Greatest Hockey Fight Ever - Canada vs Russia Juniors, 1987

Theoren Fleury decks offending Russian, starts bench-clearing brawl

The World Junior Championship (starts Boxing Day, every year!!!) is my fave sports tournament (followed by Summer Olympics, then NCAA March Madness), and you rarely see fights in that tourney of the world's best young hockey players. Back in 1987 things were a little bit different, and this bench clearing international brawl must have been huge fun for the Russians, who were not allowed to fight in games back home.

The undrafted Theoren Fleury started this fight while sticking up for a teammate, and the very next day I wrote the Maple Leafs suggesting they ignore his diminutive size and sign him. About 10 days later he got inked by Calgary and went on to a stellar NHL career, and is now a highly regarded spokesperson for victims of sexual abuse.

Both teams were disqualified from the tournament but it was totally worth it; the subsequent rise of Gorbachev and Yeltsin caused communism to fall just two years later. Coincidence?

Leafs vs Bruins; Truculence is Toronto's Job One

Call me old fashioned, but I don't really care all that much how many points the Toronto Maple Leafs earn during the coming home and home series against the Boston Bruins, the defending Stanley Cup Champions, and current NHL bad boys.

Burke's team is young and fast, with secret fists of fury

It would be awesome if Mike Brown can return for at least one of these games (only if 115% ready), and Wilson will be wise to include names such as Orr, Rosehill, and Aulie in both tilts, together with stalwarts such as Phaneuf and Schenn. Here's the rub; Boston can punch a Sedin in the face with no repercussions, and they can run over and concuss Ryan Miller while players stand around and plead with a referee, but the puck stops here. Colby Armstrong would never put up with that shit, and neither should any player wearing the Maple Leaf this week.

If Boston so much as touches Phil Kessel, Joffrey Lupul, Jake Gardiner or the Toronto goalie, I don't wanna hear any Leaf player even mention Brendan Shanahan's name afterwards, unless it's discussing a hearing he'll be attending to explain why he defended his teammate.

That's it. No fucking around. There's a new sheriff in town, and the cheapshot era, personified by both the Canucks and the Bruins, is over.

5 Best Moves made by Maple Leafs GM Brian Burke

These five trades brought the Toronto Maple Leafs Phil Kessel, Dion Phaneuf, John Michael Liles, Joe Colborne, Tyler Biggs, Cody Franson, Matt Lombardi and Keith Aulie. Has any other NHL General Manager come even close to this bounty over the past three years?

1. Beauchemin for Gardiner and Lupul - I would have loved getting Gardiner straight up for Beauch as knew him from USA juniors, and at the time the extra "cost" to obtain Jake G was being willing to take on Lupul's contract. Aaaaahhh, well, ya okay, I think we can do that.

2. Kaberle for Joe Colborne and two draft picks (one used as main bait to move up for Biggs, the other traded straight up for Liles) - Boston got a Cup, and Burke and Leafs fans owe Kaberle big time, for his foresight in choosing the team that could afford him and that he could help win the Stanley Cup. Mats Sundin may have done something similar in his waning years, yet he probably loved the City of Toronto more than the team (he also did not get to work with a GM of Burke's calibre and influence).

3. Two 1st rounders for Phil Kessel - Most feel the Leafs lost or broke even on this one but if you look at the "team" Burke inherited when he arrived, he really did need to bring in a top level player to begin building a team around. The price (Tyler Seguin, Jared Knight and Doug Hamilton) turned out to be very high, however as the Leafs are now the youngest team in the NHL and Kessel is among the best goal scorers on the planet, this trade is smelling sweeter as time goes by. He's two years younger than Ovechkin and two months younger than Crosby, and Canada better watch out for him (and Jake Gardiner) at the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

4. Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Ian White and Jamal Mayers for Dion Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjostrom and Keith Aulie - The Leafs have a strong winning record whenever Dion is in the lineup (ditto for Aulie), and he is the best Leafs captain since Dougie Gilmour. I would trade those four players for Dion straight up, so whatever becomes of Keith "Muhammad" Aulie, this was a move that had to be done.

5. Brett Lebda and Robert Slaney for Cody Franson and Matthew Lombardi - I understand that having a deep-pocketed team helps with straight salary dump deals, however in this case we got to dump salary also. If Nashville's recent woes worsen, GM David Poile could be on the hot seat, but goalie Pekka Rinne (.925, 2.47, 10 wins) has proved worthy of the dollars freed up.

5B. Not trading Franson in early 2011-2012, despite numerous offers.

5C. Getting Liles for a 2nd rounder (compare to price Boston paid for Kaberle 3-month rental).

Resurgent Monster means Jussi Rynnas on the bubble

Props to both Burke and Wilson for sticking with Gustavsson when it seemed like he'd never recover the form he had before going down twice with the heart ailment in 2010-2011. Over the past few games we may have been witnessing a newly confident, far more experienced Monster, one who may actually challenge Reimer for Leafs' net supremacy.

