The Brian Burke Era

It has been five years since the Leafs last played a playoff game. That’s before the Lockout. I am sure many Leaf fans still remember that fateful last playoff game, when Jeremy Roenick scored for the Flyers in Overtime to eliminate the Leafs from the 2004 playoffs. I don’t think anyone who was watching that game knew how long it would be before the Blue and White played a best of seven series again.

Years of bad management, quick fixes, and trading picks for washed up old guys was resulted in 5 straight losing seasons with more Golf games then Hockey games being played by the Leaf players. When all this is taken into account, it is easy to understand the impatience one can have when the Leafs announce they are Re-building, and when Burke got to T.O last year, I think it is safe to say I was not the only one who had written off the upcoming season as a one in which the playoffs would elude us once more as Leaf Land was rebuilt.

If history has taught us anything about Brian Burke, it is that he is not very patient. With the last 3 teams he has been GM of he has made a big deal within his first 12 months of touchdown, And Toronto is no exception. Burke arrived in Toronto about 8 or so months ago and the team that greeted him was much different than the team that he is General Manager of today. It is well known that Burke likes to build his teams “From the back out” meaning starting with the Defense and then the Offense and this is exactly what he has done here. Of the top 6 Defensemen likely to start on Oct 1^st vs. Montreal, 3 of them – that’s 50% for all you math whizzes— were brought in by Burke. One half of the Goaltending tandem is a new Burke recruit. On offense there have not been as many changes but they have still had an impact. With the addition of Kessel, Bozak, Hanson, Orr, and Primeau, the Leafs offense has gotten more skilled and nastier. There is no doubt Burke is building this team after his own image, but at what cost?

By far Burkes biggest Acquisition was trading two first round picks and one Second round pick for Restricted Free Agent Phil Kessel. Understandably, with the Leafs Aforementioned history of trading first round picks and young prospects for old players such as Brian Leetch, and Owen Nolan, The Kessel trade ruffled more than a couple feathers as fans got flashbacks of trading picks that were eventually used to draft the likes of Roberto Luongo and Scott Neidermayer. This has caused people to question if Burke’s method of fast tracking the rebuilding process instead of growing the team the traditional way of Draft picks and Prospects is ill conceived.

I have liked just about every transaction the Burkemiester has made thus far. He has addressed the areas that needed attention (everywhere) and he has brought in a mixture of young and old, prospects and vets, skills and brute force, and I really don’t think there is informed hockey fan this side of the Ontario-Quebec border that would dispute the fact that the leafs are better now than they were at the end of last season. One trade that initially gave me pause was the Kessel deal. Initially I thought 1 first rounder was too much to pay so when I heard two first and a second I soiled myself, but the trade later grew on me, and I have learned to like it to an extent, for reasons I will not go into now as I have already written a three part saga on the Kessel trade and why I like it ( you can find it in the archives on the right).

But the real question is, if Burke had been more patient, could he have gotten someone comparable to Kessel, or even Kessel himself for less? Would we be a better team down the road if we waited one more draft to stock up on some more top notch prospects a la Nazem Kadri before we traded our first round picks away?

I think it is important to remember that with this new team, we are very unlikely to draft where we did the last two years, and thus the two first round draft picks we sent to Boston are going to be much more likely to be a Colaiacovo (drafted 17^th) then a Schenn (drafted 5^th).

It is my belief that Burke intends to recoup at least 1 first round pick or a couple of second round picks, for the simple reason that he has completely changed the scouting staff and the Leafs now boast one of the largest number of scouts of any NHL team as well as some of the most experienced. If Burke did not have plans to be drafting with meaningful draft picks, why bother retooling the scouts?

What I expect will happen is this:

Burke has now fast tracked the teams development to the point where they are likely to take a good run at making the playoffs, because of this, his bosses are happy and the fans are happy. He has also acquired all sorts of important pieces to the Stanley Cup puzzle (Kessel, Beauchemin, Komisarek, Gustavvson, etc) without losing any key personnel. He now has a glut of players both on offense and defense, and a deficiency of Draft picks for his new scouting staff. This gives him the opportunity to trade some players he sees as not necessary to the future of this franchise, I expect it will be people like Blake, Ponikarovski or Toskala, although I am not saying I want any of these players traded. I expect at the trade deadline we will see a flurry of moves which will get rid of some of the excess players, thus opening up the way for the current crop of promising youngsters i.e. Kadri, Bozak, Stahlberg, Blacker, ETC. In return we will get back some of the draft picks we lost, and hopefully we will be drafting higher than if we had just kept our own draft picks.

So in the end I believe he will still build the team through the draft, which is the proper way, but there will be and already has been be additions via different routes aswell, and this will allow us to start winning sooner, and to dust off those little Leaf flags that we put in our car windows during the playoffs.

What do you think? drop me a comment and net me know.

He is todays video, it is the winning goal of leafs vs senators game 1 in overtime of the 2001 playoffs. Make sure to notice all the leaf fans in ottawa.

Do the Leafs need a Captain?

