now, Stajan doesn’t appear likely to fit the Leafs’ long term plans.

Q: Hi Damien,

The Leafs have sent Jeremy Williams down to the minors again. Can you please tell me why they get rid of a guy with 7 pts in 11 games? Everything I've heard in regards to Williams from Ron Wilson has been negative.

Also, what's your take on Kyle Wellwood? Why has his game dried up?

Jerry Francis, Brampton

A: With regards to Williams, 29 other teams had a shot at him on waivers last week and passed, so I’m guessing those clubs shared the Leafs’ opinion of him. The kid can score, but there’s a lot more to it than just that in the NHL these days. Look at his numbers over the course of his pro career – blips and streaks here and there, but no prolonged period of sustained production. He’ll get another shot with the Leafs, I’d guess, but it won’t last long if he doesn’t do all the things other than scoring that they’re asking him to do.

On Wellwood, I watched him the other night against Calgary. He’s taking a regular shift and getting power play time, and he was robbed by Miikka Kiprusoff on an incredible third period save. He’s a skillful player, but like Williams, not one who is going to be necessarily consistent over time or as effective when the games tighten up.

Q: Hi Damien,

I don't understand all the details of players being on waivers. Specifically, it appears the Leafs can call up Justin Pogge from the Marlies -- and send him back -- at will with no reference to anyone, while other players must clear waivers before being allowed to report to the big club or be sent back to the farm team. What am I missing?

Richard Avery, North York

A: It has to do with the status of their contracts. Without getting into a zillion specifics, the waiver rights of each and every NHL player depends on their contractual situations, and in some cases, on the number of times they’ve been recalled and demoted within a single season. Basically, not every NHLer is equal when it comes to waiver rights.

Q: This may be even more important as the trade deadline approaches but also because he's been playing reasonably well in the past two months but what CBA characteristics are in play with Jason Blake? As a 35-year-old, does his buy-out potential go up, down or stay the same? Further, does this enhance or curtail his trade value? I ask because there are provisions in the CBA that address the signing of free agents 35 and over in that the contract could count fully against the salary cap no matter what happens but buyouts may also be cheaper. Overall it's fair to say that Blake is on one of the wackiest contracts in the entire NHL but it's hard to figure whether his age, recent, decent play and even his medical situation has any telling effect on what will happen.

Peter Robinson, Toronto

A: Well, he signed his contract before the age of 35, so those provisions of which you spoke don’t apply. In terms of buyouts, he’s your basic two-thirds type. As I’ve said before, I don’t think he contract, now that he’s producing again after one terrible season, is nearly as awful as some make it out to be. It’s certainly not untradeable. He’ll make $4.5 million next year, then $3 million in each of the two seasons after that. His cap number is $4 million. If he’s a genuine 30-goal man, those are not “wacky” contract numbers.

Q; How long do you think the Oil will hold on to Craig MacTavish in Edmonton? I know it's been the old boys club there for years, but I think it's time to pass the torch. Maybe it's time for Kevin Lowe to move on as well. He brought in Sheldon Souray and Lubomir Visnovsky to start fresh this year with a new defensive core. What's happened? A 10-2 loss to Buffalo, 8-3 to Detroit. … I'm sure there are teams out there who'd love to have one if not both for power plays come playoff time. I'm not sure what their motive was, losing Jason Smith (one of, if not the best shot blocker in the NHL) and gaining Souray (booming shot, wouldn't block one if Angelica Bridges face was on the puck). I think they were hoping for run and gun hockey like they had in the 80's and what they got is "Let's chase around our own zone and hope we get the puck out."

B. Bigelow, St. John's

A: Well, it seems pretty clear MacTavish will finish the season. I think the Oilers created some unrealistic expectations by making it to the Stanley Cup final against Carolina a few years ago, a sense that happy days were back again in Edmonton. Now, they are a team with a lot of young players that is in the thick of the playoff fight, which is what I would have expected them to be. They’ve been faced with an offensive shortfall in recent seasons, which is why they’ve tried to goose the attack with additions like Souray, Visnovski, Dustin Penner and Erik Cole. It hasn’t worked that effectively. In terms of where they go from here, Steve Tambellini has taken over many of the GM duties from Lowe, and I would guess MacTavish won’t be back if the Oilers miss the playoffs this spring.

Every Thursday, Damien Cox answers your questions in The Spin, only at thestar.com.

Click here to submit a question.
**Note: please follow the link above to send a question to Damien. Questions posted in the comments section may not make it to the mailbag. Thanks.**

Comments

[Peter]

i have to say i don't know much about this guy, but why don't the Leafs give a good hard look to Tim Stapleton? looks like he's having a pretty good season with the Marlies but the Leafs never called him up yet...

