The Paul Maurice Effect

Wow.

With less than two minutes left to play in the third period, up 3-2 in game seven, the New Jersey Devils, on home ice no less, are the last team I'd ever imagine capable of such a collapse.

Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable.

I must admit, going into the playoffs I gave the Carolina Hurricanes zero respect. As good as they were in the regular season, and as hot as they were down the stretch, I didn't think they had a prayer. Not against a well-rested Martin Brodeur, and the Devils, who never seem to go out in the first round.

I was wrong. You should be used to it by now. I am. 

Props out to the 'Canes. That was fun to watch. And how about Eric Staal, who potted five in the series, including the huge winner. He's a lock for the Olympics next year, no?

An incredible comeback, yes, but I can't say I'm really happy for Paul Maurice. Yeah, I'm more bitter. After his spectacularly failtastic tenure as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, it doesn't bring me much joy to see his team defeat the Devils, and head off to the Stanley Cup quarterfinals. I guess he's an exceptionally horrendous coach only in Toronto.

Here's hoping the Boston Bruins run roughshod over Carolina much like they did over Montreal. Because, you know, that 4-0 sweep over the team formerly known as Les Glorieux was, umm, slightly enjoyable.

Deep Thoughts Vol. 12: Go Leafs Go! Edition

My worst nightmare has come true: Matt Stajan is the Toronto Maple Leafs' number one centre. I'm not sure whether to laugh, cry, or pour myself a stiff drink.

Let's not kid ourselves, I'm leaning towards the drink, but Stajan had me smiling last night. I have to give it up to him. He was on point: a two goal, one assist performance in easily his best game of the season. It might have been one of the better performances of his career.

Stajan has responded incredibly well since Ron Wilson had him watch a game from the press box a couple of weeks ago. On the high scoring Maple Leafs, Stajan has rocketed to third on the team with six points (three goals, three assists) in nine games.

Perhaps there's more to Stajan than meets the eye...

Guess Who

Is leading the Leafs in scoring? One Alexei Ponikarovsky. Nine points, on three goals and six assists, in ten games.

That's my boy.

Anyone else want to question whether he's anything more than just a third-liner?

Who Are These Guys?

Coming off a disappointing loss at home to Tampa Bay the night before, the Leafs had a sluggish first period yesterday. Once again, however, they rallied from two goals down, and ended up controlling the play for the majority of the back-and-forth game.

Toronto ended up firing 48 shots at Marty Brodeur, the most he has ever faced in his career. Ever. No, seriously, ever.

These Leafs don't quit. They come at you, all night. The effort has been there every game, and that's all we can ask for. They sure as hell are fun to watch.

Bizarro Game

A 6-5 final in New Jersey. Five goals on Marty Brodeur. Three-for-four on the power play. Flawless penalty killing. 55% on the faceoff dot. And Vesa Toskala dominating, and winning, a shootout.

That's pretty fucked up. Good thing I played the lottery. I could be a millionaire by the time you read this.

Dominic Moore

Has officially won my heart. I mean, dude is such a sweetheart. What a shift Moore had before he set up Jamal Mayers' first goal in the blue and white in last night's third period. The guy just works so hard. Like Jerry Seinfeld's mom used to say, "how can anyone not like him?"

Moore went to Harvard. He's a smart cat. He's also a local boy, hailing from Thornhill. Dommy Moore is living the dream.

Joining Tlusty?

I'm not usually right, but I was on point with regards to Jiri Tlusty being sent down to the AHL last week. Perhaps Nikolai Kulemin should join him. He looks uninterested out there. I wouldn't mind seeing Robbie Earl, or even Jeremy Williams, on the wing. Those fellas can skate.

A Good Month

The Leafs say goodbye to October with a 4-3-3 record. Considering the competition and the expectations, the better than .500 record is a significant accomplishment. Of course, it is not surprising in the least to me because, well, you know, playoffs! Bring on November.

Deep Thoughts Vol. 5: Playoff Hockey

Even though the Maple Leafs are off enjoying the marvelous spring time weather these days in Toronto (read: they're golfing), I still find myself glued to the television each night to watch playoff hockey. The playoffs are a beautiful thing.