The Centre of the Hockey Universe has been without a permanate Captain since Mats Sundin last played with the Leafs in the 07-08 season. Last season several players on the team rotated the duty, but there was no official captain. Since Sundin left, the internet Hockey forums and Blogs have been alight with chatter on who should be captain, and the recent addition of Veteran Captain candidates Mike Komisarek and Francois Beauchemin has resulted in two new frontrunners in the Captaincy sweepstakes.

Do the Leafs need a captain? and if so who should it be?

It is my belief that it is beneficial to all Hockey teams to have a permanant Captain. Having a Captain allows the team to have an Offical leader, someone who can guide the teams through the good times and the bad, someone who can montor the young players and revitalize the team after a bad loss.

A Captain should be experienced. He should be a natural leader, who has a commanding presence and is vocal in the dressing room. He should be well respected and liked by the team members, and the Coaches.

I see three people who could be potential captain : Tomas Kaberle, Francois Beauchemin and Mike Komisarek.

Kaberle is the longest serving current leaf, and is definately experienced enough to be captain. By all accounts he is well liked by all his team mates. My only issue with making Kaberle captain is his leadership qualities . What i mean is he does not seem to be a very vocal person, both Inside and outside of the dressing room, and personally I dont think this is very conducive to being the captain of a Hockey team.

This brings us to Beauchemin and Komisarek. Both are experienced veterans and both have been assistant captains on their previous teams. All indications are that they are well liked by their team mates, and appear to have good leadership qualities, but I am still hesitant to formally give my endorsement to either of them due to their recent arrival in Toronto.

I think it would be ill conceived and unfair to the other Leaf players to give someone the "C" who has yet to even play a Regular season game with the team. We have yet to see how either acts in the dressing room during the stressful Regular season, nor have we been able to see their leadership qualities during a lowpoint such a multi-game losing streak. Do they become vocal in the dressing room and offer constructive criticism or praise? or do they become reticent and ignore their teammates?.

If I was Ron Wilson at the beginning of the season I would make the three aformentioned players Assistant Captains and observe how they take up this role and utilize this new found position to energize and encourage the team. After 10 or 20 games if one player in particular stood out and excelled above the rest I would then make him Captain. But like Brain Burke said they should only be made captain if they can live up to and compare favorably to the great Leaf captains of yester-year. People like Sundin, Keon, Sittler and Hap Day, and if they cant live up to the task, Leaf Nation will be leaderless one again.

Hockey, The Soviet Union, and Capitalism Part 1

The oldest, most intense and most famous rivalry in the history of the NHL is the Toronto Maple Leafs Vs. The Montreal Canadians (do you smell something?). This rivalry has always been about more then just one city versus another, it was about the Center of English Canada against the center of French Canada. The teams represented two Nations which had been at war on and off for 600 years, and this combined to create a bitter rivalry which exists to this day and is unsurpassed by any rivalry in Hockey history. Except for one.

Canada Vs. The Soviet Union. The greatest rivalry bar none to ever take to the ice's surface. The bitterness and hate these two teams had for each other both on and off the ice stemmed from the fact that Canada and the Soviet Union were complete opposites when it came to Hockey, Politics, Economics, Social Issues, and just about everything else. This extension of the Cold War lead to the most famous series ever played by a Canadian hockey team. It was thethe pinnacle of the rivalry; the 1972 Summit Series.


When the Soviet Union first competed in Olympic Hockey in 1956 Canada won the Gold medal every year from 1920 to 1952 except for 1936 when they won Silver. That year(1956) the Soviet Union won the gold and won every other gold from then on until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 except for on two occasions when they won a Silver and a Bronze. Canada never won a Olympic Gold in any Olympic Hockey tournament that the Soviet Union competed in, in fact in 2002 they won their first gold since in 1952. One last statistic: In all international meetings between the Soviet Union and Canada, from 1954-1991, there were a total of 139 games played. The Soviet Union won 95 games to Canada's 32 games, and 12 games ended in a tie.

After the end of the Cold War and the Dissolution of the Soviet Union, the great Rivalry between two Hockey Super Powers, between two styles of play, and metaphorically between Communism and Capitalism, Thawed. This rivalry has carried over to a certain extent to the Canada Vs. Russia games, but they are not the same. The teams are no longer polar opposites, the Russians still have their own unique style of play but it is al ot more similar to Canada's then in the days of the Soviet Union. Also, There is no longer the Ideological backdrop of the Cold War to take the games to the next level.

A contributing factor to the decay of this historic rivalry is the general decrease in the overall strength of the Russian teams compared to the Soviet years. No longer can it be said that Canada and the Soviet Union are the two great Hockey Superpowers. In two of the four Olympics Russia has competed in, they have failed to win a medal in hockey twice. in the 9 Olympics the Soviet Union competed in Hockey they won 7 Golds, 1 Silver and 1 Bronze.

What is the reason for this decrease? What has caused the most winning nation in hockey history (Russia is considered a continuation of the Soviet Union by the IIHF)to not win a gold medal at the Olympics since 1988?.




Tomorrow we will delve into part two of Hockey, The Soviet Union, and Capitalism

And now i leave you with our daily clip, today it is of ballet on ice:

Toskala or Gustavvson?

The last three games of the pre-season are certain to cause at least some people to question whether Vesa Toskala is really a starting goaltender and if he should start the first game of the regular season Oct 1st vs Montreal.

