The Puck Drops! The 2013 - 2014 NHL Season Game ON!!

Thanks Vancouver - I'm really enjoying Mason Raymond...


--- merged: Oct 7, 2013 at 2:35 PM ---

Yes, it's a 45 year drought for the Leafs. 2 more years and we will equal the 47 year span achieved by the Mighty Mighty Blackhawks. 8 more years before we match the Rangers' 53 years between cups. But hey, at least Chicago got to the finals 3 times during that drought.

 

yeah.....Raymond was good at what he did,he just doesn't do it often enough...........and he's small.......

enjoy his playmaking..........

 

The Sabres make me forget how bad my Buffalo Bills are.

And I agree with the post above about the new divisions. Get the shitty Florida teams out of our group. We should have Philly and Pitt in there.

 

Ugh. Well like I heard, now that we got that loss out of the way, what's wrong with an 81 - 1 season?

 

The Leafs shit the bed again tonight, Bernier had a Jonathan Quick moment it seemed, losing to the bloody Canes, that was not pretty at all. At least Clarkson will be back next week, guess we'll get to see where he fits in.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP2jTaU5K_o

 

So what's the biggest question that Toronto folks have today? Is it did the mayor smoke crack? ( http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2013/11/01/rob_ford_toronto_finally_knows_the_truth.html )

no, I think it's " Reimer or Bernier? - who will Carlyle start in goal against Vancouver on Saturday night?

http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/2013/11/01/maple_leafs_canadas_best_hockey_team.html
Maple Leafs: Canada's best hockey team

The club is the highest in the standings among the Canadian teams, that’s a fact.

RICHARD LAUTENS / TORONTO STAR ​

Order this photo
The Maple Leafs keep on winning and can boast they are the best hockey team in Canada at this point in the season. The Canucks aren't far behind, and the two teams clash Saturday night in Vancouver.
By: Kim Nursall Staff Reporter, Published on Fri Nov 01 2013
It’s been a long time since the Maple Leafs were the best at anything, but right now, the Leafs are Canada’s best hockey team.
The club is the highest in the standings among the Canadian teams, that’s a fact.
But it could prove a title tough to keep. The Leafs will take on the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night on Hockey Night in Canada in a bid to hold onto that top spot.
Only the Canucks are close enough to catch Toronto right now, with the Leafs having dispatched all the others except Winnipeg during their recent streak of fine play. (The Jets won’t get their chance to take on the top dog until January).

Having a hard time believing Toronto is that good?

Keep reading to be convinced, as we lay out the case:

