Thank You, Ron Ellis

by Mike Allder… How many hockey fans, if you were to ask them, could actually remember that exact moment they became a fan of the sport?  Could they recall the very  moment when they were seduced into becoming a lifetime hockey fanatic?   My name is Mike Allder and I am a hockey addict.

After my parents had separated back in 1966, my mother took her two boys, I being the oldest at six years of age and sought refuge at her own mother’s house, a small bungalow in the Toronto suburb of Williowdale. We had very few possessions and the three of us shared a small back bedroom in the little white house.  My mother, a devout Jehovah’s Witness did everything she thought was right for us but her religion was her priority and I spent the next ten years following hers and the Bible’s many over bearing commandments.

It was a Sunday afternoon I was in our living room where the big black and white Viking console television set seemed to be always on. This afternoon there was a hockey game being played and I just stood in front of the television and watched for a few minutes. I remember three things like it was yesterday. One, a couple St Louis Blues logo’s on the ice and two, Ron Ellis skating down the right wing,  drifting a slap shot past Glenn Hall. Third, my mother telling me to turn the television off because I had to get ready for our Sunday meeting at the Kingdom Hall.

From that Sunday afternoon, I would be a different person. The change was not drastic and did not happen right away.  It happened gradually over the next two years until my mother finally got us our own apartment in a subsidized housing project affectionately known as the “Jungle”.

While living at my grandmother’s house, it was there in the other back bedroom I would find a big red leather duffle bag with a draw string that had a Montreal Canadien crest on the bag with the letters C.C.M. The bag was buried in the closet and belonged to my uncle Richard who also shared the house with us. From what I could gather, it was Richard’s old bag of hockey equipment from his younger days when he would play at the old Mitchell Field, about a half hour walk from our house on Byng Avenue.

My brother and I were forbidden to go into Richard`s bedroom but one day I would succumb to my curiosity. I would disobey my mother and I would ravage that bag and try all the over sized equipment on.

The bag contained old Truline(TruLine was a name brand sold exclusively at Eaton’s Department Stores in Canada) hockey gear with Gordie Howe’s trade mark signature embossed on each piece. It had a musty smell and after trying it on to see if anything fit, I threw it back in the closet and never touched it again until many years later when my uncle moved out and my grandmother gave the bag of gear to me and my brother. I remember taking the long brown leather gloves.

My grandmother would have the Toronto Telegram delivered daily, this paper became my only link to my new world, the hockey world. I scoured the sports section every day during the hockey season. I read everything and quickly learned everything I could about the Toronto Maple Leafs.

The Leafs played every Saturday night on television but watching Saturday night games would be next to impossible since my grandmother and mother would selfishly hog our only television every Saturday night to watch the weekly Lawrence Welk Show.

During commercials I would quickly try to change the channel over to the game but that never sufficed since grandma was always afraid I would wear out her tuning knob or whatever the hell it was called. We had no remote control in the sixties and bedtime was usually at nine or nine thirtyish around the same time good old Lawrence would wrap up and call it a day.

I attended Finch Avenue East Public School during the years we lived in Willowdale and it was at this school I would be introduced to hockey cards. Now I could carry hockey with me right in my pocket wherever I went.  I always had a stack of hockey cards with me.

I would study and memorize player’s stats and bios and nicknames. Did they shoot left or right?  What number did they wear on their uniforms? Did they tie their jersey or did they even have a lace?  I would even remember the actual card number.  I was slowly becoming a walking hockey encyclopedia but the best was about to come.

The best came in the form of a small blue covered paperback book titled 50 Years of Hockey, 1917-1967; An Intimate History of the National Hockey League by Brian McFarlane. This book would now become my Bible, my gospel and along with glossy black and white photos, every famous hockey story from the previous half century had been recaptured in print.

I probably read that book from cover to cover a half dozen times and vividly remembering the story of the Richard riot in Montreal along with that famous black and white photo of the Rocket and his fiery satanic eyes.

Stories of George Vezina, Howie Morentz, Eddie Shore, Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull and Bill Barilko, I would read them all over and over again. It is too bad that during my school years we never had a hockey class, my mother would of been proud of all my straight A’s in at least one subject. School would have been much more enjoyable with math, hockey, geography, science, hockey, English and gym.

The Toronto Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup in May of 1967 and I don’t remember anything from that team. It would be the Ron Ellis goal on Glenn Hall in St Louis the following season which would flip a switch inside my head and my crystal clear recollections would begin, seemingly lasting well over forty years.

I have thought long and hard about how that afternoon triggered something deep inside my conscious out of which my love for hockey would be born.  I don’t understand how it happened and probably never will but I still find it amazing how I can remember my first hockey memory that being a single goal scored by Ron Ellis who scored 332 goals in his career. I would hazard a bet that even Mr Ellis would not remember his goal on that Sunday afternoon in St Louis.

When the three of us moved finally moved from Willowdale to the projects it would be on the same day that man landed on the moon, July 20, 1969. My mother had accumulated a few more possessions and our furniture was all second hand or had been taken from the garbage. My most valuable possessions were stored in one box. I had my hockey cards, brown hockey gloves, and my bible 50 Years of Hockey, 1917-1967; An Intimate History of the National Hockey League by Brian McFarlane.

As the decade of the sixties came to an end, the sport of hockey was quickly starting to consume my young life. Hockey was everything for me and has my mother started to get more involved in her religion hockey would become my only escape. Although any addiction can be a negative, there was a very positive upside to this addiction though, No one ever died, or would die of a hockey overdose.  In the “Jungle” sadly, many would not be able to say the same.

What If The NHL Were Still Six Teams?

By Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter…

The summer is a time for many NHL columnist to make predictions and re-write all the “Best player in category X” lists. So, keeping with the theme, I wondered the other day: What if the NHL was still made up of the “Original Six” Teams, how would the rosters look?

In order to get an idea of what each teams roster would look like I decided to do a draft. Here are the parameters I set for the draft and the order in which the teams will pick.

First, in order to qualify for the draft you must have been on an NHL roster in 2008-09. Sure, it would have been great to include the likes of John Tavares, Victor Hedman and Matt Duchesne, but it is far too difficult to project the value of these players without having watched them play a single NHL game. So, for the purpose of this article, I have left all 2008-09 NHL draft picks out of my Original Six draft lottery.

Each team will draft a total of 21 players, consisting of two Goaltenders, four Centres, four Left Wingers, four Right Wingers and Seven Defensemen.

