tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20191618567968845662024-02-20T21:20:31.463-05:00Hungry Leafs FanFood + Leafs = WinHungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-78435211168547572272010-11-07T09:55:00.003-05:002010-11-07T11:04:34.093-05:00The Morning After<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnLiKYTYmAH9vnX6fPjBfkclPY_PA9wI0Hl0yqFQty8hfvtDNRJ9ETb32RWTGLt7Oa2WpeO2rzOiGI_HTeGrFklMrn3qEYNwqvH_u_QzM9sT_2zvMu-etKIpLTC86bcM4VyCNdDyaafA/s1600/hangover.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 294px; height: 224px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMnLiKYTYmAH9vnX6fPjBfkclPY_PA9wI0Hl0yqFQty8hfvtDNRJ9ETb32RWTGLt7Oa2WpeO2rzOiGI_HTeGrFklMrn3qEYNwqvH_u_QzM9sT_2zvMu-etKIpLTC86bcM4VyCNdDyaafA/s400/hangover.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536821831324158850" /></a></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >I didn't get drunk during the game last night but I sure as hell wish I did. The alcohol would have been the only thing enjoyable during that three hour block. It was a sloppy affair which both teams didn't seem to care to win. Somehow we found ourselves with a 2-0 lead so I can't complain. That's when it all started to go downhill.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Before the second period ended, Mike Brown finds himself on a 2 on 1 with Sjostrom and he doesn't even think to pass. This is easily read by the goalie and everybody else with a functioning set of eyes watching the game. Unless Mike Brown finds himself on a 2 on 1 with Colton Orr, his first option should never ever be shoot. The play then goes back down the ice and into the Leafs zone. Leopold throws a weak wrister on net from the point (which John Mitchell doesn't even attempt to block) and look who's there to clean up the garbage. Derek Roy, the guy Mike Brown was responsible for.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >I don't know what was said in the locker room during the intermission but we came out playing even shittier. The Leafs mustered 3 shots in the third against Jhonas Enroth. You know, the 5'10 goalie who just got lit up against the Bruins, allowing 3 goals on 12 shots, a couple of nights ago.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttmAc2bMbt4L_BmzLVpBYwAOVd71QK6IPPjjzSdbSy7AfEE_7wkAZ5naBqCfLJydxIB_IzXr7gyWWOJetjGRBJcOSYgt9OcIEJYiItNYprhoTzRiIF9IP1OHrgNLAgZLWdCHQx1wT_uI/s1600/Enroth.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjttmAc2bMbt4L_BmzLVpBYwAOVd71QK6IPPjjzSdbSy7AfEE_7wkAZ5naBqCfLJydxIB_IzXr7gyWWOJetjGRBJcOSYgt9OcIEJYiItNYprhoTzRiIF9IP1OHrgNLAgZLWdCHQx1wT_uI/s400/Enroth.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536825160641462290" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 333px; height: 281px; " /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">This guy...</span></i></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >The way we were playing, I just had a feeling we wouldn't be able to hold on to the lead. I was hoping that I would be wrong but this is the Leafs we're talking about. Of course they will find a way to blow it. With 16 seconds left, the puck goes to Montador at the point, he throws it at the net, which no Leaf attempts to block (see the pattern here?). The puck bounces of Derek Roy, it bounces off Schenn, it then lands right on an open Jochen Hecht's stick where he jams it home with 14 seconds left. Well, fuck.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Nothing to note in overtime so we're off to the shoot out. While the Leafs are historically garbage in the shoot out, I had high hopes because we're facing a rookie goalie in his first career shoot out. There's no way we don't leave him looking for his jock strap. First up is Versteeg. In his attempt, he pulled off a shoot out move used by many Leafs in the past. He fired it right at Enroth's pads. Nice to see him carry on tradition. Kessel got robbed on another shot and John Mitchell scores on the end of a beautiful dangle. Luckily Vanek was the only one to score for Buffalo so we're going to extras.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >The fourth shooter is Clarke MacArthur. The Clarke MacArthur who going into this game is a career 0 for 8 in the shoot out. I don't get it. Was it Cito Gaston appreciation night at the ACC? I simply didn't get what Wilson was thinking when Kulemin and Grabovski, who both have had a heck of a game, were still available. MacArthur, who saw what would and wouldn't work, decided to go with what wouldn't work, doing the exact same thing Versteeg did. For the fifth shooter, Wilson puts out another head scratcher in Tomas Kaberle. He gets stopped, Tyler Ennis doesn't. Game. Set. Match.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >We lose a very ugly and very winnable game. I just wish there was one of these to be taken to make last night go away.</span></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJyLLSP5HmMRuy9KUMEtbYpRAq6dsettdOfuBrzp7-u-XXHnk82cQkKp3Lj35rVYFIuY_LNYlUs1PJlPCRzCWtOFxVseL5tMucsdZYB2du0My1ynqMBlQjKRP3WoXy2SXkvhsZssUMWE/s1600/PlanB.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 259px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpJyLLSP5HmMRuy9KUMEtbYpRAq6dsettdOfuBrzp7-u-XXHnk82cQkKp3Lj35rVYFIuY_LNYlUs1PJlPCRzCWtOFxVseL5tMucsdZYB2du0My1ynqMBlQjKRP3WoXy2SXkvhsZssUMWE/s400/PlanB.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536821824139114626" /></a></div>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-64827112056737777932010-10-14T23:08:00.010-04:002010-10-15T01:46:20.975-04:00This Week In Hockey: Opening Week<div><span class="Apple-style-span" >Hockey's back! It's been back for a good week now. There's definitely been a few surprises. Some pleasant (LEAFS!!!1) and some just downright hilarious. In case you're still catching up with your hockey news, don't fret. I got ya.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZvBotEmwp2RKCagjOvXXavzFD3o0ISyWdVNewY19uiXszorJSk3JTzi3lANH4G8npvC-dtJ9y9-Yhzmew43GrNxgXzsZkTZrYTnsT9C9aEeadXeGm91J71tkDQkNC5VHrIkhQ4Jud20/s1600/Eberle.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 295px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigZvBotEmwp2RKCagjOvXXavzFD3o0ISyWdVNewY19uiXszorJSk3JTzi3lANH4G8npvC-dtJ9y9-Yhzmew43GrNxgXzsZkTZrYTnsT9C9aEeadXeGm91J71tkDQkNC5VHrIkhQ4Jud20/s400/Eberle.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528115841792555874" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" ><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Oct 7 - Opening Night</b></div></span><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" >Leafs beat the Habs. Leafs fans everywhere breathes a sigh of relief as they won't go winless in their first eight games this season.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" >Jordan Eberle </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZYaIjvEqIA" target="new"><span class="Apple-style-span" >scores his first goal</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" > and it's a beauty.</span></li></ul></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Bf245CWpLYLwY6gnjWZ1T8RkE8WHDgSu4IJ2RWNEq-OGVs8jzvLtIj8fHE1AXJSnZ4kTGCcj2yI6-ltrCWsl02aT3IM4R1Q20_ZSui8018qrT9ntkVde0yJjNhZIKPKN33YM1NEKEbo/s1600/Pavelec.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 247px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Bf245CWpLYLwY6gnjWZ1T8RkE8WHDgSu4IJ2RWNEq-OGVs8jzvLtIj8fHE1AXJSnZ4kTGCcj2yI6-ltrCWsl02aT3IM4R1Q20_ZSui8018qrT9ntkVde0yJjNhZIKPKN33YM1NEKEbo/s400/Pavelec.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528115837079124130" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" ><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Oct 8</b></div></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" >Ondrej Pavelec collapses on the ice for no apparent reason. Doctors are still running tests to determine what was wrong. Isn't it obvious? Dude's playing in his fourth season in Atlanta...</span></li></ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoC7LIgAP3qXGg7nw6dfpal_R_NKzLQguZ3_6tAMIO4qMpwXOQkdw1k5Revlu-as7Se7LFeHDLuzUPzzxITQ9x8UgaAPdMA9IcY2oIJGhbJPOzMD4kRW3RxOORPOA9xRsUABA9Z9TjbTs/s1600/LeafsParade.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 220px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoC7LIgAP3qXGg7nw6dfpal_R_NKzLQguZ3_6tAMIO4qMpwXOQkdw1k5Revlu-as7Se7LFeHDLuzUPzzxITQ9x8UgaAPdMA9IcY2oIJGhbJPOzMD4kRW3RxOORPOA9xRsUABA9Z9TjbTs/s400/LeafsParade.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528115834246239746" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" ><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Oct 9</b></div></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" >Leafs beat up on the Sens. Toronto media jokes about Leafs fans planning the parade. Where do they come up with such original material?</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" >John Tavares gets blindsided and is out with a concussion. That loud thud you hear isn't the sound of Tavares hitting the ice, it's the sound of Islanders' fans hopes and dreams being shattered.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" >Derek Stepan scores a hat trick in his first NHL game. I have the feeling that this might be the highlight of his career.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" >Brodeur puts up a Toskalian effort and gets chased from the net, allowing 5 goals on 20 shots. </span></li></ul></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-QGw90WO5Qo4boIUj23eGySb1-YkjzIEIVlJ8sxpkHBb9wPD0dZLBoRBBoTS1inPTT1dCkfu3boBO6cWlTYxV05mK7YcGPuLrz8Z4QPP4mjLqNDuHJQvU-MGvFbwhn2m2vRDoWAP6eE/s1600/Seguin.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-QGw90WO5Qo4boIUj23eGySb1-YkjzIEIVlJ8sxpkHBb9wPD0dZLBoRBBoTS1inPTT1dCkfu3boBO6cWlTYxV05mK7YcGPuLrz8Z4QPP4mjLqNDuHJQvU-MGvFbwhn2m2vRDoWAP6eE/s400/Seguin.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528115635441505394" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" ><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Oct 10</b></div></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" >Tyler Seguin </span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBIET-603dQ" target="new"><span class="Apple-style-span" >scores his first goal</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" > after a great over the shoulder catch. Toronto will certainly regret trading that pick. The Argos could definitely use a receiver with those hands. </span></li></ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguJ6G-H-saFmgovOmwSmzmSvmgUpsJjp8FncmxmPnbr46AUVnGJ0A6mgsGc2UEDFMPelfYX9XTjEGwYZrcwsctbpgE81OYp3nLJk1tBlbeHRAkveuTjToeJhuOZn3qM-kY5EAgIlzvBk/s1600/Wisniewski.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 217px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjguJ6G-H-saFmgovOmwSmzmSvmgUpsJjp8FncmxmPnbr46AUVnGJ0A6mgsGc2UEDFMPelfYX9XTjEGwYZrcwsctbpgE81OYp3nLJk1tBlbeHRAkveuTjToeJhuOZn3qM-kY5EAgIlzvBk/s400/Wisniewski.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528115631248334674" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" ><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Oct 11</b></div></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" >James Wisniewski shows Sean Avery how he brushes his back molars. The league suspends him two games for his insensitive actions. C'mon James, total low blow! Hockey players don't have teeth.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" >Niklas Hjalmarsson lays out Jason Pominville on a very borderline hit. The biggest crime is that Hjalmarsson's name has a H and a J consecutively. That shouldn't be allowed in any language!</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" >The New Jersey Devils are victims of salary cap mismanagement once again. They send out 15 skaters due to injuries and suspensions. Luckily it was a home game so nobody was there to witness it.</span></li></ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfDglCbDacYf_aiXH6mIydg2Di5PTabhCDgURmVJ5b4lTJLaA9GydVreluyPnh67PAuNM0ImJHpTu7NlTqR_72RXRu-k_W1KzrUBuv9dryqnFXAmZDMZLBNVQWs3eyHkQdufDQuGtpEQ/s1600/Maltby.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 326px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAfDglCbDacYf_aiXH6mIydg2Di5PTabhCDgURmVJ5b4lTJLaA9GydVreluyPnh67PAuNM0ImJHpTu7NlTqR_72RXRu-k_W1KzrUBuv9dryqnFXAmZDMZLBNVQWs3eyHkQdufDQuGtpEQ/s400/Maltby.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528115626477215970" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" ><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Oct 12</b></div></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" >Kirk Maltby retires. I didn't realize he was still playing after the lock out. His combined -34 since then might have something to do with that. </span></li></ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMHzTZmUYRthhsXplnWh41Zj3XBJOyr17LlSuNr2ikWLh0WQRyDbDfoTvq55mHTCzWoBYI_ddCirkifXYx679c1BK_6WGtZf28jjx7ZG9IL-TgIo5A8BZniJr0w5zm-2pw_b5XJGpu1dQ/s1600/Monster.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 251px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMHzTZmUYRthhsXplnWh41Zj3XBJOyr17LlSuNr2ikWLh0WQRyDbDfoTvq55mHTCzWoBYI_ddCirkifXYx679c1BK_6WGtZf28jjx7ZG9IL-TgIo5A8BZniJr0w5zm-2pw_b5XJGpu1dQ/s400/Monster.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528115618939383586" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" ><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Oct 13</b></div></span></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" >3 and 0, baby! </span><a href="http://fallenleafs.tumblr.com/post/1311148205/clearly-ms-paint-is-the-best-program-ever-to" target="new"><span class="Apple-style-span" >We're sitting on top and enjoying the view.</span></a></li><li><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et1gnpxXnKM" target="new"><span class="Apple-style-span" >Patrick Kaleta is a bit of a douchenozzle</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" > but that's really nothing new.</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" >Maxim Lapierre hits Steve Downie from behind into the boards. It's hard to believe that it's only been three games into the season because Lapierre's cheapshots are already in mid-season form.</span></li></ul><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwImxn2XgqPhOeYsLjNZDVqprsUJsRwK_utE45olUt-64jbu9TV35BT-4xFVbV_MYSaGXwHHJ08s0En4qqPK5NP_lX-IeGln8z_AioSHcGq3evkzAc0W74We4tUKl7vl3LCc1vXKK6s2s/s1600/Modano.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 165px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwImxn2XgqPhOeYsLjNZDVqprsUJsRwK_utE45olUt-64jbu9TV35BT-4xFVbV_MYSaGXwHHJ08s0En4qqPK5NP_lX-IeGln8z_AioSHcGq3evkzAc0W74We4tUKl7vl3LCc1vXKK6s2s/s400/Modano.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5528115614814681762" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" ><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Oct 14</b></div></span></div></div><div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" >Mike Modano returns to Dallas and is greeted by a standing ovation. Simon Gagne returns to Philadelphia and is greeted by being pelted with dead batteries.</span></li></ul></div>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-91712623867026156082010-09-28T23:27:00.001-04:002010-09-28T23:28:38.736-04:00Perception vs Reality: Platinum Seats<div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" >*This post is coming a week late but the motivation just isn't there when you lose a game to the Sens by a score of 5-0.</span></span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A couple of months ago, on an early summer's day, the Leafs announced that they were giving out chances to win tickets to the Coke Zero Fans First game. I was working downtown and knew they were at Much Music so I took the early GO train and made an attempt to line up for whatever they would be doing. The line wasn't too long but the planners were adamant on starting at 8:30 am sharp. With a half hour to go, the humidex close to 40C and Sens_Sucks a few feet away from me, I couldn't wait for the line to start moving.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The hockey gods must have heard my silent prayers because ten minutes later and one of the Coke dudes started handing out complimentary tickets. </span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">SWEET MOTHER OF JESUS!!!</span></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHec_V2ksU1p3c0IKekzB1GnVOPIIsmrPWpZxMg6d6iaMzuRR-_8s0kmF06iWEoqE3ewWMAAEaQDxSEzFlMvWI1VBs2HnByhLG8mEEinGxgguApBQno2ZAn4lELaOcY5OW_GzutRwyiV4/s1600/Tickets.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHec_V2ksU1p3c0IKekzB1GnVOPIIsmrPWpZxMg6d6iaMzuRR-_8s0kmF06iWEoqE3ewWMAAEaQDxSEzFlMvWI1VBs2HnByhLG8mEEinGxgguApBQno2ZAn4lELaOcY5OW_GzutRwyiV4/s400/Tickets.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520292349344682882" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">SEATS RIGHT UP AGAINST THE GLASS! This will probably be the only time I will ever be able to catch a game in the first row without selling a kidney. I've dreamt of this many times but never thought it would happen. Now the only thing standing between me and the game is father time. </span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh291kK8_ovBjXjc3zB-cU9BAvVGkGbO6no-ckODPZMweFF3uoLddVOr5Aelwp-ARtllC7r-LwjYQzYGo19dBWS1z8QpOnH5wnFOqQ_eg_GztSlCNuWKLnF030cPcKV-BzZlzTN8OrQnDY/s1600/Seat.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh291kK8_ovBjXjc3zB-cU9BAvVGkGbO6no-ckODPZMweFF3uoLddVOr5Aelwp-ARtllC7r-LwjYQzYGo19dBWS1z8QpOnH5wnFOqQ_eg_GztSlCNuWKLnF030cPcKV-BzZlzTN8OrQnDY/s400/Seat.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520291710553014450" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As I got to the ACC, I looked around for the entrance to the platinums but couldn't find one. Turns out that there's some secret entrance behind the stairs to the upper levels. While walking down those steps and into the dimly lit corridor, I felt like Ray Liotta in Goodfellas. This is what it's like to be a gangster (or a wealthy businessman). I put down my beer, took my seat and waited for our heroes to take the ice.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGpiHJ62o9L6kV7lk7Tfg7X0fMLCqiFVEpjOozclRw7PnZYsNEWHreC01ewd1YxYY_z8UmxvzMhU770mXlYn2zyEjAFtxYz4swUYjbKvz564orzc3V-ugqsVk8dOCfjTRlZ90aOZWt8kU/s1600/Gustavsson.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGpiHJ62o9L6kV7lk7Tfg7X0fMLCqiFVEpjOozclRw7PnZYsNEWHreC01ewd1YxYY_z8UmxvzMhU770mXlYn2zyEjAFtxYz4swUYjbKvz564orzc3V-ugqsVk8dOCfjTRlZ90aOZWt8kU/s400/Gustavsson.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520291701740732434" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Enter Sandman starts booming from the speakers, Andy Frost's voice greets the crowd, the gates open and Gustavsson is leading the way. Oh shit, it's about to begin! Let's see if a game in the platinums are all it's cracked up to be.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Perception:</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> I'm so close as you can get, without being in the same booth as Pierre McGuire. I will literally be able to smell the players' blood and sweat!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Reality:</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> Despite it being a free "Fans' first" game, the lady beside me made sure I got an authentic experience by ordering sushi so all I smelled was raw fish and wasabi.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTVIi-itAK9V4zy2HBeaNPJxv33DVmyX0nqVQNZU5lEf-kER5SlWGUCyRS5ndn2ytxb_UDwHsxKRg6z58jYgVnbvbWPJ1hME_XVZ4-KI2_zYqbGt7i0ZvX__qMPSzr8Ep1H2Q-eRmv1o/s400/Linesman.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520291683332907074" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 400px; " /></span></div><div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Perception:</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> I'm right up against the glass! I can't get any closer to the action. The view must be impeccable.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Reality:</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> WTF, ref?! Get the fuck out of the way! My seats were right by the blue line and I was blocked out of the play any time the puck was in the zone for an extended period of time.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: underline; "></span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6TVBhfl5mgHvPWHHuXS8rIkiqy6bjIvzz57QvwuWaujTbonaWLuXDRcDVSfQIIlr0oCq9tM2fF_uhGXA6LTnMx4hZej9Y3BQFZxFUjydHpC9LVPmokUa5vY0GM1jOBMci8HmkeYgpiQ8/s1600/Kaberle.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6TVBhfl5mgHvPWHHuXS8rIkiqy6bjIvzz57QvwuWaujTbonaWLuXDRcDVSfQIIlr0oCq9tM2fF_uhGXA6LTnMx4hZej9Y3BQFZxFUjydHpC9LVPmokUa5vY0GM1jOBMci8HmkeYgpiQ8/s400/Kaberle.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520291688271036738" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Perception:</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> So we have periods one and three in the Leafs end. That's okay, our D should be much improved this year. Dion's leadership will provide direction and I'm sure Komisarek and Beauchemin will be way better than they were last year. I can't wait to see that up close.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Reality:</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> Komisarek and Beauchemin didn't play, I saw Nick Foligno blow by Dion Phaneuf and I got real close to the Leafs defence...when they were sitting in the box serving a penalty.