Lets look at some stats:


Sept 25th 2009 Leafs @ Red wings. Leafs win 5-4

Jonas Gustavvson

Played : 20:00 min
Saved : 7 of 7
Goals Allowed :0
Save % :1.0


Vesa Toskala

Played : 45:00 (Overtime)
Saved : 29/33
Goals Allowed : 4
Save % : .878


Sept 26th 2009. Red Wings @ Leafs. Leafs win 2-1

Jonas Gustavvson

Played : 40:00
Saved : 15 of 15
Goals Allowed : 0
Save % : 1.0

Vesa Toskala

Played : 20:00 min
Saved : 6 of 7
Goals Allowed : 1
Save % : .857

Sept 27th 2009 Sabres @ Leafs. Sabres win 7 - 6

Jonas Gustavvson

Did Not Play

Vesa Toskala

Played : 60 min
Saved : 17 of 24
Goals Allowed : 7
Save % : .708



Totals:

Jonas Gustavvson

Played : 60:00 min
Saved : 22 of 22
Goals Allowed : 0
Save % : 1.0
Goals Against Average: 0


Vesa Toskala

Played : 125:00 min
Saved : 52 of 64
Goals Allowed : 12
Save % : .812
Goals Against Average: 4.0


Now that we have seen the numbers for the final three games of the Pre-Season, it is clear that Gustavvson's are much better. Over those three games Toskala had a Save Percentage of .812 and a GAA of 4.0 These are much better then last year, and if Toskala plays 60 or so games this year and puts up numbers such as these, we can kiss the playoffs goodbye. So Gustavvson should be our starting goalie. After seeing these numbers it seems like an obvious decision right?.

While listening to AM640 after the 7-6 loss tonight, most of the callers would have agreed with this statement, however, Gustavvson has played a total of 3 period vs NHL opponents facing 15 shots and even those teams were not full strength as they were trying out youngsters just like the leafs.

15 shots during the pre-season is not nearly enough to anoint a rookie goalie as starter, nor is two full Pre-Season games enough to lose Toskala the number 1 position. Toskala has had a rough 12 months, and by all accounts has worked extremely hard over the summer getting back into shape and rehabbing his injured groin, and Wilson owes him at least 1 or 2 games to show whether he has what it takes. If he doesnt, there is a 24 year old rookie Swede who would love to take his job.

So basically, We owe Toskala the benefit of the doubt that Pre-Season and Regular Season are two different ballgames, but he has to remember that the chances are limited and if he slips there will be no one there to catch him. I for one cant wait to see Gustavvson play some Regular Season games versus some real NHLers and hopefully we will have two NHL caliber goalies. We just have to give this goalie situation a few games to play itself out, and by November 1st at the latest we will know if we have 1, 2 or zero Bonafide Number 1 goalies.

What do you think? can Toskala redeem himself? is Gustavvson going to be another Pogge? let me know what you think in the comment box below.

and here is our daily video. Today we get to watch Stu Grimson go insane vs the Leafs :

Who stays and who goes?

The story of this years training camp has been the Rookies. Kadri, Stalberg, Bozak and after tonight 2-1 win over Detroit at the ACC, Jonas Gustavvson. Through 8 games of the 9 game preseason schedule, Stalberg leads the leafs with 5 goals 2 assists and 7 points in 7 games, Kadri is second with 3 goals 2 assists and 5 points in 6 games, and Bozak is third with 1 goal 4 assists and 5 points in 6 games.

So now the question remains of which of the 30+ players who haven't been cut will fill the 23 man roster when the regular season starts on Oct 1st?
Ron Wilson has stated he would like to carry 8 defensemen and 2 goalies. From this it can be deduced that 13 forwards will be chosen as well. Here are my picks:

(but remember that Kessel and Mayers are hurt. )

Forwards (in no particular order)

Blake
Stajan
Hagman
Grabovski
Kulemin
Ponikarovski
Orr
Stalberg
Primeau
Rosehill
Mitchell
Stempniak
Tlusty

Defense (in no particular order)

Kaberle
Beauchemin
Komisarek
Schenn
Exelby
Finger
Van Ryn
White



Goalies
Toskala
Gustavvson (backup)


Game 1 Lineup

Hagman-Stajan-Blake
Kulemin-Grabovski-Ponikarovski
Stalberg-Mitchell-Tlusty
Orr-Primeau-Rosehill

Extra - Stempniak


Komisarek-Kaberle
Beauchemin-Schenn
Exelby-Finger
Van Ryn-White


This might be a surprise some people and it might not, but I have chosen to keep Stalberg and Rosehill. Both have had a great training camp, Stalberg is leading the leafs in scoring and has dominated. Jay Rosehill on the other hand has come from practical obscurity and has showcased his 4th liner potential as a bruiser/fighter but can still play the game. He is strong defensively and has the ability to chip in a point once in a while which has lead to him really impressing Ron Wilson. Choosing the Aformentioned Rosehill and Stalberg leads to Stempniak going down to the Marlies thanks to his underwhelming play.Should Rosehill not preform satisfactorily he could be bumped aside when Mayers comes back from his injury. Also, Kessel is hurt and when he comes back in November someone will have to have his place taken.

