Thursday, October 28, 2010

Good Karma

After Tuesdays victory over the Panthers of Miami, there was so much written about the foul smelling goal by Colton Orr, after his prison escape rampage through the Florida crease and his destruction of their goalie Scott Clemenson.  You'd think they were going to hell for this. The ref blew the call, the league admitted it, heck, Ron Wilson admitted the Panthers got stiffed.

But that's why we have good karma right now. We admit it, and move on. Now I expect poor Colby Armstrong will have a "hold on a moment" due to his distended pinky, but last year after 8 games, we wuz robbed many times, and we griped about it openly. Poor us, we don't deserve this. What happened after, more rain, followed by sleet and snow and no pity and bad karma, baby.

This year after 8 games we are 5-2 and 1 OT loss, totalling 11 points.  What did we have last year, ...1 measly point, and not even a win in OT or in a shoot out to fall back on. Good Karma, and admitting when we were lucky, breeds ...more good karma, okay..

Wilson has begun his annual line juggling act, hey a leoprad does not change his spots so it was expected. Ron Wilson is likely hoping Bozak and Grabowski make these moves work, or guess what...more line juggling. Maybe that is why we see Dion Phaneuf chasing the puck behind th enemies red line, he has moved up to the forward line.

All kidding aside, the formula that has worked to date, hard work, chip and chase, deep dump ins, relentless skating and a religious forecheck to stiffle break outs, and flow. The team has enough speed when it uses it, and they will stay in more games because of it.  That and a Giggy in the twine tent.

And thanks to Joe Bowen again for his description of the "tenders of the twine tents", the "keepers of the chord cottage", and " wizards of the webbed wickets". Keep em coming Joe, it's all part of the Good Karma we're feeling.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

The Big M

Frank Mahovlich
Once and awhile a player comes along with special abilities, and when that player is a true gentleman on and off the ice, it is a rare treat. Such was Senator Frank Mahovlich, who starred at St. Mikes, then went onto a glorious career with the Maple Leafs, Red Wings and Canadians. Oh and he made a stop over to make some real cash in the WHA for the Toronto Toros.

 He was once rumored to be sold to the Black Hawks for a cool million dollars. Such was the man that he said nobody was worth a million dollars, not even Bobby Hull or Gordie Howe, his contemporaries of that age. As it turned out, ll three, the Big M, Howe and Hull turn turns in the WHA as a way to make some very large money after years of toiling for the original 6.

Rod Gilbert and Jean Ratelle were both wooed as a tandem, but were promised handsome raises by Tex Irvin on the Rangers but never saw it happen.

  Frank Mahovlich patrolled left wing in Maple Leaf Gardens, and to many observer he never seemed to skating that fast, but his glides were effortless and his style was his own.  Coach Punch Imlach was forever pushing Mahovlich, and as a young fan I always wondered why he was so cruel, but I think he recognized his raw talent, and was forever trying to maximize it.



As  Leaf fan, it was a dark day when I heard that Mahovlich, Unger, Brewer, were dealt for Ullman, Smith and Paul Henderson. How could they do this ? Who were these guys ?  Where was Frank going, I was 13- 14 year's old and devastated.

He graced left wing and wore the number 27 which was recently co honoured with long time Leaf captain Darryl Sittler, and that number is in the rafters as a slice of Leaf history , preserved for all time.

Frank played on 6 Cup teams, 4 in Toronto, 2 in Montreal, and is one of a handful of Leaf/Habs that won cups for both teams. Others include Dick Duff and builder Frank Selke Sr.

The Big M played usually with Red Kelly as his centre and the pair are also the only 2 NHL vets to both play together on Cup winning teams and serve in politics. Ken Dryden accomplished that but plyerd only for the Habs.

My fondest memory of the graceful skater was a game against Boston in 1966, my grandfather took me and we used the subway to go to the Gardens, and sat way up in the end Blues. It was a Saturday night game, and we saw Foster Hewitt climb his Everest like ascent to the gondola. I could hear him in my mind call out his " He Shoots He Scores `` , which was his brand on every Leaf goal.  Frank potted 2 goals in a Leaf rout.

I think I talked all the way home about his slapshot  being so fast I could barely see it. My grandfather laughed pretty hard over that remark. Later that week, he came on Hockey Night on a Wednesday, and scored a similar goal on Red Wing netminder Roger Crozier, and I thought to myself, I have seen that in person, wow, what a privledge.

It was a big privilege, and one I was happy to have.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

United we Stand ( at 3-0 )



I hear the band warming up !!

Okay, so it's only 3 games, but the difference so far is noticeable.  Strong fore check, strong penalty killing, and better yet, smart effective play in net. All 3 aspects were absent for the majority of the 09-10 season, and until Toskala exited and Giggy entered it was a crap shoot every game.

Penalty killing is sound, and slowly the power play is improving, getting one against the Pens in Pittsburgh.

They need that production from Phaneuf and Kaberle, especially on the power play.  Oh and if the power play finally finds it's rythym, that is the last piece of the puzzle not yet jelling.

A 5-3 power play goal is we've got to show so far, and therefore lot's of room still for Ron Wilson to show he has had a positive effect on this squad.

I will say that so far, I have watched the Sabres, Sens and Habs play and only the Bruins look decent. The Sens best player so far is Leclaire, Habs best player is Price, and well Buffalo's is Ryan Miller.  I have not been impressed with each teams foot soldiers, but again it's 2 to 3 games.

That 3rd line of Brent , Armstrong and Shooey is making an impact as a fore checking group, and that is the difference against the other teams 1st line.