Each team will be allowed to draft one player in each draft round. I will do my best to select the most valuable player left on the table. Obviously, the draft order will differ greatly from the readers, everyone sees things very differently, so please try to resist the “How the hell could you take Crosby over Ovechkin comments”….

Draft order-

In order to determine the draft order I threw six pieces of paper into a hat and started picking. Here is the draft order I came up with-

1. Boston Bruins- Offense

2. Detroit Red Wings- Defense

3. Toronto Maple Leafs- Two-way

4. Chicago Blackhawks- Offense

5. New York Rangers- Defense

6. Montreal Canadiens- Two-way

In order to make the draft as fair as possible, I decided to tweak the draft order. In the first round of the draft the Boston Bruins will draft first, then 2-6 will follow. In the second round of the draft the Montreal Canadiens will draft first and 5-1 will follow. The first selection will rotate accordingly from there, working from #4 back to #6, and so on.

Each team will be built with the intention of picking the best player available. That said, as everyone who drafts a roster for their pool knows, consideration will have to be given to positional players at some point, so the “best” player available may not be chosen in the end.

With that in mind, I decided to attach a philosophical approach to each teams intended style of play (See notes attached to each team above). This will bring some validity to the order the players are chosen.

Teams marked as “Offense” will put a premium on players that bring great offensive talent. Teams marked “Defense” will put an emphasis on players that bring a great defensive skill set and those marked “Two-way” will look to choose players that can play 200 feet of the ice.

Clearly, there will be a few players that, on their own merits will not fit the bill of the teams overall intentions, but the final roster should look like the intended product.

***Please Note: Obviously this is purely a fantasy article, so take it for what it’s worth.

Boston Bruins- Offense

1. Alex Ovechkin (L)

2. Ryan Getzlaf (C)

3. Joe Thornton (C)

4. Mike Green (D)

5. Marian Hossa (R)

6. Dany Heatley (L)

7. Niklas Backstrom (C)

8. Andrei Markov (D)

9. Niklas Backstrom (G)

10. Sheldon Souray (D)

11. Alexei Kovalev (L)

12. Thomas Vanek (L)

13. Jason Pominville (R)

14. Bryan McCabe (D)

15. Brad Boyes (R)

16. Derek Roy (C)

17. J.P. Dumount (R)

18. Francois Beauchemin (D)

19. Mikka Kiprusoff (G)

20. Pavol Kubina (D)

21. Jack Johnson (D)

Detroit Red Wings- Defense

1. Sidney Crosby (C)

2. Jeff Carter (C)

3. Scott Niedermayer (D)

4. Tim Thomas (G)

5. Corey Perry (R)

6. Daniel Sedin (L)

7. Dennis Wideman (D)

8. Jonathan Toews (C)

9. Brad Richards (C)

10. Drew Doughty (D)

11. Martin Havlat (R)

12. Loui Eriksson (L)

13. Ryan Smyth (L)

14. Kevin Bieska (D)

15. Devon Setoguchi (R)

16. Pavol Demitra (R)

17. Paul Kariya (L)

18. John-Michael Liles (D)

19. Ryan Whitney (D)

20. Mathias Ohlund (D)

21. J.S Giguere (G)

Toronto Maple Leafs- Two-way

1. Pavol Datsyuk (C)

2. Niklas Lidstrom (D)

3. Martin Brodeur (G)

4. Henrik Zetterberg (C)

5. Chris Pronger (D)

6. Brent Burns (D)

7. Jonathan Toews (C)

8. Dan Boyle (D)

9. Milan Lucic (L)

10. Bobby Ryan (L)

11. Johan Franzen (L)

12. Brad Stuart (D)

13. Brenden Morrow (L)

14. Jamie Langenbrunner (R)

15. Daniel Briere (R)

16. Teemu Selanne (R)

17. Patrick Sharp (R)

18. Willie Mitchell (D)

19. David Krejci (C)

20. Robyn Regehr (D)

21. Jonas Hiller (G)

Chicago Blackhawks- Offense

1. Evgeni Malkin (C)

2. Vincent Lecavalier (C)

3. Ilya Kovalchuk (L)

4. Rick Nash (L)

5. Steve Mason (G)

6. Martin St. Louis (R)

7. Niklas Kronwall (D)

8. Brian Rafalski (D)

9. Jason Spezza (C)

10. Mark Streit (D)

11. Mike Cammalleri (C)

12. Rob Blake (D)

13. Patrick Elias (L)

14. Vyacheslav Kozlov (L)

15. Alexander Frolov (R)

16. David Backes (R)

17. Milan Hedjuk (R)

18. Alexander Edler (D)

19. Evgeni Nabokov (G)

20. Filip Kuba (D)

21. Keith Ballard (D)

New York Rangers- Defense

1. Roberto Luongo (G)

2. Zdeno Chara (D)

3. Mike Richards (C)

4. Jay Boumeester (D)

5. Marc Savard (C)

6. Patrick Kane (R)

7. Shea Weber (D)

8. Tomas Kaberle (D)

9. Patrick Marleau (L)

10. Brent Burns (D)

11. Mike Knuble (R)

12. Brian Campbell (D)

13. Alexander Semin (L)

14. Dan Cleary (R)

15. David Booth (R)

16. Ray Whitney (L)

17. Mikko Koivu (C)

18. Kim Johnsson (D)

19. Cam Ward (G)

20. Anze Kopitar (C)

21. Ryan Malone (L)

Montreal Canadiens- Two-way

1. Jarome Iginla (R)

2. Eric Staal (C)

3. Zach Parise (L)

4. Henrik Lundqvist (G)

5. Dion Phaneuf (D)

6. Henrik Sedin (C)

7. Duncan Keith (D)

8. Jordan Staal (C)

9. Shane Doan (R)

10. Sergei Gonchar (D)

11. Simon Gagne (L)

12. Mike Ribeiro (C)

13. Ales Hemsky (R)

14. Scott Hartnell (L)

15. Brian Gionta (R)

16. Ryan Clowe (L)

17. Cam Barker (D)

18. Marc-Andre Fleury (G)

19. Paul Martin (D)

20. Jaroslav Spacek (D)

21. Marc Staal

Obviously, given the parameters of the draft, some very talented players are absent from any of the six rosters. While it is impossible to agree on all of my selections, I think the rosters are a good representation of what the NHL would look like if their were only six teams.

Here is what each lineup would look like….