1. Maple Leafs: 20 points



Record: 10-4-0 (Leading the Eastern Conference
Biggest win: 4-1 versus the Pittsburgh Penguins
The Leafs have beaten every Canadian team so far this year, save the two teams they have yet to play: the Jets and the Canucks. The Leafs’ lineup has shown great depth and shooting accuracy over the course of October, with six players breaking double digits in point totals. With 18 points, Phil Kessel was just behind Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby as top scorer in the league and tied with Tampa’s Steve Stamkos and Vancouver’s Henrik Sedin. The Leafs’ record has been bolstered by the stellar play of goalies James Reimer (.949 save percentage) and Jonathan Bernier (.933).
2. Canucks: 19 points
Record: 9-5-1 (95 per cent as good as Leafs)
Biggest win: 3-2 versus the St. Louis Blues
The Canucks are giving the Leafs a run for first, notching 11 points in a seven-game road trip in October. The Sedins are dominating the team’s offence (Henrik currently leads the NHL in assists with 15), but besides the brothers and Ryan Kesler, no other player has more than nine points. The Canucks have also fared poorly versus top teams so far this year (two 4-1 loses to San Jose; falling to Pittsburgh in a shootout — a team the Leafs just beat).
3. Canadiens: 16 points
Record: 8-5-0 (90 per cent as good as Leafs)
Biggest win: 4-1 versus the Anaheim Ducks
The Canadiens lost 4-3 to the Leafs in the season opener. So far, their above average record is largely due to goaltenders Carey Price (2.02 goals against average) and Peter Budaj (0.50 GAA), as well as a strong defence. Injuries have plagued the team’s forward lines: Max Pacioretty, Daniel Briere and Brandon Prust are all out with injuries, leaving defenceman P.K. Subban tied as the team point leader with 11.
4. Flames: 12 points
Record: 5-5-2 (60 per cent as good as Leafs)
Biggest win: 3-2 versus the Los Angeles Kings
The Flames are the Leafs’ latest victim, falling 4-2 Wednesday night. Despite the team notching at least one point in their first five matchups — thanks to three wins and two games that went past regulation — their season has taken a turn for the worse. They’ve now lost five of seven outings and will be without captain Mike Giordano for at least six weeks. Not to mention the Flames’ two goalies, Karri Ramo and Joey MacDonald, rank among the worst in the league in save percentage.
5. Jets: 12 points
Record: 5-7-2 (60 per cent as good as Leafs)
Biggest win: 5-3 versus the Kings
The Jets won’t play the Leafs until the end of January, but if their current record is any indication it shouldn’t be much of a contest. Only two players have more than 10 points, and goalie Ondrej Pavelec is letting in one out of every 10 shots. Even a low-shooting team like the Leafs will take those numbers. The Jets finished off October dismally, losing six of their last eight games and rumours of imminent firings are popping up.
6. Senators: 10 points
Record: 4-6-2 (50 per cent as good as Leafs)
Biggest win: 6-1 versus the Detroit Red Wings
The Senators fell 5-4 to the Leafs early in October, and things have not gotten much better since. They’ve lost their last three games, allowing 13 goals versus three of the Western Conference’s top teams (San Jose, Anaheim and Chicago). In light of the disappointing results, captain Jason Spezza recently called a players-only meeting — never a good sign.
7. Oilers: 8 points
Record: 3-9-2 (40 per cent as good as Leafs)
Biggest win: 4-3 versus the Canadiens
The Oilers have lost twice to the Leafs so far this year, including a 4-0 bashing on Tuesday night. They’ve also lost their last four games (one in a shootout). One of their goalies, Jason LaBarbera, has the worst save percentage in the league and the second-highest goals against average (3.65). Their main goalie, Devan Dubnyk, has the highest (4.01). To round out the bad news, Taylor Hall, one of the team’s top scorers, will miss at least three more weeks with an injury.

 

I know it's late, but here is some scenery from the Winter Classic on New Year's Day: Detroit Red Wings vs Toronto Maple Leafs. Two Original 6 teams facing each other outdoors at the Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor Michigan. It was cold, very snowy. They had to shovel the ice every 10 mins or so. It was a thrilling game in which the Leafs prevailed in a 3-2 shoot out victory. The game set an NHL attendance record of 105,491. What a great way to spend a few hours on new year's day. Here's some shots i took off my tv (NBC & CBC feed):

first, the pageantry:





Then the players:











The opening anthems (by the Tenors):




The stadium crowd:




and the opening faceoff:

 

What was the Capital One bowl? I'm sure it's football, but is it college/university? What happened to the nice - noncorporate - names like Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, Cotton Bowl etc?

Way to go with the Leafs sweater. Mine is stored away until the playoffs. Ketchup stained and all. The ol' #21 (Salming) wont come out until the Buds make the second season this year. I Had two tickets to see this winter classic game. A colleague of mine won 4 from a radio station, so I was all set to take my son and drive the 5 hours on New Year's eve to get there. That is until I saw that I had renewed my passport just before Christmas, and they had punched holes through my current one, rendering it invalid for travel. What a crock.

 

that was fun!




and then the Vancouver coach (Torts) is still pissed off at the Calgary starting line up and confronts the Flames in the halway:




by the way, it's good to see that Malarchuk is feisty and doing alright as Calgary's goaltending coach. He'd had some tough times - he shot himself (accidentally? ) while rabbit hunting but he also had some demons that resurfaced after seeing Zednik throat injury earlier that year (2008) which was so similar to his own 1989 injury (sliced jugular):

Do not watch if you are squeemish - very graphic:

 

Going to Montreal in April, trying to get tix for the Habs/Wings game - wish me luck!

Going to an AHL game tonight, apparently at the end of their last game (Manchester Vs St. John's) a big fight broke out so they're gonna try to copy the flames/canucks fiasco.

 

The game at Dodger Stadium was pretty sweet looking.