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.

Wow- something is in the water today? No no, not the Leafs, a good game and a shutout loss…too bad we picked up a point. The Raptors? Hell no, the way I figure they are going to be right in the thick of the John Tavares lottery. Once again I am totally puzzled by the media… It’s like one big Seinfeld episode, except I don’t care for many of the characters, actually the only similarity is that their articles are about nothing… NOTHING…

First, Berger writes a totally useless article about Matt Stajan wanting more noise at the ACC. This is news how? No really, has any player ever not wanted that? The fact that team isn’t that strong at home has nothing to do with the fans. It has everything to with character. That isn’t a shot against Stajan. It’s the whole group. The team that Sundin, McCabe, Tucker lead wasn’t very good at home either. It’s not easy playing here in Toronto in front of the home crowd, it takes character to do it well. When a player messes up he hears about it. Sometimes unmercifully . So to hear that one guy would like more noise is totally irrelevant and not the least bit newsworthy. To write an entire blog about it????? Come on Howie, how about a review of the All Star Official uniforms, I gave you everything you need. Hell, as a member of the media you can probably get a preview too- you got the scoop on the 3rd jerseys after all.

What’s worse then Berger writing about Stajan asking for more noise, Paul Hunter of the Star writing the EXACT same story…. Complete with the same predictable Dave Winfield analogy. Tomorrow, whichever station books Winfield to talk about asking for noise wins the prize. Come on folks…this is really pathetic.

Then, Hunter’s buddy Damien wrote a totally useless article about Luke Schenn. Let’s see, he thinks, maybe, Burke wouldn’t have kept Schenn up had he been GM at the beginning of the season. Wow! How interesting. Funny, because I don’t think Burke would have resigned Ed Belfour after the lockout if he were GM back then either. Oh yeah, and under the same relevance theme is my favorite, Pat Quinn wouldn’t have yanked Toskala in favor of Joseph for the shootout like Wilson did earlier this year. The usual Damien anti-leaf article is, about, n o t h i n g. A new reader wrote a funny post about LT’s post today being both the argument and the counter-argument…Damien did the exact same thing here:

“the decision to keep the 18-year-old defenceman in the big leagues this season has certainly not been a disaster. In fact, in a season that has become increasingly gloomy, Schenn has been one of the bright notes all year. ” He likes him…..

“What will never be known, of course, is what it has cost the Leafs to keep Schenn in the NHL this season rather than returning him to Kelowna of the Western Hockey League for another season of competing against his peers. ” He doesn’t…

“Perhaps nothing, and it’s true, Schenn has rarely looked outclassed in the NHL this season, and the manner in which he shrugged off a 12-game absence due to a knee problem was a sign of maturity. On Wednesday night he was paired with Ian White most of the night and out against Boston’s tricky line of David Krejci, Mike Ryder and Blake Wheeler, a challenging assignment against the Eastern Conference’s top squad. ” He likes him….

“At the same time, particularly for a player drafted fifth overall, and one for whom the Leafs traded away first, second and third round picks in order to position themselves to get him, there haven’t been many signs of offensive potential. ” He doesn’t

“What the Leafs don’t know is whether this is the Luke Richardson story all over again. Richardson was the seventh overall pick in 1987 and played for the Leafs as 18-year-old, actually potting four goals in his rookie season.The club maintained over and over that, like Schenn now, Richardson had offensive potential that he’d shown as a junior in Peterborough. But it never shone through in the NHL, and Richardson never managed more than 21 points in a season. ” Ummmm, he doesn’t like him…

“Would the Leafs be happy if Schenn turned out to be Richardson? Somewhat, but it wouldn’t be the kind of home run they’d hoped to hit with such a high pick. He’ll never be a bust, it would seem, and the Leafs can only hope he might one day be an all-star.” He likes him

“Schenn hasn’t been eaten alive by the pressure of playing on a weak team in this hockey-mad city, and that’s a good sign. There’s obvious poise, and a willingness to play a physical game and even stand up for teammates, commodities in short supply on the current edition of the Leafs. ” He Likes him

“The older Schenn boy, meanwhile, is still learning as he goes in the world’s top hockey league. He was solid for two periods Wednesday night, but with less than seven minutes to play he was schooled by Bruins blueliner Dennis Wideman on a rush, then was caught napping when Marc Savard hit Zdeno Chara with a goalmouth pass to tie the game 3-3 and create overtime.” He doesn’t…

“He’s a big kid finding his way in a tough league. Whether he should have been in the league so young or not, no one can argue he’s a big part of the Leafs’ future.” WHAT- That’s it???? That’s the conclusion??? Talk about 3 minutes of my life I will never get back… What kind of crock this is. The headline is Burke Likely Would Have Sent Schenn Down..there is no quote from Burke, it’s Damien’s hunch. I know, Damien didn’t write the headline… Talk about an article about NOTHING!!!

