Long before there were blogs or twitter there was a daily email list for Toronto Maple Leaf fans in which the author, Steve Kee used to, from time to time call upon Leafs management to “throw a bomb” in to the room. Well sports fans, that is exactly what Brian Burke did today. He undid many of the errors of regimes past. Burke blew up the Toronto Maple Leafs. The question that remains is if he blew em up real good?

It was a good old fashioned hockey trade though wasn’t it? I mean it’s the type of trade that we used to try to make when I was in fantasy leagues. Hell, it’s the type of proposals you sometimes see on message boards on hfboards.com. It was a good old fashioned hockey trade.

The best part of the trade, to me at least is that none of the experts, and I do mean NONE had this anywhere on their radar. Eklund, Garrioch, Berger, Kypreos, Dreger….not a word anywhere. Yes, some believed that Dion Phaneuf could be moved NO ONE had him coming here.

I know I say this time and again, but the hell with a business plan, but man was it fun following this on twitter today!!! Seriously, Dreger, Arthur, Kevin Allen, Mckenzie, Brady (all the awesome hockey bloggers) were on this with all us fans chirping in. It was good old fashioned fun. It was why we love sports. It was amzing to watch it unfold on twitter. Minutes after the press release went out about a press conference, twitter came to life. Everyone seemed to think JSG was the deal given the Ducks recent goalie signing. Then boom! Dreger tweets that something huge is going on. What seemed like hours later he tweeted again that Dion was a Maple Leaf. It was almost electric on Twitter. Everyone started chiming in with shock and awe. After the presser the rumours continued to grow on the Blake deal. Burke said the second deal would bring cap relief. How could the buds be adding JSG and getting cap relief. The OC register posted a story that the deal was Blake, Toskala for JSG and a 1st rounder. Sheer elation hit twitter. It wasn’t until just before the presser to announce the deal that Greg Brady was first to tweet that there was no pick involved. Seconds later Burke announced the second deal.

Back to the lack of noise. We heard that J.S. Giguere could get bought out or dealt here, but it hasn’t been on anyone’s radar of late. Think about all the “insiders” out there, and not a single one caught word of this. It’s a HUGE deal, 7 players and no one had any sense of it. AMAZING. Blake? untradeable. Toskala? untradeable. Bam- both gone. For those who acquired the Maple Leaf players, one has to think that Aristotle had it wrong when he wrote about The whole being more than the sum of its parts.

So, without further ado- here is what has been said around the globe so far on the trades:

First- some noteable quotes from those involved:

“We are in buying and selling mode,” said Burke. “Our goal at the start of the season is to make the playoffs. I know people are going to think there’s an issue here as far as my sanity. It’s still our goal.

“We have some guys who are in rental modes as far as our contracts. We’re listening on those guys. We’re looking to add as well.

“I think this deal takes some offence out of our lineup. That’s the next question, who replaces that offence?”

It’s kind of funny when you think about it. Come on now, raise your hand if you thought the Maple Leafs roster as assembled could ever land anything close to Phaneuf without dealing Kaberle or Kessel? Seriously the collection of spare parts on the Leafs in our minds had next to no value. Everyone was saying that with the exception of Kaberle, Burke would be lucky to get a 2nd round pick for any of them if he could dump them. Talk about turning nothing into something. So, the question is, what now can he do with those left who he has deemed expandable?

““Watching (Tyler) Bozak play, I’m confident he can get the job done,” said coach Ron Wilson. “We’ll bring up Marlies, but I haven’t been fair with Wallin in getting him ice time, but he’ll get some now. John Mitchell has a chance to focus on playing better without looking over his shoulder.

“I didn’t calculate how many goals we’ve lost. We’ll have to find ways to manufacture offence, but I’m confident when you give ice time to people, you can never calculate how much offence they’ll make up, but they’ll have opportunities and they’ll score on some.

“But with one fell swoop, we made ourselves the youngest team in the league. We’re not looking back, we’re looking forward now.”

Ahhh yes, HOPE. The one thing we Leafs fans haven’t had since the day Burke arrived. There wasn’t anything positive happening with this team lately and there didn’t appear to be anything on the horizon either. Younger is a good start.

“What I love about (Giguere) is, I’ve never had a goalie that worked this hard. This guy tries to stop every shot in practice,” said Burke. “He takes every scoring chance in practise as a personal challenge. Works like a dog. His technique is sound. He’s a battler. This is a guy who won a Conn Smythe in a losing battle (in 2003, when the Devils beat the Ducks for the Cup), and that doesn’t happen very often.”

This was, it appeared, Burke’s biggest problem with Toskala. It wasn’t necessarily the brutal play during games as much as it was his “preperation methods”. Burke clearly likes guys who work hard and try hard. JFJ’s goalie is gone. Toskala came in with huge expectations and he never lived up to them. When he was at his absolute best he should have been dealt.

“We want a battle in the net. Successful teams have a goaltending controversy all the time,” said Burke. “We want the guys battling for ice time. We want the guys where Ron has a tough decision: Who’s starting tonight?

“Successful teams have battles for ice time, battles for special teams. We’re trying to develop that. There’s got to be contests for jobs, contests for playing time. We haven’t had this here. We’ve had a sense of entitlement. We want to create tension where there’s enough talent level on the roster where the coach has a decision to make.”

I think that is correct. The problem is that neither of his current goalies have shown much to get excited about lately. Will that change? Let’s hope so.

““When you talk about Dion, when you talk about what you need in return, a big part was making sure you could get somebody who could handle the even strength minutes and fit in with the rest of the group,” Sutter said. “You had to get the defenceman back who could play those even-strength minutes and play that side of the ice, the right side. The next part was getting one or two forward that could play in the top nine, and clearly Stajan and Hagman can do that.”

The Ian White story is quite amazing. Going from a healthy scratch last season for how many games, to a key part of a deal for a guy like Dion is remarkable. As for Hagman, he is the only Fletcher move that has proven to have paid out what was expected. I think the biggest problem for the Leafs was that they had role players who had to play bigger roles on this team. Guys were expected to be 1st liners who are clearly 2nd or 3rd liners at best. They may very well excel in their new homes when less is expected of them.

“If the second deal happens, it’s manageable,” he said after the Phaneuf trade was announced. “Right now it’s like a new pair of underwear, it’s uncomfortably tight.”

Burke’s best line of the day, before the 2nd deal was announced, talking about the Maple Leafs Salary Cap situation.

Damien Cox:

“That it did tells you something about the way players are perceived and valued differently in different markets. See, most people see Phaneuf and his enormous salary and Hollywood girlfriend and colorful on-ice persona and think superstar. That White has more points than Phaneuf and a similar plus-minus on a much worse club would come as a surprise to many. So would the fact that in deals with Calgary to get Phaneuf and with Anaheim to get goalie J.S. Giguere, the Leafs gave up 57 goals and received only 11 in return. Still, both the deal with the Flames and the one with the Ducks share one component. The other club is taking most of the risk. If Giguere can’t play anymore – unlikely – the Leafs have added a big salary for next season, but dumping both Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake is a victory regardless of the return. At worst Giguere can mentor Jonas Gustavsson, a job Toskala didn’t exactly embrace. With the Phaneuf trade, Calgary added depth in the four Leafs acquired and may be a better team for the transaction.”

I think Damien is spot on. Everyone thought that either the current roster was worthless or unmoveable. Think about it, how can Burke lose on this deal. This team sucked, are they going to be any worse? Wilson and Burke saw things we would never see. They knew which parts were critical (probably few) and which were expendable. There were 2 guys who they probably would rather not have lost, Hagman and White. The rest of the group?????? PLEASE. In every trade there are players you don’t want to give up.

