I’m not sure if this will make any sense, as I’m really not well enough versed in statistics, but here goes…
Category: Hockey
The Campaign to Fire Brian Burke: Media Complicity in Maintaining Fan Delusions
On Blue and White Tonight this evening Gord Stellick said something to the effect of “We can’t figure out how many games the Leafs have to win, they just have to win games. Whether it’s 11-2, or 9-4, or whatever, they have to win a lot of games.”
RIP Rick Martin
For the second time in as many years the Hall of Fame has been exposed for not honouring someone in time. This time the death obviously wasn’t expected, but that doesn’t make it any better. First, they ignored or avoided the opportunity to put Burns in during his lifetime. I really don’t pay attention to …
The Campaign to Fire Brian Burke: Deadline Day 2009
Two years ago was Burke’s first deadline day with the Leafs. He made a number of minor deals: traded Antropov for 2nd rounder (Kenny Ryan) and a 2010 conditional fourth rounder (the conditions were either not met or not exercised) traded Moore for a 2nd rounder (Jesse Blacker) claimed Eric Reitz off waivers the weird …
The Campaign to Fire Brian Burke: 2010 Trade Deadline
Around this time last year the Leafs traded Ponikarovsky for Luca Caputi and Martin Skoula then traded Skoula to Jersey for a fifth round pick (Sam Carrick) traded Joey McDonald for a seventh round pick this year traded a sixth round pick (Joe Rogalski) for Chris Peluso traded Stempniak for Matt Jones, a fourth round …
NHL Trade Deadline Day 2011!
So it was a less busy day this year, because of all the trades over the past week and a half. Here are my thoughts on them. Atlanta gets Dvorak and a 5th rounder, Florida gets Bergfors and Rissmiller: I can’t hate this enough for Atlanta. Bergfors was the key piece of the Kovalchuk deal …
The Campaign to Fire Brian Burke: The Leafs should tank next year (and perhaps the year after)
With all this talk about the Leafs making the playoffs, and with Reimer looking like the second coming of Chris Mason (prior to the injury), I think it’s time to restate why the Leafs really need to go through a traditional rebuild. It was only last week that Burke looked like he was finally realizing …
The Campaign to Fire Brian Burke: Rebuilding
I have been very hard on Burke lately – pre-Kaberle deal, which I think was a pretty good move – and I guess I should offer something positive instead of endless criticism. With the Beachemin and Kaberle deals (and the Versteeg deal, as much as I don’t like it) Burke appears to be implicitly acknowledging …
The Campaign to Fire Brian Burke: Kaberle
Burke traded Kaberle for Joe Colborne, Boston’s 1st rounder in 2011 and Boston’s 2nd rounder in 2012 (conditional).
The Campaign to Fire Brian Burke: The Second Versteeg Trade
Burke trades Versteeg for Philadelphia’s 1st and 3rd round picks in 2011.
The Campaign to fire Brian Burke: Beauchemin Trade
Burke Trades Francois Beauchemin for Joffrey Lupul, Jake Gardiner and Anaheim’s 4th round pick in 2013
The Campaign to Fire Brian Burke: Staffan Kronwall
Two years ago today, in one of his first moves, Burke waived Staffan Kronwall.
The Campaign to Fire Brian Burke: January 31, 2010
January 31st of 2010 was a big day for the Leafs. In one day, the Leafs traded 6 players for 4 players, completely changing the team and yes, perhaps, even the “culture.” Surely, this day played as big a part as any other day in Burke’s attempt to get rid of the players he associated …
The Campaign to Fire Brian Burke – Prologue
I am an odd kind of Leafs fan; at this point I expect them to fail more than I expect them to succeed. I can’t look at any move they make in a completely positive light, and don’t believe they will win the Cup in my lifetime. And yet I watch (or listen) to as …
NHL 2010-11 Predictions
I like to make predictions each year for the Stanley Cup but this year I am having a really hard time. No one team strikes me as being particularly stronger than the herd.
The Campaign to Fire Brian Burke: Leafs 2010-11 Preview
Hopefully I’m wrong, but I think the Leafs will again be a pretty weak team. At least the Oilers look like they won’t finish last again. Hoping against hope that Burke, Wilson et al. will be intelligent and let Kadri develop in the AHL this year (as if his presence alone will turn them into …
Leafs
Colby Armstrong for $3 mil a season? Are you fucking kidding me? What exactly are we paying him for? He is a body check, that’s it. Just a body check. How is that worth $3 mil? This is especially true now that they are claiming they are going to clamp down on head-hunting (which is …
The Campaign to Fire Brian Burke: 2010 Off-season Trade Rumours
So today there is a column in the Star today suggesting that Leafs are trying to trade for three players: Dan Hamhuis Patrick Sharp Nathan Horton
The Campaign to Fire Brian Burke: What do the Leafs need to do to create a winning club?
I think first things first, someone needs to buy MLSE, because I don’t think a pension plan has any interest in championships.
The Campaign to Fire Brian Burke: The Draft and College Players
The Leafs have signed yet another US College star. As much as I appreciate this new direction, the odds of success are significantly lower than the draft. I understand the Leafs must take this approach as, for some reason, they don’t appear to have any draft picks…well, any first rounders.
Heatley deal
I know I should have said this last weekend but I was busy. Ottawa Senators get: Cheechoo Michalek 2nd round pick Cheechoo is probably the Tony Batista of hockey. He was great for a time, but the moment he declined he declined terribly, because his mechanics are so bad nobody knows what to fix. Michalek …
The Campaign to Fire Brian Burke: The Stralman Deal
I cannot for the life of me understand this trade: Stralman and Colin Stuart (don’t know him) for Wayne “Not Keith” Primeau and a second round pick next year.
2009 Toronto Drafts
So I figured I’d share my opinions about the Drafts but suddenly it was early July and I hadn’t done anything yet. Oops. Maple Leafs: It could have been better and it could have been worse. Burke should have kept his mouth shut. I still believe he could have maneuvered to get a top 3 …
On the Hiring of Brian Burke
I don’t know what I think about all this. Burke said (almost) all the right things at the conference today. I still think his record is inflated by his supporters. (And I’m finding that, surprise, surprise, his detractors are equally full of hyperbole.) I can say one thing, he is a better GM than Ferguson …
Leafs 2008-09 Early Season Thoughts
So I haven’t talked about the Leafs in ages. Maybe you wonder why. Maybe you don’t care. Well, I knew they were going to suck. I figured they’d suck but not enough to get what they need, a very high draft pick. I still think this is the way things will go, despite some of …
NHL #1 Draft Picks from 2007 to 1988
I am hoping the Leafs will be bad enough this year to have a legitimate shot at getting the #1 pick (i.e. Stamkos). Since I apparently don’t have better things to do, here’s a brief look at how this isn’t rocket science. Here are some recent #1s and how they’ve turned out. 2007: Patrick Kane, …
Throw in the towel on the 07-08 Season
I pretty much believe this all the time, so coming from me, this doesn’t really mean anything. But, personally, I think it’s time to call it a season and start over. Now, I wouldn’t have made the signings they did for this seasons (or previous ones) anyway, but they might as well give up. As …
Cheney and NHL’s Silly Season
The NBA isn’t the only league with a silly season any more, but first…The Whores!
Gilmour vs. Muller…and why Mats belongs
Some time in September I had nothing to do and a friend had mentioned that he thought Gilmour as unworthy as the Hall as Muller. So I decided to pursue a numbers argument. I never published it (I must have pushed the ‘save as draft’ button instead) and I remembered it when I was thinking …