Boston Bruins-

Left Wing- Centre- Right Wing-

Alex Ovechkin Ryan Getzlaf Marian Hossa

Dany Heatley Joe Thornton Brad Boyes

Alex Kovalev Niklas Backstrom J.P. Dumount

Thomas Vanek Derek Roy Jason Pominville

Defense-

Mike Green Andrei Markov

Sheldon Souray Bryan McCabe

Pavol Kubina Francois Beauchemin

Jack Johnson

Goalies-

Niklas Backstrom

Mikka Kiprusoff

Detroit Red Wings-

Left Wing- Centre- Right Wing-

Daniel Sedin Sidney Crosby Corey Perry

Paul Kariya Jeff Carter Martin Havlat

Loui Eriksson Jonathan Toews Pavol Demitra

Ryan Smyth Brad Richards Devon Setoguchi

Defense-

Scott Niedermayer Dennis Wideman

Drew Doughty Kevin Bieska

Mathias Ohlund John-Michael Liles

Ryan Whitney

Goalies-

Tim Thomas

J.S Giguere

Toronto Maple Leafs-

Left Wing- Centre- Right Wing-

Bobby Ryan Pavol Datsyuk Daniel Briere

Johan Franzen Henrik Zetterberg Teemu Selanne

Brenden Morrow Jonathan Toews Patrick Sharp

Milan Lucic David Krejci Jamie Langenbrunner

Defense-

Nik Lidstrom Chris Pronger

Dan Boyle Brent Burns

Willie Mitchell Robyn Regehr

Brad Stuart

Goalies-

Martin Brodeur

Jonas Hiller

Chicago Blackhawks-

Left Wing- Centre- Right Wing-

Ilya Kovalchuk Evgeni Malkin Martin St. Louis

Rick Nash Vincent Lecavalier Alexander Frolov

Patrick Elias Jason Spezza David Backes

Vyacheslav Kozlov Mike Cammalleri Milan Hedjuk

Defense-

Niklas Kronwall Brian Rafalski

Mark Streit Rob Blake

Alexander Edler Keith Ballard

Filip Kuba

Goalies-

Steve Mason

Evgeni Nabokov

New York Rangers-

Left Wing- Centre- Right Wing-

Patrick Marleau Mike Richards Patrick Kane

Ray Whitney Marc Savard Mike Knuble

Alexander Semin Mikko Koivu Dan Cleary

Ryan Malone Anze Kopitar David Booth

Defense-

Zdeno Chara Jay Bouwmeester

Shea Weber Brent Burns

Tomas Kaberle Brian Campbell

Kim Johnsson

Montreal Canadiens-

Left Wing- Centre- Right Wing-

Zach Parise Eric Staal Jarome Iginla

Simon Gagne Henrik Sedin Shane Doan

Scott Hartnell Mike Ribiero Ales Hemsky

Ryan Clowe Jordan Staal Brian Gionta

Defense-

Dion Phaneuf Duncan Keith

Sergei Gonchar Cam Barker

Paul Martin Marc Staal

Jaroslav Spacek

Goalies-

Henrik Lundquist

Marc-Andre Fleury

Top Ten Toronto Sports Personalities - Yes Cherry, No Tortorella

Respect Yourself: Nine “Pro Athletes” Who Are in Worse Shape Than You

Why John Tavares and the Toronto Maple Leafs May Not be a Perfect Fit

By Bryan Thiel… As the NHL playoffs find themselves becoming more streamlined, attention spans do the same.

At the beginning of the playoffs, fans of the sixteen teams battling for the Stanley Cup could barely keep quiet about the possibility that their team, their players, and their history could be etched on to one of the most beautiful trophies in sports.

Fans of the other fourteen teams meanwhile, were scrounging the internet for rumors, reading up on mock drafts, and feverishly thumbing through lists of upcoming free agents to pinpoint names of who would help next year’s cause.

As the days, weeks, and games go on, the list of fourteen swells until all thirty teams are encompassed into off-season planning.

Twenty-nine teams are saying “what can we do to get better?” The thirtieth team is asking themselves how they hold on to that success and avoid a hangover that lasts into next season.

One of the defining moments of a non-playoff team’s destiny is the NHL’s Draft Lottery—the night where the order for the upcoming draft is determined, and the rumor mongering truly starts because now, everyone’s standing come June is finally known.

Since the Draft Lottery when it was announced that the New York Islanders would be selecting first overall in the 2009 NHL Entry draft, there have been rumors abound; mainly surrounding the Isles, the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the Toronto Maple Leafs.

It was the day after the Draft Lottery when Brian Burke announced, not only his intentions of moving up in the NHL draft standing, but his hopes of drafting the highly coveted forward out from the London Knights (formerly of the Oshawa Generals) of the OHL, John Tavares.

Following this announcement, suddenly every fan and media member that had ever come into contact with the NHL was up in arms either in a fit of joy, or a burst of outrage.

Maple Leafs fans were delirious that someone actually had a plan for the future of the organization. After suffering through the dealing of draft picks for the likes of Owen Nolan, Ron Francis, Brian Leetch, Phil Housley, Luke Richardson, and Yanic Perreault since the turn of the millennium, a trade with the team drafting second or first overall would mark the second-straight year the Leafs traded into the top-five of the draft.

The notion that they might draft a forward to build the ranks around only sweetened the rumor.

Those that weren’t happy with it though, thought Burke was being too brash by announcing his intentions of moving up in the draft, and also thought that this “strategy” of trying to get to John Tavares was silly.

While the critics can keep thinking this, Burke voicing his opinion seemed more logical than the belittling he received for doing so because of one simple thing: You’d be hard-pressed to find a team whose interest isn’t piqued by Tavares or Victor Hedman.

Did he risk the chance of ostracizing himself to his other GMs by announcing his intentions? Sure he did. Garth Snow even spoke to it when he approached the media later that same day.

Did Burke really say anything we weren’t thinking?

No. Not at all.

With that in hindsight though, everyone began to move on and concentrate on the playoffs.

We got through Mike Cammalleri trying to knock Martin Havlat’s block off, Sean Avery’s latest melt-down, and the most anticipated Conference Semi Final in recent memory between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals.

As the hockey continued though, and teams fell be the wayside, the rumors began to swirl again.

All of the sudden, the New York Islanders were taking Victor Hedman with the number one pick, and the Tampa Bay Lightning were up and willing to deal—not just with anyone, but with (surprise, surprise) the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Many thought a conclusion like this was inevitable: Back at the trade deadline, Olaf Kolzig, Jamie Heward, and Andy Rogers were sent to the Maple Leafs so that the Lightning could alleviate some cap space. The Leafs also got a fourth-round pick in the trade (thought to be compensation for taking the extra contracts), while only giving up Richard Petiot.