Calgary Sun:

“Ian White is highly under-rated.

Niklas Hagman gives the Flames another proven sniper.

Matt Stajan has setup skills, and Jamal Mayers packs a punch.

But none of these guys make the Flames more fearsome. ”

Perspective is a wonderful thing isn’t it? I think if I were a flames fan today I would be thinking what the hell!! Dion was a stud- having a tough time and this is all we got for him??

“Don’t get me wrong, the Flames win this seven-player deal hands-down — at least based on the expected short-term results — but there’s more to it than points and the prevention of goals.

The very reason Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke wanted to add Phaneuf to his roster is that YouTube aggression that made the former Flames defenceman such a big hit in his rookie season and garnered him a Norris Trophy runner-up position in his second year in the NHL. ”

Hands down? Hmmmmm. As a Leafs fan one has to wonder if the author has seen these guys play lately. Does this mean if the Flames make the playoffs then the Flames win it? What if they crap the bed and lose to Vancouver 5-3 after being up 3-0? It will be some time before we can say something like winner hands down…

“The upside with the addition of Mayers, Hagman and White is they play tough. They should have no trouble fitting in with the Flames and the image they want to project to opponents.”

They play tough? Come on man. The Leafs haven’t played tough all year! There are a lot of things you can say about the guys who got traded, with the exception of Mayers who apparently was tough one day, none have played tough lately.

“Based on the old adage of the team which receives the best player wins a trade, the Flames are losers. But it will take time to prove that theory.

A long time.

Phaneuf has shown he can be a major factor in games — albeit some times for both teams — and has yet to tap all his potential. Not known is exactly how much potential exists and whether he’ll make use of it all.

Could he be the next Chris Pronger? Maybe.

He could also be the next Wade Redden.

That possibility is a major reason Sutter pulled the trigger on a blockbuster. As was the emergence of Mark Giordano.”

I think these comments are fair. The problem in the NHL is that defencemen take longer to mature. Hell how many of us at various points have wanted Burke to throw Schenn out the window? You have to have patience with these guys. It says here that Sutter didn’t think he had the ability to wait. Darren Dreger is now reporting os a huge deal between the Flames and the Rangers- “Jokinen to the Rangers for Kotalik and Higgins” so this trade was obviously a precursor to something else.

Eric Duhatschek:

“Your first thought, upon hearing the news that the Calgary Flames traded Dion Phaneuf to the Toronto Maple Leafs in a blockbuster seven-player trade, was probably the same as mine: When did Flames general manager Darryl Sutter start channeling one of his greatly unlamented predecessors, Doug Risebrough?”

How many times was this reference made today? Seriously, and I don’t think anyone is saying that Phaneuf is the next Gilmour. Given the parties involved it just was too hard to believe what we were hearing.

“Still, the operative point about Phaneuf is that he was a Calder trophy contender, was a Norris trophy contender and theoretically could be that again. Who, among the players coming Calgary’s way, fits that bill?”

That’s just it. As Leaf observers it just doesn’t seem possible does it?

“Typically, any team that acquires a core player without giving up a comparable asset in return wins the deal hands down. Score this one heavily in Brian Burke’s favour – and when the J.S. Giguere deal is complete, something that was discussed as long ago as last summer, that’ll be a win as well.”

I am not comfortable saying it’s a slamdunk win, I just can’t view it as anything less than a non-lose. It’s a lot like the Gilmour deal.

“But this isn’t enough for a core asset, not nearly enough – and cannot be explained away as simply a move to shed $6.5-million (U.S.) worth of Phaneuf’s annual salary. On some levels, it looks like a panic move, borne out of desperation for a quick fix.

In the end, that Sutter would give up on Phaneuf at this comparatively early stage in his career is probably the most surprising part of the deal. That he couldn’t get more for him in return is probably the most disappointing. ”

Trying to be an unbiased observer, that is exactly what I thought when I heard the details on the deal. What does Sutter know that no one else does? Is Dion a bigger dog than anyone thinks? It just doesn’t seem right.

David Shoalts:

“By the time the Giguere trade was completed, Burke’s cap situation was actually better than it was at the start of the day. He shipped out a total of $14.93-million in salaries for this season and took on $13.25-million. That represents a saving of $1.68-million over the rest of this season. ”

And now we know why teams have cap guru’s – watching and listening to the numbers today was quite amazing. James Mirtle has a great snapshot look at the number$ involved in the trade here

“Burke said the trades, in addition to improving the Leafs defence and vastly improving the goaltending, were aimed at shaking up a country-club atmosphere on the team that persisted despite a lot of off-season shuffling.

“We have had a sense of entitlement here and we’re trying to change that,” Burke said. “Today is an important part of changing that.”

And now we know whom Wilson and Burke seemed to think were a part of that country club attitude. The old guard had to leave before the new mandate could be carried through.

Bruce Arthur:

“But that staircase remains stranded somewhere on the horizon, and in the meantime the Leafs had become a dead ritual of a team without a first-round pick. They were, in a word, pointless.”

Exactly- who the hell wanted to watch, as Brady and Watters said the other day there was NO reason to go to a game. The team sucked, they had no draft picks, the kids really weren’t playing all that much. There were more jersey’s in the stands for former Maple Leafs than current. It wasn’t a very good situation at all.

“And then Sunday, the dynamite. Goodbye, Ian White and Niklas Hagman and Matt Stajan and Jamal Mayers. And goodbye to Blake and Toskala, who might have been the two least tradable guys on the roster. Burke shipped out older guys, spare parts, replaceable pieces, toxic assets. Sure, White was having a whale of a season, but he’s not headed for a Norris Trophy anytime soon

Ah yes, Steve Kee’s proverbial bomb. Has ever a more accurate statement been written about the guys Burke dealt? Seriously. Older guys, spare parts, replaceable pieces and toxic assets! EXACTLY- it’s bang on, dead on and just purely brilliant.

“in the space of an hour, the Leafs GM changed the narrative of the entire season. Burke had spent much of the season reduced to a bystander; you saw him in the reaction shots during games, and in the occasional televised rant to the media. But he seemed neutered by the NHL’s cap system, like almost everybody else.”

I have wondered for months why the NHL teams even had GM’s. None of them have done ANYTHING since the beginning of the summer. We had heard lots of talk- but seen no action. There was no proof of life.

“But whether Burke has swung and missed or not, at least he’s taking a swing. This is the guy Leafs fans were thrilled to get; this is the guy who isn’t afraid to try, and isn’t afraid to fail. This is Brian Burke.”

Let me answer that one in the words of the immortal Hedo Turkoglu “BALLS”- Brian Burke has them. “BALLS” Brian Burke, unlike many of his GM breathern threw caution into the wind and pulled the trigger on 2 large deals. For that we should all be thankful. At least he was willing to take a chance.

“After being moved, Blake stood in a hallway in the Air Canada Centre and seemed visibly relieved.

“This is where it all is,” Blake said. “It’s not easy playing here. It’s a great organization, great fans, but there’s a lot of pressure. And it can get to you.

“Am I surprised? Yeah. Very. I never saw it coming. But I think it’s a good thing.”

A good thing? It’s a GREAT thing. Blake is another guy who never had a shot here. I hope he goes to Anaheim and lights it up. I hope he becomes the man. Most of all I hope he remains healthy for the rest of his life. Having said that, I am so glad that he is gone. The fact that we got something back for him is quite remarkable.

Bob McKenzie:

“If you subscribe to the theory that the team that gets the best player wins the trade, it’s pretty obvious who won the seven-player blockbuster deal between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames.

