Kaberle out 3-4 weeks with hand injury

The Toronto Star reports that Leafs defenceman Tomas Kaberle will miss about a month of action with a broken hand, suffered in Thursday’s game against the Colorado Avalanche.

Anton Stralman has been recalled from the Toronto Marlies of the AHL to replace Kaberle’s roster spot.

Kaberle was the Leafs’ representative at last week’s NHL All-Star Game. He has 30 points in 49 games played this season.

Link: Toronto Star

Saturday news: Gilmour to be honoured as Leafs host Pens

Maple Leafs legend Doug Gilmour will become the 17th player to have his banner raised to the rafters of Air Canada Centre this evening as the Leafs take on the Pittsburgh Penguins (7PM, CBC, AM 640). Gilmour, the 1993 Selke Trophy winner and Hart Trophy finalist was the team’s offensive and defensive spark plug during Toronto’s two semi-final appearances in the Stanley Cup playoffs in ‘93 and ‘94.

Meanwhile the Leafs will be looking to build on the momentum gained in their 7-4 win over Colorado on Thursday. Conversely, the Penguins are reeling after blowing a two-goal lead to the Devils last night, losing 4-3 in overtime.

At Ricoh Coliseum, the Marlies defeated the Hamilton Bulldogs 4-2 to set a franchise record with seven consecutive home wins. Tim Stapleton ended a 14-game goal-less drought, scoring twice.

Here are the headlines of stories relating to the Leafs and the Marlies in the news this morning:

Leafs Game Day News

• Nik has heard enough Toronto Sun
• Hit the ground running Toronto Sun
• Maple Leafs Game Day National Post
• Playoff odds stacked against Leafs, Senators National Post
• Schenn fine with Leafs youth movement Toronto Star
• Leafs unfazed by trade talk Toronto Star
• Quality on and off the ice Toronto Sun
• Gilmour’s top T.O. moments Toronto Sun
• Killer’s new calling The Globe And Mail
• Leafs’ Gilmour Guys reminisce about younger years Toronto Star
• Gilmour to be honoured for contributions in Toronto NHL.com
• Pens push for playoffs Toronto Sun

Marlies News

• Tim Stapleton scores twice as Marlies down Bulldogs 4-2 CP
• Marlies set franchise mark TorontoMarlies.com

NHL and Hockey News

• Rick Nash is looking forward to the day when he no longer is playing for Canada in the world hockey championship Toronto Sun
• Sundin a big bust so far Toronto Star
• Flames continue winning ways at Pengrowth Calgary Herald
• Oilers bounce back after humiliating loss Edmonton Journal
• Mason leads charge The Globe And Mail
• Wings keep doing their thing The Globe And Mail
• Tough choices ahead for Canadian women The Globe And Mail

One-on-One: Marlies’ forward Ryan Hamilton

The Leafs’ acquired Ryan Hamilton on Wednesday, January 21 in exchange for Robbie Earl. A native of Oshawa, Ont., Hamilton reported to the Toronto Marlies of the AHL, and played his first home game for the team three days later when the Marlies defeated the Chicago Wolves.

Q: What was it like playing in front of a home crowd at Ricoh Coliseum for the first time?
A: It was definitely exciting. I was just trying to be relaxed all day; trying to eat a little bit slower and walk a little bit slower. I knew I was going to be full of adrenaline. It’s definitely exciting to be playing at home, it’s kind of like my hometown where I have friends and family. It was a lot of fun.

Q: What was your reaction when you first heard of the trade?
A: It caught me off guard, I was definitely shocked. It took me at least a few minutes just to realize what happened. I definitely got a lot of excitement from it. It’s definitely a great experience for me to be able to play for the Maple Leafs’ organization.

Q: Was your former Barrie Colts teammate Todd Perry one of the first players that you talked to, when you came on board?
A: Yes, Perry and I played in Barrie for a couple of years. It’s nice to know a familiar face when you come to a new team, because obviously you’re a little bit nervous meeting new guys.

Q: What kind of a dressing room is this to walk into?
A: There’s definitely a lot of good veteran leadership in here. I’m really enjoying it so far.

Q: What kind of a hockey player are you, personally?
A: I just try to work hard and do a lot of the little things. I just kind of use my frame down low in the offensive zone, and take pucks to the net as much as I can. I just try to work really hard out there.

Marlies coach Greg Gilbert looks forward to having more of Hamilton in the team’s lineup:
“Ryan’s an up-and-down winger. He’s a big strong winger that can skate. He finishes his checks. He’s very detail-oriented. I know Ryan from when he played up in Barrie in junior, when I was coaching in Mississauga. I always liked the way he plays, he’s a competitve kid. He works hard, he’s willing to learn and he’s very coachable. We’ve only had him for a couple of games, but I think he’ll be a good addition to our organization.”