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHTVIi-itAK9V4zy2HBeaNPJxv33DVmyX0nqVQNZU5lEf-kER5SlWGUCyRS5ndn2ytxb_UDwHsxKRg6z58jYgVnbvbWPJ1hME_XVZ4-KI2_zYqbGt7i0ZvX__qMPSzr8Ep1H2Q-eRmv1o/s1600/Linesman.jpg"></a></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumiuseXU6IYIJ5-dMOW49enyHdw9aGDdR911OH1EccpUOTMMnrzHXEV2HFqW7NVM8Bol6vhkyaHYRb47FJloWEMjYExa9lYHbYcymvuDQCpKwBymUIsL164HErMBPfqZsMVOE6xEsFG4/s1600/PP.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhumiuseXU6IYIJ5-dMOW49enyHdw9aGDdR911OH1EccpUOTMMnrzHXEV2HFqW7NVM8Bol6vhkyaHYRb47FJloWEMjYExa9lYHbYcymvuDQCpKwBymUIsL164HErMBPfqZsMVOE6xEsFG4/s400/PP.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520290116941592866" /></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Perception:</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> At least I will get to see the Leafs' offence up close in the second period. I can't wait to see how Versteeg will fit into the picture. He will provide some much needed secondary scoring. Also, KADRI!!!1</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Reality: </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">0-6 on the powerplay in the second period including two 5 on 3's!<br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzA8cCF4D1XILMTV_S0IosjAMIvq6obTWIzl8v9SqktzJP4PavuzE-ytLVBpyUD9ysFmDUlcCAVgIPnbSPNdVsjs7xHc-uLqqEJ-OMfq-bsrg8HP_jhL-YRPk7p3eGmobIMTrGfiJh1Qw/s1600/Raptors.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzA8cCF4D1XILMTV_S0IosjAMIvq6obTWIzl8v9SqktzJP4PavuzE-ytLVBpyUD9ysFmDUlcCAVgIPnbSPNdVsjs7xHc-uLqqEJ-OMfq-bsrg8HP_jhL-YRPk7p3eGmobIMTrGfiJh1Qw/s400/Raptors.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520290089893144130" /></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Perception: </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">With TIFF finishing up, I'm sure I'll catch some celebrities in the platinums too!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Reality:</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> I had to squint my eyes to see a group of Raptors players across the ice from me...I only found out their names from Demar DeRozan's </span></span><a href="http://twitter.com/DeMar_DeRozan/status/25164765873" target="new"><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">tweet</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">...and then I had to use google to see who on the Raptors was named "Joey"...</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtaqR4bDIx0E07-n882sTjpM-nf6WNvi-oqwT-EJlMlZLd4hC7cgg9GCquya0E4zzO9Tzvz2mZR2Gdho8frHbtQU6zN1nQqu_AbfFx4VboGw6uRhs2DtC_sgFkQXTUkQ_uUPXCcSZlkk/s1600/Wendel.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDtaqR4bDIx0E07-n882sTjpM-nf6WNvi-oqwT-EJlMlZLd4hC7cgg9GCquya0E4zzO9Tzvz2mZR2Gdho8frHbtQU6zN1nQqu_AbfFx4VboGw6uRhs2DtC_sgFkQXTUkQ_uUPXCcSZlkk/s400/Wendel.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520290062052204306" /></a><b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Perception:</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> It's a preseason game, I don't give a damn if we win but I can't wait until we score a goal so I can bang on that glass!</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Reality: </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">We get shut out 5-0 and the loudest ovation that night came when Wendel Clark made an appearance.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I don't know if I can say that sitting against the glass have met my expectations. Platinum seats are great as an experience but they definitely aren't the best seats in the house. When the puck was in my zone, the linesman stood right in front of me, and when the puck was in the other end, I had to crank my neck until it cramped just to get a glimpse of the action. If wealthy Bay street brokers want to pay ridiculous amounts of money to sit so close, then good on them. I definitely wouldn't recommend these seats to the hardcore fans. I think I'll stick to the upper bowl where I can see the whole rink. Perhaps if the Leafs put up more of an effort and won, I might have changed my mind about the seats. I doubt it though, I've always been a glass is half empty kind of guy.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIf059RJl9m5V_13rOUk9vX44NH009eR7CbuNb8fYY6K0YQHpoiGEpR2MW2EnYfs742Uwzbe56cYbBZB63fozQr_q9Ju-AU3kJKa62BPS0ouKAvVT_jt7jZMS2-wR_8b-xbHEXNlYQtII/s1600/Drink.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIf059RJl9m5V_13rOUk9vX44NH009eR7CbuNb8fYY6K0YQHpoiGEpR2MW2EnYfs742Uwzbe56cYbBZB63fozQr_q9Ju-AU3kJKa62BPS0ouKAvVT_jt7jZMS2-wR_8b-xbHEXNlYQtII/s400/Drink.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520289002313200594" /></a></div>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-44270345160373604452010-09-20T20:41:00.007-04:002010-09-21T02:18:21.753-04:007 Things Leafs Fans Will Watch For<div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is Hungry,</span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span">H to the L-F, I used to write blogs about </span></i><a href="http://hungryleafsfan.blogspot.com/2009/08/how-to-get-americans-to-embrace-hockey.html" target="new"><i><span class="Apple-style-span">fake refs</span></i></a><i><span class="Apple-style-span">...</span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">I was going to head to the gym today but decided to dust off the ol' blogspot instead. It's been a long while since I've written anything on here and even a longer while since I've written anything worth reading. Hopefully that will change. The more content part. No guarantees about it being worth reading.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">With the hockey season about to start, I figured it would be a great time to get things rolling again. While majority of the team we saw in April is still here, there has been a few key moves in the offseason. In case you weren't paying attention to hockey during the summer, here is a guide with seven things Leafs fans will be keeping an eye on during the new 2010-11 season. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-hD-asnQTFSLLsIltXOYQufQCv-hA-FUVpJ_VEEJU5gwqucWa_zAhpmDiJ2O9m33mgiaCLJYW9GPjYHgLw5QID9IXdTZ5lJUNAhmWwDW2bV2L0oZGsEpRksIz3ys1In-c_dddgXWlzc/s1600/Kaberle.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 284px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG-hD-asnQTFSLLsIltXOYQufQCv-hA-FUVpJ_VEEJU5gwqucWa_zAhpmDiJ2O9m33mgiaCLJYW9GPjYHgLw5QID9IXdTZ5lJUNAhmWwDW2bV2L0oZGsEpRksIz3ys1In-c_dddgXWlzc/s400/Kaberle.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519170908335269010" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>#1 Tomas Kaberle</b></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">The big Leafs news...or non-news during the offseason was who we would be getting in return for our favourite Czech, Tomas Kaberle. As I'm sure we all know, Tomas is staying in TO for at least one more year, assuming that he doesn't waive his NTC. Kaberle flew out of the gates last year, scoring 35 points in his first 41 games. Unfortunately, he couldn't keep up his hot start and only notched 14 points in his last 41 games. He still finished with a very respectable 49 points, good for 8th in points by defencemen in the league, but also had a dismal -16 to accompany it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Tomas have stated a number of times that he wants to remain a Leaf for life but with all the drama he has been through over the past year, I wouldn't blame him if he left. While is future is cloudy in Toronto, there is one thing that is certain. Whether he plays well or puts up horrendous numbers; whether he waives his NTC or stands pat; whether he re-signs or flees in the summer, people will be watching, people will be judging.<br /></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgrnkWJ1O0eE90Vv4lG2tk1MxegK_9CUNWo-IB-QJlyrlWovPiRDCfw78q3j6yUyzPjsqM8LcwDXV3AIg7ck29oskhW2gA3LUeT44-0kkL1Vxq6NPKnvFCmKkakivJuo5JXCztp2vEqE/s1600/Headlines1.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 88px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwgrnkWJ1O0eE90Vv4lG2tk1MxegK_9CUNWo-IB-QJlyrlWovPiRDCfw78q3j6yUyzPjsqM8LcwDXV3AIg7ck29oskhW2gA3LUeT44-0kkL1Vxq6NPKnvFCmKkakivJuo5JXCztp2vEqE/s400/Headlines1.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519170907660322770" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>#2 Sensationalized Headlines</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Oh look! The puck hasn't even dropped yet and it has already begun. But wait, you say. This is merely a play on words signalling the emergence of Kadri's two-way play!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMLAuWjaH4HT73NVbXGZ4HUyQMH9TwLlIQnRDyEHQWOLAjYjSR1zbZbWOdGPZ0FjoL4Exfl9ihXY0W4Kz-e1XQwWb95J2rZ5X6yZ9DeYIeLnu53a-8d-9RIQdG5xsufCYFR2MZfmvoEk/s1600/Headlines2.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 396px; height: 101px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqMLAuWjaH4HT73NVbXGZ4HUyQMH9TwLlIQnRDyEHQWOLAjYjSR1zbZbWOdGPZ0FjoL4Exfl9ihXY0W4Kz-e1XQwWb95J2rZ5X6yZ9DeYIeLnu53a-8d-9RIQdG5xsufCYFR2MZfmvoEk/s400/Headlines2.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519170897960923906" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span">You're giving them too much credit. This is the Toronto media after all.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2f08tNdBDGFEhR1nTZYwcMCEdr-xRn9yC2nF836IIziYfQQE_gQgLVu8V3XDQILp0CaBFWhyphenhyphenWXF59kRD0M8-zGDjLiOV0Dhx5AMeQrGZj-MTmf-hiYtzyFTaoFI5puxzGSzhnb_MAMcs/s1600/NewEditions.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 350px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2f08tNdBDGFEhR1nTZYwcMCEdr-xRn9yC2nF836IIziYfQQE_gQgLVu8V3XDQILp0CaBFWhyphenhyphenWXF59kRD0M8-zGDjLiOV0Dhx5AMeQrGZj-MTmf-hiYtzyFTaoFI5puxzGSzhnb_MAMcs/s400/NewEditions.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519170426446948098" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>#3 New Additions</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">The most notable additions Burke brought in during the summer are Kris Versteeg, Colby Armstrong and Clarke MacArthur.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Versteeg is a welcome addition as he should take some pressure off Phil Kessel by providing some much needed secondary scoring. It also never hurts to bring in a Stanley Cup winner. We'll see if he can shine when he's not overshadowed by Toews and Kane.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">At $3M a season, Colby Armstrong will have to put up some career numbers to justify his salary. While I don't see him doing that, I do see him winning the fans over with some hard-nosed hockey. I'm hoping we get a Darcy Tucker like effort from Colby, minus the crazy.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">We might be overpaying for Armstrong but MacArthur comes at a steal at $1.1M. Since it's a one year deal, MacArthur will definitely be looking to put up some numbers for a pay raise. Given he get put into the right situation, he should be able to pot a career high in goals.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFJwB8-KG8U7WsOLzK_1CiNRrtSmTDorsSpTCrJoa67-e_HoMcYRwlXeKfU697e_FftA4I1EK-AQYQha8XMJeRgpSSHgWGycFCwQEOfUt14IqAuqiVdcDUtb-Ol_1sEjWD-0z12W1JHDA/s1600/SophomoreSlumps.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFJwB8-KG8U7WsOLzK_1CiNRrtSmTDorsSpTCrJoa67-e_HoMcYRwlXeKfU697e_FftA4I1EK-AQYQha8XMJeRgpSSHgWGycFCwQEOfUt14IqAuqiVdcDUtb-Ol_1sEjWD-0z12W1JHDA/s400/SophomoreSlumps.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519170419017774562" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>#4 Sophomore Slumps</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">The dreaded sophomore slump. Many have fallen victim to it but few can explain why.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Can Bozak continue to shine and turn Kessel into a 40 goal guy? Can Gunnarson continue his steady play which saw him with a team leading +8? Can Gustavsson continue where he left off, winning 7 out of 10 while posting a .915 save percentage? With three sophomores looking to play pivotal roles on next year's team, Leafs fans everywhere are hoping that they don't get hit by this phenomenon.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieiTmR2AE38UxjPeMkt3Vbu9x_GlljOgNAjX_hUY0BCQKDrlbhCGm6GRzkZNKr-sQllOVWvt4QH2jFya5DcPmJb41ZKngswoozdqg857ljXxOBso7qzbaUlEjnZyIbm8r_YPACRrzWcdE/s1600/2ndYears.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieiTmR2AE38UxjPeMkt3Vbu9x_GlljOgNAjX_hUY0BCQKDrlbhCGm6GRzkZNKr-sQllOVWvt4QH2jFya5DcPmJb41ZKngswoozdqg857ljXxOBso7qzbaUlEjnZyIbm8r_YPACRrzWcdE/s400/2ndYears.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519170410238278498" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>#5 Second Year Leafs</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">We move from second year NHLers to second year Leafs. With only a handful of players remaining from the JFJ era, most or our team are first or second year Leafs. While many are depth players, there are a few we will be watching to see if they can carry the team on their shoulders. Can Phaneuf handle the pressure that comes with being the first Leafs captain since Mats? Will Komisarek and Beauchemin find their game in a Leafs uniform and prove that last year was simply a bad fluke season? Can Sjostrom bolster the PK and lead us out of our 30th place ranking? Can Kessel keep lighting the lamp? I'm hoping the answer is yes to all of those questions.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hwAC2CT0I46hKWEEPXVoR6ibsAFx-KnMuiqxlDTx3TgBihomxqXjFcteQpuLaL8vHb9AjoPBahoNO-1k25fWH-JNs1bcwKkVQt1aCmRWPz5eHyH2fL68OSxg6LqfjKE0-cKyjdsl2H8/s1600/Rookies.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 283px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_hwAC2CT0I46hKWEEPXVoR6ibsAFx-KnMuiqxlDTx3TgBihomxqXjFcteQpuLaL8vHb9AjoPBahoNO-1k25fWH-JNs1bcwKkVQt1aCmRWPz5eHyH2fL68OSxg6LqfjKE0-cKyjdsl2H8/s400/Rookies.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519170409732540802" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>#6 Rookies</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">With a 29th place finish last year, the returning vet's places in the line ups are all but secured. Kadri, D'Amigo, Rynnas and Stefanovich might be four rookies for Leafs fans and veteran players low on the depth chart to keep an eye on this year.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">We all know about Kadri. He's the Leafs blue chip, our second saviour. Will he play his way on to the big club or will he start with the Marlies? The Leafs doesn't want to rush his development but they want to see if he has what it takes to play at the top level too. No matter what league he plays in, Leafs fans will definitely have an eye on him this season.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Jerry D'Amigo's most famous goal to date was one that crushed another team with a Maple Leaf on their chest. If he can provide that kind of clutch play for our Leafs, all will be forgiven.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">With Giguere coming off the books after this season, the Leafs will need somebody to step into his spot. The goalie prospect most are hyped about right now is the 6'5 Jussi Rynnas. He will almost certainly start off with the Marlies but could be the next in line to join the big club. Much like Gustavsson last year, Rynnas will have to get accustomed to the North American game. While that may lead to a rough start, he is still somebody Leafs fans will want to pay close attention to.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">Mikhail Stefanovich is a bit of a question mark. Many thought he might make some noise with the team last year but a poor preseason put an end to those ideas. He had a mediocre season in the Q last year and as a result, he's flying a bit under the radar. Hopefully he can find that scorer's touch which helped him net 49 goals in the Q two years ago.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><b>#7...</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span">I hate to say it, but whether we like it or not, many Leafs fans will have an eye on...</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBEAAtk6S_f3nQ9hMOdRY1qFmovJgrVOd_wOGQIPdohqowi_ScJX4Din8LxZE8_dUQiVS9kpwRmGTcyPVprJcA5_KU4iX3omFcjRthlZAR79RQhr0muFdXzdThgAq2Uz6vsZH8v9h9ZE/s1600/Seguin.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 397px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiBEAAtk6S_f3nQ9hMOdRY1qFmovJgrVOd_wOGQIPdohqowi_ScJX4Din8LxZE8_dUQiVS9kpwRmGTcyPVprJcA5_KU4iX3omFcjRthlZAR79RQhr0muFdXzdThgAq2Uz6vsZH8v9h9ZE/s400/Seguin.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5519170397895455490" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-large;">:(</span></span></div>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-42601730413862190342010-04-28T08:46:00.005-04:002010-04-28T09:13:33.614-04:00Small Victories<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGVCIPkSwIEF4FIQ3xiuDKNOewBO111_D37KJm86S9p_LXYIZFQLJIMuuo7wcM_nhUutYEfGQnZMrA8uYyFuH-9Aw5wyrR4kucY9EsiL6MZmwG_CqWUB3zAy4u8BgMlhmb1AXJjcwEnk/s1600/FRR.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5465169993304064962" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLGVCIPkSwIEF4FIQ3xiuDKNOewBO111_D37KJm86S9p_LXYIZFQLJIMuuo7wcM_nhUutYEfGQnZMrA8uYyFuH-9Aw5wyrR4kucY9EsiL6MZmwG_CqWUB3zAy4u8BgMlhmb1AXJjcwEnk/s400/FRR.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Despite:<br /></span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Shaun Marcum pitching great but the bullpen throwing shitballs</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Kevin Gregg walking in the winning run on 4 pitches</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Randy Ruiz not being freed</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">Francona not putting in Papelbon for the save (I have him on my fantasy team...don't judge me!)</span></li><li><span style="font-family:arial;">and spending $10.25 for a tallboy of Keith's</span></li></ul><p><span style="font-family:arial;">I left last night's game with a smile on my face because during the middle of the ninth, a father and son a section over saw my sign, gave me a thumbs up and chanted down to Cito to free Ruiz. Small victories.</span></p>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-47634942903128010392010-04-14T00:48:00.007-04:002010-04-14T08:46:54.393-04:00The Good, The Bad, The Ugly - White Sox vs Jays Edition<span style="font-family:arial;">Back from the Jays game. Just a quick run down of the good, the bad and the ugly I witnessed at the dome today.</span><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center;font-family:arial;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-family:arial;" >The Good</span></span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: arial" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPU-dBnSsvflHPkDSfhK1SSSC7xHyKKI5uNspZwiaU_JruYgU5Pr93_nF2hzi-Cd8wYaIqSk7QzV4K1dA8fQw3eiUwqjOw9e5BQyrl61UdpqfWMl3HBo6iujKB7p8Gy8BpJ9DCfANwpCQ/s1600/Romero.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459853781244253154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 324px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPU-dBnSsvflHPkDSfhK1SSSC7xHyKKI5uNspZwiaU_JruYgU5Pr93_nF2hzi-Cd8wYaIqSk7QzV4K1dA8fQw3eiUwqjOw9e5BQyrl61UdpqfWMl3HBo6iujKB7p8Gy8BpJ9DCfANwpCQ/s400/Romero.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Ricky Romero</span> - RR Cool Jay was lights out in his second start of the season, striking out a career high 12 batters in 8 innings. With only one hit allowed, it was easily the most impressive start of young Romero's career. Gems like today's game makes us all forget about Troy Tulowitzki and trading away Roy Halla...okay, maybe not.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">The Bullpen</span> - Sure, they only pitched one inning but it was an important one as Kevin Gregg got the job done without allowing a runner on base. Faith in the bullpen has once again been restored. Now the question is, should Frasor still keep his job as closer?</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: arial" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWyZ3xo4e38SdOhsFQJ3Zbey_Zmo4tn7luOkYgJCOBH5Tj4iuWN3mb73ar674vKu523gv4oXPRY9NM8STjDFIg4vX1_vxuKrAPrwoeuNYuF4ZVmzikNOzaToSl74_4z3lLVOCkWkiOZ5o/s1600/melons.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459856272818963746" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWyZ3xo4e38SdOhsFQJ3Zbey_Zmo4tn7luOkYgJCOBH5Tj4iuWN3mb73ar674vKu523gv4oXPRY9NM8STjDFIg4vX1_vxuKrAPrwoeuNYuF4ZVmzikNOzaToSl74_4z3lLVOCkWkiOZ5o/s400/melons.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Melons</span> - Props to the girl who lifted her shirt on the jumbotron during the 8th inning. Sure, she had a bra underneath but I won't complain. Also, was today D-Cup night at the dome or something because the ladies sitting in and around our section appeared to be extra busty tonight.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: arial" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFc1qpX8sKqRkabbQSbZ9zARAyhKpACSdtV0qWYgyv9ODzSEECQDmfNBNHPCc7KQI20Je5ZCmjx3C-vmQ-t-I7GAfSTaGR5aQiJq9cN7f4EvWNWuFLZxOVnH3PZ2BQfU1rftt3sfAekfU/s1600/Luchadore.