That would, of course, be… the Flames — because right here, right now — the best player in that group of seven is none other than Ian White.”

The numbers don’t lie. Statistically White is the leader. Again, you have to give it to the guy, he has worked his butt off.

“Calgary had to make this deal, and could make this transaction, for a number of reasons…..The Flames simply could not maintain status quo because their mix simply wasn’t right. They had to work too hard to score goals and had no choice but to change things up. This new mix will give them a better shot at generating goals.”

It’s always good to get that perspective. It’s just hard for me as a Leafs fan to see how this group helps them (Aside from the ability to make the deal they did tonight).

“Those who watch Phaneuf regularly say he continues to struggle in terms of being able to play the game without the puck. And that when the Flames leaned on Phaneuf to be better defensively, he bristled at the notion that he needed to change his game. Some might say it’s an ego issue, that Dion is happy being Dion and with how he plays and doesn’t like being told otherwise. Others would say he’s simply not good at that defensive aspect of the game and what you see is what you get. Others think in a less stringent defensive environment, where his strengths as an offensive defenceman and huge physical presence will be accepted and accentuated as is, that he will flourish and make the necessary adjustments to play a more complete game.”

It’s a gamble for sure. However, don’t ya think it’s one worth taking especially given the price paid?

“The other aspect of today’s blockbuster wheeling and dealing by Burke is that the Leaf GM is affecting a culture shock on his moribund hockey team, and that’s never a bad thing.

If nothing else, Burke and Calgary GM Darryl Sutter have provided us all a reminder of what it used to be like in the NHL, taking us back to the good, old days when managers weren’t afraid or restricted from taking a high dive into the deep end of an icy pool.”

Exactly, it was a really fun day today to listen and watch as this unfolded. These are things we traditionally only see once a year.

Darren Dreger:

“The Maple Leafs-Ducks deal is, temporarily, a win-win for both teams. But on the long term, the Toronto Maple Leafs are the winners on this deal because of what this allows them to do. On the short term, the Leafs will have approximately $1.5 million in cap space which they can manoeuvre between now and the March 3 NHL trade deadline. If you’re looking toward the long-term, you can look at the benefits in goal. J.S. Giguere’s contract expires after next season, so Toronto can weigh their options at that point.”

I agree with the guy who broke many of the stories today. Say what you want about DD, he gets the scoops and works hard.

Mike Brophy:

“So at the end of the day, the Leafs wind up with a stud defenceman and an expensive goaltender on the downside of his career; kind of a good-news, bad-news scenario.”

Brophy has more analysis in his article, but I got to sportsnet last and most of it has been written in the other columns too.

Scott Burnside:

“In short, this is a deal that smells ominously of panic.

Perhaps none of this might have come to pass had coach Brent Sutter been able to get more out of this talented Flames team. It was Brent, of course, who famously fled New Jersey this past offseason after failing to get a good Devils team out of the first round in two straight postseasons, claiming he wanted to spend more time with his family in Red Deer, Alberta.

Well, if you bought that line, you’d need to borrow a pair of old rubber boots from one of the Sutter farms. It came as no surprise to anyone that Brent moved swiftly to assume the head-coaching job that was made available when Darryl canned veteran bench boss Mike Keenan.

That little bit of synergy has now turned to a big bowl of muck.”

This is a very good article on the aura that is the Sutters. Take a look for more.

Allan Muir has a very good column (no exceptional nuggets specifically) that you can read here too

Puck Daddy:

“Brian Burke: The Environmental Protection Agency should have started its investigation of Burke by the time you read this, because there has to be something criminal about his massive dumping of toxic assets on Sunday morning.

The only valid concern here is that Burke has overspent on his blueline while Phil Kessel skates without another offensive player at his level. Burke was able to get away with this sort of roster in Anaheim, because Ryan Getzlaf(notes), Corey Perry(notes) and Chris Kunitz(notes) all made under $1 million and Dustin Penner(notes) made a pre-offer-sheet salary as well. The Leafs would have had a young player on that level making peanuts next season … but now the Bruins will. ”

Seriously, I know I have said it a few million times, but I can’t believe Burke got anything let alone Dion + JSG for the guys he let go.

The Anaheim perspective on the deal is here

Adrian Dater:

“The conventional wisdom on any trade usually goes: whoever gets the best player in a trade, wins the trade. It’s true that the Toronto Maple Leafs probably did get the most talented player in their
blockbuster deal with the Calgary Flames early Sunday morning. And it’s true that Toronto could be the “winner” of the deal in the long run.

But for right now, Darryl Sutter hit a home run for the Flames. I picked them to win the Stanley Cup before the season, and I feel better than ever about that pick now.”

Dater is the first out there to call this a homerun for Calgary, but time will tell.

“already had plenty of garlic, with A-list players such as Jarome Iginla, Robyn Regehr, Jay
Bouwmeester and Miikka Kiprusoff.

The Flames now have a better balanced sauce with the four Maple Leafs in the mix. Matt Stajan is a nice pinch of oregano. Ian White is a nice dash of basil. Ian White is the cilantro and Jamal Mayers is the
thyme.

Sound goofy? Maybe. I’m hungry right now.”

Me too! In any event, I don’t know enough about the flames to comment. I remain steadfast that given the way the Leafs played I would be very hesitant to lay my hopes on adding any of them to another roster.

That’s all that’s out there for now. More updates as the day progresses tomorrow.

Oh yeah, the Raptors won again and the Argos tried to go cheap on a new coach and failed!

Wow what a great day, win or lose it was fun!

Damien is here

Calgary Sun is here

Eric Duhatschek is here

David Shoalts is here

Bruce Arthur is here

McKenzie is here

Brophy is here

Burnside is here

Puck Daddy is here

Dater is here

Go Jonas Gustavsson is hurt. Joey McDonald is up and well, Vesa Toskala is The Man again… at least for now. I heard, I believe it was Mike Brophy, say today that he thinks the Maple Leafs fans actually are hoping that Toskala fails. If my ears didn’t deceive me that had to be one of the dumbest things I have ever heard. Why would we want Toskala to fail? Right now, Toskala is the best we got. Gustavsson has never played at this level before. At least with Vesa we have a portion of his career where he played as an NHL starting goalie. Hell, if he played half as well last year as he did the year before the Maple Leafs may have made the playoffs last year. So while I think many of us are intrigued by what Jonas may be able to do, I think we are going to need him to stand on his head if we are going to be anywhere near a playoff team. The only way I see that changing is if either McDonald is the next coming of Johnny Bower or if Brian Burke pulls the rabbit out of the hat. The facts remain, Toskala is going to make 4m this year. This is the last year in his deal. So if Brian Burke can deal Toskala right now, save the 4m and have a competent goalie in McDonald or someone else…then why not try to get something for Toskala… The question is what if anything Burke could get for Toskala? I mean does it matter what Ferguson gave up for him????? Should what we are willing to take back be affected by what 2 GM’s ago paid for him??? I think not. As others have said, Burke didn’t bring McDonald in to play in the minors. He is here to spell Jonas.

It will be interesting to see how Toskala plays against the high flying Penguins on Saturday night. It is not totally incomprehensible that the Leafs could lose both of their next games. I am glad I am going to be away in the event that happens. 0-4 and 1 (which may as well be 0-5) could be enough to really set panic in. I will be in New York on Monday, curious to see where and how the Leafs do there.