Then, to top it all off, the guy I think had really been rising to the top wrote a totally useless article. Jeff’ Blair’s piece in the globe is about 19 segments too long. I actually think I captured the gist in 1 paragraph in a post yesterday. Blair wrote an entire page on the losing records of our teams! An entire page. Complete with quotes from Beeston and Burke. Get this:

“”One of the problems the city has right now is that nobody’s excelling,” said Blue Jays interim chief executive officer Paul Beeston, a committed Toronto booster.” Ummmmm YA THINK???? This from a guy I REALLY like (Beeston)….This from the guy who has “just about finished the Blue Jays President job description”….. What I think Beeston meant was, that the problem is the teams in cities not named Toronto score more points then those teams from Toronto!

“When will the bulls run rampant again in the Toronto sports market? Not soon. Let’s be honest. Of the current crop of Maple Leafs, it’s hard to imagine general manager Brian Burke wanting anybody other than Luke Schenn around in two or three years.” Ok, I am waiting for something I don’t already now…..

“The Raptors have, what, three legitimate NBA starters (four when Jermaine O’Neal’s healthy) and a bunch of guys who wouldn’t be a first option off a contender’s bench? Andrea Bargnani looks to be developing the way general manager Bryan Colangelo expected, but the Raptors have always seemed a day late and a dollar short, and that sometimes happens when you just give away a franchise player such as Vince Carter.” Uh huh, and????

“The Blue Jays’ window of opportunity — created when the late Ted Rogers made his famous three-year commitment — turned out not to be as wide as anticipated because, with the game’s revenue explosion, a $90-million payroll didn’t buy as much as it once did and the Blue Jays didn’t have enough high-calibre young players to fill in when injuries hit.” The part with the news, the actual original thought is coming right?

“Those are some of the reasons for the drought. The good news is no cause is lost, as is clearly demonstrated by what’s happened in Boston since the Patriots won their first of three Super Bowls in 2001. The Red Sox — the Red Sox! — ended the Curse of the Bambino and won their first World Series in 86 years and the Celtics won the 2008 NBA title, and don’t look now, but the Bruins, who haven’t won the Stanley Cup since 1972, are leading the NHL Eastern Conference.” TIME…that’s what you got Jeff? TIME, so this drought will end because the coin that has landed 1 million straight times on heads will eventually fall to tails????? Because it just has to???? Sorry, I had hoped you could do better then this ending:

“Mostly, though, it’s a hungry market. Kicked in the pocketbook, its psyche battered, and tired of having to go through it all again after the TSX closes. Hey buddy … got a win?”

So the Leafs lost in a shutout, earned one too many points, but that is ok. The Raptors got shelled…stick a fork in their season…the TV show Lost started and I am confused as ever….and I am going to bed disappointed by 4 brutal articles… Here’s hoping tomorrow’s a better day

Berger is here
Cox is http://www.thestar.com/Sports/Hockey/article/575293
Hunter is here
Blair is here

A happy Sunday morning to all of you. Here are some random thoughts before taking to the airwaves on The Sunday Showcase on 740 AM here in the GTA at 11:30:

Howie and I disagree on one more thing, fashion. I was yapping at LT at how ugly the Flyers jersey was, way too florescent for me. Howie said it was his favorite of all the third jerseys. I realize this is biased, the Leafs jersey that has the old style maple leaf is my favorite. Followed by the Pens blue one.

Nice move by Lou and the Devils to ink Brendan Shanahan. He is happy being the New York area and may still have something left in the tank. Time will tell if it was a good move.

Anyone have a tape of hockeycentral from last night. I hear there was another near dust-up between Nick Kypreos and Bill Watters. An emailer sent me this account:

Kypreos: Hartsburg has worst body language I’ve ever seen in a coach, calls out his star players, Eugene – do something!

Watters: Hold it, Nick, HOLD IT….You can say what u want about Hartsburg, but he is as fine a young man as I’ve known..

Kypreos: So what, Bill….

Watters: And he’s a better coach than you’ve ever had!

Kypreos: Really????? (getting right pissed)

Watters: Yes, that’s true!

Kypreos: He is a Junior A coach….He is a Junior A coach..

Watters: NO HE ISN’T! NO HE ISN’T! He is an NHL COACH!