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459853699350022818" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 375px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFc1qpX8sKqRkabbQSbZ9zARAyhKpACSdtV0qWYgyv9ODzSEECQDmfNBNHPCc7KQI20Je5ZCmjx3C-vmQ-t-I7GAfSTaGR5aQiJq9cN7f4EvWNWuFLZxOVnH3PZ2BQfU1rftt3sfAekfU/s400/Luchadore.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Luchadore</span> - Shout out to the dude sitting behind me with the luchadore mask. I really don't have much to say other than keep being awesome.</span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;"><br /></span><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center;font-family:arial;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-family:arial;" >The Bad</span></span><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: arial" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGyt-SNHw42Rh_Q7hBr03imGNooUiX9ydC1S3veiCdHqf26DnBCHHdiKLy_YXXtKK62RIwEH7scuFVG_FoZGED9gQyHK_2RL014cIAO-tCY0u9OIF6qNBCEpH1FxBE8tH9F-E-WSNtaM/s1600/klansmen.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459853695128295090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 360px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 231px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWGyt-SNHw42Rh_Q7hBr03imGNooUiX9ydC1S3veiCdHqf26DnBCHHdiKLy_YXXtKK62RIwEH7scuFVG_FoZGED9gQyHK_2RL014cIAO-tCY0u9OIF6qNBCEpH1FxBE8tH9F-E-WSNtaM/s400/klansmen.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">The Klansmen</span> - There were 4 guys in the 500s who wore white hazard suits or something which had a faint outline of "JAYS" on their suits. The letters were so faint that you couldn't see them from far. They just looked like white hooded suits...</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: arial" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRKNQ7FSY0ngt1sdYFJln03gdEfeRsmvqSW8poJfAWPf1rFzX5WF7UbT2upOK6eggHtYWQCHkY4HL_GUnUu_edhsdWOvYLAt0B3WqPk03rxu9C2ycuzb_qPUVg-HKe_QxCrSq3BPAk4k/s1600/AJPierzynskiPunch.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459853682516411266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 333px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcRKNQ7FSY0ngt1sdYFJln03gdEfeRsmvqSW8poJfAWPf1rFzX5WF7UbT2upOK6eggHtYWQCHkY4HL_GUnUu_edhsdWOvYLAt0B3WqPk03rxu9C2ycuzb_qPUVg-HKe_QxCrSq3BPAk4k/s400/AJPierzynskiPunch.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">AJ Piershitski</span> - Faked getting hit by a pitch in the 8th right before Rios belted a home run...the only hit Romero gave up. Who knows what would have happened if the umps didn't mess up the call. Actually, I do. Pierzynski would have struck out swinging like he did the two other times he was up.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Booing Alex Rios</span> - Personally, I don't see what the booing is all about. Rios was never good enough for me to be bitter about his departure. It's not like he has become the 5-tool guy we've always wanted him to be with the White Sox. I'm going to credit his home run to karma!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Furry Vengeance</span> - The advertisements were all over the ball park. I can't believe a movie with the title "Furry Vengeance" is G-rated.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Man who packs dinner to the game</span> - Dude in front of me brought a whole meal to the game. His main course was some home made lasagne, followed by some green olives and topped off with some honey roasted peanuts. It was more weird than bad but olives are gross. EWWW</span><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center;font-family:arial;" ><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-family:arial;" >The Ugly</span></span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: arial" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFfm6IAjCnuBjFWLUGOxMAlBY0ehz_7BlC7NAX6CCqrdP1TcSKqmo1cS_8gkiVPadKRNnscs3bMzE_mk7NPpSS2_eR8jZFXAqnrX7J-bChMBKEtBnIfuqULT6b5g_0spCrBqBvJDphBPc/s1600/Overbay.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459853705414203650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFfm6IAjCnuBjFWLUGOxMAlBY0ehz_7BlC7NAX6CCqrdP1TcSKqmo1cS_8gkiVPadKRNnscs3bMzE_mk7NPpSS2_eR8jZFXAqnrX7J-bChMBKEtBnIfuqULT6b5g_0spCrBqBvJDphBPc/s400/Overbay.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Lyle Overbay</span> - After today's one for four performance, Overbay </span><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-STYLE: italicfont-family:arial;" >raised</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> his batting average to .100. It's no wonder that seven of Vernon's ten hits has been for extra bases. He knows that with Overbay stepping up to the plate after him, there's no way he's advancing along the basepaths.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Random Sports Jerseys</span> - What is it about sporting events that makes people think they can get away with wearing random sports jerseys to them? I saw a Barry Bonds jersey, an A-Rod jersey, a number of Raptors jerseys, a number of Leafs jerseys, a couple of Team Canada hockey/baseball jerseys and a Colin Doyle Toronto Rock jersey. Though to be fair, that could very well be Colin Doyle sporting his own jersey. I wouldn't know because I don't know what Colin Doyle looks like.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: arial" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6PHaCbJBE_CPZwpGRuCMd_MlAXzlNIeBKVXutgT6ew1gsdu8Y0xJKmM3pvuHs7BNRzoVy8d1IumdW90bMoXVdvj1q8arSye2j1kI5S0PkNxE_FUA6CpweARMMZrlaVLg1-l41yYOZ38/s1600/Guidettes.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5459853690412103682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 361px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo6PHaCbJBE_CPZwpGRuCMd_MlAXzlNIeBKVXutgT6ew1gsdu8Y0xJKmM3pvuHs7BNRzoVy8d1IumdW90bMoXVdvj1q8arSye2j1kI5S0PkNxE_FUA6CpweARMMZrlaVLg1-l41yYOZ38/s400/Guidettes.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">The group of Jersey Shore stand-ins behind me</span> - There were a group of 5-6 Ed Hardy/Affliction wearing douchebags with their guidette girlfriends. This probably explains the bustiness in my section but man, were those broads annoying. From the 3rd inning on, I kept hearing them talking about how Amanda and Tamara got into a big fight and that they don't think Amanda will be coming back. I was hoping Amanda would come back so I could record that scrap and put it on youtube. Unfortunately, she never did, making a loser out of everybody within earshot of them.</span>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-48135228454100748242010-04-10T21:58:00.005-04:002010-04-10T23:03:11.014-04:00The Second Team<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTbKGLiKK-FjuUiE6xfYZS2_6MH_El1v5U0ffOWSNkxKVB7-KlanDqFtbiaJea8RsDlbKSzTjHtDuuYtcfCDcly8D1xK77yVBRnWKszxAJKm7IH0snzi5prmtkEDPSjSSk-2luVMm3VxY/s1600/Canada6.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTbKGLiKK-FjuUiE6xfYZS2_6MH_El1v5U0ffOWSNkxKVB7-KlanDqFtbiaJea8RsDlbKSzTjHtDuuYtcfCDcly8D1xK77yVBRnWKszxAJKm7IH0snzi5prmtkEDPSjSSk-2luVMm3VxY/s400/Canada6.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458694939827526994" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Tonight's Leafs win against the Habs marks the end of another dismal season. It will be the fifth straight season without making the playoffs...sixth straight if you count the lock out year. Without a team to cheer for in the playoffs, I find that many people adopt a second team. Most will just cheer for any remaining Canadian team left. This is a thought process I simply cannot fathom. How can anybody call them self a Leafs fan if they would even consider rooting for the Habs or Sens? Anybody who admits to doing so should get their fandom revoked. Luckily there is still another Canadian team to cheer for come mid April. </span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNyE9ejAUy-9qic5lhmwf8caHeabsIPhPeVm7jo3qwTzJM28QUoqdxxrGmDBzqRzpIhhaWQSuBM10niS1H5hqSPf_jV40eRhneHrHS4f9W6_lm0Xb2Vi2TI0fY6kl4zK_6geAj9dkCO4/s1600/Jays.jpeg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 251px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimNyE9ejAUy-9qic5lhmwf8caHeabsIPhPeVm7jo3qwTzJM28QUoqdxxrGmDBzqRzpIhhaWQSuBM10niS1H5hqSPf_jV40eRhneHrHS4f9W6_lm0Xb2Vi2TI0fY6kl4zK_6geAj9dkCO4/s400/Jays.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5458694943522448978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;font-size:180%;" >THE AL EAST LEADING BLUE JAYS!!!</span><br /></div>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-9806746516795324262010-03-10T23:50:00.001-05:002010-03-10T23:51:14.065-05:00Truc Life?<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHlTj-HqMnys6pqvpaM9Fj9vq-z6UvvhQ1cXAoY4l-hwCn4J3wSs4Gfagvm2SsXmcUxFwRb7g7JjfusPK7Op91Zhsp2xRjMlSOjMFJYmcZAjvkVyqkuyL60z9xptHQFaFXMaTE2aZQWus/s1600-h/TrucLife.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 302px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHlTj-HqMnys6pqvpaM9Fj9vq-z6UvvhQ1cXAoY4l-hwCn4J3wSs4Gfagvm2SsXmcUxFwRb7g7JjfusPK7Op91Zhsp2xRjMlSOjMFJYmcZAjvkVyqkuyL60z9xptHQFaFXMaTE2aZQWus/s400/TrucLife.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5443837347586277074" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-family:arial;">First and foremost, I'm sorry for the lack of posts. Only three posts in the month of February?...I'll blame it on the short month! In reality, I've just been busy with work. They have implemented these new "enhancements" which, to my understanding, are supposed to improve things but instead they have made my job a living hell. This is no different from the enhancements that Burke has brought to the Leafs this season. Did anybody really expect the Leafs to be this bad? Prior to the start of the season most experts, bloggers and hockey fans all over had them pegged as a team fighting for the playoffs instead of a team fighting to get out of the basement.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />The biggest change Burke made to this year's edition of the Leafs were to inject them with truculence. Leafs bloggers latched on to this word harder than a hungry baby would to a tit and why wouldn't they? Burke won a Stanley Cup with a truculent team! To illustrate just how infatuated we were with truculence, some of us were excited over having Garnet Exelby as a third pairing defenceman because of videos like </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPQF6fwbZUI" target="new">this</a><span style="font-family:arial;">.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Sporting a 21-33-12 record through 66 games, I think it's fair to ask the question "Is truculence overrated?" (Obviously) To answer this, I took a look at the games we played this season.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">Through 66 games played:</span> <ul style="font-family: arial;"><li>29 of them had at least a fight. Our win/loss record in those games is 8-21 (.275 Winning %)<br /></li><li>We had more penalty minutes than our opposition in 26 of those games. Our win/loss record in those games is 6-20 (.231 Winning %)<br /></li><li>16 of those games featured a fight(s) while we lead in penalty minutes. Our record in those games is 3-13 (.188 Winning %)<br /></li><li>In the 27 games where there the opposition had more penalty minutes and didn't feature any fights, our record is 11-16 (.407 Winning %)</li></ul><span style="font-family:arial;">Obviously there are many factors that I didn't account for like when the fight started (Was it within the first 5 minutes of the game? Was it during a blow out?); how the fight started (Planned fight off the draw? Coming to the aid of a team mate?) and who won the fight, but my half-assed analysis shows that 1) The Leafs aren't very good 2) I'm lazy and 3) Skill > Truculence!</span>*<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">*Outcome of games played may have differed greatly if Vesa Toskala didn't suit up for 26 games</span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOu5Zx-ie1CP8-bpFT9iJ9ApgcUGHR9RehckB8S4vvcp5hwA7DupIRwRjPaGGvuaYmkLCxIlDKsJvWVjg8DQKSfpYPRCQ3cST0kARaRECxNgW0_7uJ7_fls1PcV_DBp-Tt9jiS56OZKx0/s1600-h/thrown_under_the_bus.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 311px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOu5Zx-ie1CP8-bpFT9iJ9ApgcUGHR9RehckB8S4vvcp5hwA7DupIRwRjPaGGvuaYmkLCxIlDKsJvWVjg8DQKSfpYPRCQ3cST0kARaRECxNgW0_7uJ7_fls1PcV_DBp-Tt9jiS56OZKx0/s400/thrown_under_the_bus.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447233528506711218" border="0" /></a>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-68513917176865132642010-02-28T22:41:00.003-05:002010-02-28T23:02:15.679-05:00Olympic Contest Winner!<span style="font-family: arial;">With the Olympics over and done with, it's time to tally up the points to see who was the winner of the contest!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">E Daniel Clark: 11 Points</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Leafies: 12 Points</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Skinnyfish: 13 Points</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Rich: 16 Points</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Sleza: 17 Points</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Kessticle: 17 Points</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Will: 19 Points</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Shield: 23 Points</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">MykeNose: 23 Points</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Gooner4Ever: 24 Points</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Space Weed: 24 Points</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Fleet Fox: 25 Points</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Congrats to Fleet Fox for owning the podium!</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Shoot me an email at dennis0430 at gmail dot com to claim your prize</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Thankfully, no tie-breaker was needed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">What I learned from the contest</span><br /><ul><li style="font-family: arial;">Joe Thornton is in true playoff form, scoring 2 points in 7 games</li><li style="font-family: arial;">The top 2 scorers were Marian Hossa and Pavol Demitra and nobody picked them. No respect for the Slovaks!</li><li style="font-family: arial;">The only goose-egg pick was Lidstrom who didn't register a point in 4 games</li><li style="font-family: arial;">Niklas Hagman is the highest scoring Finn. Now you can't say he's never done anything for the Finns, sleza!</li><li style="font-family: arial;">Remember that offensive dynamo team from Russia? They only had one player in the top 30...</li><li style="font-family: arial;">Canadians led the way with 13 players in the top 30, followed by Slovakia with 6 then the US with 4.</li><li><span style="font-family: arial;">I LOOOVE GOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLD!!!1</span><br /></li></ul>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-1324179188862061632010-02-03T09:12:00.004-05:002010-02-03T09:18:09.001-05:00Olympics Contest Reminder<div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;"><div align="left">Just a reminder that there's a week left until the Olympics so that means only a week left until the Olympics contest. Leave your entries in the comments! Here are the rules once again.</div><center><strong></strong> </center><center><strong>------------------------------OLYMPICS CONTEST------------------------------</strong></center>Now for a new contest. With the Olympics coming up, I figured an Olympics themed one would make most sense. To keep it quick and simple, list 3 forwards and 2 defencemen playing in the Olympics. Person with the most points wins.<br /><br />To avoid having Malkin, Crosby and Ovechkin as everybody's 3 forwards, they are void from the contest. Everybody else is fair game. For a tie-breaker, state who you think will lead the Olympics in points along with how many goals and assists they get. Remember to leave your name rather than anonymous along with some way I can contact you in case you win.<br /><br />Winner gets this Tomas Kaberle autograph.</span><br /><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXlC3HtmxzANWBwI2CXFGeK7o1vRq2yuZuvCa7B4N_kEKAJzRgHJFzjVWNXWD3l6N8gCRwgxdNHMN6f4LzqgxmOtdigF2qJJtIl59V_kh0qqf-824DPR77oE2VI30NZZL9s1-lse7KC8Y/s1600-h/99-00+Tomas+Kaberle+BAP+Auto.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430398441069889426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 219px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXlC3HtmxzANWBwI2CXFGeK7o1vRq2yuZuvCa7B4N_kEKAJzRgHJFzjVWNXWD3l6N8gCRwgxdNHMN6f4LzqgxmOtdigF2qJJtIl59V_kh0qqf-824DPR77oE2VI30NZZL9s1-lse7KC8Y/s320/99-00+Tomas+Kaberle+BAP+Auto.jpg" border="0" /></a>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-78864893266344997482010-02-01T22:28:00.012-05:002010-02-02T23:48:43.917-05:00The Good, The Bad, The Ugly<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6NiPXnlD1yhLaHanI2xH08rlpQFu7JrGfAXyjdtsXTpF1-9df8kuETSIHoLiFm-YChK9k9zPlf_SPcKBzojbMfTiQIyBLl4Iqab8inmtCsqvfaXZgQPjxprQ_UO_DCcPeQJW4OAQ9VO8/s1600-h/GoodBadUglyBurke.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 310px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6NiPXnlD1yhLaHanI2xH08rlpQFu7JrGfAXyjdtsXTpF1-9df8kuETSIHoLiFm-YChK9k9zPlf_SPcKBzojbMfTiQIyBLl4Iqab8inmtCsqvfaXZgQPjxprQ_UO_DCcPeQJW4OAQ9VO8/s400/GoodBadUglyBurke.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433482986203669570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >Ladies and gentlemen, the Burke era is officially here. There was no holding back, he came out guns blazing. These are the type of deals that us Leafs fans have only heard of...the deals we were expecting last trade deadline and this past draft. While we came away disappointed on both those occasions, he really made our heads turn with this one.<br /><br />Like everybody else, I was completely caught off guard by the news of these deals. I stayed up until the morning watching Federer do his thing so I was still in bed when the trades went down. It was around 11:30. I feel a slight vibration (get your mind out of the gutter, you perv) and my eyes slowly opened. I just got a text message from my buddy and it read "Brian Burke is a genius!" I sprung out of bed and turned on my computer. Twitter was blowing up with activity. Who did we get? Who is gone? A day later and I can finally wrap my head around this. Sure, there's a lot of good in these two deals but like with most things, there's some bad and some ugly too.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >The Good</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><ul style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2eyVXRs8PZ6D6qXdm6pDjB7W0ry3kAYa0ZSsD8-wmV3BcRXv2mcrspd4qlCjDN8S_2nV5A3CjuWM3OBW4yD_D9lMixTV_k13PsVg852jlJmgZPBYs2Ms80YrB-aCIPm_qW8ZJrz436NI/s1600-h/ElishaCuthbert.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2eyVXRs8PZ6D6qXdm6pDjB7W0ry3kAYa0ZSsD8-wmV3BcRXv2mcrspd4qlCjDN8S_2nV5A3CjuWM3OBW4yD_D9lMixTV_k13PsVg852jlJmgZPBYs2Ms80YrB-aCIPm_qW8ZJrz436NI/s400/ElishaCuthbert.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433482971557943842" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >Elisha Cuthbert</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> - One of the key components to this trade. The one edge Ottawa has had on us was the celebrity girlfriend factor. This pretty much gives us the upper hand in the battle of Ontario.<br /></span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy0PePUsD3Vk5eGz3_Om_8N01w_hZbJjvwQOR2xS7W1TblTfEJvc4sxbT8BKAGRKUECePoB_mPjja4nYjugu-T42txCXr3X1ridnAjnyCLjiC9_jmQ0khjjh0uQr6PfyniwnBFuk3lWQE/s1600-h/JSG.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 212px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy0PePUsD3Vk5eGz3_Om_8N01w_hZbJjvwQOR2xS7W1TblTfEJvc4sxbT8BKAGRKUECePoB_mPjja4nYjugu-T42txCXr3X1ridnAjnyCLjiC9_jmQ0khjjh0uQr6PfyniwnBFuk3lWQE/s400/JSG.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433483218566127394" border="0" /></a></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-size:100%;" >Getting a competent goalie</span><span style="font-size:100%;"> - Our biggest weakness this season has been our goaltending by far. With Giguere, we get a goalie that has taken his team to the Stanley Cup finals twice and came away with some hardware both times...even when he lost the series! Giguere's performance in the 2003 playoffs was one of the most clutch performances I have ever seen by a goalie. While it would be delusional to expect that same goaltender from the past, he is still miles above Toskala and at this very moment, probably a better choice than The Monster too.</span></li></ul><ul style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;" ><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Kids Get to Play!</span> - We lost a goalie (if you can call him that), a defenceman and four forwards. In return we got back a goalie, a defenceman and only one forward. That opens up three forwards spots! Come on down, Hanson and Stalberg!...unfortunately Wallin will probably be filling in that last spot.