On defense and in goal I went with a more conventional lineup. Finger and Van Ryn however are injured but are expected to be back before October 1st, should one need to be replaced come gameday, Gunnarsson has been exceptional thus far and would be a good replacement.

I, like other Leaf fans would like to see players like Bozak and Kadri get a chance with the big club but there is just to much of a logjam up front and just to fit in Rosehill and Stalberg, Players like Stempniak who has a 1 way contract will have to be sent down to the Marlies.



What do you think of this lineup? Do you Agree or Disagree? Post in the Comment box below and let me know.


and now I leave you with a video of the 10 best hockey goals:


P.S how nice was that save tonight by Gustavvson on the 2 man breakaway?

What is required for success this year?

For the first time in half a decade, The upcoming Maple Leaf season has fans excited. Toronto is buzzing with energy as its inhabitants get ready for what they hope is the beginning of a new era in Leaf Land. The Brian Burke era.

All facets of last years Leafs were lacking. In goal, Toskala was Public Enemy #1 for most of the season, until he handed the reigns over to Martin Gerber when he was shutdown to undergo year ending surgery. The forwards had more success as they were ranked 10th in the League for scoring, but were inconsistent at times. They were led by the likes of Blake, Ponikarovski and Grabovski, all of which had big seasons, and along with some of the younger guys like Kessel, Kulemin, Mitchell, and Tlusty will be counted on again this year. The defense was a real cause for concern last year. the 5th Overall pick in the 2008 Draft; Luke Schenn, was thrown into the Big Leagues head first, and by most accounts preformed admirably. Along with Schenn and Kubina, Kaberle headlined a defense corps that resulted in a League worst 293 goals against.

With all these shortcomings being taken into account when Brian Burke arrived in Toronto, most people-- including myself-- figured that the 09-10 season would be a write-off as he attempted to rebuild this team from the ground up. Burke did not share these feelings. He quickly got to work and now on the the eve of the first regular season game of the year, the team is barely recognizable. With a rebuilt defense that includes the new acquisitions of Beauchemin, Komisarek, and Exelby and a healthy Toskala and Rookie Gustavvson in net, Burke hopes The Leafs will be able to shave off one goal per game against from 3.57 to 2.57 . on offense Burke has turned to youngsters instead of veterans like he did for his defense. Phil Kessel was acquired from Boston for two first round picks and a second rounder and is viewed as the potential lynch-pin for Toronto's offense for years to come. The 2oo9 5th overall pick Nazem Kadri was added, along with free agents Tyler Bozak and Christian Hanson. They may not see much action this year, but along with Kessel, Grabovski, Kulemin, Tlusty and Mitchell are seen as the future core of Toronto's offense.

Some of the keys for The Leafs to be successful in reaching their goal of making the playoffs are as follows:

-Toskala must be better then last year. Now that he is healthy he has to prove he is capable of being a number 1 goalie in the NHL

-Gustavvson will probably play at least 20 games this year. This will let Toskala take a breather and if the two goaltenders don't make an effective tandem, it could be a long year.

-Beachemin, Komisarek, Schenn and Kaberle need to play a clean and physical defensive game while occasionally chipping in some points. defense and goaltending will be the keys that unlocks the door to the Playoffs.

-Schenn needs to show he deserves to be in the top 4 on a strong defensive team. Last year it was a given with the weak defense but this year there has been talk of sending him to the Marlies if he cant stay in the top 4. He needs to work on the give-aways and defensive zone coverage, but we must be patient with him as he is only 19, and looks like he will develop into the backbone of Toronto's future defense (and maybe be captain?)

- Grabovski, Ponikarovski, Hagman, and Blake need to once again put up solid numbers and all are expected to pot 20 goals at least as they lead the team offensively.

- Kulemin, Mitchel, and Tlusty need to continue their development if the growth of this team is to continue into the future. Kulemin and Mitchell should both improve on their 30 point rookie seasons while Tlusty hopes to prove he belongs in the NHL.

-Physical play is to be expected from ALL players, not just Orr, Exelby, Mayers, Komisarek ETC, if Burke is to achieve the team toughness he desires. They need to prove as a team they will not be pushed around or allow the goalies to be roughed up.

-Reduce the 293 goals against to 235 at least this would have had them around 15th in the League last year . getting down to Burke's goal of 211 undoubtedly put them in the playoffs if they manage to score at close to last years rate.

-When Kessel comes back from his injury he needs to show why Burke gave up two first round picks for him. 30 goals in 65 games would be commendable.


What do you think are keys to success for the Leafs this year? post in the comment box.

Here's a video, Enjoy:

Wayne Gretzky: A Love Story

I am sure by now you have all heard the news that The Fuhrer himself has stepped down as Coach of the Hamilton Coyotes... I mean Phoenix. All day on the hockey talk radio circuit there was talk about how much Wayne had done for Phoenix and Hockey in general. They said he was the best player in the history of Hockey(im not saying he isn't) and because of that he is infallible just like The Pope. Heck, Glen Healey even left the NHLPA because someone was badmouthing Gretzky. Is Canada's infatuation with The Great One justified? Should he be free from criticism because of his distinguished Hockey career? Well lets take a look.

