Leafs wimp out; the real reason the Patriots lost; and why Ultimate Fighters aren't great athletes.

Toronto is too timid

Monday, Cujo made his first start with the Calgary Flames and got bit by the hand that used to feed him. Curtis Joseph was once an Edmonton Oiler but Craig MacTavish and company were in no mood for reminiscing, as they beat the Flames 5-0. But even though Calgary got pounded, they still exacted a pound of flesh from their northern rivals by getting involved in a number of spirited scraps.

Fast forward to Tuesday night in Toronto and a much different scene unfolded. Oh, the pounding was still present, as the Maple Leafs were embarrassed 8-0 by the visiting Florida Panthers. But besides a couple of token punch-ups in the third period, the Leafs didn't make much of an attempt to ignite themselves or their fans.

When you're losing as badly as the Leafs were, fighting accomplishes two things:

1. It provides a spark.

2. It's a good way to take your anger out.

Personally, I'm in favour of automatic game misconducts for throwing your gloves down. But with that said, I still appreciate the odd scrap because it proves that players actually care enough about a game to fight over it.

Sadly, that concept seems foreign to the Leafs. It wasn't until the contest was completely out of hand that they lifted a finger against Florida and even then it didn't seem very sincere.

It's no surprise that the Leafs have been licked so many times at home this year. Former rough and tumble legends such as Tiger Williams and Wendel Clark must cringe when they watch the current edition of the Buds because this club is the most timid in Toronto's history.

In fact, things are so bad that even the hot-tempered Darcy Tucker appears to have given up. Sure, he's frustrated by a season-long scoring slump but he must also be fed up with the Leafs losing attitude. Which makes it difficult to understand why he's showing no signs of agreeing to waive his no-trade clause. The Flames are one of the teams interested in Tucker, and their fight-when-we're-down attitude would seem to be a perfect fit. As my Hockeycentral buddy Daren Millard said the other day, Calgary coach Mike Keenan has done wonders in resurrecting the career of former Leaf Owen Nolan.

Maybe Iron Mike could be just the ticket to get Tucker back on the right track, too.

Bad luck Belichick

Forget about the arrogance Bill Belichick showed at the end of the Super Bowl by leaving the field early after the New York Giants had shocked his New England Patriots.

To me, his ego was on full display at the start of the game when he sprinted out minus his famous grey hoodie. Instead, Belichick modeled a brand new bright red model that seemed to say, "I don't need no stinkin' (emphasis on stinkin') good luck charm to win another ring."

Think about it.

After being found guilty in the "Spygate" affair following the first week of the NFL season, Belichick appeared to take great delight in running up the score against the Pats subsequent opponents.

"You think video is the reason for my genius?", you could almost hear Belichick seething. "Well, take this...and that....and this...and that!"

The same holds true for hucking his hoodie.

No taped tricks; no garment gimmicks.

Belichick was going to show the world that he didn't need any cards up his grey sleeves to slay the Giants. But in the end, David got Goliath and it turned out that maybe the Emperor really did need his clothes.

Come to think of it, a little more video wouldn't have hurt either.

Ultimate con

You'd be an absolute idiot to face a UFC fighter in any sort of physical confrontation. Heck! It would be intimidating just standing in a buffet line with one of these guys.

But as much as you have to respect their toughness, there are big questions about the athletic ability of Ultimate Fighters.

On April 19th, Montreal's Georges St. Pierre will appear in the main event at the Bell Centre, as UFC presents its first ever card in Canada. But you have to wonder if Georges wouldn't rather be making his Bell Centre debut while wearing the jersey of the beloved Montreal Canadiens.

Face it, Ultimate Fight fanatics. Many of your favourite fighters are a bunch of guys who failed to make the grade in traditional sports such as hockey and football.

Brock Lesnar is a prime example.

He became famous as a pro wrestler with WWE. However, a few years ago he got the bright idea of trying out for the Minnesota Vikings. But Lesnar was quickly cut and when nobody else in the NFL offered him a contract, he headed back to the wrestling ring.

Now, Lesnar is giving it a go in UFC. But last weekend, he lost his first fight after only 90 seconds and his days in the octagon might be just as short as his football career.

Even UFC president Dana White understands the scepticism.

"I came from boxing and I felt the same way as a lot of people," said White at a Montreal news conference this week. "I didn't think UFC fighters were athletes or that this was a sport. Then I started to meet these guys and learn about it. I realized how hard it is and how well-conditioned they have to be."

But an amazing physique doesn't necessarily make you a world class athlete and the fact is, boxing also has trouble attracting top-notch performers. Where once the heavyweight champ was the undisputed king in the financial world of sports, these days you can make the same kind of coin signing a big deal in the NHL or NFL. With his long, lean body and quick hands, Muhammad Ali would have made a heck of a modern-day wide receiver; and it would have been a whole lot easier maintaining his pretty boy looks.

So, if a great athlete can make huge cash catching footballs or shooting pucks, why in the world would they choose to get punched in the nose or kicked in the noggin?

Only an average athlete with an above-average thirst for the spotlight would ever do that.