Ryan Riddles

The reported availability of Bobby Ryan should be of interest to 29 other clubs, not just the Maple Leafs. The kid can score, being No. 2 in the draft to Sidney Crosby has never bothered him and there's a personality there that sells in a bigger hockey market.

Do the Ducks have to move him? No, but they may want to do something soon, and looking further ahead, carrying Ryan's $5.1 million per season cap hit will make the squeeze a little tighter after next season when both Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry become unrestricted free agents. It seems doubtful Anaheim can keep all three.

But that's the longer term view. Short term, the Ducks could fire coach Randy Carlyle, which seems unlikely, or they could shuffle the deck. GM Bob Murray might be of a mind right now to try and recover some of the young assets lost to Toronto in the Francois Beauchemin deal last winter. The Ducks made the playoffs and Beauchemin played well, but now the team's lousy, he's 31 years old and both Joffrey Lupul and cherubic blueliner Jake Gardiner are playing well with the Leafs.

Murray and Brian Burke have done deals before - Anaheim moved J.S. Giguere's monster contract, the Leafs dumped Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake - and it seems some teams are comfortable doing deals with certain others. Look at all the trades Vancouver and Florida have swung in recent seasons. Burke loves Ryan, and indeed, he turned down overtures from Cliff Fletcher in his final months in Anaheim when the Silver Fox was pitching hard for Ryan.

So should the Leafs be interested now? Yes. Does it matter than Ryan's another scoring winger, not a centre? Not really. The Leafs are in the business of acquiring top six forwards as assets. The positional balance can be addressed later. Is Ryan's salary a problem? He's got three more years after this one at $5.1 million. That's hefty, but not a cap crippler for a team like the Leafs.

Which brings us to the cost, and here's the tricky part. Ryan's a 30-35 goal man, a real stylist out there, not surprising for a legendary roller hockey player. But he doesn't really have a physical component to his game, he's not an accomplished penalty killer and he's off to a so-so start this season.

You don't want to overpay, but here's a guy it's easy to get over-excited about. Obviously, a young defenceman would have to be part of a deal, and maybe that's Luke Schenn or Carl Gunnarson or Cody Franson. Nazem Kadri could be in there. Stuart Percy is a young blueliner and Leaf first round playing junior in Mississauga. Nik Kulemin might make sense, but he's having an off-year, too. With the Leafs high in the NHL standings, a 2012 first rounder could come into play.

Some combination of that group might make sense. Perhaps it's Kulemin and Franson for Ryan. Schenn and Kadri? The Leafs have assets, more than in a long time, the result of steady work by Burke and Dave Nonis over the past three years. The guessing is Anaheim would want to net a significant name, and Schenn is the one young Leaf, formerly the fifth overall in the draft, that would carry the most cache despite his ups and downs this season.

You can bet Burke will kick the tires on this one, see if Ryan really is up for grabs. He knows the young man well and believes in him, and he and Murray can do business, with the fact they're a conference apart making it a little easier for both. The guessing is the Leafs would have interest best described as "mild" to "medium," given that they've already got some offensive wingers having good seasons. But price can change desire on the NHL trade market.

 

 

 

 

The Scrap From The Past

VANCOUVER--It's the story that has taken over Grey Cup weekend, with different versions and rumours spreading like wildfire.

Here's what is known for sure; former CFL stars Joe Kapp and Angelo Mosca did engage in a real scrap at the Pro Player luncheon in downtown Vancouver on Friday afternoon, leaving onlookers stunned by the degree of animosity between the two old foes.

Mosca is 73 and walks with a cane. Kapp is also 73. But according to eyewitness reports, they went at it like they were 23 again.

Here's what happened. 

The luncheon brought about 35 former CFL players together with members of the public, and several humanitarian awards were handed out. Comedian Ron James provided a few jokes, and then he was set to host what was expected to be a fun walk-down-memory-lane conversation on the stage between Mosca and Kapp. One of the subjects, naturally, was to be the controversial 1963 Grey Cup moment when Mosca knocked Kapp's B.C. teammate, running back Willie Fleming, out of the game with a questionable hit.

Kapp brought a flower with him on to the stage as a "peace offering" and began to wave it in Mosca's face. Words were exchanged. Then Kapp shoved Mosca, who was sitting on a stool, nearly knocking the former Tiger-Cat great to the floor.

As he regained his balance, Mosca reared back and clubbed Kapp across the side of the head with his cane and onlookers began to understand that even though Mosca was a long-time pro wrestler, this altercation was neither staged nor fake.

After being struck, Kapp then hauled back and punched Mosca in the face, knocking Mosca off the stool he was on and to the ground, rolling off the stage. James bolted sometime during this time, and various CFL alumni, including executive Leo Ezerins, interceded to stop the fight.

Mosca then took the microphone and apologized for the altercation. Kapp, however, then told the crowd that Fleming was a good friend of his and owned a cat that he had named after Mosca, a feline that Kapp said he took great pleasure in taking a "kick" at every time he visited Fleming.

All in all, quite an unbelievable scene. Ezerins told the audience it was evidence of the great emotion that players invest in the CFL.

Others might suggest that boys will be boys, particularly bad boys.

Were you there? Do you have photos or comments you'd like to share with us? Send them to sports@thestar.ca.

 

 

MLSE Off the Market and the Friday Mail Bag

As it turns out, a buyer couldn't be found for MLSE.