Kypreos: He isn’t. He’s proven that.

Watters: Do you think he’d call you a Junior A Player (screaming)??? You couldn’t carry his jockstrap!!!!!

Kypreos: Well….(then just sits there steaming…)

Honestly — Kypreos just looked like he’d gotten kicked in the balls.”

Here’s hoping someone out there has it so I can post it.

You know- us leaf fans and the franchise itself just can’t win. When the team was winning, Cliff did a lousy job because the team was performing too well. When they are losing the sky is falling. It’s no wonder someone hasn’t started a site devoted to bashing the media in this town

“The Maple Leafs continue to rediscover their backbone, but victories, well, that’s a different matter.” That from Paul Hunter in today’s Star. The undertone is blatent. What happened to the leafs need to tank sentiment? I mean as an old boss loved to say, you can’t suck and blow at the same time. The media just can’t have it both ways. I didn’t see the game last night, but for the opening 5-7 minutes. From all accounts it was the game we as fans should hope for every night. The boys played hard, really hard. A strong effort especially in the physical department and they lost. Isn’t that what we want from this team this year? Compete hard yet not enough to advance in the standings. The best part is the players we want to move are all playing reasonably well, therefore hopefully raising their respective values. Let’s hope they don’t peak too early or get hurt.

Love the bit in Ottawa Sun today that Brian Burke won’t be afraid to trade with the Habs or Sens…Man would #55 look great in white, red and black!

Type at you after the show

That didn’t take long did it? Paul Hunter and the brains at the headline writing desk at the Star did some homework and actually spend some time researching Brian Burke’s draft history while at the helm of the Vancouver Canucks. As the old latin saying Res ipsa loquitur goes, his record speaks for itself:

“Burke’s ‘Nucks made 18 picks over two drafts in 2000 and 2002 and came up with exactly zero players who proved to be legitimate prospects. Those 18 players went on to combine for a mere 31 NHL games over their careers. Heck, Carlo Colaiacovo plays almost that many in one season.”

Let’s get a few things clear right from the get go. He owns that distinction. He was the GM, they were his picks and he takes the blame. Having said that we all know the difficulty in grading the NHL draft, unlike the NBA or NFL the NHL draft is a total crapshoot. Also, most GM’s don’t see much of the players being picked, they rely on their staffs. The one thing everyone has said about Burke is that he allows his people to do their jobs. Remember though the buck stops at the GM’s desk.

“Burke’s draft day work hasn’t been all terrible. While he hasn’t historically done well at mining the depths of the draft – those later rounds when some teams unearth gems – the new Leaf GM has shown himself to be a master of aggressively working the draft floor to get a prospect he covets. While with Hartford in 1993, he and his staff identified gangly defenceman Chris Pronger as that year’s must-have junior. With a sixth-round pick, however, Burke realized he didn’t have a chance at the impressive Peterborough Petes’ product. So Burke traded his top three picks along with future considerations (Sergei Makarov) to San Jose to move up into the two hole and grab Pronger. Despite not picking again until 72nd after that trade, Burke had perhaps his best draft, following the selection of Pronger by drafting Marek Malik, Nolan Pratt and Manny Legace.”

Funny how that type of analysis goes near the bottom of the story… Must be those damn headline writers at the Star again….

“Burke pulled off a similar coup in 1999 when, determined to keep the Swedish Sedin twins together with Vancouver, he worked the draft floor like he was playing a game of chess. He had the third pick overall but completed three separate deals – one that had him briefly holding the No. 1 pick – until he had the second and third selections, which he used to get the twins. Apparently spent by those machinations, they were the only two future NHLers the Canucks would draft that spring.”

The reality is there are but two ways of looking at the world The cup is either half empty or half full. As the Burke era begins, each of us will have to decide which way we go with respect to the Brian Burke era. I don’t think anyone should look at any one of his last positions as that much of an indicator of his future performance. Each job presents its own scenario, complete with their own challenges and goals. I would think that coming to the Leafs as Burke does know presents the artist with as clean a canvas as a GM could want. The current roster isn’t perfect or even very good (if it were would Burke be coming?) so I am sure the one thing that would make the job more ideal is there were a few more A level prospects. other then that what more could a GM want? All the resources he could ever want. He will be able to hire whom he wants, add scouts, coaches etc. Make whatever deals he wants. Buy out whichever Blakes he wants, I mean players. A starving fan base that will tread on every move, every step he takes. The guy has landed in hockey heaven. The only downside is having to deal with the dipsticks in the toronto media he will have to deal with on a regular basis.