TSM

@yyzsportsmedia

Driving to work this am I caught the end of Stellick and Landry. Stellick’s “parting shot” was that he is sick of NHL overtimes going beyond the first OT and wants the league to move to 4 on 4 overtime periods after the first additional frame if there isn’t a winner. Mike Brophy has just posted the same thing on his blog over at Sportsnet. To each, guys who I respect, I say phooey. Yes the games can go on for what seems like ever, but who cares?? It’s sudden death. Don’t start messing with it.

No, I am not a historical apologist. I don’t long for the games of yesteryear. I do however think that OT hockey is fantastic and part of the battle is the fight to see which team can handle the duration, which is in better shape to keep going. Little TSM asked me as the game entered the 3rd OT how long they would let them play. The answer I gave was that they would play until they couldn’t play anymore. From a fan perspective, when do we ever get more then we paid for EVER? We don’t. OT and extra innings are the few times in life where the fans get a little bit more. In a baseball playoff game should the teams remove the center fielder or the 2nd baseman? What’s the hurry? What’s the rush???

“But overtime period after overtime period after overtime period? No way! I am quite certain this will offend many and quite frankly, I don’t care. Play one period of 5-on-5 overtime and if the score is still tied, play 4-on-4 until a winner is declared. It really isn’t a radical idea. I understand this would be a huge break from tradition, but that doesn’t mean it is wrong. The NHL went to 4-on-4 in overtime in 1999-2000 and we survived, right?”

For one, I am not offended Mike. It would take a hell of a lot more then that to offend me. I have no problem with 4-4 in the regular season. It was done to add some excitement, to open the game up and to prevent teams from playing for the tie. I love the shootout too. For the same reason, it’s exciting as hell. OT hockey in the playoffs is generally not teams trapping, just trying to hang on!

“For heaven’s sake, it’s just a freaking hockey game! The fate of the world is not depending on the outcome.”

That’s right Mike it is just a freaking hockey game. So why bother messing with it??!!

“NBC announced beforehand it would pull the plug on Saturday’s Pittsburgh-Washington game if it went beyond one period of overtime to broadcast the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby. You would have to be delusional not to understand why such a decision was made. The Kentucky Derby versus a Saturday afternoon NHL game. Hmm, wonder what gets the bigger ratings in the States?”

That Glen Healey, he is just so damn delusional!

“Before you go racing to the bottom of the page to fire off a nasty email reminding me baseball games can go deep into the night because of extra innings, may I remind you baseball is a little more widely accepted in the United States than hockey. When hockey matches baseball in popularity, get back to me on this overtime issue. The NHL has done a wonderful job in recent years making changes to improve the game. It’s not about catering to Americans; it’s about improving the product. After a painful period during which time the league established a standard for eliminating obstruction, the game is better. Not perfect…but better. Goalie equipment has been reduced in size and the game is better. The shootout was introduced in the regular season and the game is better. I love for the day when I can sit down to watch an NHL playoff game knowing I don’t have to have a week’s worth of food and supplies in the house just in case it goes into overtime. Your move, Gary.”

All good points. Let me ask this though. When do we stop screwing with things to appease an audience that will never be there?? No matter what the league does (with the exception of adding in bikini’s, taking helmets off and making fighting mandatory) will ever make the game “popular” in the USA. At least not popular enough to warrant the changes everyone constantly want to make. Ask the fans (and there are die hard fans in each US based market) if they want these changes made?? Isn’t it time to at least consider those who follow the game already as opposed to making changes to try and gain an audience that isn’t there. Do you think 1 person is more likely to watch a game simply because they know the end is pre-determined? Hockey is complicated enough to teach a non fan, now you are going to build in new rules for overtime in the playoffs?

I just love how media types use the phantom American audience as a basis to make changes to the game. The glowing puck worked wonders didn’t it??

TSM

What a day it was, Burke was busy, not as busy as I would have liked but busy nevertheless.

Here is a review of the deals (in case you didn’t know:

1. The Maple Leafs acquired a 2009 second round draft pick and a conditional draft pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft from the New York Rangers in exchange for forward Nik Antropov.

2. Toronto traded forward Dominic Moore to the Buffalo Sabres for Carolina’s second round draft pick in 2009.

3. Toronto obtained goaltender Olaf Kolzig, defencemen Jamie Heward, Andy Rogers and a fourth round draft pick in 2009 from the Tampa Bay Lightning for defenceman Richard Petiot.

4. The Maple Leafs claimed goaltender Martin Gerber off waivers from the Senators and defenceman Erik Reitz from the Rangers.

Here’s a tour of the reviews:

Damien:

“The Maple Leafs started the day with five picks in this summer’s draft, selections in the first, third, fifth, sixth and seventh rounds. They ended it with eight picks, adding two second rounders and a fourth, as well as an extra conditional selection acquired in the Nik Antropov deal with the Rangers. Nothing spectacular, but certainly necessary. Instead of having one pick in the top 60 selections, the Leafs should have three in the top 50. Instead of having two picks in the top 120, the Leafs now have five.That’s how the restocking of the prospect cupboard starts.”

Interesting that Damien has a positive spin on the Burke’s day…

“Dominic Moore, acquired after waivers last year by John Ferguson, re-signed by Cliff Fletcher and traded away Wednesday by Brian Burke, netted a second-round pick, a net gain for the Leaf organization.And what of Antropov, the 10th overall pick in 1998, moved to Manhattan for a second rounder? Well, the Leafs got a lot of years of service for the Kazakh. We watched him grow from a skinny, confused kid with little ability to speak English into a power forward with scoring ability, not to mention a gentleman and a father. Was he a bust? Well, he didn’t become a star, but look at the other players taken in ‘98. After Vinny Lecavalier went first, the order went David Legwand, Brad Stuart, Bryan Allen, Vitali Vishnevski, Rico Fata, Manny Malhotra, Mark Bell, Mike Rupp and then Antropov. Based on that group, Antropov was a very successful pick by the Leafs. At the end, he was traded because he wasn’t good enough for the dollars he’ll be looking for as a free agent to a team that’s at the very early stages of a long rebuilding period. And if he pans out for the Rangers and helps them win two playoff rounds this spring, the Leafs will get an additional fourth rounder.”

The fact he is so positive scares the hell out of me. Let’s see what the days ahead bring….

Hunter:

“Vesa Toskala is finished for the season. Toskala has been struggling though hip and groin problems and said he would have surgery to correct those issues next week. His spot between the pipes will be filled by former Ottawa Senator Martin Gerber, who the Leafs claimed on re-entry waivers. As expected today, the Leafs also traded Nik Antropov and Dominic Moore, two players who were headed for unrestricted free agency this summer. Antropov went to the Rangers for a second-round draft pick and another conditional draft pick. Moore went to the Buffalo Sabres for a second-round draft pick.”

Just the facts maam!

Brunt:

“Brian Burke has a way with words, and in his current gig, that’s going to come in mighty handy. Yesterday afternoon, at the conclusion of his first signpost day as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, he was called upon to explain the absence of highlight-reel goals and home runs and one-punch knockouts. The trade deadline had come and gone, leaving the franchise minus a couple of useful pieces they declined to sign for what those players and their agents believed they were worth, Nik Antropov and Dominic Moore. The Leafs are now in possession of a marginal starting goaltender acquired on the waiver wire, Martin Gerber, to replace the now-shelved Vesa Toskala, and have four new drafts picks — two second round, one conditional, one fourth round — to partly fill the gaping hole left behind in that department by previous administrations. But there were no first-rounders acquired, though that was the original asking price for Antropov. There were no bright young prospects added who might some day be part of a contending Leafs team. There was no real blockbuster deal, through which a Tomas Kaberle might have brought something truly significant in return. It was more housekeeping than renovation, which for an understandably anxious fan base might not have been quite the Burkean miracle they had imagined.”