Not at $1.5 billion or more. Not under current economic conditions.

So the nameless, faceless, championship-less mandarins of the Ontario Teachers Pension Fund, those people who have sponsored the wholly unsuccessful current era in Toronto hockey, basketball and soccer, will keep their stake in the sports conglomerate.

And nobody applauded.

The news, and a passionate-less statement, came from the Teachers this morning. No appreciative note to fans, or promises of increased efforts to win. Nothing, other than complimenting themselves on torontomapleleafs.com as "great owners." The fund calls MLSE a "very successful investment" but promised no other comment.

These suits just don't get it. Never have.

The pension fund has made lots of money owning MLSE, but despite hiring big names like Bryan Colangelo and Brian Burke, hasn't figured out ways to move its basketball and hockey properties into the elite of either the NBA and NHL. It can develop and open a good sports bar; winning games has never been something it has done well.

With more than $100 billion in assets, MLSE is but a small part of the pension fund's holdings, and Leaf fans need to understand that. Even under MLSE, the Leafs are only a part of the puzzle. In a generation, the hockey franchise has gone from being owned by a man who's sole interest was being the proprietor of the team to being owned by a corporate entity with only a passing interest in the needs of the hockey club.

And there's no end in sight. Now on to this week's mail bag;

Q: Damien, how goes it? Wondering should the Leafs continue to play .500 hockey for the next while, as in win one, lose one, do you think they will make a trade, fire Wilson, or keep the status quo?

Terry Halloran, Boissevain, Man.

A: Plan seems to be hold with the status quo. I believe Brian Burke is kicking tires everywhere, but until James Reimer returns, holding the line seems to be the game plan. And probably the right one.

Q: One of the faults of the Brian Burke regime is its poor track record with assessing and projecting its talent.

They tend to lean towards optimism (Pegging draft picks in the Kessel trade, Bozak as a No. 1 centre).  Obviously no one could have predicted James Reimer's injury, the absolute worst case. But with a second-year goalie, how many times have we seen them take a step back or completely fall off (Steve Mason)?

As a fan I hoped Reimer could continue his quality of play, I didn’t expect him to be a whole lot better or a whole lot worse.

But as a GM, you need some contingency plans, especially when a second-year goalie is your starter.

When the contingency plan is Jonas Gustavsson, given his playing and health track record, then it seems poorly thought out. (I have to wonder how much better the Monster would be if he played a full season in the AHL before joining the Leafs? The adjustment from Swedish elite league to NHL is a big deal for a goalie)

Now With James Reimer seemingly closer to returning; what are the chances he returns to form and can finish the season playing like he did last year? I don’t seem him starting an NHL game until January. (A couple more weeks healing, then conditioning in the AHL…)

Can the Monster hold the fort for another month?

Matt Ferraro, Guelph

A: That's a long intro to a short question. Gustavsson has been somewhat better, but getting massive offensive support has been a big key to that. Ben Scrivens will be the odd man out when Reimer returns. So the evidence seems to be that Gustavsson can hold the fort, particularly as long as Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul remain as hot as they have been.

Q: On Wednesday, the Leafs sat in second place (in the conference). Everyone in the playoff race (8th place and up), including Washington in 8th, can catch the Leafs because they have games in hand. This just might be a "House of Cards". The Leafs will be fighting for a playoff spot until the end of the year. What da ya think?

Andy Pizans, Longford Mills

A: Sounds like your assessment is bang on. The only change to this, in my mind, would be if Reimer returns and starts playing like an all-star. Otherwise, they'll be part of a pack grinding it out, hoping to get a playoff berth, to the end.

Q: Is it possible that MLSE will never panic about the Leafs as long as they continue to sell out the seats - boxes - condos – etc., etc.?

An unhealthy balance sheet may be the only thing that actually forces the Leafs to do something radical —- i.e.: fire Wilson -- or (God forbid)fire Burke.

Pete Geraghty, Whitby

A: Well, based on the decision of the pension fund to keep the team, it looks like an unhealthy balance sheet isn't in the cards. This has been the theory about the Leafs for years, and there's no question that it means little or nothing to ownership from a financial perspective whether the hockey club finished first or last. That said, they've hired some expensive, qualified people to run the Leafs and Raptors and otherwise stood back and watched. To some, that would be ideal ownership.

Q: Hey Damien,

Love your columns and hearing your opinions on the Fan. I was wondering if you've heard anything about the status of the improvements to NHL rinks that were shown in the pre-season and R&D camp? The curved glass at the ends of benches, the goal verification line and the thinner mesh at the top of the net. The NHL was saying during the pre-season they wanted these changes for the start of the season, but I haven't heard anything about them since. Have you heard anything about the holdup?

Cheers,

Dan Thompson, Toronto

A: All logistical. I would have thought the the verification line, in particular, would have been instituted by now. But apparently there's still bugs needed to be sorted out. The hockey world awaits.

Q: Hi Damien,

Love your column. Best substance per word ratio among hockey commentators.

My question is more of a beginning of the season question, but here goes: What is with Brian Burke and "truculence"? Every year, the Leafs miss the playoffs, and every offseason, the thing Burke always thinks is missing is the ever-elusive "truculence." As if the Leafs suffer from a dearth of 3rd-line forwards and no. 4 defencemen.