[robguy]

Totally agree with your Mat's statement - I have always asked to no avail which example Leaf Fans point to with regards to mats and what he should have done to "help' the franchise.
While we are at it, the fans who are booing should consider the following; MLSE is smarter than everyone thinks. Clearly, many Leaf fans cannot handle a rebuilding situation. Aiming for 8th every year appeases these fans with false hope. Oddly, they boo Pogge, but never boo the many guys with no skills over the years who had hands of stone when receiving a pass or doing anything with the puck. but since they could drop their gloves, they get a pass.

[Gary]

The good thing about Tlusty is it's not just one game where he got 5 goals, he has been dominant for about a month now in the AHL.
Considering he didn't get his first goal until 9 games in, I think it's safe to say the time with the Marlies has been good for his development.
Time to send Kulemin down there as well so he can prove he deserves a spot on the roster.

[Pete vh]

Re tennis and steroids, Tony Boss:
Interestingly, this question appears to have been answered by the next questioner; "Bobby Orr preferred not to work out too much as it limited his movement". Tennis, at the professional level is all about movement. The players in this day and age are all lightning quick in order to run down as many balls as possible. With the possible exception of Rafael Nadal, all the top men's players have relatively slight builds (the former world #1, Roger Federer is a perfect example of that). This facilitates movement. The extra muscle (and accompanying weight) would be as much a hindrance as a help in this situation for most players. Yes I do remember Peter Korda but he had an exceptionally slight build, so it probably helped in his case.

[Al]

Who do you think Burke is trying to get by trade dead line if anyone. It is no doubt he will be extremely busy in the offseason. Do you think Frogren fit the Leafs plans for next year?

[Conn Smythe]

'On Wellwood, I watched him the other night against Calgary. He’s taking a regular shift and getting power play time, and he was robbed by Miikka Kiprusoff on an incredible third period save.'

Hmm, you can be on the 4th line and be getting a regular shift (somewhere he has spent some time on this year) - you've completely glossed over his fall from grace and the fact that he's been scratched a few times - but felt it necessary to rip Fletcher for not receiving anything of value for him and even ignoring Gillis sending him down to the minors.

Wellwood's a marginal player that has some offensive upside - that's it.

[kenny]

Thank you for the final note on Sundin. It's not the first time you've said it, and it probably won't be the last. I'm quite tired of how often the delusional "he screwed us over" argument comes up. I'd like to think it's just a vocal, blog-commenting minority, but I fear there are many Leaf fans out there who feel this way. And using Saturday's game as a litmus test is pointless, since it's debatable whether half the people at the ACC are actual fans anyway.

[2nd Guess]

I couldn't agree with you more re Mats Sundin. It's obvious a great number of knucklehead Leaf fans have always looked for reasons to dislike him -- from being traded for their beloved Wendel Clark to being Swedish.

Their favourite gripes leave me breathless:

1) Being a traitor for refusing to waive a no-trade clause -- and then leaving. Where in the contract did it say the clause should only be exercised at the team's convenience? (And why does Leafs management get a free pass for including said clause in the deal?) And after 13 exemplary seasons in Toronto, do you blame a 37-year-old for finally realizing he was in a dead-end situation?

2) He was an overpaid mercenary. At $9 million per season, Sundin probably WAS grossly overpaid. But did any of the Leaf Nation geniuses grouse about Tie Domi getting $2-plus mil per?

3) He was a lousy captain. Sure, much better to put the C on a 6-goal scorer who goes into corners, drops the gloves and grunts sporadic hostilities at media -- rather than your annual leading scorer who eloquently shows up for comment every day, in good times and bad.

[Geoff Read]

Damien and Kenny have it right Leafs' fans: Mats Sundin was classy all of the time, good most of the time, and great some of the time. He was clearly the Leafs' best player for over a decade, and Toronto fans should be thankful he skated for so long in the blue and white. Show some class Leafs' fans and cheer the man tonight.

[Leafs14]

With respect to the potential of steroids in tennis ... didn't John McEnroe (who was the ultimate finesse player, notwithstanding his serve and volley game) admit to using steroids, or was that just an accusation of his ex-wife? Also, you implied above that Jose Theordore was "caught cheating?" He was found to be using Propecia, which is a medically prescribed hair growing drug (with absolutely no performance enhancing issues other than the dating scene). It is used as a "masking agent," I've read, but in Theodore's case I think the context and circumstances proved it was 100% vanity, nothing to do with his on ice performance. I thought it was a tad unfair to include his name in the context of "testing positive" in terms of willful cheating.

[Peter]

i think Sundin was getting something like $5.5M last year. that was a pretty goot value for money. i don't think he was overpaid for a minute.