Friday news: Leafs get last laugh on Raycroft

The Maple Leafs broke their four-game losing slide on Thursday night, snapping seven goals past their former teammate Andrew Raycroft in a 7-4 win over the Colorado Avalanche at Pepsi Center on Thursday night. Jeff Finger had a goal against his former team, while Dominic Moore had a two-goal outing.

Around the NHL, Phil Kessel made his return to the Bruins lineup after missing six games due to mononucleosis, while Peter Forsberg stated that he has given up on a return to the NHL. Meanwhile the Panthers made quick work of the Habs, defeating Montreal by a score of 5-1.

Here are the headlines of stories relating to the Leafs and the Marlies in the news this morning:

Leafs News

• Leafs survive Avalanche Toronto Sun
• Bug bugs Williams Toronto Sun
• Leafs win thanks to dull Razor Toronto Star
• Leafs snap out of slump The Globe And Mail
• Tucker, Raycroft have not forgotten Toronto National Post
• Gilmour adjusts to life as coach Toronto Sun
• Banner raising befitting of Gilmour’s Leaf legacy Toronto Star
• Offside Friday – Wilson won’t waver Toronto Sun
• Trade winds starting to blow Toronto Sun
• Wilson being patient with rookies The Globe And Mail

NHL and Hockey News

• Forsberg nixes NHL return Toronto Sun
• Kessel returns Toronto Sun
• Leaking Oil Edmonton Sun
• Red Wings continue to get it right Toronto Star
• Teen fired for chat with Don Cherry Toronto Star
• Canadiens make Panthers look like all-stars Montreal Gazette
• Time for NHL to put cap on long-term contracts National Post
• Sundin searching for a line that clicks Vancouver Sun
• Rookie Regin shoots Sens to victory AP

Thursday News: Finger returns to face former team

Leafs defenceman Jeff Finger, who has missed the past three weeks with a torn tricep, returns to the lineup tonight to face his former team the Colorado Avalanche (9:30pm ET, SportsNet, AM 640). Vesa Toskala returns to the Leafs’ goal after Justin Pogge was returned to the Marlies yesterday. Forward Jeremy Williams, who has been nursing an injured shoulder, will be a game-time decision.

In Ottawa, Eugene Melynk blasts critics who suggest that it’s time for the Senators to “blow up the team” while in Calgary, Mike Cammalleri’s hat trick led the Flames to a 5-2 win over Buffalo.

Here are the headlines of stories relating to the Leafs and the Marlies in the news this morning:

Leafs Game Day News

• Trade talk dogs Antropov Toronto Sun
• Leafs defenceman eager to make a ’special’ return Toronto Sun
• Finger back on ice for `special’ game Toronto Star
• Time of his Life Toronto Sun
• Finding a sequel to Sideshow not easy Toronto Star
• Which Maple Leafs will get weeded out? Toronto Star
• Maple Leafs Game Day National Post
• Offside Thursday – No razor-sharp Nik Toronto Sun
• Raycroft gets the call Toronto Sun
• Leaf-ticket frauds score 4 years in jail Toronto Star
• Pogge returned to Marlies AP

NHL and Hockey News

• Zetterberg signs long-term deal AP
• Melnyk rips his critics Ottawa Sun
• Volatile Melnyk says critics can `blow themselves up’ Toronto Star
• Sens owner: Team at a crossroads Ottawa Citizen
• Break doesn’t slow down streaking Cammalleri as Flames burn Sabres Calgary Herald
• Video shows Emery scuffling with KHL trainer Faceoff.com
• Lowly Predators too much for Canucks Vancouver Sun
• Only tragedy will stop NHL fighting National Post
• Tucker, Raycroft and a round of Kumbaya The Globe And Mail
• Ovechkin gets day off AP
• Melnyk not prepared to blow up Senators yet The Globe And Mail

Top Shelf: The Road to Hockeytown

By Rob Del Mundo

Book review: The Road To Hockeytown by Roger Lajoie, John Wiley & Sons Canada Ltd.

The year 1967 was a milestone for hockey. Canada’s centennial year marked the final season of the “Original Six” NHL, and also subsequently the league’s first big expansion. For reasons that need no further repeating, Leafs fans have committed the year to memory, for all the right – and wrong – reasons.