If he was bringing in Corey Perrys, Ryan Getzlafs and Milan Lucics, fine, but on a team that has (1) no reliable starting or backup goaltender, (2) no No. 1 centre, and (3) only one first-line player, his obsession with role players is kind of myopic. Role players can certainly enhance a team on the cusp, but the Leafs are not on the cusp.

Richard Blanco, New York

A: Well, it's a lot easier to get role players than stars. To me, there's no question the Leafs aren't nearly as physical (or truculent) as team as they need to be, that is, if you understand physical to be the need to be an aggressive, hitting team that pushes the play and dictates the game. Boston proved last spring how having a strong, physical club can pay off. That's the kind of team Burke would like to develop. In three years on the job, it's still a work in progress.

Q: While certainly not a Wilson fan, Damien, I do not think Burke will hang the pink slip on Wilson. Because if Reimer wasn't hurt, things would be a lot different as you know. Yes, there are other team deficiencies which the coach is responsible for but had Reimer been playing all the time, his goaltending would have covered up many of those deficiencies. Plus they have a ton of injuries to boot right now. It's kind of a tough spot for Burke because he made the terrible mistake in the offseason, not getting a proper talented backup goalie in the event Reimer got hurt. Doug McLean at the start of the season said that Leafs would go a lot farther this year PROVIDED REIMER DIDN'T GET HURT. Boy was he ever right on that one.

Paul McNamara, Midland

A: I don't think anybody believed Wilson would get fired this season unless the team got off to a horrible start. The issue has been whether, and when, he'll get an extension. Look, you cannot criticize a GM who stubbornly stands by his coach. You and I may or may not think Wilson is the right man to coach the Leafs, but you have to admit it's refreshing in this day and age to see a GM not use firing the coach as the first and easiest option when things don't go well.

Solid Evidence

Other than the breakthrough seasons both Phil Kessel and Joffrey Lupul appear to be having, this would be the first convincing piece of evidence that the Maple Leafs' strong start may not be a mirage.

Like a superb goalie, a superb power play can cover up a lot of weaknesses on just about any hockey club. And right now, at least, the Leafs have that power play, third best in the NHL according to this morning's stat sheet.

At 22.6 per cent, buoyed by a 10-for-24 run over the past seven games, the Leafs trail only Vancouver and Colorado in terms of efficiency with the man advantage. Ron Wilson's crew, with assistant Scott Gordon apparently organizing the power play unit, has scored 10 power play goals at home and nine on the road, a nice even split. 

That's obviously helped to keep the Leaf offence rolling at fifth best in the league, averaging 3.09 goals per game. 

But a power play means more than just a number. It can be a dagger in the heart of the opponent, or it can change a game, or it can force an opponent to defend less aggressively for fear of taking penalties.

It's been seemingly forever since the Leafs had this ability to strike with the man advantage. The club hasn't had a power play that ranked higher than 15th overall since Pat Quinn's last season as head coach in 2005-06 when the Leafs had the NHL's second best power play. That produced a 90 point season, two points shy of a playoff berth.

Having Kessel, the NHL's leading scorer, obviously helps, and as of this morning, Lupul, was No. 2 in the scoring race. In all, 18 of their combined 56 points have been at extra strength.

The team has improved dramatically on entering the offensive zone when armed with the man advantage, frequently using the popular technique of dropping the puck to a trailing forward or defenceman in the neutral zone on the rush. Tim Connolly has sure helped when he's been available, and John-Michael Liles (10 points on the road versus three at home) seems to be more comfortable every game with his new teammates.

You can be average, or even below average, in a number of areas and get away with it if you have one big weapon, and right now, the Leaf power play is that weapon. It's a big reason why since James Reimer was lost Oct. 22nd in Montreal, Toronto has been able to keep its head above water with a 7-7-1 mark in 15 games.

Power plays get hold and get cold, go up and down as a season progresses. But if the Leafs can stay in the NHL's top 10 in this category, it's a reason to believe.

 

 

 

The Kid Returns

PITTSBURGH -- James Neal might be the happiest person on earth now that Sidney Crosby is back.

"Every day," he sighed this morning as he observed the enormous scrum around Crosby's stall, which just happens to be next to Neal's. Eventually, he just gave up in frustration and went to stand in the hall outside the Pittsburgh Penguins dressing room.

Neal, acquired from Dallas after Crosby was removed from active duty Jan. 5 because of concussion problems, has had to live with the congestion around his stall every day for weeks now as the curious came to catch a hint from Crosby as to when he might return to the sport.

Well, tonight's the night, which means the questions and congestion may soon subside. At least until the playoffs.

"It should be a pretty amazing atmosphere," said Crosby, who did multiple media scrums this morning rather than hold a more formal press conference.

"I'm looking forward to it. I've missed it a lot. I'm pretty excited to get the chance to start here at home."

With four broadcasting outlets, including the CBC, providing a television account of the game, the New York Islanders will be the opponent and, oddly enough, Isles coach Jack Capuano has chosen tonight as the night for 21-year-old rookie goalkeeper Anders Nilsson of Sweden to get his first NHL start. The 6-foot-5 Nilsson played two periods on Saturday against Boston, but tonight will be something this youngster has never witnessed before.

"I'm not sure exactly how the emotion of the game, the emotion of the building, the emotion of team, how that will all play out," said Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma. "We'll all be excited to see how the building responds when he comes out."