Despite the fourth-rounder being seized by the NHL after the Leafs mishandled Jonas Frogren’s contract, many thought the ground-work for a return trade had been laid.

All of the sudden, the rumors really started to get going. One day the Leafs and Lightning were swapping picks straight up. The next the Lightning could possibly be including Vincent Lecavalier while a Leafs package could feature names like Stajan and Kaberle going the other way.

Sidenote: I’m not meaning to create rumors in any way with the aforementioned trades. These are simply examples of the variety of trades that we were hearing about coming from sources ranging from the credible to the not-so-much over the past few weeks.

If I were going to make up a deal? The Leafs would trade for the second pick by packaging their seventh, alongside Kaberle, Pavel Kubina, and a third (and fourth if necessary) to Tampa Bay for the second.

From there, I’d have them deal Jiri Tlusty, two later rounds picks, and Tyler Bozak to the Los Angeles Kings for the fifth overall pick. Then I’d take Brayden Schenn.

Although I love the long-term potential of Bozak, he was sought after by a lot of teams during his courtship, so it’s possible the Leafs could fleece a draft pick for him, although I’d rather not have them do that.

Again, I’m not fabricating a rumor here; I’m just saying what I might do. Speculation is fun when taken in small doses and not too seriously.

Earlier this week, the newest rumor had Tampa Bay wanting Tomas Kaberle and Luke Schenn to be included in any potential second-to-seventh swap, while the Leafs would take on the Ryan Malone contract (Which Burke denied earlier today).

This is the point in time where we start to wonder if John Tavares and his favorite team (the Toronto Maple Leafs) are perfect fits at the big league level.

The biggest problem with the above deal is parting ways with Luke Schenn. For those who look purely at the numbers, his rookie season was nothing stellar: He had 14 points in 70 games and was a minus-12.

Looking past those number though, Schenn played 20 minutes a night (at least) and over 28 shifts per game—shifts against the leagues top players—and many of them were quality shifts. He was also second in the league in hits, and first in blocked shots.

Since the lockout, the fleecing-out of the slow-footed, “clutch and grab” defenseman clocking in at 6’2 or better has left many teams searching for a fleet-footed defender with the ability not to get caught up in the speed of the game.

In Luke Schenn, the Leafs were able to find that at fifth overall in last year’s draft.

What’s more, while neither Schenn nor Tavares have “bona-fide” NHL careers yet, Schenn has a year under his belt while “Johnny-T” doesn’t.

Then there’s the old adage about building from the net out. If you’ve already got your biggest piece in place on the blueline, why trade it to score more goals? Why do you think the Lightning are so hard-up for a defender right now? They traded away Dan Boyle and Brad Lukowich last offseason, and signed eleven new forwards.

So why do you think they need Luke Schenn? For the same reason the Leafs would if they traded him away.

But this potential flip-flop is more than about who the Leafs would give up, but what about who comes back?

John Tavares is undoubtedly talented. He has the ability to score goals that are other-worldly, and the Leafs need his kind of offensive talent.

Just not from JT.

The story would seem perfect though: Tavares is from nearby Oakville, Ontario, and played hockey with Sam Gagner and Akim Aliu for the Toronto Marlies in the Greater Toronto Hockey League. John Ferguson Jr. even attempted to let Tavares play for the AHL’s Marlies a few seasons ago, although that would’ve hardly set his fate in stone with the Leafs.

But while everyone is wrapped up in how well Tavares’ skills would translate, they’re overlooking what many worried would get to Luke Schenn: The Toronto media.

Now before we go any further, it’s not to say that the media following the Islanders, Lightning, or any other franchise would be easy to deal with: we saw that this season when Steven Stamkos started slowly in Tampa. But dealing with the press in Toronto is something different.

In talking with a few different media members, it’s easy to get the vibe that Tavares is overly-sought after, if it wasn’t already obvious.

Simply put, the kid has been doing interviews since he was 14 when he was breaking the eligibility rules in the OHL. An unnamed source even said that after the Oshawa trade they talked to other players in the dressing room more frequently because “John is the first to admit there are 19 other guys in that dressing room”.

In the beginning it would simply be an onslaught of marketing and media attention for the 18-year old: If you thought “Seen Stamkos” was something in Florida, imagine that 1000 times larger in Southwestern Ontario.

Once the season started, imagine if Tavares didn’t have a point in his first game: Then it’s the innocent “are you disappointed?” question from thirty different reporters. As one game elevates to two games, to five, to ten, and to twenty, the pressure becomes magnified due to the obscure trends of Toronto media.

Even if he succeeds, there would still be questions and pressure: Pressure before he’s even through the front door of the ACC.

That’s the way it’s always been, whether it’s dealing with a bogus rumor of a trade or signing, or just the anticipation of a new player in Toronto: How fast can we get their story, good or bad, out there.

Without even playing an NHL playoff game, at least one outlet could vey well have him pegged as a playoff bust, simply based on his OHL playoff showing.

Not everything has to do with off the ice issues though.

What of his supporting cast? Barring a trade, the Lightning can surround Tavares with Stamkos, Lecavalier, and St Louis (if they so decide to go that route) despite still missing the key pieces on the blueline, along with the questionable health of Mike Smith.

On Long Island, the Isles could form a line of Tavares, Josh Bailey, and Kyle Okposo. Provided the three develop correctly the Islanders could have one of the toughest young lines in the NHL to play against.

The Leafs have done well to rebuild the youthful outlook of their organization, but Bozak and Christian Hanson still have yet to see extended NHL time. Viktor Stalberg is there as well, but he’ll still need some time to adjust to the NHL game while Tlusty needs to perform consistently at the NHL level.

Nikolai Kulemin would be the most interesting player to see alongside Tavares on the wing, especially given that he’s played with immensely talented players before (Namely Evgeni Malkin).

Whether it’s the Island, Tampa Bay or Toronto though, we don’t know how his career will play out.

Maybe Tavares’ career plays out like Sidney Crosbys’ in that he’s able to immediately make intermediate NHL players into top-liners. Or maybe Tavares is better suited to have young line mates like him and grow with them. Then Toronto isn’t waiting on one budding star, but three.

The need for patience is at an all time high, and while his wingers would take some of the heat, Tavares would still be the talk of the town.