<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Draft Schmaft</span> - We essentially gave up two first round picks for Kessel and Phaneuf. Two players with star potential under the age of 25? I don't think too many GMs would shake their head at that<br /><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">#1 Centre</span> - We are giving Matt Stajan the chance to flourish into a #1 centre that we all knew he would someday be...with Calgary! /snickers</span><br /><br /></li><li style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-size:180%;">WE GOT SOMETHING OF VALUE FOR JASON BLAKE AND VESA TOSKALA!!! I NEVER THOUGHT THIS DAY WOULD COME</span></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >The Bad</span><br /><ul style="font-family: arial;"><li><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGUMvE-ltUJ2MYVPMT06nB1UvaeIMzbPBCDucLWngp6TTUg9-aynjjFQYo5sdSI7h-a9Hh7oSsNd4dt8M8cO3WHb3LFiIhrk1d_luhd8u_bOBw5FoaSgR5jPPUpWFjKuNu70dNk69lTHc/s1600-h/WhiteStache.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 87px; height: 54px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGUMvE-ltUJ2MYVPMT06nB1UvaeIMzbPBCDucLWngp6TTUg9-aynjjFQYo5sdSI7h-a9Hh7oSsNd4dt8M8cO3WHb3LFiIhrk1d_luhd8u_bOBw5FoaSgR5jPPUpWFjKuNu70dNk69lTHc/s400/WhiteStache.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433483225741709058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Moustachulence</span> - Losing this epic moustache<br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">High Risk</span> - At $6.5M per season, Phaneuf is definitely a big risk. I know we all have our fingers crossed that he will not be the second coming of Bryan McCabe. Here's hoping that a change of scenery is what he needs to go back to his Norris candidate form.<br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">More Defence?</span> - With almost $23M invested in our d (not including Finger's terrible contract), it will be an embarrassment if we don't improve next season. The top four of Kaberle, Phaneuf, Beauchemin and Komisarek does make me giddy...but of course I said the same thing earlier this season but with Schenn instead of Phaneuf.<br /><br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hope</span> - Okay, this is normally a good thing but not when you thought everybody else was giving up on this team and you wanted to get good tickets for cheap! With this new found hope, fans will be filling the seats to see Phaneuf in action. Thanks, Burke!<br /></li></ul><ul style="font-family: arial;"><li><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIceTjrhwB8I023Q-Y6p3sqImvDQAkH045xwtlGhaqWPNfMw55QodwvwlqSQHCXprrbf-Q32mppSTBGdqwzFqs4C5TtEdl29oeYScfKz3hCogjM1Zj9r4gnWQ06N-84KEE25sUQ9yEOE/s1600-h/HagmanWife.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 287px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVIceTjrhwB8I023Q-Y6p3sqImvDQAkH045xwtlGhaqWPNfMw55QodwvwlqSQHCXprrbf-Q32mppSTBGdqwzFqs4C5TtEdl29oeYScfKz3hCogjM1Zj9r4gnWQ06N-84KEE25sUQ9yEOE/s400/HagmanWife.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433482990276357986" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Piritta Hannula</span> -Or Niklas Hagman's wife as you probably know her. Sure, we get Elisha Cuthbert but I have to admit that I'm a bigger fan of Hagman's wife. Especially since she's not tainted by Sean Avery. Oh, Piritta. You will be missed.<br /></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;font-family:arial;font-size:130%;" >The Ugly</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">DION PHANEUF</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">DA DAAAAAAA DA-DA-DA</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">DION PHANEUF</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">DA DA-DA DA</span><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><br />There is no denying that Dion Phaneuf is one of the ugliest human beings on this planet<br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDgGf6dKD7SHUYUfX9W5xKkfTcgMkzcDnv3hudjqFO_Ud3QQOBbFpwWuatLS8ePreN0lcc1l9yZDVTxWS41Oba8ar6u3hSR_0ZucC6NuCHXSnY4Hn0ujRUh85dWWrYUHdvG4dUthyphenhyphenY7I/s1600-h/PhaneufCuthbert.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvDgGf6dKD7SHUYUfX9W5xKkfTcgMkzcDnv3hudjqFO_Ud3QQOBbFpwWuatLS8ePreN0lcc1l9yZDVTxWS41Oba8ar6u3hSR_0ZucC6NuCHXSnY4Hn0ujRUh85dWWrYUHdvG4dUthyphenhyphenY7I/s400/PhaneufCuthbert.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433483223301140850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >One of these things do not belong in this picture<br />Motivation for ugly dudes. Get good in hockey. This is what $6.5M a year can nab you</span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKLiuTXVaVgu9zo3-WBvjglW0ifXGQQe4xw8mHXPXLUuKy3qJM2oHB_VPFDeKykMTxyZgOKB1POuOzNzuM_yGzap3dC88SBKlXn8MKu-a3dY5V6h4yGKOkSLGtVpLFrd83ZXRYhrZLWQ/s1600-h/FiveheadClub.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 79px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFKLiuTXVaVgu9zo3-WBvjglW0ifXGQQe4xw8mHXPXLUuKy3qJM2oHB_VPFDeKykMTxyZgOKB1POuOzNzuM_yGzap3dC88SBKlXn8MKu-a3dY5V6h4yGKOkSLGtVpLFrd83ZXRYhrZLWQ/s400/FiveheadClub.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433482979229444418" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Muskoka Fiveheads</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Dion's forehead compared with four other notoriously gargantuan foreheads.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span><span style="font-style: italic;">Only Christina Ricci has him beat!</span></span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBXrZzsQTmlQ-i8i8tD6C_pls73dOOJhK0K299-Gw6GaXMJmAJZ-se8rZZEj7m9K8KF6vBjftST_59nF-N5N-Wnhe5COoS2JNljyJYtqAnUQr6IBPEG8x8BnT7_H_nfzcYo7J_wiBrH4M/s1600-h/EvolutionPhaneuf.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBXrZzsQTmlQ-i8i8tD6C_pls73dOOJhK0K299-Gw6GaXMJmAJZ-se8rZZEj7m9K8KF6vBjftST_59nF-N5N-Wnhe5COoS2JNljyJYtqAnUQr6IBPEG8x8BnT7_H_nfzcYo7J_wiBrH4M/s400/EvolutionPhaneuf.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433482974704493282" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-style: italic;">Inspired by words from our very own WAC</span> </span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-family: arial;font-family:arial;font-size:85%;" ><br />"He looks two steps behind on an evolution chart."<br />Looks like she nailed it</span><br /></span></div>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-12347526835511810022010-01-24T15:04:00.001-05:002010-01-24T15:22:25.879-05:00Olympic Contest + Contest Update<span style="font-family:arial;">If you haven't noticed, I have a "Track the Contest" link in the bar to the right. Now for those who missed the train, it was basically a Leafs contest I held before the season started asking some over/under, true or false and fill in the blank questions. Here's an update on that contest.</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br />Over/Unders</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />1. Over/Under on the number of goals Jason Blake will score: 24.5</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Actual goals: 10 // Projected goals: 15 - Yeah, the under it looking pretty safe.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />2. Over/Under on the number of fighting majors Luke Schenn will get: 4.5</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Actual fights: 3 // Projected fights: 5 - This one looks like it's going down to the wire.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />3. Over/Under on the number of points Jiri Tlusty will get: 50.5</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Actual Points (as a Leaf): 0 // Projected points: 0 - </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDwEBSArx_nnNJU-8vINC4e3PBb6iOtJBR8dXRa3nTmFjffZThFNjeXQyx6tMLiiqmDk0ZJwaKb7oU50EwKT7KeCF5eIZt8JUXSs9qAGGQ5uU8zx0NAeRuNk_bHMZ6M32NElCxiWVnYfA/s1600-h/Toskala+motivate.jpg" target="new">I HAD FAITH IN YOU!!!</a> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />4. Over/Under on the number of wins The Monster will get: 19.5</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Actual Wins: 9 // Projected wins: 14 - Ugh...this one was totally reachable if it wasn't for two heart ablations, one sore groin and Ron Wilson's overplaying of ToskaLOL</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">5. Over/Under on the number of goals for this team will score: 239.5<br />Actual goals: 139 // Projected goals: 215 - With the Leafs' PP going cold and Kessel no longer scoring at a point per game place, it looks like this one will stay under<br /><br /></span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >True or false</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />1. We will make the playoffs.<br />11 points out...it's still possible but it doesn't look good.<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />2. We will finish above the dirty Habs.<br />With the 8th place team being the Habs, this one doesn't look good either<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">3. Mike van Ryn will not get put on injured reserve this year.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;">Technically true since he never really came off the IR but the fair answer would be false.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> </span><span style="font-family:arial;">4. The Monster will outplay Toskala for the starting job.<br />Though Gustavsson hasn't been amazing, this is still without a question, true.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">5. Our penalty killing will be in the top 10 at season's end.<br />With a revamped defence and a "healthy" Toskala/new goaltender in The Monster, I figured there would be a huge improvement on the PK. Unfortunately we are the worst team in the NHL defensively and our PK will go down as one of the worst, if not the worst, PKs in the history of the NHL.<br /><br /></span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Pick a Player</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />1. _______ will be the first person to get suspended.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Surprisingly, there hasn't been a suspension yet.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />2. _______ will score the first goal of the season.<br />Alexei Ponikarovsky<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">3. _______ will be the first to be healthy scratched.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Matt Stajan & Niklas Hagman</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> were the first "regulars" to ride the pine. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">4. _______ will be the first to be traded.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Jiri Tlusty</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />5. _______ will lead the team in +/-</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />So far, Ian White at +4 but Schenn & Gunnarsson are right behind with +3</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">If the season finished with the projected stats then there will be a 3-way tie for winners: Ryan, Clark and Lordosis with Ryan taking the tie-breaker (November record).</span><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">------------------------------OLYMPIC CONTEST------------------------------</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;">Now for a new contest. With the Olympics coming up, I figured an Olympics themed one would make most sense. To keep it quick and simple, list 3 forwards and 2 defencemen playing in the Olympics. Person with the most points wins.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">To avoid having Malkin, Crosby and Ovechkin as everybody's 3 forwards, they are void from the contest. Everybody else is fair game. For a tie-breaker, state who you think will lead the Olympics in points along with how many goals and assists they get. Remember to leave your name rather than anonymous along with some way I can contact you in case you win.<br /><br />Winner gets this Tomas Kaberle autograph.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXlC3HtmxzANWBwI2CXFGeK7o1vRq2yuZuvCa7B4N_kEKAJzRgHJFzjVWNXWD3l6N8gCRwgxdNHMN6f4LzqgxmOtdigF2qJJtIl59V_kh0qqf-824DPR77oE2VI30NZZL9s1-lse7KC8Y/s1600-h/99-00+Tomas+Kaberle+BAP+Auto.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 219px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXlC3HtmxzANWBwI2CXFGeK7o1vRq2yuZuvCa7B4N_kEKAJzRgHJFzjVWNXWD3l6N8gCRwgxdNHMN6f4LzqgxmOtdigF2qJJtIl59V_kh0qqf-824DPR77oE2VI30NZZL9s1-lse7KC8Y/s320/99-00+Tomas+Kaberle+BAP+Auto.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5430398441069889426" border="0" /></a>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-20532881182842081622010-01-21T01:07:00.000-05:002010-01-21T01:09:02.268-05:00The Best New Cheap Eats 2009 #6: Kenzo Ramen<span style="font-family: arial;">BlogTO recently put up a new "Best of..." list: </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.blogto.com/toronto/the_best_new_cheap_eats_in_toronto_2009/" target="new">The Best New Cheap Eats in Toronto 2009</a><span style="font-family: arial;">. Now the first thing I do when I see a new list is check out the map to see which ones are convenient for me to get to. Right away I picked out two that were walking distance from work; #14's Oh Boy Burger and #6's Kenzo Ramen. Since Kenzo Ramen was a little closer, we decided to check them out last Friday.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhpskxOedsWaTWIWa6NFV3ujATXzbsogOqam9ffMAxYj-Zwagn0ev9gvXscmsR4_ou5pbkPO1O7Ji8xRoXv9djCp1XeqcB8p4zNLGv0Mr4QSkijSNvpHz8aJrI7c5vvf-c11BjAHSm4k/s1600-h/ramen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 285px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWhpskxOedsWaTWIWa6NFV3ujATXzbsogOqam9ffMAxYj-Zwagn0ev9gvXscmsR4_ou5pbkPO1O7Ji8xRoXv9djCp1XeqcB8p4zNLGv0Mr4QSkijSNvpHz8aJrI7c5vvf-c11BjAHSm4k/s320/ramen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429030519745361858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >The Poor Man's Best Friend</span><br /><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;">When I think ramen, the word cheap definitely comes to mind. My grandparents owned a convenience store when I was young and they told me a story of this customer who only had $3 and 3 days until his next paycheque. He ended up buying his meals for those 3 days. $3 worth of instant ramen!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Now there's nothing wrong with instant ramen (except for the fact that it's loaded with sodium and MSG!). It's easy to make, inexpensive and quite frankly, pretty delicious. That said, if I was going to a ramen restaurant, I expected them to blow those $0.50 packages away. Let's see how they fared.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWS8mbrG3c307mFYU-BTGn7jLrPGlQqGdURALG3hCMlAjo8M5j6It7mzfoSsdOd1qjhvPXVw9IxeG87DjS6WkMIO22hDRB4PwquaTR9AY98CC4z7TSxQEcpEHrtvgtCMAjX97BNdInUw/s1600-h/IMG00030-20100115-1309.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBWS8mbrG3c307mFYU-BTGn7jLrPGlQqGdURALG3hCMlAjo8M5j6It7mzfoSsdOd1qjhvPXVw9IxeG87DjS6WkMIO22hDRB4PwquaTR9AY98CC4z7TSxQEcpEHrtvgtCMAjX97BNdInUw/s320/IMG00030-20100115-1309.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429030511565622450" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family: arial;">The King of the Kings Ramen</span></span><br /><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Location: 4/5</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Kenzo Ramen is at 138 Dundas St. W which is right by Dundas and Elizabeth. It's about a couple minutes away from the Eaton Centre and you really can't miss the Japanese decor on the outside. They have a big Japanese style wooden sign along with a Japanese banner at the front. I have actually walked past this place a few times and noticed the store front. I never bothered to actually look at it though as I just assumed it was yet another sushi restaurant. Now my friend told me she's been to the one uptown at Yonge and Steeles but after a quick google search, it looks like they just relocated downtown.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">As for the actual restaurant; they decorate it with Japanese lanterns, Japanese cloth screens and Japanese art to give it an authentic Japanese feel...or at least that's what I would assume a restaurant in Japan would look like since I've never been to Japan. The kitchen is located at the back and there isn't a wall dividing it so you can see right into it from the dining area.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">My only gripe with the restaurant is that it is too small! When we arrived, there was a small line up so in order to fit everybody in, we had to keep the door ajar. The waiter came over and asked if we could close the door. Well, I would if we could all fit! I would estimate that the seating capacity is around 25 people or so.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Taste: 4.5/5</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I ordered "The King of the Kings Ramen" which seemed like one of their more popular items on the menu. My order came very quickly and I dove right in. The King of the Kings Ramen features ramen noodles of course, seaweed (dry and wet), bean sprouts, ground pork, slices of pork, green onions, a slice of fish paste cake (the white with the red swirl) and half of a hard boiled egg all in a spicy pork based soup.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The soup is what makes this meal. It had a decent kick to it and is similar to a Korean pork-bone soup. The slices of pork were very tender and flavourful. From where we sat, we could actually see the pork being slow cooked in their oven. The rest of the ingredients pretty much tasted the way you would imagine it tasting. The meal was delicious and I wasn't left dying of thirst like I normally would after a bowl of instant ramen.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmB6LgdyXh_F73wO3P-pqWXxyXhwOALH8m6zuz4CWI9ROB4sg4NBSZJbAjHYDCtHAOl_acy-FLZsOuPIYKu10Oepk9MPvU_3JjOQ5Lq8DgB6mZmF9KDIFXloO7_fJpZhlyHunV4Qcc_vg/s1600-h/IMG00032-20100115-1326.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmB6LgdyXh_F73wO3P-pqWXxyXhwOALH8m6zuz4CWI9ROB4sg4NBSZJbAjHYDCtHAOl_acy-FLZsOuPIYKu10Oepk9MPvU_3JjOQ5Lq8DgB6mZmF9KDIFXloO7_fJpZhlyHunV4Qcc_vg/s320/IMG00032-20100115-1326.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429030514253903106" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family: arial;">Tacoyaki: A teriyaki taco?</span></span><br /><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;">As a side, I also split an order of Tacoyaki with my two co-workers. Despite the name, tacoyaki isn't a teriyaki taco. The menu said it was baked octopus. Having never tried octopus, I was curious as to what this would taste like. Upon getting the order, I noticed that they were topped with dried octopus, crushed herbs and mayonnaise. The balls were also very soft (that's what she said). It appears that they are balls of batter with a chunk of octopus inside it (think Chinese sweet and sour chicken balls but baked instead of deep fried). I picked one up with my chop sticks and took a bite. My first bite was all batter (which tasted like the batter from a deep fried banana) but I could see a chunk of octopus as well as melted cheese inside. After my second bite, the morsel of octopus was gone. It was chewy. The texture was very much like calamari but the taste was different. It had a stronger seafood taste. Similar to abalone. I'm not a huge fan of seafood so the next time, I will just stick to the pork dumplings as a side.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Value: 3.5/5</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">The King of the Kings Ramen was $9.95 before tax and tip. While delicious, it's a far cry from a couple packs of instant ramen which will probably cost a loonie and change. You do get a healthy serving but like most soup-based meals, I was hungry an hour later. There are definitely better lunch time deals to be had but if you are craving noodles then give Kenzo Ramen a try.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Verdict: 4 Yutaka Fukufujis out of 5</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOl-JAGD39wGBnehnUtd-zd5QpuXgdacV_voDmAYj5CHrUl6KodWi67vdYf_lUtfAvP475aNTL1z7PWiikOetFgXyNVrwPGGIfGlZ7dV3osTda0IgW2ZOkXO6lIZNcsNKbZI428qcChqM/s1600-h/KenzoRamen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 80px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOl-JAGD39wGBnehnUtd-zd5QpuXgdacV_voDmAYj5CHrUl6KodWi67vdYf_lUtfAvP475aNTL1z7PWiikOetFgXyNVrwPGGIfGlZ7dV3osTda0IgW2ZOkXO6lIZNcsNKbZI428qcChqM/s320/KenzoRamen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429030524114678274" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Kenzo Ramen specializes in ramen and their menu reflects that. They have a limited selection of no more than 20 items; most of which are noodles in soup. They even have a couple of Japanese beers and sake on the menu. The service is quick but they could work on being a little more friendly. I don't think I've seen a smile from either of the 2 waiters. The food itself is great though. The three of us really enjoyed our meal and would definitely eat there again. Since Kenzo Ramen was recently relocated downtown, I guess it isn't really a new place but it is still a restaurant worthy of paying a visit to.