Islanders centre John Tavares, who knows something about being the centre of attention, said it's important for he and his teammates not to be "overwhelmed" by the occasion.

"But hey, we don't get much time on CBC, on Hockey Night in Canada, so we're pretty excited about that," smiled Tavares.

Crosby will play on a line with wingers Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis. While there had been suggestions his minutes might be limited, that's not what Bylsma was saying today.

"He's going to want to get a lot more than 12 minutes," said Bylsma. "There's no pre-determined amount.

"He's going to have a lot of adrenalin going."

Crosby had one final meeting with his doctor on Sunday before deciding he was ready to play again. Kunitz learned of the news from his wife, Dupuis heard from his daughter and Bylsma was informed by GM Ray Shero while watching his son play at nearby Robert Morris University.

"I've just got to go out there and get in a game now," said Crosby. "That's really what it comes down to.

"I think anyone who has gone through this would be lying if they're not anxious to get those first couple of hits in, whether it's giving them or taking them. After that, things should be pretty normal.

"I just expect to be ready. I don't know at what level. But as far as what I need to do out there and creating things, I expect a lot. I've been working hard the last couple of months to make sure when I come back I'm ready.

"Do I expect to be where I was in January? Probably not. But I expect to hopefully contribute."

Crosby was leading the league with 66 points in 41 games last January when a head shot by Tampa Bay defenceman Victor Hedman just four days after another by Washington's David Steckel put him on the shelf for months.

After a setback in August, he opened camp with the Penguins on Sept. 17 and has been cleared for contact for several weeks. He said he's taken "a few" good bodychecks in practice, but hasn't faced anything like he'll face tonight in regular season action, particularly against an Islanders team that is struggling and saw games against Pittsburgh last season erupt into some ugly fireworks.

"I guess it's pretty fitting he comes back against us," smiled Isles winger Matt Moulson. "Hopefully, he'll have a little rust.

"But I'm sure he's 100 per cent, and you can't play lightly against a guy like that or you'll get exposed. We're going to play him hard."

The pre-game questions surrounding Crosby were as much about whether he'll face any heavy bodywork tonight as how close to top form he'll be.

"We're not going to be jumping at his head or elbowing him in the head or anything," said Moulson. "Hey, it's good for the game when he's back in the league. But I also don't think there's too many guys that have been feeling bad for Pittsburgh because they've been missing him."

As well as being cleared for contact, Crosby has travelled with the Pens of late to again get used to the rigours of the regular season. On Sunday night, he exchanged text messages with teammate Steve Sullivan, who missed long stretches of time in recent seasons with back problems, to discuss what to expect tonight in his first game back.

"I can relate to the fact that I know how nervous he is," said Sullivan. "I know that he played in his sleep last night. We sent each other a few texts last night and I told him I could relate to him and I wished I could tell him something but whatever I told him really wouldn't help him. As much advice as I got you have to go through it yourself.

"You know once the puck drops it's the game of hockey and it'll all come back to him."

Crosby didn't express any doubts he's ready to go.

"Everything's gone really smoothly the last little while," said Crosby. "I'm very comfortable and confident I was ready to come back.

"It's not one of those things you just wake up one day and its gone. You get a tolerance, start to get back to getting used to that stuff. That's all been really good. All that just gradually got better and better after camp started.

"Now's the easy part. Now you've just got to play. The hardest part of this is trying to get through each stage. Now just gotta go out there and do it, get ready to play like I normally would."

We've seen this kind of comeback story played out before in Pittsburgh to rave reviews. On Dec. 27, 2000, Mario Lemieux returned after a 3 1/2 year absence and scored against the Maple Leafs, notching a three-point night.

"He set the standard pretty high," said Crosby. "It's pretty hard to match that."

Crosby can now play a maximum 62 games this season, and while it's a longshot, if he can get back to top form quickly he might yet have a shot at the scoring title, with Toronto's Phil Kessel (29 points) and Philly's Claude Giroux (26 points) currently leading the pack. Back in the 1992-93 season, Lemieux managed to get into only 60 games and still managed to catch Pat LaFontaine for the Art Ross Trophy, finishing with an amazing 69 goals and 91 assists.

Lemieux has his personal battle with cancer. Could Crosby do something similar after dealing with concussion problems?

"I'm going to expect the same thing you usually do," said Kunitz. "There is no limit to what you expect from him out there."

Crosby's face, coincidentally, is on the game ticket tonight, although Bylsma dispelled any sense this was all a pre-packaged event.

"My wife gave our tickets away two days ago," he chuckled.

The Great Confusion

Wayne Gretzky has left quite a few folks rather confused.

Two days ago, he seemed quite clear, apparently confirming to Sportsnet that he had been approached by "multiple" groups about being involved in a bid for the 79 per cent stake in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment owned by the Ontario Teachers Pension Fund.

He didn't say he was interested, he didn't say he wasn't. He certainly didn't say he had agreed to anything with anybody.

But the indication was he had been contacted, specifically by the Providence Equity Group, among others.

 "Yes, I've been approached by multiple firms considering the purchase of MLSE," was the direct quote reported on Sportsnet.ca. Sportsnet's Nick Kypreos said today he got that quote and permission to attribute it to Gretzky from a member of Gretzky's inner circle, but was then subsequently told there was a miscommunication and asked that it be pulled from the Sportsnet web site.

Kypreos, however, said he remains convinced Gretzky was contacted about his possible interest.