Good morning from Seattle, where, what a surprise, it is raining!

In any event, what a surprise to find evidence of confusion in the maple leaf world this am. The good news is that at least the media is admitting that they are confused. The bad news is that in the confusion comes suffering, great suffering. If we thought there coverage sucked before, just wait until now.

You see, Cliff and Ron have been very consistent in their messaging. This is not a season to compete. This is a season for building a foundation. That, my friends doesn’t sell newspapers. That scares the shit out of scribes. You see the more times Damien et all scream, and jump up and down, the more papers people buy, well not really, the more clicks on the star website, the more calls to the call in shows etc. The problem is, if the powers that be, are from a results perspective(wins and losses) waiving the white flag, how much jumping up and down can the usual suspects do. The bar has been set pretty low. The goals and expectations won’t be judgable for months, and that just isn’t good media.

The results are everywhere:

“On The Same Page

“We will make the playoffs and compete for the Stanley Cup.”
–Former Leaf head coach Paul Maurice, Sept. 14, 2007.

“If you asked us if you were to pay for a Stanley Cup team this year but you were to be lousy for the next five years would you do it? The answer from an ownership point of view, absolutely not.”
–MLSE chairman Larry Tanenbaum, Sept. 26, 2008

“”Win this year and then next five years be last? For sure I’ll take it.”
–Leaf defenceman Pavel Kubina, Sept. 26, 2008.

“Wins and losses don’t matter.”
–New Leaf head coach Ron Wilson, Oct. 6, 2008

“Not hard to see why people get confused.”

Actually Damien, it is. The first quote is from last years coach, since fired. So let’s forget that one. The next, we can debate until the cow comes home. The attempted point was, it’s time to take a deep breath, suffer some more, and build thing properly. The quote from Kubina, is what I expect from any player. I don’t want a player on my team who says we aren’t here to win every game. The quote form Wilson is a gift, a relief even. Where is the confusion? Maurice’s quote isn’t even relevant.

“While the coach’s words will likely singe some citizens of the Leafs’ Shangri-la, now virtually guaranteed a 42nd consecutive Cup-less spring, Wilson’s bark is often not as bad as his sound bite. But in the modern world of basement bloggers where context is less important than text messaging, Wilson’s tantalizing snippets sometimes take on a life of their own.

That gem from Paul Hunter. Here is hoping Wilson’s bark is as bad as his bite. I love what Wilson said. I hope he means every friggin word. Oh, and by the way, I don’t have a computer in basement from which to blog from!

Back here on the ground floor Damien Chirps:

“The concepts, objectives and goals around the Maple Leafs are like shifting sands, more now than ever before. Clearly, much has changed in a calendar year, and while Ron Wilson was clearly being honest and straightforward through his “wins and losses don’t matter” mantra for the season, that’s not going to be easy for proud, veteran players to ingest before an 82-game season even starts.”

I assume he means the objectives from year to year, if so, ok, I can kind of live with that, except, everyone has called for the buds to do what they are doing for years, now that they are doing it, you don’t like it? With respect to the players not liking it, as I said before, I don’t want a player on team who doesn’t play to win every night. The difference is playing the kids A LOT. So if the veterans don’t like it, you know where they are headed. Fact is, if Jamal Mayers is leading the team in ice time, we got a problem.

Back over to Mr. Hunter’s text messages:

“”You’re going to see Mikhail Grabovski and Jiri Tlusty and the list goes on and on with our young players, maybe Luke Schenn, play a ton of minutes as we try to make them better hockey players. Period,” said Wilson.”I will not play veterans 29 minutes in order to try to find a way to keep the game close. I think in doing that, with these young players, their confidence will grow and we’ll be a better team. It’s all about the process with me.”

I believe, I believe, and I won’t bitch at you for doing it either!

Now, are you sitting down for this one ladies and gentlemen:

“The concept of a slow, painful re-build is a noble one, one that should be supported after years of quick fixes and patches. When Wilson says “you guys can’t be all out there bleating and writing in your papers that this team needs to bottom out and get high draft picks and build and then turn around and say they better win or else,” he’s sure not reading the right papers. There’s nobody in town, really, suggesting the Leafs are pursuing an incorrect strategy by starting at the bottom again. Go ahead. If there’s a commentator in the city who is arguing the Leafs should be trying to win now and make the playoffs, I’d like to know the name.”

Damien, look in the friggin mirror. Here is an idea, go back and read the crap you have been writing. You want to know the name look at the byline under your most recent column!

