Hockey could be compared to many things, one being war.
Coaches (most notably Don Cherry) often refer to their players as troops. Both sides are constantly attacking and defending. The physicality between both sides can only be described as a battle, injuries often occur. Snipers have their role on the battlefield, bombs are dropped with regularity. Sacrifices are made for the ultimate good. Teams unite to support each other nations unite to support them. And like any war, hockey is filled with heroes and villains.
So it’s fitting that on a day of remembrance, we remember the heroes from our past.
It’s been a long 41 years, but the 1967 Stanley Cup will always hold a special place in the heart of Toronto Maple Leafs fans around the world. A team of veterans who many thought were past their prime, they did the unthinkable and brought the cup home for the 13th time in franchise history, the 4th time in 6 years. These troops were led into battle by their Captain, George “Chief” Armstrong, and defeated the might Montreal Canadiens in six games. This legendary team also featured the likes of Red Kelly, Ron Ellis, Bob Pulford, Frank Mahovlich, Bob Baun, Marcel Pronovost, Allan Stanley, and Johnny Bower.
Two of the most legendary players in NHL history were also winning members on this team. Tim Horton patrolled the blueline like few could, barking orders at his comrades to help defend his home turf. Terry Sawchuk tended the net for many years, providing the last line of defense when all hope seemed to be lost. Neither of these men is longer with us, and their sacrifices will never be forgotten.
Another of these men was not so legendary. Al Smith was also a member of this Stanley Cup winning team. His pro career as a goaltender lasted 17 seasons. He was one of the five goaltenders to play for the Leafs during the 1966/67 season. He even dressed as the backup for two of the last three games in the Stanley Cup Finals. He passed away on August 7th, 2002.
Hockey could be compared to many things, one being war.
But it’s on days like this when you realize that hockey is just a game. Millions of Canadians have given their lives for this country. Few soldiers have the status of the likes of Horton or Sawchuk, many could be compared to the likes of Smith. And even though their names aren’t celebrated like Horton or Sawchuk, EVERY man and woman who has served Canada is a hero. I would not be writing this article if not for the great sacrifices made by them, odds are you would not be reading this either.
There may not be a silver cup with your name inscribed on it, but we will never forget.
Palin is now in the running for GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs
Now, you may see this title and think that I’m, well, completely insane. But the more you review this, the more it makes very awkward sense. And yes, I’m totally serious. In my opinion, the self proclaimed Maverick hockey mom from Alaska has started an awful curse on this NHL season.
First off, she’s made hockey into a running joke in the states even moreso than it was before to the average person. People who are on the fence regarding hockey will now think of her screaming hockey mom every few days during the election and really take it as a joke, but even then, not a big deal.
The actual curse on the NHL that doesn’t involve cheapening the game as much starts in Philadelphia. Known billionaire republican and CEO of the Flyers Ed Snyder had a theoretically smart logic for the party he supports - have a really dumb ‘hockey mom’ contest, and tie Palin into it. So, on October 11th, she dropped a ceremonial faceoff with the winner. Oh, and her youngest daughter Piper. Rumours tell that Sarah actually brought out Piper in hopes they wouldn’t throw stuff at her if she brought her out wearing an out of date Flyers jersey. It worked, but as you can see, she had the crap booed out of her.
It seems more and more apparent by the minute that Swedish Centre and former Captain of some hockey
Could this be what we see on his back in a few short weeks?
team in Ontario (my bets on the Hamilton Predators 
) will be California Dreamin very shortly.
You heard me, Mats Sundin will join the likes of Charlie Conway (yeah, I’m sorry, I’m in the jokersters mood today) as incredibly over talked about second line centres for the Ducks, for a rather small pro-rated amount apparently. How do we draw this conclusion? Two different articles have lead us to projecting this.
First is one from the Toronto Star regarding where Mats feels like he would like to go. Where would this be?
Anywhere that doesn’t face the Leafs in Toronto for the rest of the season.
I guess that obviously takes out the Leafs, and every team in the East. Specifically, it takes out everyone but the Blues, Wings, Coyotes, Ducks, Sharks, Kings, Avalanche, and Wild.
He won’t go to the St. Louis Blues, because they quite frankly suck.
The Wings? For one, he won’t wear 13, as Datsyuk has that covered. He’ll also be very close to Toronto, he may get his tour of booers. So lets rule them out for now.
The Coyotes are still no where near contention, and are developing Turris and Mueller. They don’t need Mats.
He’d fit with the Ducks who need secondary scoring.
I don’t think he fits with the Sharks as they really don’t need 3 #1 Centres.
The Kings? Don’t make me laugh.