So, how about Martin Brodeur's pure snubbage of SuperDouche Sean Avery after the Devils were eliminated on Friday night? Pretty low of Brodeur if you ask me. Well, even if you didn't ask me, I'm telling you. That's, umm, kind of the point of this blog.

Anyway, I think it (the snubbery) only proved how effective Avery was at throwing Brodeur off his game. Marty didn't have a Brodeur-type series. Far from it. He finished 1-4 with a 3.19 goals against average and an .891 save percentage and was a big reason why the Devils were dispatched so quickly in five games (I predicted the Devils to win, of course). Avery was in Marty's head, no doubt.

George Vecsey wrote an interesting column about the Avery/Brodeur drama in the New York Times. Check it out here.

On a side note, is New Jersey not home to the most pathetic fans in the entire NHL? It was shameful to see that many New York Rangers fans in attendance at all three Devils home games. It simply isn't fair that a team with a fan base as sorry as the Devils is, in recent years, a multiple Stanley Cup champion.

Back to the the point. Do you think Brodeur, regardless of Avery's childish antics, should have shaken his hand when it was all said and done? Yes, Avery is a big time motha sucka, but I think you still shake hands. It's part of the game. You go to war in a playoff series but when it's over you say "congratulations" or "good luck" and shake hands, even if it makes you sick inside to do so. Hockey's the only sport with this tradition and Brodeur should have respected it.

At the same time, it's hard to put the words "respect" and "Sean Avery" anywhere near each other. He clearly doesn't have respect for his fellow hockey players, and many argue that he doesn't have any respect for the game. It's a tough call. My brother thinks Brodeur did the right thing, while loyal SportsAndTheCity reader Karan in NYC believes Brodeur's move was classless.

At the end of the day, it's pretty much impossible to be less classy than Sean Avery. Check out his comment after the game:



What a lousy douche, I know. And yet I still want him to be a Maple Leaf (my brother thinks I am deranged). He's simply too good at what he does - it's just "Avery Being Avery" - and the Leafs, well, they need all the help they can get.


Alexander Ovechkin is back. Not that he ever really went anywhere. But he's back. He struck for two goals, and his first since game one, last night as the Washington Capitals staved off elimination once again to force a game seven with Philly tonight in D.C.

The Caps were down two-nothing in the second period yesterday and looked to be finished before they stormed back. Ovechkin bagged the game-winner with a beautiful breakaway goal. He was due. Four games without a goal for this cat is about four games too many. Pierre McGuire said it best: "How do you spell game breaker? O-V-E-C-H-K-I-N!"

The Caps have an incredibly young and inexperienced squad, but the youth dem are making Caps fans proud. Alexander Semin, Nicklas Backstrom, Mike Green (with one hell of a hip check last night) and Ovechkin have been huge. The future is bright in Washington, man (read: I am jealous as fuck). It would be a monumental comeback and here's hoping they can finish off Danielle Briere (props to PPP for that one) and the Flyers tonight.


Speaking of game seven, I think the Boston Bruins forgot they were to play in one last night. Full disclosure: I was cheering for Boston. Big time. I fully wanted the Montreal Canadiens to lose last night and blow their 3-1 series lead. It would have been pretty sweet. Look, when you're a Leafs fan and your team is on the outside looking in again, all you've got to look forward to is the demise and, preferably, the collapse, of your enemies (hahahahahahaha, Ottawa Senators, hahahahahahahahaha).

But, because I'm relatively good people, I'm still able to give credit where credit is due. And Carey Price deserves some credit. Kid was phenomenal last night, especially in the first period when the Habs came out flat. It could have easily been 3-to-1 for Boston if not for some terrific saves from Price early on. He kept his team in the game and they came out possessed in the second period, out-shooting the Bruins 17-6, outscoring them 2-0, and effectively finishing them off.

Price was calm, cool and collected in the biggest game, so far, of his NHL career. He rebounded from a couple of shaky outings and proved that he's got the perfect mentality to play goal in a city as crazy as Montreal.

Damn Price. I would have enjoyed seeing him falter, but now I only want Justin Pogge to follow in his footsteps.

And, for the record, Price might be the worst interview ever. He always looks ready to pass out and almost put me to sleep with his post-game interview last night. But, damn, he's a good goalie.