“It’s how they go about it. And whether they have the internal discipline and sense of direction to get it done, not to mention the corporate will to get it done. Tanenbaum’s pre-season comments, for sure, raised many an eyebrow, as did the apparent willingness of the front office to trade away next year’s first round pick already to land an appealing but older prospect after trading off eight other draft picks over the past five months.”

We have just finished the pre-season, not yet played a single game and you are questioning the internal discipline? With respect to the rumored offer, unless anyone was on the phone, let’s not jump the gun. For all we know that was the ask by the Ducks, who knows, perhaps Cliff threw out a concept, all I am saying is who knows, no one and guess what the trade didn’t happen. Remember the old mantra, sometimes the best deal you ever make is the one you don’t actually make…. If you aren’t happy with how the foundation is being built, you are entitled to that opinion. You too have a record of flip flopping that would make John Kerry smile. I challenge you to put finger to keyboard and suggest what you would have done if you were in Cliff’s shoes. All we have is the information that is out there, so don’t say you would signed a guy for less money then he received somewhere else. Build your team as we go into the season, we would all LOVE to see what GM Cox would do….

“If Wilson thinks nobody’s going to have an opinion about his team’s methods, he’s wrong. If he’s hoping the scores don’t get reported in the papers, or hoping nobody will say his team has played a bad game after it has played a bad game, he’s wrong as well. But nobody is saying “win or else,” that’s for sure.”

Ummmm, has anyone seen Wilson or Cliff make that suggestion. He knows all to well, as do we, that the usual scrum will be hanging around the locker room digging for that nugget everyday until the season is finally over…. While you are opining about his team’s method’s write a column about that too, what Coach Cox would do as opposed to coach Wilson. That will be another classic read.

“But a forever hopeful Leaf fan would have reason to wonder why his or her team was trying to win the Cup last year, and now isn’t even worried about winning any games at all, while the team’s chairman apparently isn’t willing to pursue the ultimate prize in the game if significant sacrifice goes along with it. The players are, just not the suits.”

I don’t wonder at all. I think FINALLY, they are doing the right thing. I am hoping that FINALLY they get it right. As for the last column, you just said that blowing it up is the right thing to do, and if you can find a person who suggests the leafs try to win it all now to let you know his name! The players are, just not that suits???? That points the finger right at you! The team’s chariman isn’t prepared to make bonehead moves to finish 9th or 10th anymore, read what he said, or here is an idea, pick up the phone and call him.

“Oh yes, and the current GM is in power until, uh, when? Next week or next June or indefinitely. Yet interim/non-interim Cliff Fletcher is the one deciding that Luke Schenn must start in the NHL this season, again ignoring all the history of this team and the obvious reality that life for an 18-year-old NHL defenceman in Toronto is enormously different than for the same player in St. Louis, Atlanta and Los Angeles. It’s nice that Alex Pietrangelo, Zach Bogosian and Drew Doughty get to start in the NHL this fall, but that has no bearing on the Leafs and Schenn, or should have no bearing. Nobody will even notice what those kids are doing right or wrong in those towns, while Schenn is going to find out what life is like under the microscope. Sure Scott Stevens broke in successfully as an 18-year-old blueliner in Washington a lifetime ago, but c’mon, nobody was even watching those Caps back then. Stevens could’ve shot the puck into his own net every night and it wouldn’t have been even a note anywhere else.”

Too much stupidity to comment. All I can say is that to the world right now Cliff is the GM. You seem to be the only one with a problem with that situation. With Schenn, I will reserve any comments until he stays here past the 9th or 10th game of the season. As for your last point, with respect to the Toronto Sports Media, yes there are a lot of you, but remember, quality over quantity! Most other markets have us dead to the water!

“Nobody wants to see Schenn fail, certainly not me. When I receive emails suggesting that I just disagree with whatever the Leafs do, or want the team to be unsuccessful, it is to laugh. Clearly, 41 years of losing and being in the predicament they are now means they generally make the wrong decisions. When they start making better ones, I’ll agree more often, I’m sure. Otherwise, it’s the same old story. Been there, got the t-shirt.”

Damien, the story is the same most days. A Toronto Sports team says it’s black, you write that is has to be white. You have made a very nice career out of being a critic. There is nothing wrong with that. We all know, that should this team get built properly, and go on to a nice run of success, which includes a stanley cup, even then you will find a dart to throw. It is who you are, it is what you do. You aren’t a hockey writer, or a reporter for that matter. You are a critic, and what do critics do? They criticize. As Ty Webb said to Judge Smails, “Face it Judge, Your a tremendous slouch”!

Read Smails here
Read Hunter here

And if you don’t know Caddyshack read here