The Avalanche? Maybe. They seem to be a haven for ex-Leafs as of late..a la 05/06 Floria. It would also be where he began. However, the team is in such a mess right now that I don’t know if Sakic - Sundin - Statsny - Forsberg is ENOUGH to get them into the playoffs, which quite frankly scares the living shit out of me on any other team.
And the Wild really don’t fit his style of play. This leaves the Ducks as really the best option.
Secondly, just look at this bit from the Edmonton Journal. It leaves nothing secret, and basically solidifies my entire point.
It’s no secret why Anaheim Ducks general manager Brian Burke wants Mats Sundin. Doug Weight didn’t pan out last year and Brendan Morrison isn’t doing it this year as a No. 2 centre (two points in 16 games, and playing on the wing now) to help Ryan Getzlaf. Sundin and Teemu
Selanne might be magic. Burke would have to waive Morrison and Todd Marchant, or trade Bobby Ryan to afford Sundin. I don’t see how Sundin would like all the travel the Ducks have or playing for less money than he might get in New York.
Basically, I’m just calling it now, but as always, don’t go screaming to your friends this is done just yet. I’m just saying, this is the equivalent of when Obama needed one more state to win on Tuesday…its just an inevitability.
Its funny too, because you remind me of Mr. Ducksworth, really. Just like in that awful first movie, you’re taking the easy way out.
You refuse to acknowledge the fans that have supported you for over 15 years, because you fear you’ll get booed. Why would you get booed?
Maybe its the “I don’t want to be a rental” attitude, the “you need to be there from Training Camp till the end” words that made us angry. Its 15 games in and you’re still making descisions on where you want to go. Which by the way, is like the 9th “extention” you’ve given to the media.
The longer you do this, the long Leafs fans will be angry at you. You’ve burned the bridges of being a “forever leaf”. And its not even because we got nothing for you at the deadline, its just the pure disrepect you’re giving to our fanbase right now, and to 29 other teams, anxiously waiting on you to start their moves.
At least now its down to a handful, and at least in my opinion, just one. Hopefully, we can all move on from this, and you can see it would probably just better to leave last February, or at least have signed in July.
Quack Quack Quack, Mr. Sundin. Quack Quack Quack Quack Quack.
If you were to look at his rookie stats, you would think he would be a 30+ goal scorer by now but that is not the case. He broke into the league when the Penguins already had Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin on the roster, so there was no rush in making Jordan Staal play as an 18yr old. That is until he started to score goals and be a workhorse on the penalty kill. Jordan looked like he was poised to be a threat for the Penguins for years to come. Then the sophomore slump, a year in which Jordan established himself as a solid penalty killer, but his offensive numbers suffered while being switched back to center, a position he is natural at but was then switched back to wing this season only to be put back at center when that experiment failed Therrien, to re-create the magic Jordan had his rookie year as a winger.
As a fan, I can only give my two cents on the situation of Jordan Staal, a player that looked like he was going to be in the same mold as his brother Eric but a little more polished defensively. What was the problem? I blame the lockout for helping Eric, he had the same type of rookie year Jordan had, but his sophomore year was spent in the AHL where he was the go to guy. During his time in the AHL, Eric rounded out his game and worked hard at the things he saw as his flaws in his rookie year. On a smaller stage, Eric had the opportunity to be a 1st line player and the guy that was ‘the man’ for any crucial situation. You would have to be kidding yourselves if you think the full year spent in the AHL did not help Eric Staal be the player he is today. Because right after that full season in the AHL, Eric went from 31pts to 100pts and amazing playoffs in which he put up 28pts in 25 games on route to a Stanley Cup Championship.
Even with evidence like this, the Penguins still chose to keep Jordan Staal up the entire season in his sophomore year; yes he was great in the playoffs during the run to the finals in which the Penguins eventually lost in 6 games. But losing 1 year of his rookie contract in the AHL so he could round out his game and be a better player and a bigger help should have been something Shero and Therrien should have looked at.
Jordan Staal has the size, he has the speed and he has 2-way play that will definitely make him a Selke candidate more than a few times in his potentially long career in the NHL. But it seems as though it will not be with the Penguins when he rounds out his game and starts to put up offensive numbers that are comparable to his older brother Eric. It also doesn’t help that he seems to be firm on his 5m/yr stance on what he feels he is worth. For now, Jordan has 2 goals in his past 3 games and has found chemistry with Fedotenko to build on the 3rd line with Tyler Kennedy (a stand-out at this point in the season).
Gronk, as he known by his teammates, can still turn it around. He has the ability to do so and this season will be crucial for him as it might be his last as a Pittsburgh Penguin. It would have been interesting to see how he would have fared after a full year in the AHL but at this point, it is too late to try that experiment out by GM Ray Shero. All we Penguins fans can hope for is that Jordan can build on scoring 2 goals in the past 3 games and gets back to his rookie form with finding the back of the net.