The Maple Leafs Annual

Today, September 8th, is an auspicious day. Not only is it my brother's 30th birthday (dirty thirty!!1), it's also the release date of the 2009/2010 Maple Leafs Annual - a magazine chronicling your favourite team, written by some of the finest Maple Leafs bloggers out there.

For some reason Alec Brownscombe, editor of the annual and one of the writers at the heavily trafficked Maple Leafs Hot Stove, asked me to be involved in the project. I readily agreed, and typed an essay entitled: Infinite Hope.

Looking back upon the last 20 years of my life as a Leafs fan, I wrote about those players and those teams that best personified hope; and why the well of hope, even after many trying years of heartbreaking losing, never runs day.

It was an honour and a pleasure to be involved in a writing collaboration with some of the heavyweights of the Maple Leafs' blogosphere Barilkosphere. You can find the magazine on newsstands today; at your local Walmart, your local grocery store, your local drug store, and at all Chapters Indigo stores throughout Canada.

Pick up a copy. It's 128-pages of Toronto Maple Leafs content, penned by those who write only to feed their passion. You won't be disappointed.

Welcome home, Mats...

*The following is generously cross-posted over at the one and only Pension Plan Puppets, where the debate over Mats Sundin threatens to tear us, Leafs Nation, apart...

He's back. As a visitor. As a Vancouver Canuck. As the opposition. As the enemy. But he's back. Home. Where he grew up. Where he became a man. And I can't help but welcome him with open arms.

Look at that smile. You miss him, don't you? It's OK to say that you do. I do, too. It's only natural.

To be honest with you, it's tough to write this post. I'm not sure I truly believed I'd ever see Sundin on the ice at the Air Canada Centre in anything but a Leafs uniform. But, here he is.

Oddly enough, it's The Hangar's 10th anniversary tonight. Remember, it was Sundin who carried the torch - the "Memories and Dreams" - through the streets of Toronto, over to Bay and Front. He wasn't able to lead us to the "dream," but he sure left behind classic "memories."

Those memories are the reason why I'll be on my feet in applause, at the Air Canada Centre in attendance, when Sundin takes to the ice tonight. Logo on the front of his jersey be damned. After all he did wearing the blue and white, it's my turn to say thanks to the name on the back of his sweater.

There are those who cannot forgive Sundin for the way his tenure in Toronto ended. It remains an issue that sharply divides what is normally one tight-knit family of Toronto Maple Leafs supporters.

To those who say that Sundin lied about not wanting to be a rental player, and lied about wanting to respect the "journey" that is a full NHL season, I say no, he didn't lie. Not to me, at least.

Things changed. Situations changed. Yes, I am on the same page as Damien Cox on this issue. It pains me, but it is what it is.

In my heart, I believe that Sundin was set to retire back in August. He had all but hung up his skates for good. I truly believe that if Sundin knew in June that he was coming back for another season, he would have signed a deal with the Montreal Canadiens before July 1st, thereby ensuring that the Leafs at least received some compensation for his rights.

Sundin's decision to not join an attack as potent as the Habs' was a sure-fire sign to me that he thought he'd left the game behind.

While it may be hard to believe when looking at the standings today, I think most of us would have to agree that Montreal looked more like a Stanley Cup contender than Vancouver over the summer.

And, contrary to what some of the Sundin haters continue to ridiculously trumpet, in my eyes Sundin is, always has been, and forever will be, about winning. Mats led the Leafs. He bled for the Leafs. He cried for the Leafs. He carried the Leafs. He was the Leafs. He didn't want to leave, and he didn't have to. He didn't owe it to any of us to do so.

"I was put in a position I didn't want to be in. For me personally, I felt that we still had a chance to make the playoffs (last year). As captain of the team, (I believed) jumping the ship wasn't the right thing to do."

That's the guy, the one who spoke those words, you're going to boo? Seriously? Let me guess, you'd probably boo the captain of the Titanic, for going down with his sinking ship (I think he had a no-trade clause, too).

Don't do it. Don't let an unfortunate ending cloud your judgment. Things end. And they usually end badly. That's why they end. That's life. I ask that you don't forget what Sundin meant to you, to your city, and to your - to our - team. He always played with tremendous passion, desire, motivation, humility, and, above all else, respect. Isn't that all we could have asked for? I believe it's only right that, tonight, we show him that same respect.

Let bygones be bygones. Do the right thing: applaud Mats Sundin. Lord knows he deserves it. For once, ask not what Mats Sundin can do for you - ask what you can do for Mats Sundin.

Mats Sundin Montage...

If I learned anything at all from Team America World Police it's that, sometimes, "we're going to need a montage. Oh it takes a montage..."

Change Has Arrived...

Hello Toronto. 

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that Sports And The City is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of blogs, today is your answer.

It's the answer told by those who voted in numbers this blog has never seen; by people who waited two minutes and three minutes to vote, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that the Sports And The City banner must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Mats Sundin fan and Tomas Kaberle fan, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native Canadian, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - readers who sent a message to the world that this blog has never been about just Mats Sundin: this blog is, and always will be, about all the Toronto Maple Leafs.