CLICK PICTURE TO ENLARGE
























Clearly, these are staggering numbers. 215 Pts in one season. 92 Goals, 2,857 pts in 1,487 games, and over 50 NHL records. that's unbelievable, and likely will never be equaled. But because of these statistics, should Gretzky be free from criticism? should we look the other way when he is implicated in a gambling ring, or when he is paid 8 million dollars per year in his first coaching job and never manages to get fired because he is the Great One? what about after 4 years of being under .500 and not making the playoffs?. He was the Coach and Head of Hockey Operations of a team that last year lost approximately $30 million Dollars. $8 Million of it -- almost one third -- was Gretzky's salary. Is that Justifiable? if he really had the best interests of Hockey, the NHL, the Phoenix Coyotes and the City of Glendale wouldn't he have stepped down? Would the Phoenix Coyotes still be in the middle of a Bankruptcy battle if Gretzky had been Fired or stepped down and then a new coach came in who led the Coyotes to the playoffs?.

It has frequently been cited that Wayne Gretzky did not benefit from his tenure with Phoenix, that he was there strictly for his love of the game, and his desire to see it grow in new markets. In fact, had a vested monetary interest in the Coyotes, because not only has he been payed $32 million over the last 4 years for coaching a team into the ground, but in may 2000 he became a minority owner when he bought a 10% stake in the team. He also convinced his former agent Michael Barnett to become the General Manager and he got his brother Keith a job as the Director of Amateur Scouting. That doesnt sound like someone who was in it strictly because he loved Hockey. That doesn't sound like someone who had nothing to gain. That doesnt sound like The Great One I grew up hearing about.

Now I want to make it clear that I'm not trying to pass judgment on Wayne but I do however want to create and encourage critical thinking. I am also not trying to belittle his achievements because most people with half a brain would list Gretzky as one of the top 3 best players of all time, including me, but I think his playing career should be view separately from his Coaching/Management career. Post your opinions in the comment box below and let me know what you think.

Thanks to HockeyDB.com for the stats, and now I leave you with a video of how The Great One earned his name.

Toronto Maple Leafs 2009-10 Season Preview

With the Leafs playing their 5th game of a 9 game preseason schedule tonight (they lost 3-2 to Buffalo tonight, I thought it would be a perfect time to do a writeup of what i expect from the Maple Leafs this 2009-10 season.

Predicting the outcome of something as complicated as a hockey season or how many points a player will get in that season is not easy in the least, as evidenced by Howard Berger Predicting that in the 08-09 season, the Leafs would be last in the NHL and the Canadians would win the cup.
With that being said, i will give it my best shot.

Point Predictions:


CLICK TO ENLARGE























Gather from this what you will, I wont go into to much detail, but clearly you can see I dont think Kadri will stick in the Bigs this year, He might play a couple of regular season games but not much more then 5 or 6. When it comes to the NCAA kids (Stalberg, Bozak, Hanson), I believe they wont play full seasons but will likely finish the season with the Leafs, and manage to put up some pretty respectful numbers for rookies. I expect Kulemin, Mitchell and Tlusty all to increase their production to varying degrees, with Mitchell having the smallest increase, although I wouldn't mind being proven wrong.

Next I will put my predictions for the Eastern Conference Standings:

1) Washington 107 Pts
2) Boston 104 Pts
3) Pittsburgh 102 Pts
4) Philadelphia 99 Pts
5) New york R's 93 Pts
6) New Jersey 90 Pts
7) Montreal 90 Pts
8) Toronto 88
---------------------------
9) Carolina 85 Pts
10) Buffalo 85 Pts
11) Florida 81 Pts
12) Ottawa 80 Pts
13) Tampa Bay 77 Pts
14) Atlanta 77 Pts
15) New York I's 72 Pts

Well, these are my predictions for how the Eastern Conference will shape up. With the teams being as close togeather as they are from 6th spot to 12th spot, the margin of error is obviously very small, and because of that it the Leafs will probably end up somewhere between 6th and 10th, but hopefully in the playoffs. For the sake of those two First round picks.

I also expect Montreal to finish ahead of us (Blasphemy I know!) because even though the ompaloompas from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory could beat them up, they have quite a skilled team, and if they manage to get some Chemistry going, and Price plays well, we might have to go Bobby Clarke on them.

I expect Ottawa to continue their trend of being the most pathetic team in Ontario. While some people claim it was a coup getting rid of Healtey for Michalek and Cheechoo, because Heatley didn't want to play there (who would?) I still think their team is worse off , and thus, will finish below the Leafs and out of the playoffs.



That's it for today folks, I know leave you with a video of humorous hockey happenings. Feel free to post your predictions in the Comment box below.

Stop pretending you know more then Brian Burke, and prove it!

The game is called Trophy Hockey, and it is completely free. Iit is a game where you become the General Manager and Coach of a Hockey Team.