Before I leave you, I've got some links and videos to share with you. Sharing, like my mother taught me, is fun. The blogroll here at SportsAndTheCity is always growing and one blog I've subscribed to recently is Slap Shot, the New York Times hockey blog, and I urge you to check it out. I know, hockey isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you think "New York Times", but it's a pretty good blog. Trust it.

The writers of the blog are passionate hockey fans and they've been sharing with me some great videos, which I thought I'd share with you. Remember, we all benefit from the cycle of sharing. Enjoy.

Old school highlights, but still pretty awesome:


Miikka Kiprusoff's stalker:


"The Greatest Fans on Earth" (stay classy, Philadelphia):

Sean Avery: Super Douche, and Hopefully Future Maple Leaf

If you were to look up "douche bag" in the (urban) dictionary, you'd find a picture of Sean Avery. He is the ultimate douche. The lowest of the low. I hate him. And that's why I want to see him become a Toronto Maple Leaf.

Avery's been all over the news for his most recent antics on Sunday night against Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils. If you haven't seen Avery's latest douche-baggery, check it out, because it's pretty unbelievable what this guy is capable of.


Pretty wild shit, eh? Not only did Avery screen Brodeur in a way no player ever has before, he ended up scoring on Marty after the fact. Salt in the wounds, man. And, as the picture above indicates, there isn't a worse goal-scoring celebration out there than Avery's. Dude is incorrigible.

The only people who can stand Avery and his shenanigans are his teammates and New York Rangers fans. Avery's the type of guy everyone hates. Unless he plays for your team. Then you love him. He is Darcy Tucker, circa 1998, on steroids.

I wasn't too fond of Tucker back in those days, when he was with the Tampa Bay Lightning. I remember a game against Toronto, back in good old Maple Leaf Gardens, where Tucker took a run at Mats Sundin. Steve Thomas came to the defense of the Captain and dropped the gloves with the feisty Tucker. Suffice it to say that after that game Tucker was enemy number one around these parts. Until he was traded to Toronto. I couldn't have been happier the day he became a Maple Leaf. Once in the blue and white, Tucker quickly became one of my favourites.

As much as I hate Sean Avery, I know I'd love him in a Leafs uniform. Hell, I'd worship the cat. Admit it, you would too. We all hate the Tucker's, the Boogard's, and the Avery's until they put on the uniform we cherish. Say what you want about Avery, but he's great at what he does. Nobody can get more under the skin of his opponents than super douche Sean Avery. It's a gift. He's the type of guy you hate to play against but would love to have on your side.

On far too many nights the last three years the Maple Leafs have been way too easy to play against. Especially on home ice. Avery's presence in the Leafs lineup would change that. No one likes to play against him. He chirps and chirps and chirps, even in the pre-game warm up (as we learned back in November). Avery draws the ire of everyone around him, from coaches to players and even play-by-play announcers. He even pisses Don Cherry off, and Cherry loves a good shit disturber.

While he is by far the biggest trash-talker in the league, Avery has proven he can play. He's a major reason why New York has a 2-1 series lead over New Jersey in their quarterfinal series - Avery's scored in each game so far, one of them a game-winner, and has added an assist. Not only does Avery piss you off with his extra-curricular activities, he's all over the score sheet to boot.

Avery has tallied 48 goals in the last three regular seasons, and put up a career-high 48 points with Los Angeles and New York in 06/07. This season he scored 15 goals in 57 games. Yep, that's as many as Jason Blake potted, and in 25 fewer games.

The Rangers' record with Avery in their lineup speaks for itself. When he suits up, New York has compiled a record of 50-20-16. In the 25 games Avery missed, New York won only nine games, lost 13 in regulation time, and lost three in overtime and the shootout. He's clearly a big part of that team.

Come July 1st, Avery will be an unrestricted free agent, his services available to the highest bidder. His salary this season? Only $1.9 million. That's less than what both Mark Bell and Andrew Raycroft pulled in this season ($2 million). While Avery is due for a raise, the Leafs will have the cap space to make him an offer. Toronto desperately needs to become a tougher team to play against. Sean Avery would go a long way in doing just that.