Sportsnet's John Shannon, a longtime hockey television executive and former NHL executive, cited two other "impeccable" hockey sources confirming that Gretzky had been contacted and reported the story for Sportsnet.

"Wayne may be backtracking, but I stand by my sources and the story," Shannon said today.  "I believe in them and what they told me."

But on Friday night in an interview with Fox Sports Tonight, Gretzky told a very different story. In fact, he suggested the total opposite.

"I can tell you unequivocably I don't even know who is in the running to buy the Toronto Maple Leafs," he said. "I have not talked to anyone who has the possibility of buying the Toronto Maple Leafs."

Gretzky told the radio interviewers he was golfing on Thursday with pro golfer Rickie Fowler, "minding my own business," when his phone "started blowing up" with calls about his possible involvement with an MLSE bid. "It was news to me," he said.

He said the Leafs are an "unreal franchise" and Toronto is a "special place."

"But I don't have $1.7 billion sitting around," he joked.

When the interviewers tried to pin him down as to whether he would have interest, Gretzky responded with quips and jokes, evading the questions. He also didn't say whether his business representatives had been contacted by possible MLSE suitors. And wasn't it a little odd he could rattle off "$1.7 billion" when he has no knowledge of the sale?

So where does this leave us? Totally confused.

No media outlet has reported that Gretzky is actually buying into a group looking at purchasing MLSE. But was he contacted? One major news outlet reports yes, one reports no. Conflicting reports, and a sense that someone's playing games with semantics, here.

As always, The Great One can create news.

 

 

 

 

Wilson's Contract Extension Now Unlikely

The sizzling start of the Maple Leafs is now but a memory.

And Ron Wilson's opportunity to land a contract extension at some point during this season is almost certainly gone as well.

GM Brian Burke wanted to give Wilson an extension last spring, believing the Leaf head coach had earned it with a strong second half to the 2010-11 season. But then Burke re-considered, and ultimately decided to let Wilson go into this season with his contract set to expire next June. The thinking was if the team played well in the opening third of the season, the way would then be clear to give Wilson a new deal.

Early on, that scenario looked favorable to Wilson. But five losses in six games, including last night's 4-1 loss in Nashville, have sucked all the air out of the Leaf balloon. The same problems - inconsistent goaltending, suspect special teams, an absence of a strong team defensive concept - have again crept into the club's game.

It's possible that Wilson will turn this around. Moreover, it's not his doing that No. 1 goalie James Reimer went down with an injury, and certainly not his doing that management opted not to provide the club with an experienced backup to Reimer.

But the errors that doomed the club to defeat last night in Tennessee - is there ever a reason Luke Schenn should be pinching in a one-goal game? - were ones that have tormented this club over the years Wilson has been coaching, not just this season. This is a young club, yes, but the way the club plays night after night, a high-risk game with chances taken at the least opportune times, seems as much a question of coaching philosophy and execution as the age and experience of the players involved.

An Ottawa club that started terribly and looked over-matched by the rest of the league suddenly has the same number of wins as Wilson's Leafs. Briefly first overall not that long ago, the Leafs are for the first time now closer to ninth than first in the Eastern Conference.

None of this is reason to can Wilson, although if the current slump isn't resolved there will be calls for just that. But extending Wilson, unless the teams rips off a 10-game winning streak before Christmas, now seems impossible until after the conclusion of this season. Burke needs to evaluate his coach at the end of this season, whatever this season brings, not now or next month.

With the club still up for sale along with the rest of MLSE - Wayne Gretzky's potential involvement with one or more groups interested in bidding for the sports conglomerate certainly sparked an uproar yesterday - there should be internal reluctance to commit to anything on the management and coaching side without a very good reason to do so. Layer on to that an uncertain NHL labour situation, and given that teams prefer not to pay people they don't have to pay during a work stoppage, there's no reason to make financial commitments beyond this season until they are necessary.

Wilson has some injuries to deal with, and probably more coming out of the Nashville game. But the fine work of Dan Byslma and the Pittsburgh Penguins during the frequent absence of stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeny Malkin has taken the injury excuse out of the mix for more teams than just the Leafs.

If Wilson is ever going to convince a large element of the Leaf Nation that he is the coach this team needs to have, it needs to happen soon.

He'll just have to do it, one suspects, without any new contractual committment from the team for the forseeable future.

Now on to this week's mail bag:

Q: I went to the Vancouver/Predators playoff game 6 last spring. Believe it or not I got a phone call from one of their sales reps asking me how I enjoyed the game? We would love to have you back again. I told them I had a blast (what a fun city) and would love to come back. He kept in touch with me and emailed me their schedule when it came out. I noticed that the Leafs were there on Nov. 17, so I convinced 5 other friends of mine to go to Nashville for a long weekend and take in the Leafs/Predators game.

I was able to buy tickets directly from the team before they went on sale to the public, pick out what seats I wanted and saved money by dealing with the team directly. They offered assistance with any hotel deals that they had available to the team as well. I have never heard of this happening, of course living in Toronto this would never happen here. My ticket costs $90 for a centre ice first level ticket. WOW! Now I understand why Brett Wilson (Dragons Den) wanted to have a 5 per cent ownership of this team.

Fans were great in Nashville with a very good understanding of the game. Things will only get better in the future for that franchise! I know that the Maple Leafs don't have to go to these extremes to sell tickets, but what a great feeling it was to really feel your presence at the game was truly appreciated.  Well off to Nashville in the morning. We will still be cheering for the Leafs.