Don’t disagree with anything Brunt says there…

“To get better, the Maple Leafs will have to make far better use of the draft than they have in the recent past. They will have to patiently and skillfully develop those players. They will have to create a positive environment and create cap space so that they can attract free agents. And they will have to get lucky, because however adept Burke is at manoeuvring through the current collective agreement, however savvy he is in his dealings with his peers, at some point his team is going to have to stumble on a franchise player. Today, early in his honeymoon period, most fans are probably willing to take Burke at his word, and to cut him some slack, especially since he declines to make excuses. “If you hear me start complaining people should throw something heavy at me,” he said. “I work in one of the greatest cities in the world, I work for one of the greatest teams in the world and we’ll get this sorted out. I didn’t think it was going to be an easy or quick process and it’s not going to be.” But check in again in a couple of years, on another deadline day, in what will likely be a rather different NHL, with the Leafs’ building process advanced, the stakes higher, and the movie presumably well into its second or third act.”

This passage could have been written at any time during the last 9 months. Nothing new here folks, nothing at all.

Wharnsby:

“The Toronto Maple Leafs restocked their supply of draft picks, but also have left their roster bare to play out the remainder of this season.
Not only did the Leafs deal forwards Nik Antropov and Dominic Moore for a pair of second-round selections yesterday, they also shut down goaltender Vesa Toskala.”

And this is a bad thing? Plummet, maple leafs, plummet for god sake!

“Although such talk is taboo, the move enhances the Leafs’ chances of sliding into the bottom five in the league standings and being eligible for the draft lottery. With 18 games remaining, the Leafs are 23rd in the 30-club NHL, six points up on the 26th-place Colorado Avalanche.”

Now you are talking. That is more like it.

“As a fill-in for Toskala, the Leafs plucked Ottawa Senators goalie Martin Gerber off re-entry waivers. Gerber will be an unrestricted free agent on July 1 and he hasn’t played a NHL game since Jan. 8, when the Senators buried him in the minors. What made the Toskala decision intriguing was that Leafs general manager Brian Burke publicly scolded Toskala last month for poor work habits in practice. The harsh words prompted the Leafs goalie to inform his boss that he took it easy in practice because of his chronic hip problems. After the information session, Toskala, Wilson, Burke and the medical staff discussed their options. When surgery as soon as possible was agreed upon as the best course of action, Burke and his management team began searching for another goalie last week. “I have been talking with the team and I’m on the same page,” Toskala said. “We made a decision that is best for me.”

I am calling bullshit on this one. Watters and Brady have been saying for weeks that Toskala is bust. Then Burke attacks him. I don’t know why, but I am just not buying the chain of events as they are being laid out. This doesn’t smell right. To be honest, who cares.

“Both Moore and Antropov, who were kept out of the Leafs lineup on Tuesday, were moved because they are set to become unrestricted free agents this summer. Antropov was the first to be traded. He went to the Rangers for a second-round pick and a conditional pick. Moore went down the highway to the Buffalo Sabres, also for a second-round selection. These were moves expected to be made by Burke, who will now turn his attention to signing two or three U.S. College players, then the draft and possible trades there as well as the free-agency frenzy in July. “We intend to be aggressive on a lot of different fronts,” Burke said.”

Let’s hope so. I am not thrilled with what happened to day. I wanted more. Having said that it appears to be a start. Maybe more tearing down is needed before the rebuild starts…

Hornby:

“Brian Burke is committed to rebuilding the Maple Leafs, but other National Hockey League teams were just as determined not to let him do it with their best draft picks. Burke’s attempt to wrestle a first rounder for Nik Antropov and a high second rounder for checking centre Dominic Moore were only partially successful on a day when the Leafs also shut down goalie Vesa Toskala with hip/groin surgery and added goalie Martin Gerber and defenceman Eric Reitz on waivers. Antropov is taking his act to Broadway, dealt to the New York Rangers at today’s 3 p.m. deadline for a second rounder and a conditional pick, likely based on the Rangers making the playoffs. Toronto began the day with a first pick in the top 10 at the June draft and hoping to parlay Antropov into another, but had no second or fourth rounder. It turned out just one first-rounder changed hands as the anticipated slow day because of salary cap concerns came to pass.”

Like his counterpart at the Star, Lance offers no opinion.

Arthur:

“But you want a deal that epitomizes the new NHL? Try one of the day’s final trades, in which the Toronto Maple Leafs sent an undistinguished gentleman named Richard Petiot to cash-strapped Tampa Bay for the expiring contracts of Olaf Kolzig (torn biceps), Jamie Heyward (concussed), minor-leaguer Andy Rogers, and a fourth-round pick. Kolzig and Heyward are unlikely to play a game for the Leafs; Rogers, from all appearances, is an afterthought.So basically the Leafs are paying the salaries of Kolzig and Heyward until the summer – a total of about US$500,000 – to get a fourth-round pick, while the Lightning save some cash. Toronto can afford it; Tampa cannot. Welcome to the new NHL. “I think part of it is people are scared to death of the 2010-11 season,” Burke said. “The coming season, what the cap’s going to be, the cap will be based largely on this year’s revenues, and most of our revenues were in the tills before the bad news really hit. So I think it’s artificial in terms of what revenues will be in a year. But because the cap always follows 12 months of financial developments, my sense is that teams – and I know I am – are scared to death of 2010-11 in terms of committing money or locking up guys.
“This is where, if you go back to when guys were doing six, seven, 12-year, 15-year deals and patting themselves on the back for how smart they were, I think some teams are really going to regret going that far along.”

Not editorial on Burke or the Leafs per se, however very interesting to see how Burke used cap space and wealth to acquire a later draft pick.

Brophy:

“Toronto’s Brian Burke likely hoped to make a bigger splash than he did as he tries to resurrect the Maple Leafs, but with Antropov and Moore gone, and Martin Gerber tending the net down the stretch, perhaps the Leafs stand a better chance of getting a lottery pick. That, for the record, is a good thing especially if they get John Tavares or Victor Hedman.”

Here’s hoping…..

Kelley:

“One could even make a case that the winner is the one that comes up with the most innovative way to perhaps legally circumvent the rules of transaction, much the way Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke is attempting to do in essentially buying a fourth-round draft pick for $500,000 by buying off injured and likely retiring players via a complicated transaction with the Tampa Bay Lightning.”

If it weren’t lega do you think the league would have passed it?

“Take Burke’s deal with Tampa Bay. Burke may have done something outside the spirit of the rules while working completely within them. He traded Richard Petiot to the Lightning for veteran goalie Olie Kolzig, Jamie Heward, Andie Rogers and a fourth-round pick. Knowing full well that Petiot isn’t likely to ever be a player in the NHL, that Heward hasn’t made it (and likely never will) and that Rogers is also looking at the end of his career, he essentially delivered about a half million dollars in cap space to the Lightning in exchange for a fourth round pick. If this kind of transaction holds up, Burke will have won a battle he’s been losing for years, that being the ability to trade cap space from a team that has it to a team that doesn’t. This bears a whole lot of watching.”

A GM has to do what he can within the confines of the rules. That is a two way street. The bolts are tight on cash and need and break they can get. The leafs needed a pick and took some dead weight from the Bolts and turned it into a pick.