Don't get me wrong - I hate Sean Avery. But boy would I love to see him in a Maple Leafs uniform next season...

Be-Deviled

I've got a math question for you: what does snowed in by another freak snowstorm plus a heartbreaking 2-1 Toronto Maple Leafs loss to the New Jersey Devils equal?

The answer, my friends, is alcohol. A little bit of The Famous Grouse (respect Alz) followed by some good old Alexander Keith's. It sucked to be a Torontonian yesterday. On multiple levels.

The Maple Leafs season was on life support heading into last night's matchup with the Devils. Toronto's loss, combined with a Philly Flyers win, means the Leafs are eight points out of the eighth and final playoff spot with only 12 games to go. And the Flyers have a god damn game in hand.

The Leafs are taking their final breath. It's all but over, and only a formality now. I would have loved for the Leafs to prove all the douche bags out there wrong and go on a fairytale-like run, but they've got to pretty much run the table from here on out to really have a shot at making the post-season. The odds of that happening? About as good as me giving up The Famous Grouse - not bloody likely!

I hate Martin Brodeur and the New Jersey Devils. When the Leafs used to be a decent hockey club, it was the Devils and Brodeur whom the Leafs could never beat. These days, it's the same old story. The Devils, thanks to the exploits of Brodeur, beat the Leafs twice this week by a combined score of 6-2, and killed my dreams of the Leafs making the playoffs, illegitimate as they may have been.

New Jersey beat Toronto in all four meetings this season (Raycrap was in net for one of them, so they really only beat us three times). Brodeur was en fuego in the two games this week, stopping 83 of 85 shots the Leafs fired at him. What a bastard.

The Devils continue to be, well, the Devils. You would think they'd have taken a hit in the standings these last few years after losing Scott Stevens to retirement, Scott Niedermayer to Anaheim and Brian Rafalski to Detroit. Their defense is nothing like what it used to be, yet there they are in first place in the Eastern Conference, where they always seem to be. Jersey has only allowed an Eastern Conference low, and second-fewest overall, 159 goals against (Detroit's first in the league with 151). To compare, the Leafs have allowed 216 goals on the season, a startling 57 more than New Jersey. Your lesson for the the day? Defense wins championships. You're welcome.

Last night's game was a microcosm of the Leafs season. A hot goaltender, three goal posts, and a late goal in the third period to seal Toronto's fate. I know God has better and more important things to do (like get Barack Obama into the White House - "Yes We Can!") but the Leafs could have used Him tonight. The Leafs outplayed the Devils in the first period and hit three goal posts behind Brodeur, but went into the intermission trailing 1-0. If one of those shots went off the post and in, it would have been a different hockey game.

But such is the life of a Leafs fan: should have, could have, would have. Didn't.

The Leafs tied up the game, as I knew they would, in the third period thanks to Mats Sundin. Who else? Sundin always scores the clutch goals when the team needs one. Since refusing to be traded, Sundin has been on a mission to get the Leafs to the playoffs. He's played inspiring hockey and was last week's NHL Star of the Week, but it just hasn't been enough. He can't do it alone. If only he had some support. *Sigh*

The Leafs and Devils were headed to overtime, or so I thought, until the Leafs fucked up again with just under a minute to play. It's no wonder they won't be going to the playoffs. I can't even remember how many times the Leafs have given games, and points, away in the final few minutes this season. It's appalling. I will, however, share some of the blame tonight with the referees. Zach Parise's second goal, the eventual game winner, shouldn't have counted. Jamie Langenbrunner, whom I loathe, interfered with Vesa Toskala when he jabbed him with his stick and pushed him into the net. Of course no penalty was called on the play, Parise banged in the loose disc with Toskala down and out, and the Leafs suffered another crushing and demoralizing defeat to effectively end their season.

I miss Leafs playoff hockey. Truly, Madly, Deeply. Savage Garden type shit, man. It blows. Hockey's a game of inches, and all the inches this year have added up to one extremely frustrating season, and a whole lot of empty Alexander Keith's bottles.

After the game, Carlo Colaiacovo kept it real.

''It's going to be hard for a lot of us to sleep tonight. We let another one get away," he said.

My thoughts exactly...