First you choose what Country and league you would like to compete in.

for example, Canada goes from 5.27 to 1.1. 1.1 is the highest league in Canada with the best teams and players.

then you choose which team in the league you want too be coach/gm of.

the league is set up the same as the NHL with 32 teams, 16 per conference and 4 per division. top team in each division is seeded 1,2,3,4 in the playoffs and in total 16 teams go to playoffs, 8 per conference. so it is exact same as NHL.

the season has 40 games which last about 10 weeks in total, and there is about 3games every 5 days with only 1 game on any given day.

on the days off it is a training day,m where your players are trained by the assistant coaches you hire, who have differing amounts of skill, and that means they train your players different amounts.

Your players also age, so they get drafted when they are between 17 and 20, and they play from when you draft them, if you choose to put them into your line up. when they turn 29ish, they start to lose skill points on training days instead of gain them because they are old, however, the older a player is the more experience he should have, and experience is important in this game. just like the real NHL.

You also hire Scouts, as well as Assistant Coaches. the scouts also have differing amounts of skills, and this means when you send them to scout players they can get more info per trip the higher skilled they are.

the draft is the same as the NHL so when the season is over the worst teams get the first picks.

You can also get players through trading with other human coaches, from your country or from different country's. or you can sign free agents.

Your coach also can get skills.

when you gain experience and Reputation, you go up levels, and each time you go up a level you get skill points too add too different attributes which give you all sorts of boosts to stuff like your wage negotiation skill, your defensive and offensive coaching skill, your media management skill, and many more.

There is also a page where you set your lines, your PK and PP lines, the lines Time on Ice, the style they play with, I.E defensive, very defensive, offensive, very offensive, there is a place where you choose special plays for your lines like dump and chase and crash the net. you can also choose if you want your lines to hit hard, soft, very soft or brutally hard. and you can set all of these things individually for each line, so you can tailor them too your liking,

there is about 10000000 more things in this game such as the sponsors who give you money each season, and give you bonus if you meet their challenges like making the finals etc, or there is the salary Cap, and they also want to implement farm teams. so come check it out and sign up, and the game is relatively new, so new features are added almost weekly.

you should join now, because the season is over in a couple of days and you haven't time to get used to the game for the new season. ubut dont worry the season is still on right now but you can still join and pick a team andplay.

and if you have any questions feel free too ask, also if you sign up i will add you on my list and we can trade players and stuff.

Heres the link: TROPHYHOCKEY

p.s what are your favorite FREE ONLINE GAMES? post them in the comments.

Requisite Kessel Post Part 3

In this post I will be using information from various blogs and websites, and I will mention them at the bottom of the post accordingly.

This will be the final installment of my Requisite Kessel post Trilogy. I will finish what I left off in Part 1, mainly, why the trade that brought Kessel to Leaf Land, has slowly grown on me, to the point where I no longer feel dizzy when i hear the name Taylor Hall, or the words "2010 draft".

In part one, we took a look at the 18th overall draft picks from 1998 to 2008 (18th is my prediction for where the leafs would draft this year) and I came to the conclusion that there is no combination of any two of those ten players(even if you added a second round pick) who I would accept if I was Bruins GM Peter Chiarelli. It is also interesting and important to note that Jiri Tlusty and Carlo Colaiacovo were drafted 11th and 17th overall respectively, and I think it is pretty safe to say if Burke had made an offer of: Tlusty, Colaiacovo and a first round pick, Chiarelli would have laughed at him.

What this goes to show is that drafting is by no means an exact science and when you can get a remarkably skilled 21 year old, 36 goal scorer like Kessel, for 3 risky draft picks you should jump on it. It is more likely that Boston will get non-impact players with those 3 picks then that they will get another Kessel caliber player. In fact, here is a list of Bostons recent first and second round picks draft picks:

2009 - Jordan Caron RW (25th)
2008 - Joe Colborne C (16th)
2008 - Maxim Sauve C (47th)
2007 - Zach Hamill C (8th)
2007 - Tommy Cross D (35th)
2006 - Phil Kessel C (5th)
2006 - Yuri Alexandrov D (37th)
2006 - Milan Lucic LW (50th)
2005 - Matt Lashoff D (22nd)
2005 - Petr Kalus RW (39th)
2004 - David Krejci C (63rd)
2004 - Martins Karsums RW (64th)
2003 - Mark Stuart D (21st)
2003 - Patrice Bergeron C (45th)
2003 - Masi Marjamaki LW (66th)

There is clearly some pretty decent players there, but if I were a betting man, I would take Kessel. I would then double my bet when I find out that since the 2000-2001 season there has only been 6 players other then Phil (The Thrill) Kessel to produce more then 0.5 Goals per Game before their 22nd Birthdays. These players are as follows : Ovechkin, Malkin, Staal, Kovalchuk, Thornton, and Nash. Combined, these players have: 3 Hart Trophy's 3 Rocket Richard Trophy's, 3 Art Ross Trophy's, and 2 Stanley Cup's. Thats some pretty elite company, I would trade the same two First round picks for anyone of those guys when they were 21 in a heart beat.

Last year, Kessel averaged 16:33 Minutes per game (ATOI). During those 70 games, he had to play 19:18 Minutes for every point her produced (PROD)

Below, I have a chart of some high caliber players, where we compare their ATOI (Average Time on Ice) and their PROD (Number of minutes played for each point produced) to Kessel's.


CLICK PICTURE













This is a very informative piece of information. what it shows us is that Kessel is producing at or above the rate of some of the top players in the NHL.