</span>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-42127791709034207892010-01-17T00:10:00.001-05:002010-01-17T00:11:13.675-05:00Winners and Losers of the New Year<span style="font-family:arial;">The new year isn't even a month old and the sporting world has already seen it's fair share of ups and downs. Through these past two weeks we have seen a dog get put down, a spitting disgrace, an armed man in Washington and more. Let's check out some of the winners and losers of 2010 so far.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;font-size:180%;" ><u>Winners</u></span><br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtYZTGFOCnoozSEUQEVKP3PR7iyj5bsLxK4Hcfs91BOBk041d-FDQsVRE2QJYOwetIjeizyiTlFC_bZvDfjp3U3eEL5uvh45xrXz5HRrwKIotZJWd2jZ-h6ySqEXlpUqWodK1I8XUzMM/s1600-h/JordanEberle.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 223px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvtYZTGFOCnoozSEUQEVKP3PR7iyj5bsLxK4Hcfs91BOBk041d-FDQsVRE2QJYOwetIjeizyiTlFC_bZvDfjp3U3eEL5uvh45xrXz5HRrwKIotZJWd2jZ-h6ySqEXlpUqWodK1I8XUzMM/s320/JordanEberle.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426465865009911826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jordan Eberle</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Whether Eberle pans out as an NHL star or not is irrelevant. This kid is the definition of clutch and will hold the title as one of the best Canadian juniors to ever play in the tournament. It's a shame that Canada didn't end up beating the US in OT but Eberle's late-game heroics definitely made this a game to remember.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMKCbzfZuLnpQEwZeIBcrdrTBE0QrdAAm6GcgUGjpGyeUvJvq6gBNHpiQp347zd-sh4KTbrzCc1woRIvqjc0q0OW5MazAeGLeuoZjavFyvp_VvDHeBG3OpxVGnA9c2pZUldMPjv_CSlA/s1600-h/AroldisChapman.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTMKCbzfZuLnpQEwZeIBcrdrTBE0QrdAAm6GcgUGjpGyeUvJvq6gBNHpiQp347zd-sh4KTbrzCc1woRIvqjc0q0OW5MazAeGLeuoZjavFyvp_VvDHeBG3OpxVGnA9c2pZUldMPjv_CSlA/s320/AroldisChapman.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426465649687008082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Aroldis Chapman</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">When I turned 22 I was fresh out of university and looking for a job. I would spend hours on facebook during the day and consume massive amounts of alcohol during the night. Aroldis Chapman, on the other hand, became a multi-millionaire by signing a ridiculous $30 million, 6 year contract with the Cincinnati Reds. I'm curious to see how his career will pan out. He has the heat but not quite the location yet. A part of me is happy that the Jays got outbid because he truly is a crapshoot but the other part of me is bitter and hopes he turns out to be nothing but a Brandon League. No matter the outcome, he's got 30 million reasons to smile right now.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxzaA32NA5xV7WH9NlMbBNC7VlD5YsHq04ZUlJCaUB4_lvZOaXMeG6CzIpF5RldtJkyqrsYcMyIkXy64RJvEsh2-XXK_mmFlerRvMsCNmq8z2k5r-LLuEPYWWBvrbn8joCex29QFENHM/s1600-h/BenHenderson.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKxzaA32NA5xV7WH9NlMbBNC7VlD5YsHq04ZUlJCaUB4_lvZOaXMeG6CzIpF5RldtJkyqrsYcMyIkXy64RJvEsh2-XXK_mmFlerRvMsCNmq8z2k5r-LLuEPYWWBvrbn8joCex29QFENHM/s320/BenHenderson.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426465653356426674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Ben Henderson</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Down two rounds in a five round title-unification fight? No problem. Bendo comes out hungry in the 3rd and turns a Jamie Varner shot into a guillotine choke that had him tapping in seconds. In my opinion, these flash finishes are what makes mixed martial arts such a great sport.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQrWSINiWu_1-X2S1dNw7H0z8PpBF2E2nyUkqZF9gQtLAGPg4uW8XApKckTwiakWCwFty_nHV8TJLZCk-kU4SwCe7PXoQdY1lmdfqsRHB2HMRAqDdwGugRBTkAZq4pW-mKZUGS45YjU4E/s1600-h/CardsPack.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQrWSINiWu_1-X2S1dNw7H0z8PpBF2E2nyUkqZF9gQtLAGPg4uW8XApKckTwiakWCwFty_nHV8TJLZCk-kU4SwCe7PXoQdY1lmdfqsRHB2HMRAqDdwGugRBTkAZq4pW-mKZUGS45YjU4E/s320/CardsPack.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426465658045056162" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Viewers of the Packers/Cardinals game</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I find that as the years go on, my interest in the NFL goes with it. Admittedly, I think I've only seen two or three complete games this year. I don't know what it is...maybe it's the fact that I don't really have a team I'm fully committed to or maybe the one team I usually cheer for (The Bears) sucked ass. Regardless of the reason, this is the game that could suck me back in. The highest scoring game in NFL playoff history featured 9 combined aerial touchdowns, 3 combined rushing touchdowns, a defensive touchdown to win the game and only 2 combined punts! Fans, hell, even non-football fans were in for a treat.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVPxmKtqPlgdIm8emzrHcbpHEejPtcEqOUZxoL1-dy1dWYEBi8TXahWTUvtrJ1h28iMDc7IiKndIrsWMrAbNqWGTufJY8_hMRqQ7IF4-qHI-KFWQ5XC2wMA204gUJoVrYGOkcmTf1AUVQ/s1600-h/CurtisJoseph.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 266px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVPxmKtqPlgdIm8emzrHcbpHEejPtcEqOUZxoL1-dy1dWYEBi8TXahWTUvtrJ1h28iMDc7IiKndIrsWMrAbNqWGTufJY8_hMRqQ7IF4-qHI-KFWQ5XC2wMA204gUJoVrYGOkcmTf1AUVQ/s320/CurtisJoseph.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426465669269798898" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Curtis Joseph</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Curtis Joseph ended a storied career on Jan 12, 2010. After a dismal 2008-09 season with the Leafs, he has finally decided to hang them up. I guess he didn't want the lone spot as the goalie with the most losses in the NHL. Instead, he will share that feat with Gump Worsley. Don't let that define his career though. Cujo signed with St. Louis as a 20 year-old free agent and ended up being the fourth winningest goaltender of all time. While some will bring up the no Stanley Cups argument, I personally believe that Joseph belongs in the Hall.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;font-size:180%;" ><u>Losers</u></span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcO2HINJVAk092QLbekbT14kRJa6gpTzAivZvGUDkdBdE4JocZKnBYed7u3Ypn73AIoctEKLT5hRLSQprvLkgzUugsdRRGmjD9bQVnebkTO7PqZlvphnd4u0jHy9hxDHdtVe19HAQgrM/s1600-h/ClippersFan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 234px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmcO2HINJVAk092QLbekbT14kRJa6gpTzAivZvGUDkdBdE4JocZKnBYed7u3Ypn73AIoctEKLT5hRLSQprvLkgzUugsdRRGmjD9bQVnebkTO7PqZlvphnd4u0jHy9hxDHdtVe19HAQgrM/s320/ClippersFan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426465663433805602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Clippers Fans</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I don't understand how one city can have two teams that are so far apart in terms of skill. On one side you have the Lakers, a team that has won 10 championships since its 49 years of existence. On the other side you have the Clippers, a team that has only two winning seasons in its 25 years of existence. So these Clippers are perennial losers, what's different this year? Well, aside from another losing season, they had to evacuate their whole stadium due to a false fire alarm and they also found out that Blake Griffin, their first overall pick from the draft, will be out for the whole season. Yes, it does suck to be a Leafs fan but things could be worse...you could be a Clippers fan. I assume that there's nobody with an allegiance to both teams because you would have offed yourself by now.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU1i-vXNGNH7U_eRdq77YwhrLkGyqqpjtfUm2ckO_L9LoSsJvSJPk20VWs6uZcJJbCnAzI21_LdOs5-bRJqRiMMd16ZUJykf8zdDUZl7Ltz0ycCEnBmjoW0EZ60PGPeK7X8q8mellmsQE/s1600-h/RobertoAlomar.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 250px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU1i-vXNGNH7U_eRdq77YwhrLkGyqqpjtfUm2ckO_L9LoSsJvSJPk20VWs6uZcJJbCnAzI21_LdOs5-bRJqRiMMd16ZUJykf8zdDUZl7Ltz0ycCEnBmjoW0EZ60PGPeK7X8q8mellmsQE/s320/RobertoAlomar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426466037531226642" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >The BBWAA</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It's a shame that one of, if not the greatest second baseman to ever play the game won't get in first ballot because a group of writers wanted to send a message. That's the only explanation, really, to omit Alomar from the hall of fame induction this year. I really think that the baseball hall of fame should be decided by a committee that has actually played the game. Hang your head, Baseball Writers Association of America...</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9iINiQP-tkLOK7nQ-D4uH_dT0ndTAh2qu65vdM1pMxyep9Q3Fs6aByi8XnZ-aPWavKx3Z4NtIszM6q2-APmiJZhbXD-Y-NJkZFGf1NptJ6ZGi2C4I0ZX3kSANef4q6sMTs0i-bP4LHs/s1600-h/LeafsPK.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 275px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX9iINiQP-tkLOK7nQ-D4uH_dT0ndTAh2qu65vdM1pMxyep9Q3Fs6aByi8XnZ-aPWavKx3Z4NtIszM6q2-APmiJZhbXD-Y-NJkZFGf1NptJ6ZGi2C4I0ZX3kSANef4q6sMTs0i-bP4LHs/s320/LeafsPK.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426465878954074370" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >The Leafs Penalty Kill</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >ing</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">You know that saying that goes "It's like a train wreck, you just can't help but watch." Well the Leafs PK is just as terrible as a train wreck but I sure as hell can't stomach to watch it. They are a torrid 18 for 30 on the penalty kill in the month of January and the month isn't even over yet. That's an embarrassing 60%! Even worse than their record low 68.6%! I have never missed baseball so much.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe1Xo5Z3t3gBVwSNJEkaloV_lF1AkC093VOUkpBm4ACZ2_rOy38jOXtOiad9QWoJ4ffdPDCera1ISXT6YlTp4bM_ah8tg3mjbM9j3IfHxf0x7NF2E2OYGpoRGNQpWzReXL-FTfdv8IcUA/s1600-h/Jake+Allen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe1Xo5Z3t3gBVwSNJEkaloV_lF1AkC093VOUkpBm4ACZ2_rOy38jOXtOiad9QWoJ4ffdPDCera1ISXT6YlTp4bM_ah8tg3mjbM9j3IfHxf0x7NF2E2OYGpoRGNQpWzReXL-FTfdv8IcUA/s320/Jake+Allen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426465860313864482" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Jake Allen</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This will go down as one of the biggest Toskala-esque performances in the World Juniors by a Canadian goalie. I haven't seen anything </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >fold</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> under pressure so badly since </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.barrymelroserocks.com/2009-articles/november/sneak-preview-mrs-tavares.html" target="new">Loser Domi's Mrs. Tavares shirt</a><span style="font-family:arial;">.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZxpv44n-6A0Cc5ANK8YDJsy1Sdk2BcRPxFKIeI1m9NYpcHiQocLyVUptY-R3ibFiEIJd-aiQlOmuvQ63TWXNLqz0fERU8vRFvqcwTRUj7XqbXRYYjXBP__YQRUCl3JUiIAy1qeNLCL0/s1600-h/JuniorSeau.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoZxpv44n-6A0Cc5ANK8YDJsy1Sdk2BcRPxFKIeI1m9NYpcHiQocLyVUptY-R3ibFiEIJd-aiQlOmuvQ63TWXNLqz0fERU8vRFvqcwTRUj7XqbXRYYjXBP__YQRUCl3JUiIAy1qeNLCL0/s320/JuniorSeau.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426465870428635314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Junior Seau</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Junior Seau called it quits...again. His fourth retirement in his last four seasons! If the Pats make another deep run next year, I wouldn't be surprised to see him come back. Heck, what if the Chargers are going for 16-0, will he come out and join them too? I have absolutely no respect for this coat-tail rider especially after he came back from retirement with The Patriots four days after he signed a one-day contract with the Chargers for a sentimental retirement.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZRp0wDCw6ODlc3-dDtI_dLO_UxIW8pbIt3ZydA9kAJVwo4FiOQIhSHzKPPvIglitYIOFANsSD2lti4_09fEALJEHJKgUWrjdGP8z7WT6sNIY_U2ZaRNzwkXem3tdCcRxfRF48FPZBbE/s1600-h/GilbertGuns.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 168px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZRp0wDCw6ODlc3-dDtI_dLO_UxIW8pbIt3ZydA9kAJVwo4FiOQIhSHzKPPvIglitYIOFANsSD2lti4_09fEALJEHJKgUWrjdGP8z7WT6sNIY_U2ZaRNzwkXem3tdCcRxfRF48FPZBbE/s320/GilbertGuns.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426465859518632402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Gilbert Arenas</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Oh Gil...where did we go wrong? While the stories keep changing, one thing remains the same. He kept guns in the locker room. Now I don't know if he pointed them at Javaris Crittenton or not but we wouldn't even be talking about this if he had just kept them at home. The real winners in the story would be the Washington Wizards. They owed the under-achieving, injury-prone point guard something like $80-90 million over the next four years. This incident gives them an opportunity to void the rest of the contract due to a breach in the morality clause. So long, Agent Zero.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgHEjibCbEQ2E80TBBrlbDMEFR0CaKbgAbQr-hFI8AifeQoPD2xTaRnZNZ8Lrzxfn4NsMH6rtCY5DBL7WBHgeFdfcq7u9agDQAQTLUhxBbjnqFeAenEBNebC70_-AiwczZKUeZuI0dWAM/s1600-h/ShinyaAoki.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 185px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgHEjibCbEQ2E80TBBrlbDMEFR0CaKbgAbQr-hFI8AifeQoPD2xTaRnZNZ8Lrzxfn4NsMH6rtCY5DBL7WBHgeFdfcq7u9agDQAQTLUhxBbjnqFeAenEBNebC70_-AiwczZKUeZuI0dWAM/s320/ShinyaAoki.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426466043616765010" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Shinya Aoki</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">MMA is a growing sport in North America but it's huge in Japan. While Shinya Aoki might not be a household name amongst North American fans, this definitely put him on the map. Fields Dynamite!! 2009 was an event held on new years eve. It pitted two promotions against each other; Pride vs Sengoku. With each promotion having won four bouts each, it came down to the tie-breaker. The world number two lightweight from Pride, Shinya Aoki vs Sengoku's Mizuto Hirota. Aoki controlled the match from the start. He got an early take down and never let up. He eventually got an arm trapped behind Hirota's back and applied a hammerlock (like what a cop would do on a take down). Hirota's arm gets cranked in a way that would make most people squeamish but still doesn't tap. Aoki's had enough and snaps it. Okay, pretty awesome right? I would have this as a winner if it stopped right there. But it didn't. Aoki gets up and flips off Hirota while he's lying there screaming with his arm broken, then gets up and does that soccer airplane celebration, then flips off other members of the crowd before pointing to his elbow and mocking Hirota some more.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHkr3OgdmPg&feature=related" target="new">Video footage, not for the faint of heart</a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZ-wPdDq-kkoIDz3BK02FXL5fSDiNqR4LFsO-6efbSAbuAGobmEmObyyKb2gnpBEQ93Nszzx1e7hhMzuWu8gGCMtixyBzqEnE6f7FmVs3w-jtIZp2eTE31e_9pJcVSfylESduAvoSj5k/s1600-h/MarkMcGwire.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 282px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRZ-wPdDq-kkoIDz3BK02FXL5fSDiNqR4LFsO-6efbSAbuAGobmEmObyyKb2gnpBEQ93Nszzx1e7hhMzuWu8gGCMtixyBzqEnE6f7FmVs3w-jtIZp2eTE31e_9pJcVSfylESduAvoSj5k/s320/MarkMcGwire.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426466031250622626" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Mark McGwire</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">So Mark McGwire finally comes out and reveals to everybody a big secret that we all already knew. Is this going to increase his chances of making it into the hall? I don't know. Personally, I don't think it should. When everybody suspected him of being a cheater, he couldn't get in and now that everybody knows he was a cheater, he definitely should not be allowed in.</span>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-25514320226866495512010-01-08T00:40:00.000-05:002010-01-08T00:43:09.902-05:00Mid-season Report Cards<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXs_4dVTezk41ezxdRfhpAKMQtnxBKp7XHB8hzNYaUSwZvNUXQNlxUWlDpZQdKTxSywLclI707luUtNlV-BPxTgd77hEmXHaV0igb1ImjVP0N8XkCSFmrB2qJrFAgVZF4q-V3tw5JkOm8/s1600-h/3c7f69fe2c8db2974fff230056c8572b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 323px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXs_4dVTezk41ezxdRfhpAKMQtnxBKp7XHB8hzNYaUSwZvNUXQNlxUWlDpZQdKTxSywLclI707luUtNlV-BPxTgd77hEmXHaV0igb1ImjVP0N8XkCSFmrB2qJrFAgVZF4q-V3tw5JkOm8/s400/3c7f69fe2c8db2974fff230056c8572b.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424236799073539186" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Okay so it's a bit past mid-season and if I could forget the past few games, I totally would...but I can't, so here are my mid-season and three games grades.<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Forwards<br /><br /></span> </div> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Phil Kessel</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />32 GP / 14 G / 8 A / 22 PTS / -2</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Kessel is still by far the most talented player on this team. If it wasn't for his hot start, we might be battling Carolina for last. Instead, we are battling the Flyers, Thrashers, Lightning and Panthers for second last. Kessel was off to a blazing start with his new club and scored at pretty much a point a game pace. Unfortunately, the last 10 games happened where he's only gotten 1 point in that stretch. He can definitely make things happen but he has to play stronger with the puck. Brian Burke, please get him an elite centre!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Grade: B+</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br />Matt Stajan</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />43 GP / 11 G / 21 A / 32 PTs / -2</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Matt Stajan is not a number one centre...but with the depth we have up the middle, he's probably the closest thing we have. Most of his points came during Kessel's hot stretch and when Kessel cooled off, so did he; only notching 4 points in the last 10. While he is on pace to record career highs in his offensive totals, his career highs weren't all that impressive to begin with.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Grade: C+</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br />Niklas Hagman</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />43 GP / 16 G / 11 A / 27 PTS / -1</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />While there are a ton of things I like about Hagman's game, I expected more from him in terms of his offensive numbers. He's a streaky scorer, notching 13 points in 12 games beginning late November. Since then, he has only gotten 3 points in his next 12. For the past couple of games he has seen fourth line minutes. As one of the veteran forwards on this team, I would like to see him respond to his demotion but driving hard to the net and doing anything to get the puck over the goal line.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Grade: C</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br />Jason Blake</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />44 GP / 10 G / 15 A / 25 PTS / -1</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Jason Blake was horrible to start the year. It took him 27 games to score his 3rd and 4th goals. He has picked things up slightly since then but still not good enough to be a factor most nights. While he will never earn that $4.5 million, he could still be a decent hockey player (as we saw last year). Only 2 more seasons after this one!...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Grade: D+</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br />Mikhael Grabovski</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />42 GP / 7 G / 18 A / 25 PTS / -1</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Like most, I was expecting a break out season for Grabovski. I wasn't looking for a point a game or anything but I didn't think 60 points would be out of the question. Unfortunately, with him being out for the next 6 weeks, it doesn't look like it will happen. Didn't look like it would happen regardless though. His play has been streaky and I would even say he looked disinterested some nights. I blame the peace treaty between him and the Kostitsyns! We want crazy Grabs!</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Grade: C-</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Lee Stempniak</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />44 GP / 11 G / 12 A / 23 PTS / -5</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />I was actually surprised by Stempniak's points total when I checked out his stats. I thought he would have more. I guess this speaks well for him because I actually notice him this season. He's been one of the better Leafs forwards, in my opinion. His play has gotten him some good chances but he just hasn't been able to capitalize on all of them. I do hope that he regains his scoring touch that he had in St. Louis where he scored 27 goals in his sophomore season.