On behalf of The Rest of the Country (you know, that less significant region also known as "Not Toronto") we have to come clean.
There isn’t much more fun than watching another general manager/saviour set the ol’ hook into the jowls of Leafs Nation, then sitting back and observing as the realization sets in that the same old movie is playing out all over again.
Then comes the predictable cries to farm out players like Jason Blake and Vesa Toskala. “Maybe someone will taken them off our hands on recallable waivers,” some Toronto media type always muses. (We heard two on Sunday.)
As if there are 29 other fools out there waiting to bail out Toronto, or who somehow see value in Jason Blake.
The irony of watching the Toronto Maple Leafs Monday night in New York was that we have been constantly reminded this fall about how much tougher the Leafs were going to be. But outside the inevitable fisticuffs, these Maple Leafs are one of the easiest teams to play against in the NHL.
They showed up for one period at MSG, lost battle after battle to the Rangers, and surrendered the puck without a lot of sweat and/or muscle required. Marian Gaborik should be afraid to carry the puck against the rough, tough Maple Leafs. Instead, he looked like he couldn’t get enough ice time.
Two points, plus-3 and 19:21 of ice time for a guy notorious for disappearing when the going gets tough.
“It’s hard to find an aspect of the Leafs game that you can say, ‘OK that’s goin’ right. Let’s hang our hat on that,” play-by-play man Joe Bowen offered Monday night, right around the time the Rangers were sending Donald Brashear over the boards on a late power play as an act of mercy.
Make no mistake, Leafs fans. Last year was a rebuilding year, and this year is a rebuilding year. You don’t take the mess that John Ferguson Jr. left behind, and drag it into the playoffs in two seasons.
And when the season is over, we can debate what Brian Burke’s biggest mistake was: trading away that high first-rounder in ’10 for Phil Kessel, or pronouncing for the past two months that the Leafs were a playoff team.
Build it, and they will stay
We recall Gary Bettman once saying of Winnipeg, “I know the NHL would work there in the short term. We want to be sure it will still be healthy there 15 years after we go back.”
We may never know how a return to Winnipeg — or Quebec City — would be a decade and a half down the road. But we can be sure that even if it all fell apart in Year 16, the Jets' or Nordiques' first 15 years would be significantly more impactful than the Thrashers, Panthers, Predators, Ducks or Blue Jackets have been in their markets.
And while we’re on the topic, with Bettman suddenly courting the mayor of Quebec City and Marcel Aubut — who are talking about a new building in Quebec City — let’s talk rinks.
There is no great mystery why Quebec City and Winnipeg lost its teams, but when the carnival rolled into Edmonton, that city managed to hold its ground.
It is the arena.
Edmonton had a quasi-NHL calibre arena, but continued to upgrade it so the team could realize the necessary revenues to stay alive. Say what you want about Quebec City and Winnipeg — and please don’t say Gary Bettman “stole” the teams. They never took care of their arena situations and lost their teams because of it.
Now, if Quebec City invests in an arena, they too should have NHL hockey.
“We’re open to considering every market that could potentially support an NHL franchise,” Bill Daly e-mailed to the National Post on the weekend. “Obviously, given the popularity of NHL hockey in Canada, Canadian markets have to be considered as prime candidates for future expansion or franchise relocation, to the extent the relocation of an existing franchise becomes necessary. There is, however, nothing currently planned or imminent in that regard.”
Ya. Nothing imminent.
That’s the league’s story, and they’re sticking to it.
The Heat is on
It’s going to be mighty difficult to hang on to our position on Dany Heatley if he keeps scoring the way he is.
Any guy who wants to play for Team Canada — but refuses to play for an NHL team in Canada — seems nothing less than a jerk to us. The kind of guy you want to say you wouldn’t wish on your least favourite team.
But as Heatley lights it up in San Jose, sitting there at the top of the scoring race with linemate Joe Thornton, we’ll have to keep our big mouth shut.
Until the playoffs, anyhow, when we’ll see if a player of such fine character can scratch the San Jose itch. Or if he’ll simply become part of the problem.
If you’re counting, Heatley has five goals and 10 points in his first five games with San Jose. Jonathan Cheechoo (two assists) and Milan Michalek (one goal), the two who came Ottawa’s way in the trade, have combined for three points in five games.
