Messrs. Antropov and Raycroft

I write a great deal about my team, and not all of it is hero worship. In fact, I pride myself on being a realist. I root heavily for one team, but I don't wear blinders.

Those who have read my Maple Leafs rants and recaps will have noticed the two active Leafs to get the most lashes from me are Nik Antropov and Andrew Raycroft. I'm not a fan of either and I simply don't think they're good enough for my team. Both are my whipping boys of sorts as I hope and pray for better results.

As we lead the Sabres 2-0 after two, I'm going to write something shocking here. Nik Antropov and Andrew Raycroft are playing well, and they've both looked surprisingly good this season. Antropov, in particular, is performing far better than I ever thought possible. Sure, it's early, but if he can keep this up, I'll take back all those nasty things I wrote. I won't delete them, but I'll recant them on my death bed.