All of this talk about a player who hasn’t stepped foot on an NHL rink yet seems kind of silly. Giving up your best defenseman for him, a guy who has already proven that he’s able to play NHL-level hockey seems kind of silly too.

But while many will make lists stating that “playing close to home” is the best for John, and “freezing out the Islanders and only playing for the Leafs” is the best course of action to take for the budding superstar, remember that this is a kid who’s already said simply being considered to play in the NHL is a privilege.

While playing for the Leafs may be a small concern in the back of his mind, right now, Tavares is ready to go where he’s needed, whether it’s Toronto or somewhere else.

But before Tavares’ is crowned the “savior of the Leafs”, remember a few things:T

hat just because someone is talented doesn’t mean he fits with the team. Just because Toronto was his favorite team growing up doesn’t mean he’s destined to go there and there alone.

And not all of your problems are solved by flipping one talented player for another.

Toronto Maple Leafs Prospects: A Case Study

by Derek Harmsworth…

Prospects: An apparent possibility of advancement or success.  The outlook for the future.

There has been a lot of talk over the course of the year when it comes to the Toronto Maple Leafs organization.

Many questions have arisen during the first year of the rebuild.

There have been questions about management, the current NHL roster, and just about everything else that relates to the team—including their prospect system, or “organizational depth” as some like to refer to it.

And while I have gone through the entire hockey season hearing buddies and adversaries tell me “the Leafs have no good young guys,” I have to disagree.  Sometimes politely, sometimes not so polite.

Fact is, it’s a myth.

They may not have a Cody Hodgson or a Nikita Filatov.  And it doesn’t look like they will have a John Tavares in their system either (although if you ask me, Nazem Kadri and Jiri Tlusty could make a pretty good two-thirds of a second line in the future.)

You see, there are players, Toronto Maple Leafs drafted players, who unbeknownst to some, and seemingly against all laws of science, are enjoying success in the junior or US college route.

So I present to you, a Case Study on just a sample of the prospects currently property of the Toronto Maple Leafs, who are having success in the junior ranks, and who could very well one day contribute to the success of the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Please note the following are in no particular order:

Jiri Tlusty

• Pure sniper
• Hard working, fast skating
• Isn’t afraid of physical contact
• Confidence issues in past

After looking awful at the start of the year, the Leafs sent Tlusty down to the AHL where he was to find his game.  With increased ice time, and a little fatherly advice, he found his game and then some.

Following a slow start in the A, Tlusty caught fire, and now has 61 points in 57 games, 23 of which are goals.

Putting a slow start and a nude photo scandal behind him, Tlusty appears to be fully accustomed to the North American pro game.  He is no question part of the Leafs’ future, and could become one of their top scorers within five years.

Taking an approach similar to what he did with Bobby Ryan, Burke will probably keep Tlusty in the minors for the remainder of the year, and have him come out to camp fresh in September.  The Leafs view Tlusty as a top-six winger.

Dmitri Vorobiev

• 6’1”, 211 lbs, Defenseman

• Vorobiev doesn’t do anything spectacular, but does a little of everything good.
• Has many scouts wondering if he ever plans to come over from Russia to North America
• Has been banished from KHL due to Heart Defect

Vorobiev has moved to Moscow in order to get a second opinion on his heart ailments and whether or not they will truly end his heart career.  Either way, it seems as though he is not in the future plans of the Toronto Maple Leafs, which is unfortunate.  One can’t help but think of how good of a prospect he could be.

Mikhail Stefanovich

• 6’2”, 202 lbs, Centre
• Has good scoring ability and size
• Sniper ability, reads play well
• Lacks consistent effort

Stefanovich finished in the top 20 in scoring in the QMJHL, playing for the Quebec Remparts.  He managed 76 points in 56 games, including 49 goals.

By all accounts Stefanovich took big steps this year towards making himself a viable NHL player, and could very well end up being a fourth-round steal for the Leafs.

Jimmy Hayes

• 6’5”, 210 lbs, Right Wing
• Big body, hard worker
• Team player with tons of character
• A strong, big forward who uses size effectively on ice
• Great hands
• Good speed for someone his size

Hayes fell off a little bit toward the end of the year with St Mary’s last season, and in his freshman year with Boston College recorded only 13 points in 35 games, eight of them goals.

Still, many believe Hayes has all the tools.  Freshman generally aren’t given a ton of ice time, so it will be interesting to see how Hayes develops in the coming years as a sophomore, junior, and senior.

Has experience with team USA in the World Juniors, and played well for them this past Christmas in Ottawa.  More ice time and experience should equal more comfort and production for Hayes, who could becoming yet another steal from last year’s draft.

Chris DiDomenico

• 5’11”, 165 lbs, Centre
• Small guy who plays bigger and scrappier than he is
• Good hands, decent speed
• Versatile guy who is great on penalty kill and a good faceoff man
• Has excellent hockey sense
• Played very well for Canada at 2008 World Juniors in Ottawa, winning gold

There perhaps isn’t a Maple Leafs prospect who has taken a bigger forward leap in the past year or so than DiDomenico.  A high-scoring forward when the Leafs drafted him in 2007, the Woodbridge, Ontario native has added other facets to his game, making him a more complete player.  His experience in the World Juniors showed his ability to play on a big stage.

This season for Drummondville, he scored 59 points in 51 games, 40 of which were assists.  DiDomenico, like most any other prospect, needs to add muscle, and work on his skating going forward.  A long playoff run in the Q will also help build confidence and experience for the young centre.

The Leafs recently locked him up to a three-year entry-level deal, all but ensuring him as part of their future going forward.

Viktor Stalberg

• 6’3”, 191 lbs, Left Wing
• Big body, great acceleration
• Can reach top speed very quickly
• A sniper with a natural scoring touch
• Plays an intense game

Stalberg finished third in scoring at University of Vermont last year during his sophomore year, and this year as a junior took the reigns of the team scoring, finishing with 43 points in 36 games.  Stalberg has 81 points in 114 career University games, and was drawing serious consideration for the Hobie Baker award towards the end of the year.

For a player picked 161st overall in the 2006 NHL entry draft, the Leafs have been impressed with his progress so far as a prospect, and will likely allow the native of Stockholm, Sweden to play his senior year with Vermont before bringing him in to the organization two years from now—though the Leafs may push hard this summer to get him signed to leave school early.