Scrivens can lead the Marlies to the AHL's Calder Cup championship, where Owuya can solidly back him up. Sending Rynnas to the ECHL would just devalue him, so look for Jussi to be traded within 10 days, for a big forward prospect or a 3rd round draft pick.

Younger, faster Leafs to face Washington Capitals tonight

The Monster gets home start in Toronto net

With Lombardi and Grabovski each out for three to four weeks, and Mike Komisarek now sidelined indefinitely with a broken arm, tonight begins the testing of the Maple Leafs much-commended newfound depth. Joe Colborne has been called up from the Marlies, and Cody Franson is about to get some serious minutes.

If the Buds are to contend for Lord Stanley's gorgeous trophy, then both of these gentlemen should try and make it extremely difficult for management to take them out of the lineup, and a la Jake Gardiner, they can do that by playing hard at both ends of the ice, and winning.

Mark In Da Park is ready if Goose falters

For Jonas Gustavsson, this could be the beginning of the resurrection of his NHL career, or it could be his last hurrah. The second best goalie (after Ben Scrivens, not including Reimer until he is healthy again) in the system right now is Mark Owuya, and his AHL goals against average of 1.40 proves that Mark leading the elite Swedish league in save percentage last season was no fluke. Any faultering by The Monster and/or setbacks by Reimer could see Owuya getting a home start, where Scrivens has been erratic; Mark Owuya could be in the North American big leagues very soon.

Five ideas to take Maple Leafs to next level

NHL's Toronto squad a young team, with room for improvement

Here are five suggestions that Brian Burke and Ron Wilson should consider. These are basically tweaks that will allow the Leafs to experiment without shaking up the core of a successful 2011-2012 NHL team.

To get to the next level:

ONE: Give Mark Owuya a start in the NHL. Jonas G is not good enough to be a playoff goalie, so if Owuya cannot handle the bigs, then we need to bring in another goaltender. Reimer cannot be counted on for more than twenty starts between here and the end of the season, and whether he is a playoff-calibre goalie when he returns, well, that remains to be seen. Scrivens is #1 now but he and the team need a more reliable backup than the erratic Monster.

TWO: Try Cody Franson on the wing. We need scoring, and having a D-man up front could be crucial if one or two go down in a playoff game. Gary Leeman made the transition from D to F at the NHL level, and scored 50 goals one year.

THREE: Get Rosehill and/or Orr into some games. The NHL battles will intensify as the season wears on and the playoffs approach, and Mike Brown is too valuable to the team to be the only fighter between here and there. We do not need a punch-weary Brown in April, so it may be best to give him every 3rd game off.

FOUR: Grabovski deserves a shot between Lupul and Kessel. He is our best centreman, so deserves a few games on the big line, to see if chemistry arises. There's nothing going on with the second line right now, so the timing this week is as good as any.

FIVE: Bulk up player support for a longer season, as none of these lads were on the Buds last time they made the playoffs, and most are too young to have ever played in post-season NHL. In January it would be wise to add a chiropractor (there's a reason Donovan Bailey brought his chiropractor to all big track meets), a nutritionist and a massage therapist to the team's 2012 traveling entourage.

Three of first four moves could be tried for a game or three to see if they are worthy of implementing for longer periods, while the fourth calls for prudence when allocating tough guy minutes, to preserve vibrant truculence for the real season in the Spring. The final suggestion may have elements already in place, however bolstering the team's support staff and traveling entourage sends a signal that we expect the boys to be playing hockey in May, and we are preparing now for just such an eventuality.

VIDEO: Nazem Kadri scores game winner in OT for Toronto Marlies

With Maple Leafs in scoring drought, Kadri could soon be back in bigs

Toronto Maple leafs goaltending depth chart

Scrivens now Numero Uno in Leafs net

Having won two of his 3 NHL starts and providing playoff-calibre netminding yesterday in stealing a win over then Blues, Ben Scrivens is now the Leafs top goalie. Even when Reimer returns it will be slow going, with JR playing one of every three or four games, probably until February at least. For the next few months, barring a trade or free agent signing, Ben will hold down the fort.

1. Ben Scrivens

The best goalie at training camp now getting an opportunity to show he belongs in the bigs. Mobile, confident big man is developing into a solid Allaire student, now graduate.


2. James Reimer

Concussed or whiplashed, he remains a major hope of the team and Leafs fans. Thank God his helmet / mask when flying off, for if it had stayed on the injury may have been much worse.


3. Jonas Gustavsson

I wouldn't be surprised to see Owuya in the 3 slot soon. The Monster has never proven he is an NHL calibre goalie, and being 2 years older than Scrivens, he may never be as good as Ben is now. Is there any way Burkie can trade him to a Swedish elite league team for a big, undrafted winmger?


4. Mark Owuya

called up from the ECHL to join the Marlies after Scrivens went to Leafs, mark In Da Park continues to shine and may switch places with Gustavsson soon, if the latter cannot be traded.


5. Jussi Rynnas

Struggling with the Marlies this year; hoping he can either turn it around quickly, or get a fresh start with another AHL team


6. Grant Rollheiser

22 year old netminder plays for Boston University in NCAA.


