Archive - May, 2009

Monday news: Sid vs. Ovie, Round Two

May 4, 2009 in Daily Round-Up 0

The lone NHL game this evening features Game #2 of the second round playoff series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals (7pm, CBC). Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby will be looking to avenge the sensational save in Game One by Caps’ goalies Simeon Varlamov, who has emerged as one of the pivotal players in this series.

FAN 590 reporter Howard Berger, reporting from DC, had a lengthy chat with Leafs alumnus and current Washington coach Bruce Boudreau.

In yesterday’s action, Todd Marchant ended the longest game in the playoffs so far this year, scoring in triple overtime as the Ducks got past the Red Wings 4-3 to even their series at one game apiece heading back to Anaheim.

Cam Ward was the hero for the Hurricanes making 36 saves – many of them difficult – as Carolina shutout Boston 3-0. Their Eastern Conference Semi-Final is tied at one as the series shifts to Raleigh.

Canada faces Finland today in their final playoff round game at the World Championships in Switzerland.

Here are the hockey headlines in the news this morning:

Eastern Conference Playoffs
Western Conference Playoffs
NHL, OHL and World Championship News

Sunday news: Leafs have a shot at Tavares, says LeBrun

May 3, 2009 in Daily Round-Up 0

Pierre LeBrun of Hockey Night In Canada suggests that the NY Islanders may be leaning towards selecting Victor Hedman with the first overall pick in this coming June’s entry draft. If that’s the case, says LeBrun, then Leafs GM Brian Burke may be eager to deal with Tampa Bay in order to get the #2 pick for the chance at drafting Tavares.

The question was raised a couple of weeks ago, here at TMLfans.ca: Will Tavares cost the Leafs defenceman Luke Schenn?.

Saturday’s showdown between Pittsburgh and Washington featured goals from Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin but the difference in a 3-2 Washington victory came from secondary scoring. Washington’s Tomas Fleischmann potted the game winner, and Pittsburgh’s Mark Eaton pitched in with a goal.

It was a similar story out west, where the Blackhawks doubled Vancouver 6-3. Just as they did in Game 1, Chicago bounced back from a deficit to take the lead. This time however, they held onto it. Patrick Kane scored twice and Ben Eager had the game winner. Speculation continues to fly that Mats Sundin is playing injured.

At 2PM on TSN, it’s the Anaheim Ducks in Motown trying to avenge Detroit’s 3-2 win in Game 1. Boston thumped Carolina 4-1 in the first game of their series but the Canes are going to make like bowlers and shoot for the split. That one starts at 7:30PM, also on TSN.

At the time of writing, Canada had a dominate 5-1 lead over Norway heading into the third frame. Next up for Team Canada are the Finns. Catch that one Monday at 2PM. TSN.

The OHL final resumes Monday night in Windsor at 7:05PM. The Spitfires have outscored the Brampton Battalion 15-4 and lead the series 2-0.

Daniel Catenacci was the number one pick in Saturday’s OHL draft. The former York Simcoe Express minor midget AAA star will now toil for the Sudbury Wolves, coached by former Leaf Mike Foligno. Alan Quine, Ryan Murphy, Boone Jenner, and Justin Sefton rounded out the top five selections.

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

Leafs-Marlies News
Eastern Conference Playoffs
Western Conference Playoffs
NHL, OHL and World Championship News

Blue and White Beat: 42 years of waiting

May 2, 2009 in Blogs, Blue And White Beat 1

42 years of waiting

The Leafs won their most recent Stanley Cup 42 years ago today, on May 2, 1967.

As Toronto fans continue to mourn over the length of the perpetual championship drought, here are some reflections:

  • Goaltender Curtis Joseph was three days old on the day of the Leafs’ last Cup. The Keswick, Ontario native was born on April 29 of that year, the same day as Game Five of the final, won by the Leafs in Montreal by a score of 4-1.
  • The Detroit Red Wings endured a 42-year Cup drought from 1955-1997. Since then, Motown has claimed hockey’s Holy Grail four times, and are in contention for another Cup this spring.
  • 42 is the answer to Life, The Universe, and Everything, according to the late British sci-fi author Douglas Adams. Yet even he had no answer for the Leafs’ woes.
  • Three Leafs have worn the sweater number 42: Kevyn Adams, David Cooper, and (lo and behold) Kyle Wellwood, who currently has four points in 5 playoff games so far, for the Vancouver Canucks.
  • The #1 song on Billboard’ top 100 on May 2, 1967 was “Somethin’ Stupid” by Nancy and Frank Sinatra. (And, it just gets easier for Leafs fans to be a target of critics).
  • The only Leaf to wear the sweater number 67 was defenceman Robert Svehla, who played all 82 games for the team in 2002-03. “He took a fair bit of heat for picking the number,” former assistant GM Bill Watters told writer Scott Morrison in the book By The Numbers. “People thought he was poking fun at the last Cup year, but I don’t think he was. He wasn’t that kind of kid. I think he was simply acknowledging it.”
  • The Prime Minister of Canada on May 2, 1967 was Lester B. Pearson. Canada has seen eight Prime Ministers since then: Pierre Trudeau, Joe Clark, John Turner, Brian Mulroney, Kim Campbell, Jean Chretien, Paul Martin and Stephen Harper.
  • The President of the United States on the date of the Leafs last Stanley Cup was Lyndon B. Johnson. The U.S. has seen eight presidents since then: Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama.
  • The Leafs have not only failed to win the Cup in any of the past forty-two seasons, but have not been back to the Stanley Cup Final in all that time. Since then, the NHL has expanded from six to thirty teams. Of the 30 current NHL teams, the Leafs share the Cup Final drought with just six other clubs: Atlanta, Columbus, Minnesota, Nashville, Phoenix/Winnipeg and San Jose.
  • The Leafs top line in the 1967 playoffs of Jim Pappin (15 points), Pete Stemkowski (12 points) and Bob Pulford (11 points) led the entire league in post-season scoring (Pulford was actually tied with Jean Beliveau with 11 points). No single forward line led the entire NHL playoffs in scoring again until 2007, when Jason Spezza, Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson each had 22 points as the Ottawa Senators lost to Anaheim in the Stanley Cup Final.
  • The 1967 Maple Leafs are currently the first team with their names engraved on the second ring of the Stanley Cup. At the end of the 2016-17 season, the top (first) ring will be retired with each of the four lower ring moved up one spot to make room for a new fifth ring. Each ring has room to list 13 teams. So, if the Leafs don’t win the Stanley Cup before the end of the 2029-2030 season when the next ring is retired, then the most famous trophy in hockey will have no representation of the Maple Leafs on it.

20 years to go, guys. The clock is ticking.

Rob Del Mundo is the author of Blue And White Beat, and will be blogging at TMLfans.ca throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Saturday news: Anniversary date no cause for celebration for Leafs fans

May 2, 2009 in Daily Round-Up 0

Forty-two years ago today, on May 2, 1967, the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated the Montreal Canadiens 3-1 in Game Six of the final series to win their 11th Stanley Cup. Eight Canadian prime ministers and 8 U.S. presidents later, Leafs fans are still awaiting that twelfth banner.

The much-anticipated showdown between Sidney Crosby’s Penguins and Alex Ovechkin’s Capitals gets underway this afternoon at 1pm ET (NBC, TSN).

In NHL action last night, the Bruins continued their winning ways with a 4-1 victory over the Hurricanes, extending their post-season win streak to five games.

The Red Wings got a late goal from Nicklas Lidstrom to edge the Ducks 3-2 in the opening game of their conference semi-final series.

The Canucks and Blackhawks renew hostilites at Vancouver’s GM Place in Game #2 later this evening (9pm ET, CBC).

In OHL action, the Brampton Battalion made the game close, but still dropped a 5-3 decision to the Windsor Spitfires. Brampton trails 2-0 in the OHL final.

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

Leafs News
Eastern Conference Playoffs
Western Conference Playoffs
NHL, OHL and World Championship News

Friday news: Buffery – “Leafs Track Monster”

May 1, 2009 in Daily Round-Up 0

Toronto Sun beat reporter Steve Buffery writes that Leafs GM Brian Burke is still very keen on signing free agent goalie Jonas Gustavsson, despite the Swedish netminder’s shaky performance in an overtime loss to Russia at the World Championships. “He played well, despite allowing the five goals,” said Burke, who is attending the worlds in Bern, Switzerland. Burke plans to meet with Gustavsson – who is known as The Monster – once the tournament ends a week from Sunday.

Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star caught up with Leafs’ draft pick Dale Mitchell of the Windsor Spitfires. The Spits take a 1-0 lead in the OHL Final into Brampton’s Powerade Centre this evening.

The second round of the NHL playoffs started last night with a dramatic finish to the Vancouver-Chicago game. Sami Salo scored late in the third period to put the skids on a Blackhawks rally with the Canucks eventually coming out on top 5-3.

Boston vs. Carolina and Detroit vs. Anaheim get underway tonight.

At the World Championships, Steven Stamkos scored twice to lead Canada past the Czech Republic 5-1 in the playoff round.

Here are the hockey headlines in the news this morning:

Leafs News
Eastern Conference Playoffs
Western Conference Playoffs
NHL, OHL and World Championship News
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