Berger:

“What seems like an emotional let-down today for fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs may ultimately be viewed as the perfect beginning to a long, complicated process. And, don’t fool yourself for even a second into thinking there are any short-cuts in the task of properly re-structuring the Maple Leafs, a franchise that only now – four years after the fact – is starting to be managed compatibly in the post-lockout NHL. Brian Burke was depicted by some as a media manipulator with his tempered comments of the past couple of weeks. He was merely lying in the weeds – managing expectations in the unseemly event he couldn’t re-shape the hockey club with a few bold strokes. In the end, however, Brian was typically shooting straight. He warned observers not to work themselves into a frothing mess over the Leafs’ trade deadline possibilities, suggesting as recently as Tuesday night that it was only the first step in his long-range plan.”

I think Howie is right (i know 2 blogs in a row). Lots of us were hoping for much more today and are disapointed with the little that he did. I guess in time we will see if it was enough.

“Whether or not that plan actually lifts the hockey club out of its perennial quagmire remains to be seen, and will obviously determine if Burke was, indeed, the best man for the job. But, on the day of his first trade deadline with the Leafs, Brian kept his word. He mentioned on numerous occasions that his primary goal in this initial step was to re-stock the franchise with draft picks that were lost in recent trades, and he did exactly that – acquiring two second-rounders, a fourth-rounder and a conditional selection. In bartering for those picks, he vowed not to take on wasteful salary – contracts of middling players that extend into the 2010-11 season, when the global economic crunch is likely to affect the league’s payroll cap. Again, Burke stuck to his guns. And, the players he moved – Nik Antropov and Dominic Moore – were widely rumored to be going elsewhere as they prepare to test unrestricted free agency this summer.”

Credibility is a good thing in this town. I still am not buying the Toskala thing one bit, but that is a discussion for another day. While all the pundits were yelling bullshit, that Burke is merely playing poker, the reality is he was being pretty straightforward. Not only that but his near f-bomb on the TSN deadline marathon was priceless.

“So, really, an outbreak of clinical depression should not be endemic among Leaf fans that chose to pay attention, and viewed the 2009 trade deadline for what it was – a table-setting exercise. Much more anticipation can be reserved for the warm months, when Burke will begin to replenish his draft stock, and will have more cap room to work with in free agency than most other big-market teams. It will enable him to sign a premium talent such as Richmond Hill native Mike Cammalleri – a bonafide 40-goal shooter that is young enough, at 27, to be a vital cog on a contending team three or four years down the road. It will allow Burke to try and deal for a top-end player with a contract that does extend beyond next season, now that he eschewed taking on fringe holdovers at the deadline. And, the process of fashioning the Leafs into a winning club will advance to the next level.”

Here Howie heads offside. One, he predicted in his last blog that Burke could make up to 6 or 7 deals if he wanted to. So didn’t give me this if you paid attention crap. Also, folks, should Burke sign Cammalleri, remember this blog post for when Berger slams Burke for doing so.

“There was much deception from the Leafs – and from Toskala, himself – over the goalie’s suspected groin and hip problems this season. It’s never pleasant to be outright lied to – Ron Wilson, you’ll recall, assured that Toskala’s recent hip examination showed no structural damage – but the Leafs aren’t the only team to go down that path, and it’s understandable that teams would wish to protect their assets in any way possible.”

Hey come on Howard, it’s not a lie if you know the truth!!!

“Burke doesn’t yet seem like the “hot shot” he rhetorically called himself on the radio last month. The moves he made at the deadline lacked even a modicum of flair. But, showy maneuvering isn’t the recipe for a pseudo-expansion team with legitimate designs of advancement in today’s NHL. Large steps must be preceded by baby steps.”

Modicum, love it! I don’t necessarily disagree with this comment. I think the Tampa deal was creative though. Interesting to see Howie give a hat tip to Burke’s moves though.

All in all it was an interesting day. I think the tv networks looked like idiots being on at 8 am. The 8-9 hour was an hour of my life i will one day wish i can get back. To me, the big winner of the day was those of you who were on twitter, and twitter itself. It was pretty wild to see all the dialogue on it. For those of you who are curious as to what I am talking about, point your browser to http://search.twitter.com when you get there, enter #nhltrade into the search bar and you will see all those who were talking nhl trade deadline over the last several hours. I can tell you that the numbers were staggering. It just proves once again that NHL fans are the most tech savy of any sports fan out there.

Second place goes to the folks over at the globe and mail. There online live blog was good. I don’t think they talked to the room enough, but this was their first time. Coverage on the fan 590 was weak. Really weak. It started with Hogan and Toth who essentially started the day with nothing to talk about. They seemed almost annoyed to be there. The rest of the day was, well, just boring. I know the moves didn’t really start until later in the afternoon, but man, they didn’t seem to have an real planned programming. I only heard about an hour of Brady and Bill Hayes. In my opinion it paled in comparison to what the TV guys were doing. Then again, that isn’t a fair comparison.

So technology won the day for me. A buddy hooked me up with his slingbox so i could watch tv on my laptop. It was phenomenal. Add twitter to that and it was a fun day. Here’s hoping draft day and free agent day are more active. More thoughts and commentary tomorrow.

TSM

those articles can be read at all the daily sites.

Lots of you have asked for more of this type of stuff and the folks at both 640 and 590 have been kind enough to provide info:

So…..

On The Fan 590 at noon:

Joining Daren Millard & Mike Brophy:
Steve Yzerman
Mike Eastwood

On 640:

Darren Dreger & Bill Watters with:
Len Barrie

Sportsnet’s Mike Brophy (how cool would it be if he were John’s kid) has a pretty funny article up on sportsnet.ca

“This is the year when the Toronto Maple Leafs are supposed to lose games in an effort to get the first or second overall pick in the 2010 Entry Draft, yet when they do, they are picked apart and criticized as though they have done something wrong. I’m a little confused. I would think victories would be treated with more disdain than losses.”

At chateaux TSM last night, when I turned on the game the Buds were up 4-1 and the TSM pooch was crashed on the bed next to me. I picked up the lappy and started emailing a few fellas that I was sure the kamikaze dive was coming. When the Panthers scored their 4th goal, I think I nearly gave TSM pooch a stroke, as I know what caused that little yellow ring towards the end of the bed. I saw LT sign on to his messenger of choice and i hit him with “wow”. LT had no clue what i was talking about as he was returning from yet another “work”trip full of debauchery. I asked him what the score was when he got out of his car and he said “4-1″ When I told him the score was 4-4 i think i could hear him cheering from the 7 or 8 blocks that separate our houses. So Mike I am with you!

“Shouldn’t the Leafs Nation (not to mention the team’s coaching and management staff) celebrate each defeat? Doesn’t each loss get them one step closer to the ultimate goal? I don’t expect the Leafs to hold a celebration with each defeat, but do they actually expect anybody to believe they are truly heartbroken when they lose?”

Hey I am doing my part! One has to wonder what goes on in meetings between former dorm buddies Wilson and Burke….

“The Leafs couldn’t exactly announce its intention to lose this season, but based on what we have seen, is there anybody out there who doesn’t believe they are quietly doing whatever possible to be in the bottom five to get that cherished lottery pick – the one that could bring them John Tavares or Victor Hedman? Of course they lose; they aren’t that good. It’s a simple equation: bad players equal losses. So why can’t they just quietly lose instead of acting like losses are bothersome?”

Now what fun would that be? I mean the 485 writers that follow the team, what would they do if the players acted as if losing didn’t matter? OH WAIT, the EXACT same thing they did over the past 4-5 seasons!

“What is even more annoying is the fact the coach and manager have taken to calling out their players in public. I’m not a genius by any stretch of the imagination, but if they plan to trade any of these guys, how does publicly humiliating them add to their trade value?

LEAFS: “You want our goalie?”

OTHER TEAM: “No.”

LEAFS: “Why not?”