7. Garrett Sparks

18 year old is Buds goalie of the future, a great prospect.

5 things Leafs fans should be happy about

Positive news for 2011-2012 Toronto Maple Leafs

Fast start – Even though the team was not playing that well, the Maple Leafs managed to get out of the gate strong and were leading the division, the conference and the league after a dozen games or so. This shows that with improvement, we can be a bona fide contender.


Surprises, the good kind – Lupul, Gardiner, and Komisarek are all exceeding expectations.


Brian Burke – His moves have taken a faceless, gutless team and shaped them into something close to formidable, with tremendous upside due to abundance of youth, plus great prospects with the Marlies. look for Burkie to sign Turco, or better still, trade prospects and/or picks for Nabokov, wasting away on the last place Islanders team.


Phil Kessel - The NHL's leading sniper this year is also 10th in the league in assists, a sign of a constantly improving player that is often overlooked by Leafs fans and local media.


Dion Phaneuf - The Maple Leafs have a winning record over the past two years whenever Dion is in the lineup, and he is the best captain the Leafs have had since Doug Gilmour.

Toronto Maple Leafs leaders: Plus / Minus

These stats are as of 07NOV11:

Phil Kessel +9
Joffrey Lupul +7
Mike Komisarek +6
Dion Phaneuf +5
Mikhail Grabovski +5
John-Michael Liles +4
Clarke MacArthur +3

Toronto Maple Leafs #1 overall in NHL

Deep Leafs squad, sharp Scrivens debut too much for Columbus

While Jonas Gustavsson was not able to ignite a goaltending controversy while filling in for James Reimer, there may soon be a battle brewing for the backup position. With Ben Scrivens throwing down a stellar debut in a 4-1 win over Columbus Blue Jackets, it seems to be getting clearer by the day that the best pair of goalies the Leafs have right now includes a guy with the first name Ben. It's not to say that Scrivens won't go back to the Marlies and continue his winning ways there, however when one looks to Spring and the NHL playoffs, you want to begin with two guys that are each a number one. The Monster has shown flashes of brilliance, and at age 27 may be just finding his stride, but with Reimer at 23 and Scrivens now 25, either Gustavsson or Rynas will likely be gone by the trade deadline.

There's also no rush to trade Cody Franson, as we don't really know yet what we need back. If a crazy offer came in Burke would likely take it, but another month of wear and tear will give us a better idea of what's required to go beyond my pre-season expectation of making it into the 2nd round of the playoffs. The penalty kill is the most glaring deficiency, yet there are still options within the team that may figure it out, together with the new assistant coaches. A fair bit of the recent troubles were due to a feeble box out that didn't pressure the puck, misreading the positions of opposition forwards and, hate to say it, erratic netminding by the Monster.

Biggest pleasant surprises of the year so far for Leafs:

Jake Gardiner - I wanted him to challenge for quarterback of the power play at camp, as I felt he could be as good as Liles and would be too skilled for the AHL. In fact, he has exceeded my expectations, so let me ask: Would you trade him for PK Subhan? You have to think about it now, whereas a few months ago you wouldn't even ask the question. He'll be playing for Burke and Team USA at the 2014 Olympics.

Joffrey Lupul - Kessel is an amazing passer, but Lupul has also scored a lot of goals through hustle and sharp play.

Kessel - I wanted him to watch Mike Bossy vids during the Summer; looks like whatever he did, his progress as top level NHL sniper continues, and he's been outscoring Ovechkin for over half a year now.

Phaneuf - From the first game after the Kaberle trade, the defence and the team belong to Dion, and he leads by example. Say no more.

With MacArthur, Crabb, Connolly and Grabovski all contributing offensively, and players such as Colbourne, Kadri, Frattin and Boyce on the Marlies, the Maple Leafs are stocked from the nets out. If Colbourne is going to come up to the Leafs this year, then a package of players could be moved for a strong college player, a top AHL prospect that can finish the year with the Marlies, and possibly a draft pick.

The ShanahaNHL is a fast-paced league with little room for cheap shots, and young teams such as Toronto, Edmonton and Ottawa are striving ahead of the pack. We need to stay youthful and fast, rolling four lines over the boards with speed and passion.

Here is the list of Toronto Maple Leafs that I believe may be traded in coming months (first posted last week):

Darryl Boyce
Jussi Rynnas
Nazem Kadri
Cody Franson
Rosehill or Orr, not both
Korbinian Holzer
Mike Zigomanis
Marcel Mueller
Brayden Irwin
Simon Gysbers
Juraj Mikus


Here is my updated and expanded list as of tonight, with the Leafs in first place overall in the National Hockey League:

Darryl Boyce
Cody Franson
Korbinian Holzer
Jonas Gustavsson or Jussi Rynnas, not both
Nazem Kadri
Rosehill or Orr, not both
Josh Engel
Mike Zigomanis
Marcel Mueller
Brayden Irwin
Simon Gysbers
Juraj Mikus
Will Acton


What's your offer?