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Grade: B-</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br />Nikolai Kulemin</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />40 GP / 7 G / 7 A /14 PTS / -2</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Kulemin is what I would consider a no stats all-star. Well, all-star might be a bit of a stretch but you get the gist of what I'm saying. He's been physical, he back checks and he takes a hit to make a play. When I first heard he was coming over from Russia and played on the same line as Malkin, I figured he would be a one dimensional scorer. Thankfully he isn't...but I would like to see more of that scoring dimension!</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Grade: B</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br />Alexei Ponikarovsky</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />44 GP / 15 G / 14 A / 29 PTS / +4</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Poni had a great season last year and I was really hoping to see him build on that. With higher expectations over his head he hasn't really delivered. I would like to see Poni use his size and play more assertively. He has the frame to drive to the net and when he does, good things usually happen. With a team full of negatives, it's nice to finally see a plus player. With 4 points in his last 5, it certainly isn't too late to turn things around. It's a contract year, Poni. Show us what you got!</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Grade: C</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br />Colton Orr</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />44 GP / 1 G / 2 A / 3 PTS / -3 / 86 PIM</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">Orr's been fantastic. I love watching him fight and he doesn't really hurt the team much either. He doesn't take a ton of bad penalties unlike a lot of enforcers/pests and he's a tremendous forechecker. He also scored a goal! That's one more than Rickard Wallin...</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Grade: B+</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br />Jamal Mayers</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />32 GP / 1 G / 4 A / 5 PTS / -3</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Mayers is one of those players that I can't quite figure out. What is his purpose? Why is he playing? Can we get our 5th pick back? While I do enjoy watching him throw down, I would much rather give a kid like Christian Hanson a chance with the big club than to dress Mayers.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Grade: D+</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br />Wayne Primeau</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />35 GP / 2 G / 3 A / 5 PTS / +1</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Another plus player on this team! Primeau has been a solid addition to the team. He won't light the world on fire with his game but he's all you can ask for from a 4th liner. That said, if I could trade him for Stralman, I would.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Grade: B</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br />Viktor Stalberg</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />14 GP / 2 G / 1 A / 3 PTS / -3</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Here's a player Leafs Nation fell in love with during the pre-season. This pretty much shows you that the games played before 1-82 doesn't mean a thing. While Stalberg tore up the pre-season, his regular season stats to start the year was less than impressive, registering a lone assist in 8 games. On his current stint with the Leafs, he's scored 2 goals in 6. While an improvement, still not enough to draw the ooh's and ahh's he did in September. I have no doubt that Stalberg will be quite the player someday. We'll just have to wait patiently for that day to come.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Grade: C</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br />John Mitchell</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />24 GP / 2 G / 7 A / 9 PTS / -6</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In my opinion, John Mitchell will forever be a fringe NHL third liner. While he has decent hands, he doesn't seem to possess the shot to finish. Being injured for close to 20 games does set him back a bit but I can't say my expectations for Mitchell were too high anyway.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Grade: C</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br />Rickard Wallin</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />32 GP / 0 G / 3 A / 3 PTS / -6</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Did Wallin really bring Gustavsson over? If I remember correctly, The Monster was signed before Wallin. So what purpose does he bring to the table? Through half a season, I honestly can't think of a single reason why he is still on the team. You know you're terrible when Colton Orr is outscoring you.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Grade: F</span> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Defence<br /><br /></span> </div> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Tomas Kaberle</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />44 GP / 4 G / 34 A / 38 PTS / -7</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Kaberle's never been much of a defender but he's having a blistering season offensively. He leads the team in points and is second in the league in scoring for defencemen. While that -7 is an ugly number, I have to give it to him for his consistent offensive output. I wouldn't be surprised to see him moved at the deadline though. Especially if a package included a much needed first round pick.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Grade: A-</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br />Mike Komisarek</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />34 GP / 0 G / 4 A / 4 PTS / -9</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Komisarek was one of two big free agent defencemen brought in and the pressure to perform seemed to have gotten to him as he started the season pretty poorly. He played overly aggressive and was a negative most nights. His game has settled down a bit since but still not quite the in-your-face defender that I hated playing against when he was on the Habs.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Grade: C+</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br />Francois Beauchemin</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />44 GP / 4 G / 15 A / 19 PTS / -8</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />The second big free agent signing was another disappointment to start the season. Beauchemin was at one point a season low -13 but playing that many games with Toskala in net doesn't help. He has definitely picked his game up on both the defensive and offensive ends though and I'm certain he will continue his strong play in the second half.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Grade: B</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br />Ian White</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />44 GP / 8 G / 14 A / 22 PTS / +7</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />How does a team with every defenceman in the negatives have one that is +7?! Over the past season and a half, Ian White has shown how valuable he really is. He puts up decent offensive numbers and plays sound positional defence. While he isn't the biggest guy on the ice, he is quick with his stick and doesn't leave his man alone too often. Re-sign Ian White!</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Grade: A+</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br />Luke Schenn</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />41 GP / 1 G / 4 A / 5 PTS / -1</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I have to say that Luke Schenn has been playing more like Luke Schenn than he has like OLAS this season. He's been hesitant and second guesses himself at times. In a game of inches, that little pause can mean a clean break out pass or a turn over for a goal. I was really hoping to see a more physical player this year with a slightly improved offensive game but instead his defensive game remained the same, if not a little worse and Schenn hasn't really shown any offensive improvements either. I definitely haven't given up on him but he's certainly be a slight disappointment so far.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Grade: C-</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br />Jeff Finger</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />25 GP / 2 G / 7 A / 9 PTS / -10</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />On a team filled with negatives, Finger has the lowest with a -10! What's more impressive is that he did it in about half as many games. He still plays a physical brand of defence but I remember him going down to block shots a lot more last season. For somebody fighting for that 5th/6th spot, I expected to see more out of him.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Grade: C-</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><br /><br />Garnet Exelby</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />24 GP / 0 G / 3 A / 3 PTS / -3</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />On the bright side, he has the same amount of points as Rickard Wallin! That's about it though...Exelby flat out sucks. He's a train wreck on defence and looks for that big hit too often...even if it will compromise his defensive position and lead to an odd-man rush.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Grade: F<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Goaltending</span><br /><br /></div> <span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Vesa Toskala</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />6-8-2 / 3.72 GAA / .869 Save %</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />This really needs no explanation.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Grade: Submitted to failblog</span> <br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Jonas Gustavsson</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />8-8-7 / 2.93 GAA / .904 Save %</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />If memory serves me right, 2 of those losses came in relief of Toskala. Needless to say, if The Monster started the season as the starter and didn't get injured, we would be in a much better position than we are in right now. Here's to a Toskala-free crease from now on.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Grade: B+</span>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-77792665951142172912010-01-06T09:16:00.004-05:002010-01-06T09:23:43.001-05:00Congrats<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyRuTc09N74bw71lo2o-qvdSRFpDFtEPgFkO_DeFQqZrHcZGalM3xrXBPspZy6-9cd8iqC5DlF3GZWiUJH12Qnt1mrmxmCXKZuTm2X8M3Z6rpNlo474wzhak3dRU603O-HcBTTxGZF_0/s1600-h/MonsterWhite.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5423631166000524642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 283px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTyRuTc09N74bw71lo2o-qvdSRFpDFtEPgFkO_DeFQqZrHcZGalM3xrXBPspZy6-9cd8iqC5DlF3GZWiUJH12Qnt1mrmxmCXKZuTm2X8M3Z6rpNlo474wzhak3dRU603O-HcBTTxGZF_0/s400/MonsterWhite.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> Congrats to Canada's team for the big win last night.</span></div>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-24486150494393094982010-01-02T15:02:00.004-05:002010-01-02T15:44:28.548-05:00Do You Want A Resolution?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJPMjkv5cfx_beBWvO7XfJPYMkvotwXJ6mlo7UEDOcRmy__Yrb-EbtI7NObbdnQxvap69dqN0Xexe0nL8PcmkpNXA1t__w0TnoGRloBTOqvVNGFF7fZ3v0b6PhOfQiJi3Agi6ReYhEoM/s1600-h/Resolution.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 367px; height: 324px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJPMjkv5cfx_beBWvO7XfJPYMkvotwXJ6mlo7UEDOcRmy__Yrb-EbtI7NObbdnQxvap69dqN0Xexe0nL8PcmkpNXA1t__w0TnoGRloBTOqvVNGFF7fZ3v0b6PhOfQiJi3Agi6ReYhEoM/s400/Resolution.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422245655548161042" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I hope everybody's New Years celebration went well. Mine is pretty much the same every year; look back at all the goals I didn't meet then drink until I'm completely shitfaced to forget my failures. 2010 will be different though. Mainly because I have a venue to jot down my resolutions. I can't let my readers down (all three of you). Well here goes, as a sports fan, these are my goals for the new year.</span><br /><ul style="font-family: arial;"><li>I will not diss the game of soccer.</li><li>I will refrain from saying ______ reminds me of a young Halladay because I will simply be setting myself up for disappointment. There will never be another!</li><li>I will try to follow the CFL - I've always given the CFL a lot of grief but never much of a chance. This year will be different. As a Saskatchewan native, I'm leaning towards following the Riders.</li><li>I will make it out to at least 10 Jays games - The Jays are totally affordable when catching games in the 500s but Doc's departure makes it that much harder to pick games to watch. Here's to Shaun Marcum continuing where he left off before Tommy John.</li><li>I will not boo Vernon Wells - We're in it for the long haul, baby. Make me proud. I BELIEVE IN VERNON WELLS!!1</li><li>I will not go to Boston Pizza to watch UFC - If I have a party of 7 but only 6 of us are here, there is no reason why I shouldn't get a table. I am tired of your shit, Boston Pizza!</li><li>I will not get a bacon-wrapped dog at Burkie's Doghouse.</li><li>I will refrain from cursing if the Raptors blow a 20-point lead. Serenity now, serenity now...</li><li>I will not pretend to understand Cito Gaston's line up decisions.</li><li><a href="http://hungryleafsfan.blogspot.com/2009/10/fuck-off-optimism.html" target="new">NO MORE VESA TOSKALA DRINKING GAMES!</a> My liver is still recovering.</li></ul><span style="font-family: arial;">Well, there you have it. Hopefully those are 10 goals that will make me a better sports fan at the end of the year. But like any good baseball player, I will be happy if I can hit .300.</span>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-80830214386358925112009-12-30T23:26:00.007-05:002009-12-31T01:39:11.050-05:00A Year of Emotions<span style="font-family: arial;">Have no fear. I have not died. Life just kind of got in the way of blogging (read: I've been spending all my free time playing Modern Warfare 2). I figured with the year dwindling down, I should do one last post before 2009 is over. Don't worry, it won't be a top 10 list. As with every other year, it was an emotional rollercoaster in the world of sports. Being a Toronto sports fan, we've definitely seen more lows than highs. Here are some of the emotions I felt along with the events that caused them.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpB4hoSNNq7a09sPmbmg4HL-c_idzgxsqP3NSxi24hNayhHsQ2O90tdp2l6EzeXrss03c_zs5HTyZDxuKOG8bfz6dmCPkqaBh_YHVoP-nR1SaHzkubEmj6hcJGEaNerjFGFpWKXRWBPXs/s1600-h/hungry.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 344px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpB4hoSNNq7a09sPmbmg4HL-c_idzgxsqP3NSxi24hNayhHsQ2O90tdp2l6EzeXrss03c_zs5HTyZDxuKOG8bfz6dmCPkqaBh_YHVoP-nR1SaHzkubEmj6hcJGEaNerjFGFpWKXRWBPXs/s400/hungry.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421263388586394226" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hunger</span></span><br /></div><br /><ul style="font-family: arial;"><li>Leafs? No</li><li>Raptors? No</li><li>Blue Jays? No</li><li>Argos? Who cares...but no</li></ul><span style="font-family: arial;">I AM HUNGRY FOR PLAYOFFS!!1</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6vNmRbs4KSemUPxM3fc8YFivX4B69xTf1mWodt5dK6ZbGBjtTfuTA3i-pk7YyePm3vdaKhKhYCBubwTzYVBSL0XXGV0AFvVumc7Tf22WYdum4sbtdEhPKOg5mCIdgXkDiNghp_YjMIWY/s1600-h/sorrow.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 342px; height: 294px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6vNmRbs4KSemUPxM3fc8YFivX4B69xTf1mWodt5dK6ZbGBjtTfuTA3i-pk7YyePm3vdaKhKhYCBubwTzYVBSL0XXGV0AFvVumc7Tf22WYdum4sbtdEhPKOg5mCIdgXkDiNghp_YjMIWY/s400/sorrow.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421263583929478354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sorrow</span></span><br /></div><ul style="font-family: arial;"><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Doc's departure</span> - I don't think I've felt this sad since Felix Potvin was traded<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sundin hangs em up</span> - It was expected but it didn't make it any easier</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Federer losing to Del Potro</span> - Could have made it 6 straight US Opens. Definitely had his chances to put the match away. I hope he has some great years left in the tank</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Dustin McGowan</span> - Okay so we still don't know if he'll be back or not but when you hear whispers of a player never playing again...chances are he will not be the same if he does</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">R.I.P. Teeder</span> - The Leafs lost a legend but the heavens gained a hero<br /></li></ul><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGWs3ZW9pCn4LeDpz2hsazD03p9SNpIjx4UeUYKBPuJJW1H312tceI46klM-Aw1YH4bPq804BDr-cxIi0V3TaQhvMwa4tdicuG_SnaZqwE6n95bndLkCzozzQq31DLcLp3li-YEoV0aeM/s1600-h/happy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 395px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGWs3ZW9pCn4LeDpz2hsazD03p9SNpIjx4UeUYKBPuJJW1H312tceI46klM-Aw1YH4bPq804BDr-cxIi0V3TaQhvMwa4tdicuG_SnaZqwE6n95bndLkCzozzQq31DLcLp3li-YEoV0aeM/s400/happy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421263385603749858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Joy</span></span><br /></div><ul style="font-family: arial;"><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Ian White</span> - And his continued strong play. He is nearing folk-hero status</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Phil Kessel </span>- I don't care what he cost. I don't remember the last time the Leafs have had a winger this dynamic since...ever!</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">The emergence of Adam Lind and Aaron Hill</span> - I thought both would be good but I had no idea they would be this good! All they're missing is some sort of dynamic duo nickname.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Kid Kadri</span> - I wasn't sure about the pick at first but watching him at the World Juniors is definitely a joy. The kid is as gritty as they come. The throat-slash was the icing on the cake. Also, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kzgalcl3tD8" target="new">this</a>.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Doc vs AJ</span> - The emotion at that event was just phenomenal.<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Burkie's Doghouse</span> - Bacon wrapped hot dog...you can get it in a footlong. That is all.<br /></li></ul><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixBORT3pv9ITs_02zPd2pMFTjdAneM21fnuXL46NclQuYtwB1MsHpHepz6-mIjolroTgNPlxfQcWuSSP-dYxJzJzWe2zdTXTixKry3klzspRvCNz8Dq5Fanr0fn0makiPtFX2aOG8SdpA/s1600-h/scared.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 301px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixBORT3pv9ITs_02zPd2pMFTjdAneM21fnuXL46NclQuYtwB1MsHpHepz6-mIjolroTgNPlxfQcWuSSP-dYxJzJzWe2zdTXTixKry3klzspRvCNz8Dq5Fanr0fn0makiPtFX2aOG8SdpA/s400/scared.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421263577048154530" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fear</span></span><br /></div><ul style="font-family: arial;"><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Waiving Rios</span> - I still give a fuck! Rios still has all the tools to be a star in the league. If he puts it all together next year...Somebody buy me a voodoo doll!</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bosh's future</span> - I'm going to go on and say that Bosh won't sign an extension with us. If that holds true, this future Raptors team will be a joke to watch.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Losing 8 straight</span> - Bring on the Taylor Hall jokes...which sounded so very real at the time</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Monster's Heart</span> - So they say it's not a serious procedure and it isn't uncommon to have it twice...but that's still the motherfuckin heart you're dealing with!!!<br /></li></ul><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpdLZveBkPxnQQcAdY1Pk1Nyi0dJgysAJN2NpkoHwTSQfMYysiqfvpP_pUPKyc5BFQlbY4P57kzedi3AG6ah83yTF_WKH14Pu9NRiSc71qzqJjYjGgGZi7teIolas2kzFfqgewsu07JlI/s1600-h/raged.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 345px; height: 391px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpdLZveBkPxnQQcAdY1Pk1Nyi0dJgysAJN2NpkoHwTSQfMYysiqfvpP_pUPKyc5BFQlbY4P57kzedi3AG6ah83yTF_WKH14Pu9NRiSc71qzqJjYjGgGZi7teIolas2kzFfqgewsu07JlI/s400/raged.