OTHER TEAM: “Because you said he’s lousy and doesn’t have a good work ethic.”

I completely agree- a genius you are not!

“And while we’re at it, if the players are going to be held accountable to losses, what about the coaching staff? When the Leafs blow a big lead, as they have numerous times this season including Tuesday night in Florida, what role did lousy coaching play? Everybody knew the Leafs would have trouble scoring this season, but Ron Wilson and his henchmen were supposed to instill a defensive system that would at the very least make the team competitive. Hasn’t exactly worked out that way, huh?”

You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken shit is the old saying I believe. Having said that Mike, point well taken. Man that JFJ was one hell of a GM eh?

“The bottom line is the Leafs want the high draft pick and the players they have chosen to wear the blue and white this season give them the best opportunity to get it. So let’s stop acting like losing is a bad thing. I’m not buying it.”

Good news is I aint selling it. I am not sure too many are Mike. My favorite line is when Burke says he has season ticket holders and advertisers to answer to. Ask one, pick the one who is hoping for anything other then a shot at JT this year…..

Nice job Mike, actually a funny piece…now, get back to work… I want rumours dammit!

Read Brophy here….

A happy Sunday evening to all. I had a great time on the radio today. Murray and his crew were terrific. Little TSM and I enjoyed ourselves and I would love to do it again. Murray has promised me a copy of the segment and I will put it up as soon as I get it. For those of you who were kind enough to both listen and email me privately thanks for kind words, they are greatly appreciated.

With that review of my foray into the medium, lets switch gears and start to focus on the first media power rankings. Here is a review of the folks on the two radio stations that cover sports in the city:

On the Fan: Rick Ralph, Don Landry, Gord Stellick, Daren Millard, Nick Kypreos,Mike Brophy,Doug Farraway,Jack Armstrong, Doug MacLean, Bob McCown, Stephen Brunt, Jim Kelly, Roger Lajoie, Norm Rumack and throw in Eric Smith, Paul Jones, Paul Johnson, Sherman Hamilton and Jack Armstrong, Howard Berger, Rob Faulds, James Deacon and a myriad of regular guests(Dan Shulman, Rob Becker, Peter King, Brian Cooper, Jeff Blair, Richard Griffin, Bob Elliot, Michael Grange, Mary Ormsby, Keith Law, Iain Page, Gord Kirke, John Wells, David Shoalts, Glen Healy, Scotty Bowman, Jay Triano, Chris Schultz, Damien Cox, Elliott Friedman, Nick Kypreos, Pierre Mcguire, Adrion Smith, Eric Smith
On 640: Bill Watters, Darren Dreger, Greg Brady, Jonas Siegel, Andy Frost and their guests(Bob the Bear Cowan, Darren Dreger, Scott Morrison, BoB McKenzie, Christine Simpson,Brian Duff, Rob Higgins, Jim Ralph, Joe Bowen, Sean Baligian,
The first caveat is obvious, one is a 24 hour sports station, the other, well, it’s a talk radio station that does several hours of sports a day. The Fan is the measuring stick in this town. They have been here the longest, built an established brand and continue to create and host excellent programming. Are they perfect? Of course not. One of their biggest problems, in my opinion anyway, is that there simply is not that much to talk about 24/7. Having said that they do a damn good job filling the hours. I am not an Argo’s fan nor do i follow soccer or high school sports. I don’t bet on football either so there are times that I just have no real reason to listen. To either stations when those topics are being discussed.
I am not listening to the fan early enough to listen to Rick Ralph start the day, so I can’t comment on his show. I think he does a great job on his news updates though. Stellick and Landry, in my opinion are a big tease. They own the morning drive when it comes to sports. They are on a sports station but I feel that they do more sizzle and less steak. They don’t talk hardcore sports as much as they do hi-jinx. The odd joke or “bit” is fine. In my opinion it is just over kill. The John Gibbons, Ken Dryden, Vito from Woodbridge and the mind reader schtick are just lame now – again in my opinion. Their insiders can be great. When they talk sports they are terrific. The segments they used to do with Sam Mitchell were the best on the station. I could do without Kathryn Humphreys to be honest.

You listen to Mike Hogan and Mike Tooth, you can’t help but think these are two good guys. They love all things Canadian, junior and college athletics and of course the CFL. Unfortunately, and maybe it’s just for me, but, very little of that makes for interesting radio. Like I said, they sound like nice guys talking sports. They have some decent guests who seem to know a lot about the CFL and Canadian college football. They do get some good NFL guests as well, however I think I am the only sports fan in this city who is not enamored with Chris Schultz. From my perspective, he is way too technical and relies too much on that from his playing days. He too, seems like a nice enough guy, just not compelling enough to listen to. I find their hockey and baseball coverage lacking. They do spend at least an hour each and every week during the season on the Raptors and that is great to listen to. As I have said though, by virtue of not being an Argo/CFL guy there are at least 2 days a week where I will instantly change the channel because that is all they talk about.

The first daily battle starts at the noon hour. This is a war that is starting to get more interesting as the days go by. Every time Kypreos and Watters are on the tv together they look like they are going to kill each other. Watters the ex-agent, assistant GM, high school coach and color commentator vs. Kypreos the ex touch guy player turned analyst/insider. You can’t help but believe that they truly want to cream the other every chance they get and they go head to head on most days at the noon hour. Mallard and Brophy are there with Kypreos and a ton of quality guests. The one nice thing about this show is that it pretty unstructured. In this case it sounds like a couple of guys talking about hockey the same way we all do with our own friends. Brophy lost of respect from me this past week when he went toe to toe with Pat Quinn, tried to embarrass him and was wrong. Up the dial, you throw in Dreger and another great group of guests and you have a show that is quite good too. Dreger seems to the new(er) boy wonder on the scene. He breaks a ton of stories and where he used to have to sit in McKenzie’s shadow he has his own track record now and people look to see what he is going to have to say when a story seems to be breaking, if he wasn’t the one to break it. Kypreos is a little too pro-player and Wilbur too ignorant (I prefer bigoted but I am flexible Mike S.) and his anti-MLSE stance has just about run its course. Truth is, I try to listen to who and what each are going to be talking about on a given day and listen based on that information. If you don’t care about listening live then you can do what I tend to do and pick after the fact by listening in on the web late at night.
Doug Fairway is the Fan’s DH. I have no clue if this true, but I get the feeling that he is the go to guy at the fan. He does an admirable job filling in WHENEVER. He ihas some good opinions and I love listening to his sarcasm when he does the deadline show or other big event shows. I have never heard his 1pm show so I can’t comment on it.
The one show I really like on the Fan is Maclean who just needs to stop talking about his own wealth for a segment and Armstrong who seems to know his basketball (hell if I know) and makes a great effort to talk shop in all the other sports, including hockey. These guys work really well together, they get good guests and both bring unique perspectives to the events as they unfold each and every afternoon.
The big boys come out during the drive home show. As I wrote this past week, when McCown and Wilbur are ON their respective games, both are excellent. McCown with Burke this week was the best interview I have heard with Burke since he took the job. When Wilbur actually interviewed Collangelo and didn’t try to use jokes and innuendo to prove to his listeners how close he is to the guests as he usually does he proved to be a great interviewer. It was the first time I had heard that in him. He should go that route more often. The shows are very different if you think about it though. McCown is the host on Prime Time Sports. Kelly or Brunt (or anyone else sitting in as co-host) fill in with opinion while McCown leads the discussions and directs the show. On 640, it is almost as if Brady is driving the ship. That is not to suggest there is no deference on the air, it is clear it is Wilbur’s show (hell, look at the name). Brady is driving the show though; Brady leads the show through, calls, breaks, news traffic etc. He is the one who introduces guests. Neither format is right, but they are different. Kelly is McCown’s Ed McMahon, Brunt much less so. There is no real sense of that on 640. The guys disagree quite often and there seems to be a mutual amount of respect for the opinion of the other. To me again, it comes down to the guests. In this category McCown wins for diversity. Whom is best is based on opinion of course. Put Mckenzie on with McCown up against the combo of Dreger and Morrission on 640 and you have a pretty difficult decision. 2 nights a week McCown does round tables. I think the format used to be great. I am not overly fond of a lot of the folks who have been around the table recently. Nothing personal, but Rob Faulds, and Mary Ormsby just don’t interest me that much, and a result I seem to be flipping more often away from them as I did before. The same can be said for having Morrison and Dreger on every night. I know, this is a leaf town, and we all love to talk LEAFS, LEAFS, LEAFS…but I would like to have a little variety. As with the lunch hour, my listening depends greatly on who is going to be on the show (both hosting and guesting!) I look every night to see who was on the show I didn’t listen to and try to catch parts of what they put on the web.