For Detroit Red Wings Senior Vice-President Jimmy Devellano, 1967 represents the long-time executive’s first year of employment in the NHL, breaking into the ranks as a volunteer scout with the expansion St. Louis Blues. Through over four decades of hockey, Devellano has amassed an astounding 14 championship rings in the sport, seven of which represent Stanley Cup titles. The Road to Hockeytown, written by FAN 590 radio broadcaster Roger Lajoie, examines Devellano’s journey through the sport, from his initial scouting days with the Blues to his managerial position with the New York Islanders, and eventual executive perch with the Red Wings.

“Jimmy was a guest on The FAN 590 on a regular basis,” recalled Lajoie of laying out the foundation for the book. “We connected and both decided we’d like to tackle the project.” The result of Lajoie’s and Devellano’s collaboration is an in-depth perspective of the management portion of the game as observed by one of the sport’s most respected executives.

Fans of long-suffering teams, such as the Maple Leafs, can be inspired (after being envious) in knowing that a floundering hockey club can eventually find championship success, provided that sound decision-making principles are applied. Devellano’s first season with the New York Islanders – in which he was hired as a scout after being dismissed by the Blues – was a forgettable campaign that saw the team win just 12 games. However, on Jimmy D’s recommendation, the team hired the coach that would lead them to a dynasty in the early 80’s, namely Al Arbour. Four future Hall-of-Famers would be drafted by the Islanders with Devellano on board as either the main scout, or Director of Scouting: Denis Potvin, Bryan Trottier, Mike Bossy and Clark Gillies. While the contributions of these superstars was irreplaceable, Lajoie’s book also notes that a good part of the supporting cast was acquired through trades for players such as Butch Goring and Ken Morrow.

In a move ultimately paving the way (no pun intended) to the Motor City, and ultimately giving his biography its title, Devellano left the Islanders to become general manager of the Red Wings in 1982. The fortunes of the Detroit hockey team a quarter-century ago were the polar opposite of their present-day excellence; the team averaged just 7,800 fans a game and owner Mike Illitch was giving away a car at every home game. At the June draft the following summer, Devellano’s first at the helm in the new GM position, the Wings selected the player who would become the face of their franchise for the next two decades: Steve Yzerman.

Over the course of the next decade, the Wings continued to stockpile draft picks while building a management team with a keen focus on scouting. The Road to Hockeytown chronicles many of the key points in Devellano’s construction of a foundation that has led to 4 Stanley Cups for Detroit in the past eleven seasons. For example, the 1989 draft is arguably the best draft by a single team in one year, with the likes of Sergei Fedorov, Nicklas Lidstrom and Vladimir Konstantinov among the players chosen. Yet even the resurgent Red Wings who dominated regular season play for so long in the early 90’s were fraught with many playoff disappointments prior to finding the Promised Land. The tribulations that the team endured prior to finding its ultimate triumph included first-round losses to the Maple Leafs and the San Jose Sharks, a Stanley Cup Final sweep at the hands of the New Jersey Devils, and bitter six-game defeat to the rival Colorado Avalanche.

With Hall of Fame coach Scotty Bowman behind the bench, Detroit finally ended its 42-year cup curse in 1997, a better-late-than-never result for Jimmy D., who by then had become Director of Hockey Operations and Senior Vice President. “When I arrived in Detroit in the summer of 1982, I had promised our ownership a Stanley Cup in 15 years, “ remembers Devellano in The Road to Hockeytown. “I am a person who likes to keep his promises and, here it was, year 15 of our regime – and we finally got it done!”

The Road to Hockeytown outlines not only Devellano’s rationale in hiring certain coaches and scouts and drafting specific players, but also his philosophies in interacting with people; lessons that can be applied to any vocation. The book has been well-received by many of Jimmy D’s colleagues who have shared in his successes. “Scotty Bowman and Ken Holland in particular were very kind in their comments, and Al Arbour and Bill Torrey were also both terrific,” said Lajoie. “People in the hockey world really know and appreciate what Jimmy D has accomplished so they were all encouraging.”

It’s hard to believe that – through all of his achievements – Devellano has yet to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, considering that many of his modern-day (and well-deserving) counterparts such as Bowman, Cliff Fletcher and Glen Sather have already received their due.

Lajoie makes no secret of his opinion on the matter, but accepts that the final decision as always rests with the Hall’s Selection Committee. “I learned a long time ago not to concern yourself about things you can’t control. If the powers that vote don’t think his 40 years and seven titles is enough, so be it.

“One way or the other, he’s a Hall of Famer in my mind, and in the minds of people who really know the game.”

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Rob Del Mundo is the author of Top Shelf, a regular column at TMLfans.ca

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