Bob Witmeyer, Oakville

A: The turnaround for the Preds since the days when Boots del Biaggio was being courted as an investor has been amazing. A lot of the credit goes to the stability established through GM David Poile and coach Barry Trotz, and on the business side, the new owners that have joined the club over the past 18 months and the new executives brought in to run the business. The Preds still have issues in such a small market, but this is a very well-run hockey club with, as you experienced Bob, a good sense of how to sell tickets in "Smash-ville" and beyond. Not surprised at all you had such a positive experience.

Q: Once again you hit the nail squarely on the head! I was on the Fan590 over a year ago complaining about the arrogance level of both Wilson and Burke. I find their condescending, self-serving communication skills disgraceful. I would have also thought that same level of arrogance level be reserved for people that have won something, anything.

Gary O'Neill, Toronto

A: Yeah, I basically agree. I think the way in which Wilson, in particular, carries himself publicly is somewhat of a self-preservation technique required by any coach with such a mediocre record in one city. He came to Toronto with a big rep and hasn't been able to make that convert into a better Leaf team. If and when the time comes that Wilson's job really is on the line, I'm not sure he'll get much support from any media people or outlets. You reap what you sow.

Q: Damien, do you think Burke has so many players unsigned in two years because he wants to sign Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry in two years when they become UFAs. I believe they will sign in Toronto because they love Burke and Perry wants to come home. Thank you

JJ Bancroft, Smiths Falls

A: No. The past few years have made it clear planning for young players to become free agents is a poor strategy because those players usually lock up long-term with their current team. Maybe it'll be different with Getzlaf and Perry, but it's worth nothing that when the Sedin twins were free agents, they didn't sign with the Leafs just because the manager who brought them to the NHL - Burke - was in Toronto.

Q: Damien: Just please read this: The Leafs are gutless. They have very little "Jam". That is why they won’t win consistently. You have danced around it in your articles but haven't said it. They have very little character. Too many "average" players like Steckel and Liles and Brown and Kulemin and Grabovski ....Gardiner, Komeserik, Gunnerson, these guys make a lot of dough and don't bring it even every other night. It reminds me of what Dave Keon said to a rookie that had just made the Leafs, "you made the team, but are you going to make the team better?”

Quinn McCabe, Ottawa

A: I think you're preaching to the choir, Quinn, and saying things that I and others have been saying for some time. So sorry, I can't credit you with seeing something the rest of us can't see. I would think even Burke must be dismayed with the lack of grit there is on his club. This is not the truculence and belligerence he promised.

Q: Hey Damien.

The Leafs are one big defensive SCREWUP but you knew that.

Pete Johnson, Calgary

A: Yes, I did. But I believed your use of CAPITAL LETTERS was fair and reasonable.

Q: Damien, after thinking about it at present, the NHL has one 30-second timeout per team to slow the game down. What about using the same time limit as a gauge when teams try the nonsense that occurred in the Philly-Tampa game the other night. If some team uses the "trap" to slow the game down, whistle the play dead and call 2-minute minor penalties to BOTH teams which would result in 4-on-4 hockey for 2 minutes or less -- much more exciting hockey and less ice time for "enforcers."

Michael Roncetti, Toronto

A: Interesting idea. But I would imagine we'll see no such measure taken until what happened in the Philly-Tampa came starts to become a regular occurance. Until then, this was a one-time, extreme situation.

Q: Sorry Mr. Cox this is not a question but just a comment. I've been reading your columns for well over a decade now. Agree many times with your points and disagree as well. But regarding the whole Penn State scandal why should student athletes be punished for huge, gross errors made by the authoritative figures of the school. This was a scandal of the criminal kind not one of athletics. Maybe all the profits that are made by the school from the football program be given to a charitable cause or something but to punish student athletes who the vast majority have a small window of opportunity to live out their dreams be shattered by a monster almost a decade ago.  Not fair.

Parmveer Singh, Quebec City

 A: Nope, not fair. But these kinds of scandals always affect the innocent in team sports. When Tulane University shut down it's basketball program because of a points-shaving scandal, that wasn't fair to the coaches or players who weren't involved. At Penn State, my belief is that this was institutional failure at its most egregious, and the only way to truly address that chronic problem would be to take a pause with the football program. Would innocent athletes be affected? Sure. Life ain't fair.

The Trade That Hasn't Helped. . .Yet

When it was announced that the Maple Leafs had swung a deal to land defenceman Cody Franson back in the summer, it seemed like not only a no-brainer, but a deal that didn't cost the Leafs anything at all. In fact, it still looks like a deal you'd make.

In exchange for taking on the $3.5 million contract of Matthew Lombardi for this year and next, the Leafs got the young, strapping Franson, a regular on the stout Nashville backline last season. Nashville received Brett Lebda, who was bought out, and Robert Slaney, now playing in the ECHL. The aim of the Preds was to move dollars, and we saw recently why that was when goalie Pekka Rinne was inked to a $49 million contract.

Those are the kinds of choices GM David Poile has to make in Nashville, and he's done very well at making them. So far, the deal with Toronto hasn't hurt the Preds, fifth in the west this season with one point less than the Leafs, who were until last week one of the hottest teams in the league.

