Maple Leafs believe in the power of the jinx

Are you superstitious? If you aren't surely you know someone who is. Someone who won't let you sit in their chair when watching the game, or someone who won't change their underpants while on a hot streak, no matter how gross they get. Hockey players are notoriously superstitious. But what about the media teams?

That's my interpretation of what is going on in Toronto, where the Maple Leafs landing page hasn't had an update since the trade deadline. Now, April Fools Day was yesterday, so this seems like a legitimate head scratcher rather than a prank. So maybe the site is stuck as it is because they want to preserve the juju that lead to their (reviews notes) 7-4-1 record since the deadline? 

Perhaps the team is just really excited about Scott Laughton, and can't get over the goofy expression he is sharing in the image that associated with the story that is currently serving as Toronto's landing page. Surely that is the explanation for the only jersey displayed on the home page of the Toronto Maple Leafs for almost a month belonging to the Philadelphia Flyers. 

Or maybe the issue is that I am in America, and Toronto, of course, is in Canada. There have been some tensions, in case you hadn't heard. Is the site being restricted in the United States?

More likely, the site managers at Rogers Communications have just fallen down on the job. There is either a genuine lack of content produced, or it failed to reach the main page somehow. Maybe it was a choice. A weird one, but a choice. Either way, there isn't any fresh news on the home page, and my guess is that somehow, Rogers is at fault.

Not a great look for Rogers, to be honest. I have to believe that there may be consequences for their relationship with the NHL and oh wait everything is fine. 

Total Eclipse of the Splash

 

The Sharks really, really, really need to underscore how much they appreciate the fans that are willing to continue showing up in support of a team that has a top story featuring their recent 8-1 loss to an instate rival. God bless, Sharks fans, and your extraordinary patience. 

Making the sale

We are getting down to the wire on the season. The Stanley Cup Playoff starts in less than a month, so naturally, any fan of a team with a shot wants to secure their tickets and get to the arena. Playoff games sell out, it should be an easy sale. Unless you are hanging on by a fingernail, like the Blues, who are 2 points ahead of the Flames (who have two games in hand) a 3 ahead of the Canucks (who have a game in hand).

Selling playoff tickets isn't hard, but the Blues have to sell themselves as a playoff team. 

Thanks to a strong record since the 4 Nations Face-Off break in February, the Blues have climbed back into the playoff picture as the 2024-25 regular season enters its final stretch.

If the Blues clinch a spot in the playoffs, their opponent and a complete first-round schedule will be available after the completion of the regular season.

"If" is sure doing some work here. It's important to talk about the potential the team has demonstrated, and the hope the teams late run has given, because one way or another, you are trying to get your fans to work with Ticketmaster. It had better be worth it.

The Trade Deadline for the weekend

My team already made a trade several days ahead of the deadline. Your team probably made a trade. There are a lot of things to say about the trade deadline every year, but an important thing to say about the 2025 version is that it was on a Friday, and even if you spent your entire attention span on the deadline, at least it was the weekend the very next day. 

Part of a trend over the last few years has been teams making their big swings a day or two ahead of the deadline. Sure, you may find that this cuts some of the drama out of the day, but frankly, I think it only helps. Many teams are waiting for the big shoes to drop and reacting. When the rumored, larger transactions happen, teams can really cut loose and make all of the moves they want to make. 

That seemed to be the case on Friday, where there were 23 deals, and several big names changing teams. Mikko Rantanen (again) and Brad Marchand rated among the largest, even if the Dylan Cozens-Josh Norris 4 player deal may be more significant in the long run. It's hard to say, especially with draft picks at play. 

I was able to refresh Pro Hockey Rumors every 15 minutes throughout the day yesterday, and was treated to another transaction fairly regularly. I know there have been years gone by that the deals seemed to wait until after lunch, which was interminable, especially if you were watching a studio show that was supposed to be breaking these moves down. 

It's probably the last exciting day of the season for the Sabres, the end of an era for the Bruins, and the beginning of an exciting push to the finish for the league, and we all get to recover and and break down the moves through the weekend before going back to work with our heads on straight.

A good deadline that came on a Friday counts as a win here in North America, and we need all those we can get here in 2025.

Total Eclipse of the Splash

 

If you didn't know, the New Jersey Devils were actually named after a mythical creature roaming the woods of south Jersey in the 19th and early 20th century. There are some theories that, if it actually existed, it may have been a large bat. 

But kudo's to New Jersey for spotlighting the drummer from Slipknot to really lean into the whole "dark arts" vibe a lot of people associate the name with. 

Real outdoor hockey

 

As many of you may know, the Prince of Wales Trophy was named after Edward, Prince of Wales in the 1920s. Edward would eventually become King of England, and was the last English monarch to abdicate. Canada is a Commonwealth Realm, and nominally, the head of state is the King of England, which is, circuitously, how the Trophy got it's name. The Maple Leafs are finally close to the Prince of Wales, but it is actually a park in Etobicoke. And also, the park was named after the Florida Panthers, current holders of said trophy. 

With all the outdoor games that come through now, and all of them ending up at stadiums that seat three times as many fans as an NHL arena, I do commend the Maple Leafs for taking the outdoor concept (as they have done for years) and ACTUALLY returning hockey to its roots, by getting closer to the fans, and playing how a lot of kids are playing - on sheets right next to bleachers and trees and parking lots, with moms and dads watching, both for love of the game and because they need to be vigilant. This is real service for fans, rather than "fan service".  Won't say this often, but good job, Toronto. 

Total Eclipse of the Splash

 

Listen, I understand that spending a week in January in the Midwest can bring anyone down a bit, so I'm not going to make light about the Canucks fighting some seasonal depression as noted in the headline, but I would like to call out the reverse side of the "West Coast swing". Oh no, we have to stay up late to catch the end of the game against the Ducks? Well, in Vancouver, you better hope the games are on the weekend, because otherwise your kids won't be home from school until the 2nd period if the game is on the East Coast. 

A Monday game at 430 in the afternoon is crazy, is all I'm saying. 

(Tweet of the Moment is no more, because social media is a hellscape, and not every team is yet on BlueSky. I still like a random, quick peek at hockey online, so now, we are looking at team home "splash" pages and turning that into whatever this is. Welcome to 2025)