Thursday news: Leafs drilled by Oilers
December 31, 2009 by RobDM
Filed under Daily Round-Up
The Maple Leafs had a lethargic outing their final game of 2009, losing 3-1 in Edmonton, ending the Oilers seven-game losing streak. Patrick O’Sullivan had a pair of goals as Pat Quinn earned his first coaching victory against his former team.
Team Canada’s Men’s Olympic hockey roster was unveiled as executive director Steve Yzerman aims to win a gold medal on home ice in Vancouver. Scott Niedermayer was named captain, with Chris Pronger, Sidney Crosby and Jarome Iginla as alternates.
The Toronto Marlies ended their losing skid with a 3-2 win over Peoria at Ricoh Coliseum.
Here are the headlines of stories relating to the Leafs and the Marlies in the news this morning:
Leafs News
- Leafs missing the points Toronto Sun
- Stajan says Leafs need to be more consistent in 2010 Toronto Sun
- O’Sullivan leads Oilers past Leafs Toronto Star
- Leafs help struggling Oilers break out of slumps Edmonton Journal
- Oilers power-play sinks Leafs The Globe And Mail
Team Canada News
- New blood for Team Canada Sun Media
- Squad has great character: Babcock Sun Media
- Next job for Team Canada is making it work Toronto Star
- Burke lavishes praise on Stevie Y’s selections Toronto Star
- Pressure’s on for Olympic men’s hockey team National Post
- Babcock shows attention to detail in final picks CTVOlympics.ca
Marlies News
- Marlies Sink Rivermen 3-2 TorontoMarlies.com
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Game Summary: Dec. 30 – Toronto 1 at Edmonton 3
December 31, 2009 by RobDM
Filed under Leafs Game Recaps
Leafs scorers: Kessel (14)
Oilers scorers: Brule (10), O’Sullivan 2 (8)
Links: Game Summary | Stats | Discussion boards
Forward lines: Kulemin-Stajan-Kessel, Ponikarovsky-Grabovski-Hagman, Blake-Primeau-Stempniak, Wallin-Mayers-Orr
Defence pairings: Kaberle-Komisarek, Beauchemin-White, Finger-Schenn
Goaltenders: Toskala (Loss, 58:23 minutes played, 20 saves, 3 GA), Gustavsson (0:00)
Noteworthy:
-Phil Kessel ended a six-game point scoring drought with a power-play marker in the third period.
-The Leafs have given up the first two goals of the game a total of 20 times this season.
-Toronto entered the game averaging 34 shots on goal per game, but generated only 28 shots in this outing.
-The win for the Oilers came in Pat Quinn’s first game coaching against Toronto since being fired by the Leafs at the end of the 2005-06 season.
Team Canada Predictions – TMLfans.ca Site Staff
December 30, 2009 by RobDM
Filed under Site Updates
Site staff at TMLfans.ca has offered their predictions for the selection of players for Team Canada’s 2010 Men’s Olympic hockey team.
The official announcement will be broadcast on TSN at 12noon Eastern.
Update 12:40PM ET: The official Olympic roster is provided, for comparison.
| Rob Del Mundo | Darryl Lierman | Monika Moravan | Rick Couchman | TEAM CANADA |
| Goalies | Goalies | Goalies | Goalies | Goalies |
| Martin Brodeur | Martin Brodeur | Martin Brodeur | Martin Brodeur | Martin Brodeur |
| Roberto Luongo | Roberto Luongo | Roberto Luongo | Roberto Luongo | Roberto Luongo |
| Marc-Andre Fleury | Marc-Andre Fleury | Marc-Andre Fleury | Marc-Andre Fleury | Marc-Andre Fleury |
| Defence | Defence | Defence | Defence | Defence |
| Chris Pronger | Chris Pronger | Chris Pronger | Chris Pronger | Chris Pronger |
| Scott Niedermayer | Scott Niedermayer | Scott Niedermayer | Scott Niedermayer | Scott Niedermayer |
| Shea Weber | Shea Weber | Shea Weber | Shea Weber | Shea Weber |
| Dan Boyle | Dan Boyle | Dan Boyle | Dan Boyle | Dan Boyle |
| Duncan Keith | Duncan Keith | Duncan Keith | Duncan Keith | Duncan Keith |
| Jay Bouwmeester | Jay Bouwmeester | Jay Bouwmeester | Drew Doughty | Brent Seabrook |
| Drew Doughty | Mike Green | Mike Green | Mike Green | Drew Doughty |
| Forwards | Forwards | Forwards | Forwards | Forwards |
| Sidney Crosby | Sidney Crosby | Sidney Crosby | Sidney Crosby | Sidney Crosby |
| Rick Nash | Rick Nash | Rick Nash | Rick Nash | Rick Nash |
| Jarome Iginla | Jarome Iginla | Jarome Iginla | Jarome Iginla | Jarome Iginla |
| Ryan Getzlaf | Ryan Getzlaf | Ryan Getzlaf | Ryan Getzlaf | Ryan Getzlaf |
| Corey Perry | Corey Perry | Corey Perry | Corey Perry | Corey Perry |
| Joe Thornton | Joe Thornton | Joe Thornton | Joe Thornton | Joe Thornton |
| Dany Heatley | Dany Heatley | Brad Richards | Dany Heatley | Dany Heatley |
| Brenden Morrow | Patrick Marleau | Patrick Marleau | Brenden Morrow | Brenden Morrow |
| Eric Staal | Eric Staal | Patrice Bergeron | Eric Staal | Eric Staal |
| Jonathan Toews | Jonathan Toews | Jonathan Toews | Jonathan Toews | Jonathan Toews |
| Mike Richards | Mike Richards | Mike Richards | Mike Richards | Mike Richards |
| Shane Doan | Shane Doan | Steven Stamkos | Jeff Carter | Patrice Bergeron |
| Milan Lucic | Martin St. Louis | Martin St. Louis | Patrick Marleau | Patrick Marleau |
Blue and White Beat: White’s late goal holds up as game-winner – finally!