But it hasn't help Toronto nearly as much as assistant GM David Nonis, the wheel man on this trade, believed it would. But then, it is early.

Franson will play in only his fifth game this season tonight against the Predators. He seemed like he would fit with the Leafs on the right side of the defence, with the assumption being he could beat out Mike Komisarek. Well, he hasn't, the Leafs are committed more than ever to Luke Schenn, and Dion Phaneuf gobbles up huge minutes. So the right side of the Leaf defence is spoken for.

The left side isn't in quite the same way. But what the Leafs didn't know when they swung the the deal was that Franson can't play the left side like some, but not many, right-handed shooting defencemen can. It's a weird reality that while many lefties can play the right side, few righties can play the left. In Franson's case, he couldn't make the adjustment at all, which opened up room for Jake Gardiner and has left Franson on the sidelines most of the time.

He may work his way into the lineup, or injuries might get him there. The other option is a trade, and Brian Burke showed with Kris Versteeg last season he's not afraid to acknowledge a bad fit after less than a season. The Leafs were initially focussed on getting prospects and picks for Franson if he were moved, but with goaltending suddenly a major need, that might work as well.

Lombardi, meanwhile, has been both a success story and a disappointment. He managed to get his concussion symptoms under control in time to be in the opening night lineup and he scored a shorthanded goal that night against Montreal in an inspirational effort.

Since then, he's added only one more, and is a minus-7 on the season. His speed appears not to be as explosive, and his offensive game just isn't there at all despite getting 12-15 minutes most nights. His contract, however, mandates that he gets a long, long look even though players who might be more effective in his role - Darryl Boyce - languish with the Marlies.

Again, deals take time to flush out. Even the Phil Kessel swap looks better these days as he continues to lead the league in scoring (that, of course, doesn't alter the fact the Bruins got Tyler Seguin AND won the Cup). 

Right now, of course, is when it would be very helpful for this Nashville deal to start paying some dividends. With injuries up front and four losses in their past five games, improved contributions from both the ex-Preds could make a big difference.

 

 

 

 

The Hit Heard 'Round The Crease

Milan Lucic argued it wasn't intentional.

Ryan Miller would disagree.

Lucic's bodycheck on Miller, Brendan Shanahan believes, was "nothing egregious."

Miller, sitting at home with a big headache, would disagree. Given that egregious is defined as "conspicuously bad," and that I haven't seen a goalie nailed like that in years, it's worth wondering what would be an egregious hit on an NHL goalie.

That Shanahan, the NHL's hanging judge, ultimately saw the weekend incident all Lucic's way and not Miller's is, really, the latest example of a process that began 12 years ago when Brett Hull had a toe in the crease and they counted his Stanley Cup winning goal anyway.

Against the Sabres, by the way.

Back then, that toe was controversial because all season the league had enforced a philosophy in which the blue paint was there for the goalie and the goalie only, and any interloper was to be sanctioned. It was too hard to call consistently, and too many goals that were viewed as good hockey plays were wiped out on itsy-bitsy infractions.

The Hull goal, approved that weird night in Buffalo by a phantom memo similar to last year's "hitting zone" memo that allowed Raffi Torres to skate unpunished after a head shot on Brent Seabrook, was the beginning of the end for the toe-in-the-crease philosophy.

That the crease wasn't there for only the goalies really picked up steam two seasons after the 2004-05 lockout when the league began to notice scoring was slipping again after the first season following the work stoppage included all kinds of offensive fireworks largely because of new rules and an enforcement on hooking and interference fouls. Teams adjusted defensively, and rather than do something radical (and logical) like expand the size of the nets to fit the much larger modern goalie, the NHL quietly started allowing more contact in the crease. The goalies suddenly were required to deal with a great deal more interference and body contact, often trying to play the position with enemy attackers standing in the middle of the crease.

That philosophy - such an immense departure from the toe-in-the-crease days - has hit a crescendo this season with more contact on goalies than has been seen in the history of the sport. Goalies are now seen as often without their masks as with, which is good, perhaps, for the marketing end of things if you want to get a closer look at these fellows' faces, but also an indication of how often they're being hit and hit hard.

Concussions suffered this season by two high-profile NHL goalies - Miller because he's outstanding, James Reimer because any goalie who tends goal for the Maple Leafs, good or bad, is by definition high-profile - is the result of the philosophy that goalies are not to be protected. Reimer was elbowed in the head by Brian Gionta, who was assessed only an interference penalty. The league was basically silent on that one. Lucic just hit Miller like he would any player on the ice, and while he received a minor penalty, the B's were more than rewarded for the hulking winger's decision to hit Miller when the Buffalo goalie had to leave the game.

That sets up a nice scenario next week in Buffalo when Boston's goalie, whether it's Tim Thomas or Tukka Rask, will undoubtedly get run and a brawl will ensue. The NHL doesn't mind this stuff. Sells tickets, as will that game between Washington and Pittsburgh in early December will at least partially because it will be the first between the two clubs since Arron Asham's most unfortunate mocking of a concussed Jay Beagle after a fight.

But with respect to goalies, the NHL is walking an intriguing line, here. It clearly doesn't view netminders as equivalent to football quarterbacks and thus in need of special protection. Rather, it views the ability of NHL forwards to create chaos in the blue paint as integral to the sport, although it's interesting that a decade ago under the very same Bettman administration goalies were protected in a very different way.