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421263576264036706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Rage</span></span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Shogun snubbed</span> - Shogun loses a unanimous victory to Machida for the light-heavyweight belt. Everybody else who has eyes thinks differently.</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Vernon's performance</span> - As much as I wanted to believe in him (I had him on my fantasy team at some point!) he was just so frustrating to watch at the plate</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Vesa Toskala</span> - <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFWKjMfZBfw" target="New">This pretty much sums it up</a></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">13th Man</span> - I would totally be pissed about it if I was a Riders fan</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tiger Woods </span>- You had Elin freakin' Nordegren! What more do you want?<br /></li></ul></div></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinr0dS6dSeUTU_3l-VDm8Hn6n6HxPxenkRzW85oCQ7dOA_MuFITrp7O0BQhUdw05lIUSzlyWe0YR8KYMIomtlSFPNifzcOmcnPXO7-Qx_CUMKtVF1x1_UNsBtc_0hyukjFEa_FjB_dc08/s1600-h/confused.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinr0dS6dSeUTU_3l-VDm8Hn6n6HxPxenkRzW85oCQ7dOA_MuFITrp7O0BQhUdw05lIUSzlyWe0YR8KYMIomtlSFPNifzcOmcnPXO7-Qx_CUMKtVF1x1_UNsBtc_0hyukjFEa_FjB_dc08/s400/confused.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421263374535354834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Confusion</span></span><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Greasegate </span>- Allegations of GSP greasing against Penn were totally bogus. Did they not see how badly BJ got his ass whooped? Greasing doesn't help boxing, take downs or elbows to the face</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Jays hot start </span>- Probably the greatest cocktease of all time but it was fun while it lasted</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Komisarek and Beauchemin in October</span> - Uhhh....I thought you guys were better than this?</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Patrice Bergeron?</span> - Seriously?<br /></li></ul></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKD83e2vYvx48_cfbDAHEFI5os8FNoFJC-AZy14p9Fx40-3uZGIQY86HbStuP19YSgkjYRenSKUKuOPioy3etIjmCiinjeDuIqb8h3TV5-QrWqgww1WUMCqxRS1Q50_x7IVlTlAJab2Ro/s1600-h/optimistic.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 390px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKD83e2vYvx48_cfbDAHEFI5os8FNoFJC-AZy14p9Fx40-3uZGIQY86HbStuP19YSgkjYRenSKUKuOPioy3etIjmCiinjeDuIqb8h3TV5-QrWqgww1WUMCqxRS1Q50_x7IVlTlAJab2Ro/s400/optimistic.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421263570606543490" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Hope</span></span><br /></div><ul style="font-family: arial;"><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Drabek</span> - You've got some big shoes to fill</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">In the race</span> - Leafs are in that group fighting for 8th. The playoffs are in sight!</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Team Canada</span> - Winning gold on Canadian soil sounds awfully nice</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">5th straight</span> - As of today, the Raps have won five straight and is one game under .500!</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">PLAYOFFS!!1 </span>- In 2010. Book it.<br /></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LVDPrA7qMTMspQyx7WOBZcuTDZ-b7wNVx3FOGEvXoXP_u5d02WjP0cPNZZPXHp9JiV48iN-1_Gt_vU-kSI8Q6EUpCagjtqiYkKaXQM_FGW4vvjYCSllaQuLGNUoGbEHipgElE82P6U8/s1600-h/goodbye.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 372px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-LVDPrA7qMTMspQyx7WOBZcuTDZ-b7wNVx3FOGEvXoXP_u5d02WjP0cPNZZPXHp9JiV48iN-1_Gt_vU-kSI8Q6EUpCagjtqiYkKaXQM_FGW4vvjYCSllaQuLGNUoGbEHipgElE82P6U8/s400/goodbye.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421263379535659602" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Goodbye 2009!</span></span><br /></div>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-54567893259911679982009-12-14T23:35:00.005-05:002009-12-15T02:17:59.418-05:00The End of an Era<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-FYK-O32dCXc9pUAA-pXiwLL1L4bOzQsYMpmsUDEbfvtOSnPpY5j4hGXiYMkZd4dk2-fRfUlxGvLG3A5r31JotdcudTatUrgb-ck_EC6Vg5mQjVWNsdancEXqBmeFTFORTCqqWvXFxxA/s1600-h/Halladay04.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 296px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-FYK-O32dCXc9pUAA-pXiwLL1L4bOzQsYMpmsUDEbfvtOSnPpY5j4hGXiYMkZd4dk2-fRfUlxGvLG3A5r31JotdcudTatUrgb-ck_EC6Vg5mQjVWNsdancEXqBmeFTFORTCqqWvXFxxA/s400/Halladay04.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415317029546809890" border="0" /></a><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://hungryleafsfan.blogspot.com/2009/07/you-say-goodbye-and-i-say-hello.html" target="new">I thought I was ready. I thought I said good bye. I thought this would be easy since I already knew it was coming.</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> Truth is that nothing could have prepared me for the news that went down today. Doc was traded to the Phillies. Okay, so it might not be official yet but all that's left are the formalities. While I've seen a bunch of rumours about who we're getting back, I could care less. Today is a day of mourning. The true GBOAT won't be taking the mound in a Jays jersey next April.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTfBnfvX-QTuZom1rw5Y_FgDg-9_sXs5vL9oAssnO69FbG1b2sEntZJgcUaK0cR6vC1FllKmFlqO1q9KAATmho3VXKs8xgaxQ3fqcegXw7wtCUYj_aDeM5yOrsURJ4gUpzNvabtCmNM0/s1600-h/Halladay01.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 308px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFTfBnfvX-QTuZom1rw5Y_FgDg-9_sXs5vL9oAssnO69FbG1b2sEntZJgcUaK0cR6vC1FllKmFlqO1q9KAATmho3VXKs8xgaxQ3fqcegXw7wtCUYj_aDeM5yOrsURJ4gUpzNvabtCmNM0/s400/Halladay01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415317033718800098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Roy Halladay was drafted in the first round, 17th overall in the 1995 draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. I was ten at the time so I have no idea what his early scouting reports read but I imagine it had the words "work horse", "inning eater", "lights out" and "fuckin awesome!" in there. I remember watching his second career start in a meaningless last game of the season. The one where he was one out shy of a no-hitter! Right there and then, I knew we had something special. I just had no idea how good he would be.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">While he's had a rough patch early in his career, he has come back from it and prospered. He went from having the highest single-season ERA to being one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. Here is a player, a generational talent if you will, that I have seen evolve before my very eyes and you know what? He was ours! We didn't have to lure him with a big fat paycheck, we didn't have to throw a boatload of prospects to acquire him, he was home-grown and we were damn proud of it.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVGGkgaObC68M0pP_LY7n9Nn9Czom9IfCnrpZoxnVgBnScc9EAV1tdG4dTT-gArDUnfYPUZRYaNGKnhy0gC_It-OcFesjSRtpIaZxIe-KCgT1nB8rLpRQIXGKypoh21dKzHUi6g2AElk/s1600-h/Halladay02.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggVGGkgaObC68M0pP_LY7n9Nn9Czom9IfCnrpZoxnVgBnScc9EAV1tdG4dTT-gArDUnfYPUZRYaNGKnhy0gC_It-OcFesjSRtpIaZxIe-KCgT1nB8rLpRQIXGKypoh21dKzHUi6g2AElk/s400/Halladay02.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415317036227671458" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;">Doc came to work day-in and day-out. He was a quiet leader who led by example. Despite his dominance, he always wanted to get better and he hated making mistake<span style="font-family: arial;">s. How many times have you seen him bark at himself when giving up a late game solo shot despite being up six?</span> This is the type of guy you're getting, Phillies fans. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I went to Doc's last home start against Seattle. It was vintage Halladay; 9 ks, 7 hits, complete game shut out. With two outs in the 9th the crowd was on their feet. Doc got the last out via groundball and the place erupted. We knew it was possibly the last time we would see him in a Jays jersey. We stood and cheered as he made his way to the dug out. He looked up at the fans, tipped his cap and disappeared into the tunnel.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">We miss you, Doc.</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHFQGO9S4dEHJ_I3JpQdiXh5aZsG3MZ_0TqogDdaXxugaFcQV4AT89345xhmFErScr_SHfYgVhUqzYxYhPGjuy-FQ-BTlJ72w54clIuWxe_TdIEaj-LO7iGidmXxFJWF16V5DKzDsO64/s1600-h/Halladay03.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwHFQGO9S4dEHJ_I3JpQdiXh5aZsG3MZ_0TqogDdaXxugaFcQV4AT89345xhmFErScr_SHfYgVhUqzYxYhPGjuy-FQ-BTlJ72w54clIuWxe_TdIEaj-LO7iGidmXxFJWF16V5DKzDsO64/s400/Halladay03.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415317043211177778" border="0" /></a>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-57182134406083242282009-12-09T23:39:00.005-05:002009-12-10T00:36:33.774-05:00The Post is Brought to you by the Number 2<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOMi7t6DPgGuZYor2nTTdHrGwdt5qwE-YtD-46m07nZCGXaHkjo5kXopvrcpWDYTrRwpetPRuIyyu68t7z_yoDmDu3KbvvTeuKHn7U8zCuw0PCutfl3q5gcXEuJAlwbRyQXO4E-PRyYI/s1600-h/thecount.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 344px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAOMi7t6DPgGuZYor2nTTdHrGwdt5qwE-YtD-46m07nZCGXaHkjo5kXopvrcpWDYTrRwpetPRuIyyu68t7z_yoDmDu3KbvvTeuKHn7U8zCuw0PCutfl3q5gcXEuJAlwbRyQXO4E-PRyYI/s400/thecount.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413464512232470146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">Two...two wins in a row at home. Ah-ha-ha!</span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: arial;">Count 'em, ladies and gents. Today's win makes two in a row and seven in our last ten. Let's keep it rolling, boys. Tomorrow will be a big test against the Bruins. Let's see how we respond after the spanking they gave us on Saturday.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Two wins for me!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I don't get to go to a ton of games but I've been to enough that I have lost count. Whether it was at the Gardens of at the ACC, there was one underlying theme. I went home winless. Prior to this preseason, I have never seen a Leafs win live before. The closest I've ever gotten was a 1-1 tie against New Jersey back when Reichel was still here. Now I finally broke my streak this pre-season in a shoot out win against the Pens and witnessed my first official win live tonight! That's right, baby! I can go to games guilt-free!</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNYPkiHBL1qMiysc0URW3dioPbsEKbmfrpdIzSdGJ_5jbgoxnxZOiKVIUFF53gDnaLi11wS8dOTNSEKRcuDBonbIPlqI4v5loT21gahG5u10HFqVmcxGcPqWmkdn2I_kzfM6I3vU5o2s/s1600-h/NewAdditions.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglNYPkiHBL1qMiysc0URW3dioPbsEKbmfrpdIzSdGJ_5jbgoxnxZOiKVIUFF53gDnaLi11wS8dOTNSEKRcuDBonbIPlqI4v5loT21gahG5u10HFqVmcxGcPqWmkdn2I_kzfM6I3vU5o2s/s400/NewAdditions.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413466584523477058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Two Big Signings</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">It took some time but Beauchemin and Komisarek are finally starting to pick up their game. Both of these signings were supposed to give us one of the more intimidating defences to play against. While both players didn't pay immediate dividends, Burke's and Wilson's patience in them are starting to pay off. Komisarek (for the most part) has stopped taking dumb, unnecessary penalties and Beauchemin is starting to look very sound defensively and also provides a canon on the powerplay.</span><br /><br /><object style="font-family: arial;" width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/618LbHGO9Gs&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/618LbHGO9Gs&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Number 2</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">No, that wasn't a highlight from last year, that was a hit Schenn threw on Jon Sim just a couple of hours ago. Like Komisarek and Beauchemin, Schenn is finally starting to look comfortable. He's finishing his checks, he's not chasing the puck and he's not letting his man slip by him as much as he did earlier in the season. Ron Wilson has noticed and as a result, Schenn's minutes have started to steadily increase. He played 19:25 tonight compared to the 10 minutes a game he was getting just a couple of weeks ago. Welcome back, OLAS.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZOEiWEKPHtJgpTratnK-x5nsYX-FnWRY3FcLBeVyz-j8D35Q4kt9EuQ9ihRveEGi7pnirKHTw3LiD2w7-SfO941_BXj-fQJe5JWFXtF2EiZBnsVDKTp_yZjaKRRs1BppI9BnM3YtIJI/s1600-h/vesa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 329px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlZOEiWEKPHtJgpTratnK-x5nsYX-FnWRY3FcLBeVyz-j8D35Q4kt9EuQ9ihRveEGi7pnirKHTw3LiD2w7-SfO941_BXj-fQJe5JWFXtF2EiZBnsVDKTp_yZjaKRRs1BppI9BnM3YtIJI/s400/vesa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5413471880877111314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Two goals against</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I don't know if it's his health, a fluke or Francois Allaire but Toskala has only allowed two goals in each of his last two starts. Sure, the Leafs have played better defensively but this is still Vesa Toskala. I can't really explain it but I don't want this to end. I BELIEVE IN VESA TOSKALA??/</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Two annoying fans</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I sat behind two very annoying fans. I knew it was going to be a long night when during the warm-up, one of them asked the other who was in net for the Isles and he responded with "I think Garth Snow."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Other annoying things they did</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">-They kept trying to heckle Roloson (from the 300s) by screaming "Rolllllll-sooooon"...you know there's another O in there somewhere</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">-Kept referring to Grabovski as Grabovs. I've heard Grabbo and Grabs but Grabovs? That just sounds weird</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">-They spat out incorrect facts. Roloson faced 61 shots and stopped 58 the last game. He didn't stop 62</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">-They added "son" to the end of every sentence and described things as "ill"</span><br /><br /><object style="font-family: arial;" width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eYnkzWTjQr4&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eYnkzWTjQr4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-family: arial; font-weight: bold;">Two times the fun</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">They played "the song" twice! Once before the game and once after. I need that for my ipod. Haters gon' hate!</span>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-86443056857068204732009-12-06T20:42:00.010-05:002009-12-07T08:58:20.079-05:00The Leafs 2009 Skills Competition<span style="font-family:arial;">I grew up loving the sport of hockey but sadly, road hockey outside my house is about as competitive of a level as I got to. Heck, I might be the only person born in Saskatoon that doesn't know how to skate! This is why I love skills competitions. It's simply a treat for me to admire the skill level of these athletes up close. Here's a recap of the 2009 Leafs Skills Competition.</span><br /><br /><div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDvn0VzWWN-VQLGaa8hdi7bG0Sxd4tx7nMxpZirEbsiHz1yYfxcGrXzin3Nsq-7j3aq5N24X8wUDH6UL1J46qJmsimKWU9OKkhuEj-zn4oMVPR_riMY2IUah2U29usPHVy2LLEc9vYfI/s1600-h/IMG_0019.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412307417574165154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEDvn0VzWWN-VQLGaa8hdi7bG0Sxd4tx7nMxpZirEbsiHz1yYfxcGrXzin3Nsq-7j3aq5N24X8wUDH6UL1J46qJmsimKWU9OKkhuEj-zn4oMVPR_riMY2IUah2U29usPHVy2LLEc9vYfI/s400/IMG_0019.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic;font-size:85%;" >Schenn and Finger right before the puck control relay</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It all started with the puck control relay. The blue team of Schenn, Finger and Beauchemin beat out the white team of Exelby, White and Kaberle due to Exelby stumbling. This is why you're a healthy scratch, XLB!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The blue team got another point as Komisarek beat out Orr in the individual puck control relay. Seriously, who picks these players? Why is Colton Orr in this event?</span><br /><br /><div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvA-Iu37wfGj4S9oUpFl9wiAy2EtM35597FyT1FBS7MgvSRURSBpqV5xkFx4tGsosrsTOJDvdoMJMY-fBD3DxbUIJMIz_8y1rzHofXiM-9lau3nWWMWeR4-LqGGmqeBHjq3nMt7U8Vwpc/s1600-h/IMG_0026.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412305001966520914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvA-Iu37wfGj4S9oUpFl9wiAy2EtM35597FyT1FBS7MgvSRURSBpqV5xkFx4tGsosrsTOJDvdoMJMY-fBD3DxbUIJMIz_8y1rzHofXiM-9lau3nWWMWeR4-LqGGmqeBHjq3nMt7U8Vwpc/s400/IMG_0026.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">The White team giving Primeau a shower</span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The next event is the fastest skater. My personal pick going into the event was Phil Kessel who ended up having the worst time.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">As each skater skated by the benches the opposing team would shower them with their water bottles. I don't know if they were filled with water or yellow Gatorade but there's a golden shower joke in there somewhere. Here's a list of the participants and their times</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Jason Blake - 14.09</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Phil Kessel - 14.85</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Mikhail Grabovski - 14.32 (this was timed with the manual stop watch because the clock messed up and had him at 9 seconds)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Christian Hanson - 14.46</span><br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold;font-family:arial;color:#3333ff;" >Nikolai Kulemin - 14.05</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Wayne Primeau - 14.72</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I had no idea Kulemin was that quick. </span><br /><br /><div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1sZIRPTp4U8_6CaVNdOClqb2-ZOBJVu6A9KC2oieJ0BNeFOr7tNhPme9e7txm8OO0GJDeX6skyyXj7jJ7Usyro-6f_2A1Jjavb42eKpHiz8Kxeq02FgO4pMiQePMOE9HQFUhDwajbajU/s1600-h/IMG_0034.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412305006439913410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1sZIRPTp4U8_6CaVNdOClqb2-ZOBJVu6A9KC2oieJ0BNeFOr7tNhPme9e7txm8OO0GJDeX6skyyXj7jJ7Usyro-6f_2A1Jjavb42eKpHiz8Kxeq02FgO4pMiQePMOE9HQFUhDwajbajU/s400/IMG_0034.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Hagman winding up for the shot</span></span><br /><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;">Next up is my favourite event; the hardest shot. My personal pick for this event was Francois Beauchemin edging out Poni.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Here are a list of the participants and what they clocked</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Jeff Finger - 85.6 // 89.7</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Tomas Kaberle - 95.1 // 95.7</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Alexei Ponikarovsky - 95 // 90.4 but the shot didn't hit the net</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Lee Stempniak - 89.7 // 93.3</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="color:#3333ff;"><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">Francois Beauchemin -</span> <span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">102.2</span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"> // 99.8</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Niklas Hagman - 95.9 // 84.9</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Mike Komisarek - 97.4 // 101.5</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Nikolai Kulemin - 93 // 98.4</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Looks like my picks are 1 for 2 so far. Poni didn't fare as well as I thought he would though. Also, if Kaberle can blast it at 95+, he should definitely be shooting the puck more often!</span><br /><br /><div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFX120uGJv4zQT751Xz4R-_xby9N86XvPhc_CowpAFIi2rnClBaoyq2J2xUUEdLwZ8OxnquSUmxEquZP-IHTERMM8OKKAB-ylBdDnMEI8b09hW99D73HB_iVHpcSOmU5sgpVc6ylblVrc/s1600-h/IMG_0044.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412305017335833506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFX120uGJv4zQT751Xz4R-_xby9N86XvPhc_CowpAFIi2rnClBaoyq2J2xUUEdLwZ8OxnquSUmxEquZP-IHTERMM8OKKAB-ylBdDnMEI8b09hW99D73HB_iVHpcSOmU5sgpVc6ylblVrc/s400/IMG_0044.