It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what this blog can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it toward the hope of a new Sports And The City banner.

It's been a long time coming, but today, because of what we did in October, in this poll, at this defining moment, change has come to Sports And The City...

As you can see above, it's official: Tomas Kaberle has been added to the Sports And The City banner. And I must say, he looks fucking fantastic up there.

A huge thank you goes out to the Sports And The City one-man marketing department, my boy Deaner. He's a rudey. He's also recently joined the blogosphere. Clearly I'm not paying him adequately, or giving him enough work to do. You can check him out at The 25th Hour.

In celebration of Tomas' ascension to the banner and the change that has come on this special day, I present to you, for probably the 15th time, the Kaberle song. Yes, I am obsessed with it.

Fuck. I love that tune.

Once again, cheers to everyone who voted. You are the change you seek...

Victory

Well, well, well. What a way to start the season. The Maple Leafs went into the abyss known as Detroit on the night the Red Wings raised another Stanley Cup banner to the rafters, and emerged victorious.

Now that, my friends, is what I call crashing the party. A hard fought and well deserved 3-2 victory. I couldn't be happier.

As much as I hate to say that I called it, well, umm, I called it. Seriously. Here's an email I sent to the boys yesterday afternoon at 2:48 p.m.:

"Toskala will steal the show tonight. 3-2 Leafs."

Well, whatta ya know, eh? My girlfriend, clearly impressed by my prophetic skills, asked me how I knew the Leafs were going to win. I was honest: blind faith and unbridled optimism. I'm no genius; I'm a homer.

Vesa Toskala did indeed steal the show. He was the best player on the ice, from either team. He was splendid, stopping 35 of 37 shots, including a couple of tough ones late in the game. Unlike last season, there's no question who's the man between the pipes for the Leafs, and Vesa played with a purpose. He knows how important he is to this team. God bless him.

If you missed Nikolai Kulemin's game-winning goal, don't worry. I got you:

My man Jim Hughson said it best: "Nikolai Kulemin's first National Hockey League goal is a beauty." With some serious emphasis on "beauty." I went pretty ape shit over that one. I know you did too. Filthy goal, and it showcased the immense talent Kulemin possesses.

Here are some other deep thoughts from last night's tilt:

• I was talking shit about Dominic Moore right before he scored the Leafs' second goal. Chemmy, that one was for you. And who was on the ice taking a huge defensive zone faceoff on the penalty kill in the dying seconds of the game? Dominic fuckin' Moore. He played more than Antropov and finished with a goal, five shots on net, and a +2 rating. He's huge.
• I like the #77 on Kubina's back. Pavel doesn't exactly elicit memories of Paul Coffey when he's skating up ice, but the digits suit him, still.
• I'm a fan of Jonas Frogren's facial hair. Frogger played an aggressive, physical game which I enjoyed. He really does remind me of Danny Markov.
• Matt Stajan played 9:19. I love you, Ron Wilson. 
• Niklas Hagman is fast. Very fast. One thing's for sure, this team can skate. Finally, three years after the lockout, the Leafs get it.
• Mikhail Grabovski's a playmaker, pure and simple. Grabs didn't stand out last night, but he had his moments. Kid can dangle.
• Mike Van Ryn looked good back on the blue line, and he's got decent wheels.
• Tomas Holmstrom is a beast in front of the net. There is a lot of junk in that trunk.
• Luke Schenn looked every bit like an NHL defenceman. He played 17:20, and I enjoyed seeing him paired with my heart throb Tomas Kaberle.
• The Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Detroit Red Wings, the defending Stanley Cup champions, in their barn. That's hype. It looks like even Damien Cox enjoyed it. Sure, he took a petty below the belt shot at Darcy Tucker, but he still enjoyed it.
• Alexei Ponikarovsky hit his first post of the season. There are plenty more where that came from. Hey, 40, is the Poni Express ridin' this season? Holla atcha boy.

I don't know about you, but I was full of nerves last night. It seemed like there was a lot more on the line than just two points in the season opener. With about ten minutes left to play in the third period, with the Leafs holding on to a 3-2 advantage, I sat quietly, hands folded together in front of my mouth. I was waiting for Detroit to score, and for the lead to evaporate. I was waiting for the inevitable.

But it didn't happen. Like the night ten years ago when the Leafs beat Detroit and began a new chapter in their history, I felt we turned to a new page, and to a new chapter, last night. The John Ferguson Jr. era is mercifully behind us. The Paul Maurice era is done and gone. The post-Mats Sundin era has officially begun. It's on to bigger and better things, my friends.

The Leafs held on for the win last night, and I felt vindicated. Not for me, as a fan, but for the players. I wanted nothing more than a Toronto win yesterday not so that the fans would start believing in this team, but so that this edition of the Toronto Maple Leafs would start believing in themselves.

*UPDATE* I forgot to say: PLAYOFFS!