There is no better interviewer in the game, in this city then Bob McCown. We all know if big news breaks in the world of sports McCown will have a take on it, and someone involved at a high level will be on PTS to talk about it. It’s hard to compete with that. When it is hockey related, especially the Leafs 640 is the place to go. Wilbur and Brady do a great job breaking down all things Maple Leafs. With Burke in town they are providing much more balanced opinions on the Leafs and despite the fact they are on each and every night, Morrison and Dreger have the league covered. I will take Jonas’s green-ness over Howie’s editorials every day. If Berger could just report on the facts he would be a good beat guy. Jonas needs to spend more time in front of the mirror and work on his own material.

After 7pm, I don’t listen that much unless I am in the car. I listen to pre, post and live games. If I have twitter on, the Fan does a phenomenal job keeping folks up to date as to what is coming up on the air. If any of the shows have interesting topics/guests I tune in. Norm Rumack (I know, I sound like a broken record)does get some interesting people on who just don’t get called upon during the normal business day. He is much easier to listen to know that he adopted a team other then the Leafs and his rah rah Syracuse is pretty funny. I will say this, I will take the personality of Andy Frost vs. Mike Wilner any day. Both guys have the worst jobs in sports media, taking post game calls. It has become more apparent that this has taken a toll on Wilner as he gets more crotchety each and every year. Frost seems to have the right demeanor for the gig and man no better a voice for radio exists in this town.
So, there you have it. A fairly comprehensive run down on sports radio here in Toronto. I am going to try to provide the weekly media power rankings. Everyone is fair game. Radio, TV, print, play-by play etc. So many of you send me clips, links and articles, I will need more of the same so keep em coming.

Something in the water tonight I think. A very strange evening as people saying all kinds of stuff making us raise our eyebrows…

Craig Hartsburg, “Those guys cost us the game, you try to trust your best players and they cost you the game, it’s happened before.” Those guys are Spezza and Alfredsson. Their line was a minus 10 tonight.

Folks, this guy is TOAST and he knows it. Stick a fork in him, he is done. The only question is, is this a solo execution or is Mr. Murray going with him? I would not be the least bit surprised that by the time I am sitting in my kids parent/teacher conference tomorrow am that this changeover is underway. Remember what the Sens owner did the Leafs dressing room after being beaten in the playoffs???? I wouldn’t want to see what his house looks like right now.

Watters: ” I wouldn’t trade Tomas Kaberle straight up for Dany Heatly”

Ummmmmm. Ummmmmm. There has to be more to this story. You know I am not a huge DH fan. I am not going to get into that again. I am alone in thinking that Brian Burke would make that move in a split second??? That would be a no-brainer. Would Wilbur trade Blake for DH? Hollweg?? Mayers??? Mayers, by the way had his best night as a leaf tonight.

Mike Brophy to Pat Quinn: “I know for a fact you didn’t talk with any other teams about coaching after leaving the maple leafs.
Darren Millard/Pat Quinn (Together): “BOSTON
Brophy/Quinn/Millard:” ____________________________________________”
Enough silence to leave force Pat Quinn, the guest to explain the Boston situation.

What the hell was Brophy thinking??? (I smell a minus/down arrow in the new media power rankings). Even my dog new about the Boston story. Good on Pat Quinn for rescuing the moment. Please land in Pittsburgh PQ.

The constant bickering, eye rolling between Nik Kyrpos and Bill Watter is PRICELESS….I would love to hear these guys off the record speaking about the other..By the looks in their respective eyes whenever the other is speaking is awesome!!! Seriously folks, watch a segment…

Oh, and what is the over on the number of mentions, comments, questions about Grabovsky getting fined/suspended for shoving the lineman? Will it be higher then the number of times Hogan mentions grey cup visits tomorrow, or the money references Richie MacLean makes on his show tomorrow? It says here Grabs gets fined, but not suspended (if anything at all).I for one think he played a great game by the way. Yeah he got too riled up, but at least he should a little bit of heart. Interesting clip seeing Brad May trying to pull him back a bit. I thought May looked AOK in Maple Leaf blue and white and not too bad in the fight either.

Finally, a great article on the Mats Sundin affair…

Leave it to Mike Brophy to hit one out of the park on this issue:

“When you thumb your nose at Bob Gainey and the Montreal Canadiens, who are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders and will be celebrating their 100th anniversary season this year, it says a lot about your desire to win.”

I know, I know, hie heart may still be in Toronto…however it says here that the guy isn’t the typical NHLer who wants to win a cup at any cost….He made that evident last trade deadline….. Do you want that guy on your team? Not me. Not at this stage.

“Some have speculated Sundin will take part of the year off and then return to the Leafs mid-season. If that is the case, then what was all that nonsense about the journey being important to him when he refused a trade to a contender last season? The Leafs are in a rebuilding mode and are long shots to even make the playoffs. There will be no significant journey this season.”

No, I didn’t write that for Brophy!

“GM Cliff Fletcher says he is open to having Sundin return if he gets the desire to play again, but I get a sense he says that because he doesn’t want to be known as the guy who shut the door on Mats. New coach Ron Wilson claims Sundin has lots to offer the team’s young players in terms of leadership, but again I get a sense he’d rather move forward minus Sundin. Wouldn’t it be better for everybody involved if Fletcher and Wilson united and said the team was no longer interested in having Sundin return? Thanks for the memories, Bub, good luck with your future.”

They should and perhaps they already have….I think it is becoming clearer every day he is going to retire…

“Also, I have never bought into the notion that he is a great leader. Too often during his tenure as captain of the Leafs there were negative forces inside the dressing room that Sundin sat by quietly and allowed to wreak havoc. A true captain would have put certain third- and fourth-liners in their place for the good of the team. Sundin was never a rah-rah kind of guy.”

Ok, this one will call on lots of fodder, but I agree with the guy and I think that is the type of thing Wilson has alluded to in his comments about leadership. That doesn’t mean he wasn’t a great leaf or a good captain…. I think he doesn’t have the makeup of the guy that was needed over the last couple of years.

I really hope he doesn’t come back to Toronto. It’s not that I don’t like him. It’s the opposite. I would lose a lot of respect for him coming back mid season because i took him at his word last year for not going at the deadline. He would also come back and be the captain of record of the first team to not make the playoffs 4 years in a row (most likely). Not a great destiny if you ask me. I would much rather see Mats retire then come back and take a team that should finish near the bottom, and make them finish a few seeds higher…what good is that?

Keep up the good work Broph, in this town we need more articles like this without the hyperbole