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">The moustache is in full force</span></span><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left">Next event was the accuracy competition. My personal pick for this one was Tomas Kaberle going for another 4 for 4 like he did a couple years back. Unfortunately, he was a passer and didn't even get to shoot!<br /><br />Here are the participants and the results<br /><br />Niklas Hagman - 2 for 8<br />Matt Stajan - 2 for 8<br />Lee Stempniak - 4 for 8<br />Phil Kessel - 2 for 8<br /><span style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: rgb(51,51,255)">Rickard Wallin - 4 for 5</span><br />Christian Hanson - 3 for 7<br /><br />Rickard Wallin? Seriously? I thought he got deported back to Sweden or something. Kessel rang a couple off the post but most shots were around the middle of the net...you know, right where a goalie's chest would be! No wonder we can't score!<br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6iC_DStoBovnb5LjVobVuzZ9cB5yJ0BaHVVW7T4wrWG2Rli47216hnBGqVETBX1YNT4tUFv90jiIbAeyiS9svrNpIc1HdAaDWeacH1SSOMJ-zFG0t_AQrsN_0h5iTQDg04_JcA4va3sY/s1600-h/IMG_0054.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412307419687854322" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6iC_DStoBovnb5LjVobVuzZ9cB5yJ0BaHVVW7T4wrWG2Rli47216hnBGqVETBX1YNT4tUFv90jiIbAeyiS9svrNpIc1HdAaDWeacH1SSOMJ-zFG0t_AQrsN_0h5iTQDg04_JcA4va3sY/s400/IMG_0054.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">The panel of judges with Monika. My restraining order wouldn't let me get any closer.</span></span><br /></div><br />They then had a "creative" shoot out challenge. Each player had 2 shots each and the judges (those puck bunnies and Carlton) would score the attempts based on creativity. I believe the shooters were Kessel, Blake, Grabovski and Hagman. Blake was the only player to score and he didn't do the spin-o-rama. What's up with that?<br /><br /></div></div><div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigIXdQnsQW-ysTwzzZeJlOxk1ZQXz7RXU-za1xeCaEIcf1hymVP-tAZ9KO1V9ba_vlmSjPq8Wml2er0U7bucziw_h6_TYP972O8XONt8z7V9mN9t4ZgELgto9tFKdKkjKV1Ztb-l_UzDw/s1600-h/IMG_0049.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412307407552330642" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigIXdQnsQW-ysTwzzZeJlOxk1ZQXz7RXU-za1xeCaEIcf1hymVP-tAZ9KO1V9ba_vlmSjPq8Wml2er0U7bucziw_h6_TYP972O8XONt8z7V9mN9t4ZgELgto9tFKdKkjKV1Ztb-l_UzDw/s400/IMG_0049.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Grabvoski playing keep away with a kid during a break in the action</span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Next was the 3 on 1 event. This event featured 3 skaters against 1 defenceman and a goalie. The team had a minute to score as many goals as they could. Engelage was in net against the blue team and MacDonald was in net against the White team. Unfortunately, I didn't jot down the participants for this event so if memory serves me right it was</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Kessel - Stajan - Ponikarovsky vs White. They scored 1 goal.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Blake - Grabovski - Kulemin vs Komisarek. They scored 2 or 3.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Primeau - Mayers - Hanson vs Exelby. They scored 1.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Hagman, Stempniak, Orr vs Schenn. They scored 1 or 2.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.</span><br /><br /><div style="FONT-FAMILY: arial; TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6ColGesz75rE7RIuIyaWq1QqmImLMKXYOUUtFRa-JJp-SRkA07xOt5NyI6E2k_SuPBGXOjTo9ZxJ-tMA8cDQrXb9St4_F8J_SCjg9rRsUPE498bTStRzezAowlpCKT7h5hDw_IaABkY/s1600-h/IMG_0050.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412305027114136386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6ColGesz75rE7RIuIyaWq1QqmImLMKXYOUUtFRa-JJp-SRkA07xOt5NyI6E2k_SuPBGXOjTo9ZxJ-tMA8cDQrXb9St4_F8J_SCjg9rRsUPE498bTStRzezAowlpCKT7h5hDw_IaABkY/s400/IMG_0050.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">The IR squad of Gunnarsson, Gustavsson and Mitchell.</span></span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The last event was the Breakaway. Every shooter got a shot. Only Kaberle, Orr, Stajan and Beauchemin advanced past the first round...on Joey Macdonald and Andrew Engelage! You think our shoot out can use some help? #WeMissYouMats</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Francois Beauchemin ended up winning it with the lone goal in the second round via wrist shot.</span><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" style="FONT-FAMILY: arial" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihd6gQa6ThhZHQ5OHfHTHFtUoH8mfIRR8cVunUHi773pfJlRDlpo81HOZmTDVtA1MhvGVgzHm7RjQqnmQrGmgKUBRmWjqNK8R7YebIMMLTQccZE_sTWd216Iw6PRA-bkripdnxv08egF4/s1600-h/IMG_0029.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5412307425407172562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: pointer; HEIGHT: 300px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihd6gQa6ThhZHQ5OHfHTHFtUoH8mfIRR8cVunUHi773pfJlRDlpo81HOZmTDVtA1MhvGVgzHm7RjQqnmQrGmgKUBRmWjqNK8R7YebIMMLTQccZE_sTWd216Iw6PRA-bkripdnxv08egF4/s400/IMG_0029.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="FONT-STYLE: italic">Hagman, Blake and Kaberle</span></span><br /><br /><div style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><span style="font-family:arial;">The White team ended up beating the Blue team by a score that nobody cared about. I was surprised to see Engelage in net instead of Toskala. He wasn't with the injured guys either. Did he get released? Somebody please tell me he did...</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This was my first Skills Competition and I had a good time even though my friend was late and I had to wait outside for a good half hour...I could have gotten a Burkie's Dog! The atmosphere was totally different from a game. I guess this is what happens when you replace suits with jerseys. Surprisingly, I didn't spot too many jersey fouls but I did see 2 Pogge jerseys (1 Leaf, 1 Marlie) and a Stralman jersey. I hope nobody bought Tlusty jerseys!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I'm not sure how many tickets were available but the Leafs did a good job making this an event affordable for the kids. Even as I waited outside for my friends this man came up to me and offered me a couple of tickets for free! Speaking of free, people will take anything for free...including styrofoam accuracy targets that says Rogers of them. WHY WOULD ANYBODY WANT ONE OF THOSE???</span><br /><br /><a style="FONT-FAMILY: arial" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42773392@N08/sets/72157622950823236/" target="new">If anybody is interested, here are the rest of the photos I took</a> </div></div>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-74197182219205374292009-12-04T14:22:00.010-05:002009-12-04T15:24:35.966-05:00Scrambled Thoughts<span style="font-family:arial;"><strong><u>More than Advertised</u></strong><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdr1_OhsmD5isPXof0Bk4cWb0tBN6PSz_XJuO0SCWyT39yTlm3X90umSDhErhkoow_ndxvaVkeZ5jOzix3FDn_zuQx8spb7mbCaScCF6xfRdA0hvKD4dKYXNS-eYQiHnz3nrg7hz1UDI/s1600-h/Kessel.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411468111326571874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 306px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOdr1_OhsmD5isPXof0Bk4cWb0tBN6PSz_XJuO0SCWyT39yTlm3X90umSDhErhkoow_ndxvaVkeZ5jOzix3FDn_zuQx8spb7mbCaScCF6xfRdA0hvKD4dKYXNS-eYQiHnz3nrg7hz1UDI/s400/Kessel.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">I hope to have a full post on Kessel some time in the near future so I won't go into too much detail here but being born in 85, I don't remember seeing a winger on the Leafs with such offensive flair since...ever. Kessel is the winger Sundin never had. A lightning quick release, speed in the neutral zone and the ability to finish plays. Somebody Pinch Me. This Phil Kessel guy is too good to be a Leafs winger.<br /><br /><strong><u>Broken-Hearted</u></strong><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9HJv0rNoNwxRQNscEWZEc760wz4qhRE5597AFFp3Hvk688bqvxOhvk8CU1KYRVuqMZVC_0Nuxm6fWLh3P5Oigxoz4pYT68ggzwldjgh1zW2Da_6nANN0llfGNj8JQKIwprzGGA7N-S_g/s1600-h/BrokenHeart.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411468113068696498" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 368px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9HJv0rNoNwxRQNscEWZEc760wz4qhRE5597AFFp3Hvk688bqvxOhvk8CU1KYRVuqMZVC_0Nuxm6fWLh3P5Oigxoz4pYT68ggzwldjgh1zW2Da_6nANN0llfGNj8JQKIwprzGGA7N-S_g/s400/BrokenHeart.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;">The Monster just went in for his second heart ablation in about as many months. He should be back in a week to 10 days time. While reasons for concern are low, it's the heart we're dealing with here so extra caution should always be taken. We want Gustavsson to be our #1 for the next ten years. There's no reason to rush him back.</span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"><p><strong><u>Accountability</u></strong><br /></span><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrOg7UZ6gGpT12WU_CTMRnY_6yRMCCmJ8TSdOV2vwVPeOQFKSdslR_qhAqeB_sKs0rj7U_Mv0ODJceFaeTpHP46GxeJhyphenhyphen5ir5rkOtFqeN7YTelkrGHSKeB9Kju3zT8EL-nKvGNRoI4YH4/s1600-h/Triano.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411468106830233938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 298px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 369px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrOg7UZ6gGpT12WU_CTMRnY_6yRMCCmJ8TSdOV2vwVPeOQFKSdslR_qhAqeB_sKs0rj7U_Mv0ODJceFaeTpHP46GxeJhyphenhyphen5ir5rkOtFqeN7YTelkrGHSKeB9Kju3zT8EL-nKvGNRoI4YH4/s400/Triano.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> The Raptors will have none of it. Here are some quotes from the team yesterday <p></span></p></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"><em>"Every time something happens it's always, 'It's okay, it's all right.' It's not all right. Problems go by without attacking them or challenging them or bringing them to the forefront and getting them solved. We can't keep keep putting them to the back of the bus and just saying, 'That's okay.' It's not all right."</em></span></div><div align="right"><span style="font-family:arial;">-Jarett Jack</span></div><p><div align="right"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="right"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="right"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"><em>"You've got to address (the defensive issues) and you've got to show people on tape. It's not personal. If you want to win, you're going to have to make some sacrifices." </em></span></div><div align="right"><span style="font-family:arial;">-Antoine Wright</span></div><div align="right"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="right"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div align="right"><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"><p>Does Jay Triano deserve some blame? Yes. But he doesn't deserve all of it. It's a team game and frankly, he isn't the one on the floor getting beat by his man. Whether it be the NBA or NCAA, every player on this team has played on another team before. Did they not teach you how to close out on perimeter shooting? Did they not teach you how to defend the pick and roll? Did they not teach you how to box out for a rebound? Because these are a lot of the fundamental errors I see that leads to buckets by the opposing team.</span></p></div><div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div><div><span style="font-family:arial;"><p>It's easy to point the finger at the coach and play the blame game and unfortunately for Triano, I don't see him lasting too much longer on this team as he's already lost the respect in the locker room. Sadly, I think it will take more than a coaching change to pull this team together. Even with the worst coaching possible, no team should allow 146 points in regulation...<br /><br /><strong><u>Marco's Shipping Up To Boston</u></strong></span></p></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7Hr4qBbNiJbIKqZb0MzbfRolSqRqTVxxu124SzKUmjcRbWi150hncZl8hMsUXhoKXUqUyA_CCMv7wxdJVT70VKoXM0NGUb9f2WcYzDsNdRVM4d4PDRCSAI0Ld6s9MhVxX8vdpYNQNXQ/s1600-h/DaneCook.jpg"><span style="font-family:arial;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411468102737154386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 290px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha7Hr4qBbNiJbIKqZb0MzbfRolSqRqTVxxu124SzKUmjcRbWi150hncZl8hMsUXhoKXUqUyA_CCMv7wxdJVT70VKoXM0NGUb9f2WcYzDsNdRVM4d4PDRCSAI0Ld6s9MhVxX8vdpYNQNXQ/s400/DaneCook.jpg" border="0" /></span></a></div></div><p><span style="font-family:arial;">Dear Scoots,</span></p><p><span style="font-family:arial;">From stealing second off a walk to your incredible .789 lead-off OPS, I loved every bit of your play. You were great for us last year and you definitely will be missed. With that said, please give me back my spare key and get the fuck out.</span></p>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-33749595374557257622009-12-02T09:53:00.003-05:002009-12-02T09:56:19.750-05:00Free Pizza<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKj7scGHVDEr8hsGy1b6UrK4GCUUqCKA_aw0PEO1T1S_BnnPiwMMet7IwPcjG09Mrvft-HoAmJT4cZ3CG0ypOjaUrlTaHYY19KjD8Ihl_ZgQogXiWggs3IH8G_U3pGOA3HMl40HcaUvk/s1600-h/pizza.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410652221785765682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 350px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimKj7scGHVDEr8hsGy1b6UrK4GCUUqCKA_aw0PEO1T1S_BnnPiwMMet7IwPcjG09Mrvft-HoAmJT4cZ3CG0ypOjaUrlTaHYY19KjD8Ihl_ZgQogXiWggs3IH8G_U3pGOA3HMl40HcaUvk/s400/pizza.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> It <em>almost</em> makes me forget about wasting two and a half hours watching that shit-show known as The Raptors.</span>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-80727275425552929592009-11-30T23:36:00.005-05:002009-12-01T00:48:26.592-05:00What's In The Home Cooking<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQD6sf-h1rDRrcZ8xLPC9DMiUbvxI70v9agAY3ppi7t1Rm0BK9_4pYMNDWd1l5Ox2lHp_Fo7Dsozu_SkIzfhZ4eA0iHE4zYpjhLSNDYaH_4G9HoEqQNClPR_epFJ6xi6-njmP1nM1Q6A/s1600/Air_Canada_Centre.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiQD6sf-h1rDRrcZ8xLPC9DMiUbvxI70v9agAY3ppi7t1Rm0BK9_4pYMNDWd1l5Ox2lHp_Fo7Dsozu_SkIzfhZ4eA0iHE4zYpjhLSNDYaH_4G9HoEqQNClPR_epFJ6xi6-njmP1nM1Q6A/s400/Air_Canada_Centre.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5410138762450215362" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Inside the concrete confines of 40 Bay St. is a place opposing goalies come to shine. I don't know if it's just me but it seems like every game we play at home we get stymied by the opposing goaltender. Let's take a look at some numbers.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Oct 1 - Carey Price - 43/46 - W - .935 vs .909</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Oct 6 - Pascal Leclaire - 26/27 - W - .963 vs .901</span> <span style="color: rgb(51, 102, 255);font-family:arial;" ><br />Oct 10 - Marc-Andre Fleury - 18/20 - W - .900 vs .903</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Oct 13 - Craig Anderson - 30/31 - W - .968 vs .918</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Oct 17 - Henrik Lundqvist - 34/35 - W - .971 vs .912</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Nov 3 - Antero Niittymaki - 40/41 - W - .976 vs .932</span> <span style="color: rgb(255, 0, 0);font-family:arial;" ><br />Nov 7 - Chris Osgood - 23/28 - L - .821 vs .897</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Nov 10 - Niklas Backstrom - 37/39 - W - .949 vs .910</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Nov 14 - Miikka Kiprusoff - 38/40 - W - .950 vs .922</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Nov 21 - Semyon Varlamov - 38/39 - L - .974 vs .919</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Nov 23 - Dwayne Roloson - 58/61 - W - .951 vs .916</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Nov 30 - Ryan Miller - 38/38 - W - 1.000 vs .933</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />That is a list of all the starting visiting goaltenders, the number of saves/shots faced, the outcome of the game for them and their save percentage in the game vs their save percentage on the season.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />The visiting goalies made a total of 423 saves on a total of 445 shots. That's a .951 save percentage!</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />In 12 home games, the Leafs only won two, one coming against a bad Chris Osgood and the other against an amazing Semyon Varlamov. The only time the Leafs faced a goalie who didn't play way above of way below his average was in a loss against Marc Andre-Fleury. On average, the opposing goalie posts a save percentage that is .032 higher than their season average! Tack on .032 to Toskala's save percentage and he's the owner of an almost respectable .897 save percentage. Do you know how hard it is to make Toskala almost respectable? Yeah...that's how our luck at home has been.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />On the contrary, we are shooting a dismal 4.94%. To put that into perspective, remember how bad Jason Blake was his first season here? Well, he shot a mere 4.5%. We are basically watching a group of Jason Blakes!</span> <span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Remember when the Yankees dug up their new stadium to get rid of that Ortiz jersey? Well, they ended up winning the World Series. My only explanation is that somebody buried a Georges Vezina or Jacques Plante jersey here and the curse is finally taking effect. That or Ken Dryden's stench is still in the building. Blow up the ACC is you have to, this must end. Until the Leafs get a new arena, we can only hope that the law of averages eventually evens things out because I am getting sick and tired of playing against what looks like a Vezina candidate night after night.</span>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2019161856796884566.post-11256671511897203042009-11-28T22:41:00.006-05:002009-11-28T23:28:20.962-05:00Paul Pierce is a Douchebag<span style="font-family: arial;">Whether you are dropping down to block a slap shot or standing in the lane to take a charge, it takes cojones to play pro sports. You wouldn't know it from the following clip though.</span><br /><object style="font-family: arial;" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Lh29tiM-px4&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Lh29tiM-px4&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">This whole video just makes me sick. Let's break it down.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">1. Rasho Nesterovic is guarding Paul Pierce on an ISO play. How the fuck does this happen?</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">2. Paul Pierce's dirty fuckin slam on Bosh. Now when I say dirty I don't mean it the same way the hip kids do. The way he sticks out his knee out to catch CB4 in the nuts is plain dirty.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">3. The stare-down. You're a real tough guy, Pierce. You didn't posterize Bosh, you kneed him in the balls. Need I remind you that you're the same guy that did this?</span><br /><object style="font-family: arial;" width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/ysT8RA6JQks&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/ysT8RA6JQks&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">4. The score. It was 87-72 before the dunk. The dunk was totally unnecessary.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">5. The Kevin Garnett pan away. From one big douchebag to the biggest douchebag.</span><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">6. 4 fuckin Raptors who stood around and did NOTHING!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Rasho Nesterovic, Jose Calderon, Hedo Turkuglo and Jarrett Jack should hang their head in shame for not standing up for their team leader and all-star, Chris Bosh. None of them even wanted to make eye contact with Pierce. This is why teams like The Celtics aren't afraid to step all over the Raptors. They know that they won't have to face the consequences if they do. I haven't seen a Raptor get animated over a play since Charles Oakley. What this clip doesn't show is the only guy who stood up for Bosh, the only guy who gave a shit, the only guy to go after Pierce; that guy was Raptors head coach and good ol' Canadian boy, Jay Triano.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Speaking of balls, Phil Kessel might only have one but he is the fuckin man</span>.<br /><object style="font-family: arial;" width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/A-qV12Ec1zE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/A-qV12Ec1zE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">When was the last time you remember seeing a player going coast to coast and scoring a beauty like that on the Leafs? As great as Sundin was, even he didn't have that speed and quick release. There's only one possible reaction to a goal so pretty.</span><br /><center><img src="http://nnboards.com/forums/images/smilies/load.gif" /><br /></center>Hungry Leafs Fanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01108936336245714966noreply@blogger.com