Chad Rau

• 5’11”, 180 lbs, Centre
• Natural goal scoring with game breaking ability
• Seems to know where to go to score
• Smart player with great hockey sense
• Leadership capabilities

Rau is another Leafs prospect who took big steps this year toward legitimizing himself as a future NHLer.  Rau finished tied for seventh in scoring for the entire WCHA, notching 28 points in 28 games.

As noted above, he is a natural goal scorer who can change the complexity of the game on his own.  Despite his small size, Rau doesn’t shy from contact, and doesn’t hesitate to initiate it either.

Drafted 228th overall in the 2005 NHL entry draft, Rau’s Colorado College team was recently eliminated from the playoffs, meaning he will likely spend the summer trying to work out an entry-level deal with the Leafs that will likely see him start next year with the Toronto Marlies.

Dale Mitchell

• 5’9”,207 lbs, Right Wing
• Small forward who plays bullish, robust style of play
• Self-describes his style of play as “buzzsaw-like”
• A small frame, but a solid forward who is hard to knock off the puck
• Not a sniper, but has the ability to put pucks in the net
• Has ability to make something out of nothing

Mitchell, signed to an entry level deal last year, is in the plans of the Toronto Maple Leafs.  A third-round pick in 2007, the scouting staff in Toronto feels they got another steal taking Mitchell.

Despite his small size, he is a talented, physical guy, attributes that scream Brian Burke-type player.  Mitchell finished fourth in scoring on a very talented Windsor Spitfires team this season, posting 68 points in 66 games, including 33 goals.

While Mitchell has a potential over-age year left in the OHL with Windsor, the talk is he will be suiting up for the Leafs organization next year.  His likely destination is the Toronto Marlies, though after the heart filled performances of their young players this year, the Leafs will likely give every rookie a chance to make the big team out of camp.

Ben Winnett

• 6’0”, 173 lbs, Left Wing
• Talented winger with a great shot
• Great speed allows him to beat opponents to loose pucks
• Defensive game needs work

A native of British Columbia, Winnett recently finished his sophomore year at the University Of Michigan, a season that seen him net just 11 points in 32 games.  Possibly the stat Winnett is most proud of is the fact he was able to register a plus-seven.

Winnett has decent size, but (again like most prospects) needs to add muscle to his frame, particularly with the physical edge he usually plays with.

Winnett was drafted 104th overall by the Maple Leafs in 2007.  He is considered by the team to be a project pick.  The organization feels he has potential to be a top six winger, but needs to work on a lot of things during his last two years with the Wolverines.

Matt Frattin

• 6’0”, 200 lbs, Right Wing
• Has a great shot, and knows how to score
• Willing to get his hands dirty
• Loves posting up in the slot
• Needs to improve skating

Frattin has spent the past two years playing on a very young North Dakota Fighting Sioux team, and while he only registered 15 points in his freshman year, he was the only rookie to play in all 43 games for the team.  Frattin saw his role increase this year, and as a result netted 23 points in 39 games to finish seventh in team scoring.

Frattin has improved on many of the areas the Leafs asked of him, but still has a ways to go before he makes the jump to the pro game.  The Edmonton, Alberta native, will likely finish out his college hockey career before joining the Maple Leafs organization.

Joel Champagne

• 6’4”, 210 lbs, Centre
• Blessed with NHL-ready size
• Uses his body to his advantage on the ice
• Likes standing in front of the net, where he is hard to move

Considered a prospect when the Leafs picked him 129th overall in 2008, Champagne has great size, soft hands, and knows how to control the game with his size and skill.  Notable again is the fact that Champagne has to work on his skating, which is average at best.  But the LaSalle, Quebec native has great hockey sense, and has a solid two-way game.

Since being drafted by the Leafs last year, Champagne took his game to a new level with the P.E.I. Rockets of the Quebec Junior League this past season.  Notching 61 points in 52 games, 24 of which goals, Champagne has impressed the Leafs with his improvement.

Champagne still has a long way to go, but will get his chance at making an impact within the organization.

Tyler Ruegsegger

• 6’0”, 185 lbs, Right Wing
• Is competitive and strong
• Great two-way game
• Has hands to score
• Skating is below-average

Drafted 166th overall in the 2006 NHL draft, Ruegsegger was seen as a project, who has taken considerable strides towards making himself into an NHLer.  Since being drafted by the Leafs, the Denver, Colorado native has played with his hometown Pioneers in the NCAA.

In 35 games with the Pioneers this season, he tallied a respectable 26 points.  Still, after just finishing his sophomore year, it seems Ruegsegger will need all four years of his collegiate eligibility to hone his skills in order for him to have a real good shot with the Leafs.

This former USA World Junior team member has shown flashes of offensive brilliance, but needs to combine that with foot speed and a better skating stride in order to be an effective NHL player someday.

Jerome Flaake

• 6’2”, 187 lbs, Left Wing
• Great skating
• Good scoring touch
• Good stickhandler

Flaake, the Leafs’ fifth-round pick in 2008, hasn’t put up a ton of numbers in two years with Cologne in the German league, scoring only one point in 30 games last year, and 16 in 43 this year.  Still, one must consider this is a men’s league where Flaake, who recently turned 19, is facing very stiff competition.

The points may not overwhelm you, but the jump from year one to year two in encouraging, and the Leafs feel Flaake is getting a great experience playing with older men, a technique that has worked out for Leafs players Jiri Tlusty and Nikolai Kulemin.

Flaake was one of the top scorers on Germany’s World Junior team, in which he played against people more his age.  It is too early to tell just yet, but the Maple Leafs like to think they have a solid two-way threat, and possible third line forward with speed for the future.

Korbinian Holzer

• 6’3”, 190 lbs, Defenseman
• Defensive-minded, but will kick in offensively
• Likes to shoot from the point

Holzer is a long ways off from being considered NHL ready, but that doesn’t mean he won’t get there eventually.  Another Leafs prospect playing in a men’s league, Holzer scored seven points in his first season with DEG and nine in his second.  He also got into playoff time with the team, helping his experience and development.

Selected 111th overall, Holzer must continue to learn, and do the little things he has been doing over the past few years, and it appears he will have time.  The Leafs and Holzer have a mutual agreement where he will likely stay over in Europe for a few more years at least working on his skills with the MetroStars.

(Compiled with help from HockeysFuture and the Toronto Marlies.  All stats are taken from players’ official junior/college teams websites.)