For instance: Last year, Rick Nash was 4 years older then Kessel, yet, Kessel required 90 seconds less to produce each point then Nash did, but Nash still go 19 points more then Kessel.

It appears one of the biggest things holding back Kessel is his Average TOI one Ice per game. at 16:33 it was the least of anyone on the chart, and as much as 5 full minutes per game less then Kovalchuk.

I could go on for hours making interesting comparisons but lets move onto something different. I found the average of all 9 players ATOI (not including Kessel) which was approx
19 minutes 46 seconds. I then calculated how many points Kessel would have had if he had played still played 70 games, and still produced one point every 19:18, but had played 19:42 per game, instead of 16:33, and I found that he would have scored 72 points instead of 60. not bad for a 21year old playing 70 games.

You may also be interested to know that the average PROD for those 9 players (again not including Kessel) is 19:40, and their average age is 25.4 so Kessel was producing 20 seconds quicker for each point then these Elite players, while being about 4 years younger (on average of course). The main thing holding back his Point Total was the amount of ice time he was getting each game, as well as the number of games he played (70). With Kessel being the undisputed number 1 forward on the leafs this year, you can bet his ATOI is going to be heading up near the 19-20 min/game mark, and his points likely reaching 70-75 if he were to play a full season (which he wont because hes hurt).

Well that's all for today folks, I didn't get to put all my reasoning for why I like this trade, but maybe another day, instead I will leave you with a video from our friends at pucku.ca.

Maybe someone should phone the Toronto Sun and tell them you have a scoop for them:








also, I stole some of the info in the beginning of the post where i talk about previous Boston drafts and the 7 people who scored at a .5 Goal Per Game pace from the good people at HockeyAnalysis.com go give em a visit.

Requisite Kessel post Part 2

"Phil Kessel is the prime reason why I thought the Thomas contract would act as an albatross around Chiarelli's neck. There remains a possibility that the dynamic winger could be on his way out of town, a victim of the Bruin's salary cap issues. Kessel owns lightning hands and feet and has the ability to maneuver at top speed, causing nightmares for NHL defenders. If they back in too deep, he unleashes a laser like wrist shot, if they get aggressive, he blows by them. Kessel enjoyed his breakout season in 2008 fueled by an 18 game point streak in which he produced 28 points (14G, 14A). He did suffer a lull in production in Jan - Feb, but a lot of that could be blamed on his bout with mononucleosis. He also rebounded from a shoulder injury, (which resulted in off season surgery) to produce 22 points over his final 19 games (including playoffs). Once he matures, the only thing holding him back from fantasy stardom is his health. If he remains in Boston, a PPG pace is realistic in 2010."

I came across this from Fantasy Sense Hockey, a really interesting and informative website for both Fantasy Hockey aficionados and just Hockey aficionados. Be sure to check it out.

Anyways, you can see here that they have a basic projection for Kessel of 52 points and 30 goals. It doesn't say however if they took into account the games Kessel will miss since he is out till' mid November. If Kessel came in here on October 1st and played 75-82 games, reaching the totals predicted, I think it is safe to say it would be a pretty disappointing season, based on the fact that Kessel is just 21, and is expected too improve his stats each year especially when increasing your salary from a entry level contract of about 800k (plus bonuses) all the way to $5.25 Million. That being said, I dont think we will be able to fairly evaluate if the trade was a good one until at least the end of the 2010-2011 season (the season after the upcoming one) because Kessel is coming off a pretty serious injury, he is playing without the likes of Savard and Krejci; his setup men, and he is making a transition to a new team that all the sudden places such immense pressures on him at such a young age, unlike in Boston, where he was still relied upon, but he was not seen as he is here: to lead us to the promise land of the Stanley Cup Finals.

When the trade was announced, Burke said at the press conference "we see the 36 goals, not as a peak, but a platform to build on". If Kessel comes back sometime in November and reaches or exceeds his totals of last year (36 goals, 24 assists, 60 points) he would be well on his way to meeting those expectations, and hopefully proving the naysayers wrong.

Requisite Kessel Post Part 1

You would be hard pressed to find a single Blog, nay, a single publication, in Leaf Land, which did not have at least one story/post about the now much talked about Kessel trade.

well your gonna have too keep on lookin'

When I first heard about the flubbed deal between Chiarelli and Saint Burke, I thought it insane, the asking price of Kaberle and our 7th pick which turned out too be Nazem Kadri.

My first impression was that Kessel for one first rounder would be over paying, and then there was reports of a first and second rounder, and once again I though my eyes were deceiving me.

About 3 days before the trade was actually made, I first came the oft cited reports from ESPN for two first rounders and a second and i was 100% certain it was either an error, or completly untrue. Maybe they meant a first and two seconds?

I was watching the Leafs play the Pittsburgh Penguins on my computer on a free Leafs TV preview, when I first heard the trade had been made for two first and a second, and that Burke would hold a news conference after the game. My immediate reaction was Disgust. Visions of Luongo and Niedermayer danced in my head like sugar-plums. not a creature was stirring not even a mouse!

After the Burkes conference, I will still pissed, because i thought he should have Offer Sheeted him, and have given a First, Second, and Third, instead of two Firsts and a Second.

