The wrong end of a loaded cannon

 Brad Marchand had a bad reputation as a junior player. He was difficult to deal with both for opponents and in some cases with his own teammates. This wasn't some sort of tough guy on ice persona. He'd always been an angry kid, and to his credit has been meeting therapists for much of his life. 

Over the long arc of his lifetime, it's been beneficial, undoubtedly, otherwise he would have stopped using that resource, but in the crucial development times of junior hockey, Marchand saw himself traded twice, ending up with his hometown Halifax by the time he was ready to turn professional. 

Halifax reached the Finals of the QMJHL playoff in his final year in juniors, and after being a bit too much for the coach, he was a healthy scratch in Game 4, the clinching game, which really must have irked the already angry kid from Halifax who had proven to be an important scorer in his time with not only Halifax, but with Moncton and Val d'Or as well.

And then, to add insult to injury, after the playoffs were over, the Bruins, the team in the NHL that owned his rights, told him to go ahead and spend the winter in Halifax, and come show up for camp in the fall. Marchand came to the Bruins pissed off. Well, even more pissed off than usual, and that irritation and aggression has been slowly leaching off of him for years with verbal and physical jobs, scraps and bring a general nuisance to opponents. Which is good. The Bruins weren't bothered him, and against all odds, he was in the Boston system for 15+ years.

Now that we have Marchand's background, and know that whatever problems he has had have been with him for his entire life, and he is constantly working on himself. That said, I can't tell you what Toronto ever did to him

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. 

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. 

Training camp doesn't start until September

Photo from the Dan Hamilton, USA Today, via CBC

 I'm sure many of you Canadians checking the CBC website for hockey news are trying to get your heads to stop spinning at the news that Nick Robertson re-signed with the Maple Leafs this year. If I am to judge by his picture used on the site, he will also need to learn how to hold a stick and not be afraid of it. Fortunately for Robertson and many other stick averse hockey players out there, the other part of the headline is that training camp is starting as soon as TODAY for some organizations. In my head, I KNOW that training camp always starts in September, but I rarely have the awareness that it actually is September. 

Tweet of the Moment

 

Brick by brick ⭐️@pizzapizzaltd | #LeafsForever pic.twitter.com/X7rfIVZDIT

— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) May 3, 2024

Brick by Brick because his name is Woll. Too bad there isn't a song about putting bricks in a wall by a band that is popular with some Canadians. I'm sure using it would require Money. The Leafs could probably stand to keep some around to make sure their big 4 stick around too. (Or to buy them out if they drop this series). 

 Anyways, I grew up in the '90s and my head went to Step by Step, which I don't think was the intent.

You did it Toronto

 No, I'm not talking about winning the Cup, Lord knows that that would be a bridge too far, in terms of miraculous happenstances. The Leafs have finally produced a player that can be classified as a generational talent. Maybe he hasn't been around long enough for you to give him that level of plaudits, but certainly Auston Matthews is producing otherworldly numbers. 

Matthews scored his 65th goal against the Penguins lthis week, which drew level with Alexander Ovechkin for the post-lockout record that Ovie set in 2007-8. Matthews will own that record by the end o the season, probably by a few goals. It/s been a while since this much attention was deserved in Toronto.

Maybe it's because the Leafs have been such steady participants in the postseason over the last several years, but it doesn't seem like they are getting the notice of the media, at least in my decidedly American perspective. There are some mitigating circumstances, but they don't explain this perceived lack of attention.

Yes, the Leafs play in Canada, and that is the main reason anyone would expect for an athlete to skirt the attention of American media, but for what it's worth, ESPN has been at least better than NBC in covering the Canadian teams as well as those in America. Part of this is that Canadian teams are better now than they were 10 years ago, partially because of players like Matthews. 

And with that coverage, one player that gets the "you need to watch this!" treatment from John Buccigross and company is Connor McDavid, last year's leading goal scorer. McDavid has marks that would seem to make him have even less a profile in America, playing in a smaller Canadian market on team that is not historically as successful, and being Canadian, whereas Matthews is American.

At the beginning of the season, Matthews (or McDavid, for that matter) weren't among the 10 most popular jersey sales over the summer, though last year, Matthews was third behind McDavid and Ovechkin. I suspect a good run in the postseason will elevate Matthews standing as a North American athlete, but I can't explain why his star isn't a little bit brighter.

Not that any of this matters for the product on the ice. Matthews is everything the Leafs thought he would be, and probably even a bit more. Like Crosby in Pittsburgh or Gretzky in his multitude of stops, your team is never really going to be out of it if Auston Matthews is scoring goals for you. 

NHL.com is going streaking

 We are in the final throes of the regular season, and teams are clinching their spot in the playoffs and the NHL is celebrating their accomplishments. The Maple Leafs, despite all the consternation over their lack of success when they get there, have reached the postseason an impressive 8 seasons in a row.

A more successful team recently, the Lightning, somehow only marked their 7th post season in a row. It could surely be some balm for those Leaf fans troubled by success after the regular season, that they were so consistent, even more so than the steady Lightning.

And then there was a third team that is in a differetnt kind of streak. we don't need to talk about that. 

Let's pretend I know what I was talking about

 Back in October, I had some thoughts:

The league seems to be very Eastern Conference heavy going into the year, and picking a winner there will be tricky. I'm going to lean into the Florida Panthers, who made a leap last year, and then spent the entire summer firming up their roster. They are going to be good again in 2022, and if my hunch that the Lightning are going to be flat is correct, they should have an inside track on the Atlantic. I don't trust the 'Canes, Rangers or Maple Leafs, so I guess the Panthers are where it's at for me.

 Pretty good, right? I mean, I did say the Panthers were going to win it all in 6, which they can't do, now down 3-1. That's clearly the biggest flaw in this post. 

Well, even in this paragraph, I don't mention the Bruins at all in a post about Eastern Conference contenders. That's not great. They had a pretty decent year. I did pick playoff teams for all the rest though, so I'll take points there! 

Oh, and I didn't include comments about the Western Conference. I highlighted, let's see, the Wild and the Blues. Wow. But I did say the Oilers were going to be good! Of course, I did also suggest that the champion from the Western Conference would be the Calgary Flames.

Not my finest hour. It's fine, I've only been doing this for like 10 years.