Derek also co-hosts a weekly radio show alongside Josh Lewis called Leafs Talk Today. The show can be heard every Wednesday at 1:30 PM Eastern. For more on the show and to listen live, head over to www.leafstalktoday.webs.com

Parody And A Diminishing Cap, Breeds Possibilities For Leafs In 2010

By Mark Ritter…

With the 2008/09 season winding down many teams are locking up playoff spots and preparing for a long run en route to a Stanley Cup championship, sadly, for the fourth year in a row the Toronto Maple Leafs will do no such thing. Instead, Leafs management, players and fans will eagerly await the off-season, free agency and draft day will be big events, the question is, what is realistic and what is pure fodder? Will Brian Burke blow his current roster up in an attempt to start from square one, or will he try to make a splash, signing big name players for big money?

I believe Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Brian Burke will have a very busy off-season, but don’t think for a minute that Burke will be signing a ton of free agents, it simply is not going to happen. Now, it would be foolish to think that Burke does not already have a detailed plan of what he intends to do this off-season, in fact, with rumors abound that Burke is interested in signing the Sedin twins out of Vancouver, many would suggest that part of BB’s plan has already leaked out into the media circles. Weather or not the media suspicions are correct or not is besides the point right now, trust me, the Sedin twins coming to Toronto is just the first of what will be numerous rumors that will hit the airwaves and tv broadcasts in the coming months, some true, some pure speculation, all will create great debate and excite the fans to no end, my money is on Burke being relatively quiet on the free agent front, but we’ll have to wait and see.

When the NHL implemented the salary cap system after the 2003 lockout season the intention was to create parody amongst all teams. Playoff races would be closer, last longer, interest in the games would be heightened and each franchise, could, with some luck anyways, afford the opportunity to sign a true super-star talent; essentially the NHL felt that by implementing the salary cap every team would, for the most part, have a chance to make the playoffs every season. On the surface the plan has worked, if you take a look at the current NHL standings you will find that 4 points separate the 12th place teams from the 8th place teams in the Western Conference and 9 points separate the 12th place team form the 8th in the Eastern Conference, playoff races are alive and well in most NHL cities, that’s parody my friends!

Make no mistake about it, the salary cap is a huge factor when determining how to go forward with any NHL franchise. General Managers in must gaze into the future in order to be a success, gone are the days of filling holes by reaching into ownerships deep pockets, money has become a secondary factor, it no longer creates separation, in fact, in some cases, money has handcuffed franchises that went to the well more often than not, they didn’t know anything else, thus their talent pool is typically depleted from past deadline deals, handcuffing their current and future success. This is clearly the case with the Toronto Maple Leafs, as such, Burke will need to take care of the now and the future, a daunting task to say the least.

There are four prospects worth talking about in the Leafs organization, goaltender Justin Pogge, Forward Jiri Tlusty, Forward Chris DiDomenico, and to a lesser extent Defenseman Phil Oreskovic. That’s it…None of these players made The Hockey News top 50 prospects list, none of these players are regarded as a “Sure thing”, none of these players are NHL ready right now. Therein lies a huge problem for Burke, he’d love to fill a hole or two with young talent, but he simply doesn’t have the horses to pick from the stable, essentially, he is handcuffed by past mismanagement. So, with little in the way of talent in the system and a diminishing salary cap to deal with, where oh where will Brian Burke find the talent? Well, it is going to take a combination of patience, perseverance and creativity to make the Leafs a better team to start the 2009/10 season. Any players drafted in 2009/10 will likely see action at the junior level and/or in the AHL, remember, Luke Schenn is the exception, not the norm, most draft choices take a minimum of 3-5 years to mature into genuine NHL players, very few succeed right away.

Free agency will provide Brian Burke an opportunity to explore some interesting players, but at the end of the day I see Burke looking to make hockey trades to make his club better. There are numerous teams that, when and if the NHL decides to lower the salary cap, will have little choice but to move essential pieces off their NHL rosters. The Detroit Red Wings, Calgary Flames, Washington Capitals, Chicago Blackhawks, San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins and Pittsburgh Penguins, to name a few, will all struggle to make it under next years salary cap. All of these teams have key free agents to re-sign, all of them will need to consider which pieces they are willing to give up in order to make it under the cap, not an easy chore. The asking price for these players will be next to nothing, it is unlikely these teams will be able to take dollars back, thus handcuffing their returns. Advantage Maple Leafs. One thing Burke has is loads of room in salary cap, something he will surely look to use to his advantage this offseason. Depending on how much the salary cap drops in the off-season, Burke will have upwards of $9 Million dollars to spend on players, that’s significant dough, it also makes Burke a convenient trading partner for teams that need to dump salary and with the NHL likely to lower the cap this off-season, there will be plenty of teams looking to dump players. The trick for Burke is to make moves that make sense financially now and for the foreseeable future, Burke will have to weigh today’s acquisition against the impact on his teams future. For example, a player like Chris Pronger might look great in a Toronto uniform, but in the long run, is Pronger considered a diminishing asset? Is Pronger a fit long term, or by acquiring him are you just handcuffing the Leafs down the road?

A measure of tough love will have to be used when evaluating the current roster as well. Veteran Players like Thomas Kaberle, Pavol Kubina, Vesa Toskala, Jason Blake, Alex Ponikarovsky and Ian White will all need to endure considerable evaluation at season’s end. Are these the horses you want going forward, or do you consider moving one or more of them in the hopes of acquiring future assets? Kaberle and Kubina have reasonable contracts, as does Ponikarovsky, but is their value on the open market worth giving the thought of trading them? For instance, at just over $4 Million per season, for a player of Kaberle’s talent level he brings great value and an enormous amount of talent, so, if you trade Kabby how do you replace that talent without having to go out and pay another equally talented player $2 Million more per season than Kabby makes? Is trading that kind of player worth the negative impact it could have on a teams salary cap, or are you better off keeping Kaberle and losing out on acquiring players that can potentially help your franchise in the long term? It’s a tricky question and a slippery slope indeed. What would you do? Do you take a player with potential and a draft pick in return for your franchises biggest asset and then try to replace him?

My best guess is that 2 or more of those players will be traded by Brian Burke this off-season. If he is able to make such a move, a little more cap space will open up, thus making it possible for Burke to consider some big ticket players that, in my mind anyways, will surely be available come June. The cap may not have created pure parody on the ice, but it has forced teams to evaluate and re-evaluate their costs, teams that did not do their due diligence in projecting correctly will suffer and be forced to move players they typically would have been able to afford to keep. It would seem that the salary cap has created financial parody, the trickle down effect of which should, over time, create a more balanced league. The teams who miscalculated will be the losers in all of this, Biran Burke and the Leafs are poised to reap the rewards.