[Jake]

The hate that some fans have for Sundin is almost comparable to Vince Carter. The difference is Sundin didn't do anything near what Carter did. Carter dogged for the Raptors, whined, complained and demanded a trade. Sundin was everything you could ask for from a hockey player. The fact Toronto, that prides itself on having the best and most passionate fans can't even show some respect to one of their best in franchise history, is a disgrace. If Sundin gets booed outta the building, you Toronto fans would be just terrible and don't deserve to get any stars to play for you guys.

[Steve]

Fans can boo whoever they want, when they want, for whatever reason they want. This is the one area in which they have control. The fans decide who the heroes are (usually point getters, but sometimes others) and who the 'bums' are (usually the under-performers or the disrespecting athlete).

Like it or not, many Leaf fans feel Sundin falls into the latter category, despite his numbers - isn't that the beauty of it all? You simply can't just put up numbers. The intangibles are where it's at here.

He was never a good leader or captain. Toronto loves their warrior captains and he never was. It took him probably 8 or 9 years to be accepted and even then, reluctantly. He wasn't good with the media - always depressingly boring.

Other than the occasional meaningful goal, what really is there to cheer here? Thank him for pulling us through 14 mostly dreadful years (or blame him?). That's a little much for $70 million. A draft pick WOULD have been nice.

[nugentmania]

I'm certainly not a Brian Burke fan, but I agree with his breakdown of offensive (top 6) and sandpaper (bottom 6) forwards. Stajan and Williams fit neither.

[gthomson]

Sundin did not screw anyone over. He used his clause as he saw fit, and definitely for honorable reasons. I have no ill will against him, but I still think a 'hockey first' kind of guy would have scoped the situation and played a few games elsewhere. That's the key to me, its not 'why' but 'why not'? A lot of lower salaried specialized folks do things because it benefits their employer more than them - that's just being a good employee.

I disagree with Steve in some respects - letting Toronto fans argue the 'intangibles' is what has us here now (how Domi wasn't booed every time he got on the ice boggles my mind .. oh, it was the 'intangibles') .. Sundin put up the numbers, was a good captain by all accounts, wasn't surely, and was the absolute model of consistency, the likes of which no Toronto fan had seen in decades. Yet it still seems strange to me that he didn't opt to be traded to another team last year. He must have known it was coming, why not do it when you can pay back a little more to your team? It's almost like that decision of his conflicts with how I perceived him.

[Mr Wood]

Fletcher blew it when he discussed Sundin's future in the media.

Sure Sundin would have been devasted last year when he was asked to move on. Yet I also feel he would have helped the Leafs somehow get a return in the off season if Fletcher hadn't polraized the issue in public.

Imagine coming home and your wife has put a sign on the front lawn that says "I'm looking for a younger man. I've asked my husband to leave but he won't."

You're not exactly going to buy her roses.

Boo the management. Sundin never quibbled publicly about contract terms or the mamnagemnt or his fellow players. He gave the Leafs leadership and class until his last game in the blue & white.

[Rob Frost]

Pogge's development last year was hindered severely by Greg Gilbert with the Marlies. When they made the playoffs last year, he decided to go with Scott Clemmensen (who has taken off with NJ) instead of playing Pogge despite the fact that they had similar numbers during the regular season. Gilbert seemed to forget that the Marlies are supposed to be a developmental team for the Leafs. Therefore, Pogge should have played every game. The experience would have been huge at this point in Pogge's development. As far as I am concerned, Fletcher should have told Gilbert to play him. Fletcher then should have fired Gilbert at the end of playoffs when he didnt (except for a few games). I am not guaranteeing that Pogge would have got them any further but the bottom line is, the experience would have great for Pogge, win or lose. Ultimately, that is what the Marlies and the AHL are there for.

[Pete]

How embarassing that some of our so-called fans trash Sundin now. You want someone to blame? How about years of mis-management? Sundin signed a no-trade clause in his contract because he wanted to stay here. He was loyal through a lot of lean years, never criticized the powers that be who would not or could not put a decent team around him. He just kept going out and played, gave his honest effort every night, and did the best with what linemates he had. Then his decade-plus of loyalty was rewarded by the team trying to renege on the contract they gave him. Even then he still wanted to stay, until sometime late last year when he finally woke up and realized the Leafs did not love him like he loved the Leafs. For me, thank you Mats Sundin for years of great memories, and all the best!

[Hairless Fosdick]

Ha, had almost forgotten the name "Petr Korda!" Never imagined I'd see him mentioned in this spot. Who's next, Michael Stich??
Johnny Mac admitted in his bio that he tried party drugs back at the turn of the 70s/80s, not 'roids. Totally different. It was part of the lifestyle of the rich and famous back then.
Theodore used that hair product likely because of alopecia areata, a condition I have that leaves me with embarrassing bald patches on my scalp, which results in me keeping my hair longer than I normally would, so as to cover up, or "combover," the bald spots. One of the creams my dermatologist prescribed contained some type of corticosteroid, so I was not surprised when I heard Theo's doctor explaining it.