December 29, 2009 by RobDM
Filed under Blogs, Blue And White Beat
White’s late goal holds up as game-winner – finally!
Ian White now has eight goals on his season and Is well on pace to shatter his career mark of 10, which he set last season. His point shot that eluded Pittsburgh’s Marc-Andre Fleury with 1:22 remaining in the third period gave the Leafs a 4-3 win as White notched his first game-winning goal of the year.
White was less than 3 seconds away from his first game-winner of the season when he scored with under a half-minute to play in Toronto’s game in Carolina on November 19. It appeared to be sweet redemption for the blueliner, who took a double minor penalty after being identified as the player who high-sticked the Hurricanes Stephane Yelle. In fact, it was the stick of Yelle’s teammate Tom Kotsopoulos that accidentally drew blood on the play. Carolina’s ensuing power-play goal tied the game, only to have White appear to lift the burden of the incorrect call with his late goal.
Sadly for the Leafs, karma did not prevail on this night as Eric Cole tied the game at the 19:57 mark of the third period. Carolina went on to win in a shootout 6-5.
Good for White, to finally bag a game-winner on Sunday.
***
Speaking of White’s goal, did anyone catch a clip of Ron Wilson’s description of the play, after the game? “Whitey made a great shot. It was a great play all around by Blakey keeping pucks alive, and Stempy made a great pass out to Beauch. ”
Not that this is Wilson’s fault, but hearing four uncreative hockey nicknames in the same sentence leaves fans to yearn for the days when players like Johnny “The China Wall” Bower, Dave “Tiger” Williams and Doug “Killer” Gilmour suited up for the Leafs. Perhaps someday, hockey culture will revert to developing nicknames by a process more involved than simply adding a ‘y’ to a player’s last name.
In the meantime, I guess Leafs fans can be thankful for Jonas “The Monster” Gustavsson.
***
This Day In History: 30 years ago today, on December 29, 1979. Leafs general manager Punch Imlach began dismantling the team by trading Lanny McDonald to the Colorado Rockies. McDonald, an All-Star and perfect complement to best friend Darryl Sittler, was dispatched along with Joel Quenneville in exchange for Wilf Paiement and Pat Hickey.
The deal came as a retaliatory measure against Sittler, with whom Imlach feuded, but could not trade because of a no-trade clause in the Leaf captain’s contract. Within weeks, Sittler’s best friends on the team including Williams, and Pat Boutette, would also be dealt out of Toronto.
The trade was the precursor to a decade of futility for the Leafs franchise under team owner Harold Ballard. McDonald would go on to cap his NHL career by winning a Stanley Cup with Calgary in 1989.
Rob Del Mundo is the author of Blue And White Beat, and is a regular columnist at TMLfans.ca
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Game Summary: Dec. 27 – Toronto 4 at Pittsburgh 3
December 28, 2009 by RobDM
Filed under Leafs Game Recaps
Leafs scorers: Schenn (1), Stempniak (10), Blake (9), White (8)
Penguins scorers: Cooke (7), Crosby (23), Rupp (10)
Links: Game Summary | Stats | Discussion boards
Forward lines: Ponikarovsky-Stajan-Kessel, Blake-Grabovski-Hagman, Kulemin-Primeau-Stempniak, Wallin-Mayers-Orr
Defence pairings: Kaberle-Komisarek, Beauchemin-White, Finger-Schenn
Goaltenders: Toskala (Win, 60:00 minutes played, 21 saves, 3 GA), Gustavsson (0:00)
Noteworthy:
-Jason Blake has 7 goals in his last 14 games and has 48 career points in as many career games against Pittsburgh.
-Vesa Toskala made his first start since Dec. 19 vs. Buffalo and made 21 saves for the win.
-Luke Schenn scored his first goal of the year, ending a 40-game goal-less drought dating back to April 3 of last season.
-The Leafs improved their record to 10-0-2 when leading after two periods.
-Ian White nearly had the game winner on Nov. 19 against Carolina, scoring with less than 30 seconds in regulation. The Hurricanes’ Eric Cole tied the game with under three seconds remaining and went on to win 6-5 in a shootout.
Monday news: Leafs have a White Christmas in Pittsburgh
December 28, 2009 by RobDM
Filed under Daily Round-Up
Ian White’s goal with 82 seconds remaining in regulation broke a third period deadlock, giving the Leafs a 4-3 win over Pittsburgh on Sunday night. The goal came less than a minute after the Penguins’ Mike Rupp scored the equalizer, at which point the game appeared headed to overtime.
Vesa Toskala made 21 saves in the win, in his first start since being pulled on Dec. 18 against Buffalo.
Toronto embarks on a Western road swing beginning on Wednesday when they take on the Edmonton Oilers.
At Ricoh Coliseum, the Marlies were crushed 7-0 by Lake Erie in AHL action.
Here are the headlines of stories relating to the Leafs and the Marlies in the news this morning:
Leafs News
- Leafs’ hero dressed in White as Penguins upset Toronto Sun
- Blake has fond memories of Pittsburgh Toronto Sun
- Jason Blake leads the way for Maple Leafs Toronto Star
- Team Sweden turns to Monster Toronto Star
- White-hot Leafs beat Pens AP
Marlies News
- Monsters Thump Marlies TorontoMarlies.com
- Marlies sign Ben Gordon TorontoMarlies.com
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