So, I foresee the impact on the Leafs by their prospects will be minimal, free agency, while a valuable piece to the Leafs puzzle, should be minimal, trades will be a plenty and should have the biggest impact on this franchise going forward, while coaching, scouting and management, will continue to be key positions, likely having the most impact on the Leafs future success in the long run. Today’s NHL is all about development and opportunity, the Leafs have a great opportunity to make huge strides this off-season, let’s hope my predictions come to fruition.

Until next time,

Peace!

Takin’ a T/O with BT: Martin Brodeur Makes 552 His Winning Number

by Bryan Thiel… On Tuesday evening, March 17th, history was rewritten: a tie was broken, a changing of the guard occurred, and the old King was bumped to No. 2.

Patrik Elias bumped John Maclean as the Devils’ all-time leading scorer, netting his 702nd point on March 17.

Unfortunately for Patrik, this day will go down in history for another reason, an even bigger reason, as Martin Brodeur took over as the all-time leader in National Hockey League history for regular season wins by a goaltender with 552.

Well, I guess if you’re going to get snubbed by someone, it may as well be the best.

It finally happened: A moment that had become increasingly more realistic since Brodeur won his 16th game last season—to give him 500 for his career—was finally captured. After a stunted playoff run and a serious arm injury, Brodeur finally surpassed Patrick Roy’s record of 551 wins.

552 and counting.

That, in and of itself, is scary.

Brodeur is soon to be 37 years old. If it wasn’t for a freak injury, it’d be fair to say that Brodeur may be somewhere in the 575 range today, and we’re talking about the first goalie to reach 600 wins for his career, not simply the wins record.

People wondered if he was going to be rusty coming back from his injury—he wasn’t.

In fact, he’s almost been better since coming back: Before getting hurt in early November, Brodeur had five games with three or more goals allowed (two five goal games), two shutouts, and a 6-2-2 record.

Since coming back he’s lost once in nine games, nabbed two early shutouts, and only allowed more than two goals once.

Sometimes even the best need rest, I guess.

Then consider the fact that this will be only the second time since 1995-96 that Brodeur will have appeared in fewer than 70 games, and he had four 40-win seasons in five years coming into this year.

Fact is, I wouldn’t put 700 career wins past this guy. Even if he played until only age 40 and won 30 games a year, he still posts 650 wins.

This makes the fact that the NHL locked out the 2004/05 season even more tragic—now this is history.

As it is now, Brodeur is the NHL’s wins leader. He’s four shutouts away from passing Terry Sawchuk as the Shutout King, one behind Patrick Roy (23 to 22) in terms of all-time playoff shutouts, and he sits 10th all-time in goals-against average.

If I were to tell you that’s a Hall of Fame resume, I may as well jump out a window: It’s obvious. A 4-year-old could make that assertion.

But is he the best ever?

The immediate and easy answer is yes. He’s won the most regular season games in NHL history, (assuming everything goes as planned) he’ll hold the mark for shutouts, and he’s been one of, if not the most consistent goalie in league history.

The less popular answer is that Martin Brodeur is only one of many goalies that has contributed to a historically deep echelon of greatness.

For one, there’s something that he doesn’t have that Roger Crozier, Glenn Hall, Ken Dryden, Bernie Parent, Billy Smith, Ron Hextal, Bill Ranford, Mike Vernon, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Cam Ward, and Patrick Roy have that Brodeur doesn’t have—a Conn Smythe award.

Now the one argument is that the Conn Smythe is a subjective award, and I agree. To win a Stanley Cup a team’s goalie has to play like the Most Valuable Player for an entire season, as well as the two months that the playoffs run.

No matter what the situation, Brodeur has always done that. He wouldn’t be in the situation he is today if he hadn’t.

Brodeur was also the beneficiary of playing on some very strong, very deep New Jersey teams. Some of those goalies who own Conn Smythe trophies were propelling teams of unknowns, keeping their heads above water. Brodeur’s crew was a well-oiled machine, always acting as if they’d been there before.

There’s no doubt that Brodeur was a huge reason for those New Jersey Stanley Cups, but he was never in the spotlight for the same reason as a Jean-Sebastien Giguere: It was usually the Devils being the Devils in conjunction with Brodeur being superhuman, not just Brodeur being superhuman (much like Giguere was) that brought Swamp City the title.

Staying with the second season, as much as Brodeur has won over his career, there’s one wins record he’s not close to touching yet: the all-time playoff wins record.

Patrick Roy is still the all-time Playoff wins leader with 151, 56 wins ahead of Brodeur’s 95 career wins.

Roy played a lot in the post-season—17 seasons to be exact—while Brodeur has only 13 to his credit.

When looking at the average length of their postseasons, the difference may look small—14.5 games per postseason for Roy to 12.9 games for Brodeur—but multiply that over the course of a few extra post seasons, and you’ve got a fairly big difference.

If Brodeur continues to fall victim to what’s become consistent early exits in the past few post-seasons (He’s only played more than 10 post season games in just one of his past four post-seasons), then he’ll have trouble meeting those gaudy post-season numbers.

Then again if he keeps playing like this, there’s no telling how deep he could go into future playoffs, and if he keeps it up this year he may be tying Patrick Roy with his fourth Stanley Cup ring (and maybe eventually Grant Fuhr with five).

Individual awards-wise, Brodeur undoubtedly ranks among the best: Four Vezinas, four William M. Jennings trophies, and a Calder Trophy. The Calder Trophy is probably the most impressive because the award has been around since 1932/33 and only 15 goalies have ever won it.

That’s exclusive company.

So is being one of just a few men being able to be named “the best ever” at a position—any position—in a professional sport.

And you know what? By the end of his career, and probably right now, Martin Brodeur may very well be the best ever to step between the pipes of an NHL net.

But that doesn’t mean that men like Ken Dryden, Terry Sawchuk, Bill Durnan, Turk Broda, Tiny Thompson, Jacques Plante, Glenn Hall, Gump Worsley, or Reggie Vachon should fall through the cracks of history; without them, Martin Brodeur may not be where he is today.

Congratulations Marty, you’ve undoubtedly earned this honor. Here’s to many more sparkling years.

“Commie Reds” Puck Off

“Zap em’ Punch, Batman’s With Ya!”

« Previous Page — Next Page »