I went to listen too Andy Frost on AM 640, (1800-267-2001 Alarm Force. Alarm Force is listed on the TSX) and he had some callers who had the very same thoughts as me, but he also had some callers who made me begin too think differently about the trade.

I also came across some blogs over the next two or three days, which also helped my thinking change, and the trade has been slowly growing on me ever since.

My reasoning is as such:

The leafs without kessel, were already a vastly improved team over last year, they easily have a top ten defense core, if not top 5.

The offense , has had additions like Bozak, Stalberg and Hanson, but they also have rookies and sophomores who are expected too have big seasons, such as Grabovski, Kulemin, Tlusty, Mitchell, Etc.

The Goaltending is probably the most important factor in this years success, with a hopefully healthy Toskala, and the reincarnation of Jesus in Gustavsson, there is potential for a grate improvement, although, when you have the worst goaltending in the league, there is really only one direction too go. not too mention Gustavsson has publicly stated his intention to try and steal the starting position from Toskala, and I am sure the competition will be healthy between them.

When you take all this into account, plus the new training regime that has the Leafs in much improved fitness (they are using the same guy who created Lance Armstrong's training regimen)
you have a team that is destined too at least get 9th in the Conference, but more realistically, 7th or 8th. Remember though, this is without Kessel. Now that Kessel has landed, this improves the much maligned forward corps dramatically, and if everything was the same as this Year, the Leafs finishing in 9th spot, would have them drafting at about 18th overall, and the year after that, likely higher, with Burke at the helm, and all the young guns from this year beginning to enter the NHL.

Carlo Colaiacovo was drafted 17th overall in 2001 and Jiri Tlusty was taken 11th overall in 2006.

These are the 18th picks from 1998 to 2008

1998:Dimitri Kalinin
1999:Konstantin Koltsov
2000:Brooks Orpik
2001:Jens Karlsson
2002:Denis Grebeshkov
2003:Eric Fehr
2004:Kyle Chipchura
2005:Ryan Parent
2006:Chris Stewart
2007:Ian Cole
2008:Chet Pickard

There isnt a single player who I would trade for Phil Kessel,I do however realize that there is still another Second rounder in the same year and then a First the year after,However, if all goes according to plan the Leafs would do even better, maybe drafting 22nd-25th and we get into lower and lower caliber players.

it is also interesting too note that Kessel was taken 5th overall in 2006 and only one player (Jordan Staal) has played more games then him who is from the same draft year. and even if you go back to the 2005 draft, which is the year previous, only 2 players(Sidney Crosby and Anze Kopitar) have played more games then Kessel, and they have an extra year on him. That's pretty elite company.

This post is getting too long, and I didn't really get too fully explain why I am starting too like this trade, I will post Part two either tomorrow or the day after, and will get into some concrete numbers and examples probably, and i will borrow some pages from other blogs where they did some number crunching of their own and try and bring it all together.

In the future I will try to keep the posts shorter, as well as work on my grammar and punctuation, but it is late, and I was never good in English class.

-Alex N

Welcome

Hey everyone!

My name is Alex, and this is TrucuLeafs, the newest inhabitant of the Barilkosphere.

TrucuLeafs consists of Alex N and Peter B, the Dynamic Duo of online blogging.

Alex's parents were both microbiologists, and while on expedition in the Canadian Arctic, they became stranded on Baffin island for 11 months, and as it turns out, Alex was both conceived and born there. You can imagine the surprise when an science expeditions airplane went down with 7 people aboard, but came home with 8.

Alex, that little colicky baby who was born among the snow, was named after the legendary explorer shackleton's famous dog who single-handedly took down a caribou and dragged it back too camp, thereby saving its masters life, who was slowly starving too death, after running out of food.


Peter-the better half of the Dynamic Duo-by comparison, has lived a more humble existence.
Born in NewYork in 1969, he was drawn too hockey at a young age, and due too his habit of surrounding himself with shady characters, convicts, and others considered the scum of society, it was natural that he became a Montreal Canadians fan.

Later in life, Peter got his act togeather, he got rid of the bad influences, got a job, found religion, and most importantly, repented, for breaking the commandment of "Thou shall not covet shitty teams" , and ever since he has been a born again Leafs fan.

in 1993, Peter became acquainted with Steve Stavro--the Former owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs-- when he was working as a stable boy and unbeknownst too him, Mr. Stavro was coming by too look at some horses he was concidering buying. Being the die hard Leafs fan Peter was, he recognized Stavro right away, and within 10 minutes, Peters comedic genius won Stavro over and they quickly hit it off. eventually, Stavro got peter a job as a Equiptment consultant at the Air Canada Centre, and he continued there until Stavro parted with the leafs in 2003. During his time there, Peter got too know a number of people in the upper echelon of the Maple Leafs, and this relationship continues today, and thanks too it, there will be rumor updates on TrucuLeafs.

Our plan here at TrucuLeafs, is to bring a new and unique view to the Barilkosphere, and Chronicle our Beloved leafs return to Glory, with at minimum 3 posts per week, and eventually get upto one post per day.

GO LEAFS GO

-Alex and Peter