Even when the 1st line has a dumper of a game, the remainder of the troops scored, always a sign that the team has a bit of depth. Now no one would have uttered " Clark McArthur and sniper "in the same sentence but 4 goals in 3 games, hell, we'll take it.

Onto Broadway for a Friday night tilt against the enigmatic Rangers, and Colby Armstrong's duty will to be to neutralise Gaborik. Shade of Jimmy Roberts shadowing Bobby Hull, or for Leafs, Ron Ellis trying to tail Yyan Cournoyer. Okay, latter day fans , Kirk Muller & Darcy Tucker against the Yashin line, is that current enough.

Armstong is fast becoming a shut down winger, and I think McArthur is another dude capable of that role as well, and maybe what has become noticeable after this past week is the team foot speed.We are winning the wall fights, and smart cycling. Even last night I saw an improvement on their breakouts, a sore point against Montreal. The Habs are a fast team, and when we did not make the quick smart first pass, them waterbugs were all over us like a bad rash. 

Ottawa was just flat, but we have done one thing differently this year that is very apparent, and that is a fast paced high energy start. Yes, we bang a few bodies, but as a result of a strong forecheck, not because we are the 75 Flyers, or Burke's Goon squad. You have to be able to skate to earn ice time on this team, and so far their pace has quickened.

Giggy will return Friday to the twine tent, and settle down the D a bit with his quiet style, The Monster is still jumpy, and was edgy in the 1st 2 periods until he settled, so it is possible we can grab a point in New York.

United we stand after one week, and as FAN 590 reporter Howard Berger noted, Montreal was 8th and was 6 games over .500, so we have to play 3 games over ourselves, and let the chips fall where they may.

In Montreal they are 1-1-1, Ottawa has yet to win, and Barfalo are 1-2-1 and the Bruins are 1-1 , so stay ahead of at least 3 Division teams as long as you can, cause it won't last.

Or, will it ??

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Leafs - Habs Forever Rivals

Forever rivals
Red versus Blue, my guys, their guys, English versus French, it's been an age old battle, and it as a rivalry, this one has legs. It has staying power. Fans in Toronto and Montreal go to each others games,. in full battle gear, some with signs, some with painted faces. All ready for another edition of the Leafs and Habs.

On Ice or on Tables the fight continues
I remember the ball hockey games played on the streets, Ellerbeck versus Jackman, Chester versus Arundel, and 2 brothers, Paul and Tim, living on Arundel Ave., one a dire hard Habs fan, the other a Leaf fan, and they would fight each other over hockey supremacy in their own home.
    In those days I played goal, as I had the good net, and thin goalie pads, and a see through hard plastic mask, so I played for Browning Ave., and we had few players, so we'd team up with Jackman and we had a semi organised league, stats were kept and intermissions we're arranged.  So we'd play for hours on the weekend, according to home work and chore schedules.
     Some games we'd barely have enough players, no sit outs, no rotation, no rest at all.  Arundel Ave were all Habs, Ellerbeck had Black Hawks, it worked out well that we had more than enough fans of Bobby Hull, and Glenn Hall as Gumper and Beliveau filled out the Arundel 9, and constantly Tim wanted to move out of his team to the Jackman/ Browning Leafs, but family honour deprived him. I do remember on a warm November Saturday Tim peeled off his coat to display a blue Maple Leaf shirt, and his team would not let him play until he put the coat back on.
     Intermission sessions were surrounded by a chorus of " Need em' need em', got em' Need em' " as we exchanged cards to grow our set, all hoping to complete it before the area stores would run out and no boxes were out on the counter.  A horrible sight if you were 3 or 4 cards left to go.




Here Johnny Bower plays against the evil empire with help from Horton  and partner Allen Stanley. The Pocket Rocket looks back for feint hope of a  scoring chance.


This time their is no hope, it is in Bower's glove.

On Chester Avenue I played against the ed Wings and Gordy Howe and Delvecchio and shut them out like me idol Johnny Bower in the 1964 Cup Finals, and for a brief moment on a cold morning, the the temperature well below zero, and snow drifts against the cars, we waged against Detroit, then battled the Habs of Arundel for street supremacy.  That day we won, many times we seemed to run of day light before returning back on Sunday after the church kids put their jeans and jackets on to finish the fight.

I wonder if Tim and Paul continue to fight for hockey supremacy as the Leafs and Habs do today.


Go Leafs Go !

The Passion that Unites us All

Sawchuk and Bower
The team that stands the test of my time are the Toronto Maple Leafs, who when I was able to watch my first game in 1961-62 season became my Gods of Olympus. The names of Bower, Army, Pulford, Horton were barely known to me then. Heck I had not even discovered hockey cards until 1963 as I found a card, dirty, snow covered on my way home.
    I wiped off the grime and snow and stared at it just I was walking home from school at Frankland Public, my Grade 2 class, and it was an unknown item to me.  It was a card with a picture of a man, maybe my fathers age in a uniform, with a stick in his hand. I stood for at least 30 seconds, turned it over, and the name was Bathgate, Andrew, he apparently played in New York, and had a C on his shirt.
    I took it home and showed my mother, who asked me why I was picking up stuff from the ground !!  That night when my Dad got home, I asked him if we could drive to Kirkpatricks on Broadview Ave, just at the Danforth.  I was hooping I could get a hockey stick. He said after dinner we could go, so it then I got the bug, having my own stick meant I needed a net, a puck, skates, and the backyard was flooded in January, and my Dad made me my first net out of old pipes, and a new nylon netting.
    That winter I was able to watch the first period with Foster and Bill Hewitt, then bedtime, bath and to dream about this new discovery, the game of hockey.
    Such are the humble beginnings of a rabid Leaf fan.