Coaches are again proving to be more successful at producing choking defence than creative offence, as proven vividly by the embarrassing display by the Tampa Bay Lightning last week, and the NHL undoubtedly worries that doing more to allow men to stop the puck without being battered will only further reduce scoring. Moreover, it seems to believes goalies are far more replaceable than No. 1 goalies, and maybe they have a point. Jhonas Enroth may have inadvertently demonstrated that Monday night in Montreal, and the the ups and downs of goalies in recent years has some convinced that the days of star goalies able to dominate the position for years are over.

That's another debate, however.

On Lucic, he deserved the penalty, and probably at least a fine from the NHL. He deliberately ran over Miller, and it's surprising Shanahan saw it so differently. That Lucic then essentially taunted the Sabres, saying the Bruins would never stand for such an insult to their goalie, will help produce fireworks next week that NHL.com will gleefully both promote and then feature on its website.

But in it's "war" against concussions, the league seems to have excluded goalies from the endangered list. Right now, given the Reimer and Miller incidents/injuries, you'd have to argue there's evidence that taking a run at the other guy's goalie is more than worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Almost All Good For the CFL

It was almost as if the CFL took the news of deteriorating TV ratings as a challenge.

So you want entertainment, do ya? The Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes delivered that and more Sunday afternoon in an afternoon of supersonic offence at the Big O in Montreal's east end, with the Ticats emerging with their first playoff win in a decade by a 52-44 overtime score.

Out west, the semifinal between the Calgary Stampeders and Edmonton Eskimos wasn't quite as wild, but it did come down the final minutes and contained intriguing storylines, with the Esks back in the post-season after missing last year and the Stamps, after opting to bench all-star quarterback Henry Burris for the final three weeks of the season, turning to Burris in the second half to try and mount a miracle comeback.

it didn't happen, with Edmonton pulling out a 33-19 win to advance to next weekend's western final in Vancouver against the British Columbia Lions. The Cats, meanwhile, move on to Winnipeg a.k.a. Swaggerville where the hardnosed Blue Bomber defence is unlikely to be as absolutely porous as was the injury-plagued Montreal defence.

It's been widely suggested that this is a year of parity in which any of the six playoff teams could win the Grey Cup, and Hamilton demonstrated that again on Sunday, although the Cats nearly blew the opportunity to end Montreal's two-year reign as CFL champs with a incredibly dumb time-count violation in the final seconds of fourth quarter that ultimately messed up the game-winning field goal attempt forced the game into OT tied 44-44.

Montreal quarterback Anthony Calvillo, nominated as the east's candidate for most outstanding player again this season, threw for a remarkable 513 yards in defeat, something Winnipeg's Buck Pierce undoubtedly was watching very closely.

If there was a down note on the day, it was the thousands and thousands of empty seats in both Montreal and Edmonton that even careful TV camera work couldn't hide. At the Olympic Stadium, the Als and Cats drew 33,501 fans, more than either team can fit in their usual home stadia but just over 50 per cent of the Big O's capacity. It was fairly well-established a long-time ago that the CFL just doesn't show well in these big parks when they can't fill them, something Toronto's Argonauts know all too well.

At Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium, the crowd was reported as 30,183, but again, there were huge sections of the stadium completely unoccupied by customers. It just looks bad, whether CFL commish Mark Cohon or diehand three-down fans want to admit it or not, particularly in a year where the TV numbers were down and the product was, generally speaking, fairly good but nothing to remember.

The good news for the CFL is that it will be a sellout in the last game ever to be played at Winnipeg's Canad Inns Stadium, with the Bombers set to move to new digs at the University of Manitoba next season. And in Vancouver at the beautifully renovated B.C. Place? There's no excuse for empty seats, not with the Lions red hot and hoping to beat the Esks and advance to the Grey Cup game in the very same building a week later. But we shall see.

Both the Tiger-Cats and Eskimos will go into next weekend as underdogs. The Cats finished third in the east, and Sunday's win was only their third victory away from Ivor Wynne Stadium this season. The Bombers are unlikely to play host to a shootout, so it's worth noting Kevin Glenn and the boys are 1-10 this season in games in which they scored less than 30 points.

That said, the Cats used pretty much every offensive weapon at their disposal in Montreal, shredding the Als defence in the air and on the ground. With the game on the line, Calvillo tried one last pass to running back Brandon Whittaker, who dropped the pass to end the Alouette season with a fourth consecutive loss.

We'll see whether this finally marks the end of a dominant era in Montreal football. Calvillo, at 39, can obviously still light it up, but something went south with these Als in the final month of the season, and GM Jim Popp is going to have to figure out what that was.

Edmonton survived a rollercoaster of a season, starting 5-0 then falling into a dog-fight with the rest of the pack in the west. Two touchdowns in the final four minutes of the first half against Calgary provided all the necessary offence, and you surely have to wonder why, after Drew Tate led the Stamps to three victories at the end of the season following a controversial quarterback change, that coach John Hufnagel was so quick to give Tate the yank after 30 minutes and turn to Burris again. Burris didn't have any more answers than Tate did, although the key play of the first half might have been when an untouched Tate fumbled the ball and the Eskimos returned it for a 75-yard TD.

The worst news for Edmonton is that star Canadian running back Jerome Messam went down with a knee injury in the third quarter. Messam, picked up from B.C. last June after running into disciplinary problems with Wally Buono's team, is an uncertain starter at best for the western final.