The Least for the Most
Published October 9, 2009 @ 17:35 in Toronto Maple Leafs

Tickets to a Leafs game are the most expensive in the NHL. It's not even close.

According to Chicago-based Team Marketing Report's annual survey released this week, Maple Leafs games at the Air Canada Centre carry an average ticket of $117.49 this season (all figures U.S.), more than double the league's standard of $51.41.

With only 11 of the NHL's 30 teams raising ticket prices this season, according to TMR, the Leafs' 10 per cent increase over last year's number is the league's highest, with the New York Rangers and their 7.1 per cent increase to a $58.57 average ticket cost next in line as far as increase (Montreal, at an average $72.18, is the second-priciest seat in the league).

$117.49 on average for one ticket. Take your kid and it's $250 before you've parked and bought a hot dog. That's serious cabbage for a team that hasn't made the playoffs in five years.

That's also why I haven't paid for a Leafs ticket in about seven years. Do you pay for Leafs tickets?

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Maple Leafs 1, Senators 2
Published October 7, 2009 @ 08:58 in Toronto Maple Leafs

This was a tough game to watch. We were pretty brutal, and the fact we almost forced overtime just tells you how awful the Senators are as well.

The Monster made his first start, and he was pretty good. It's tough to fault a guy for allowing a goal on a penalty shot. If the team in front of him doesn't start to gel and figure this out, we'll be in for another long, brutal season.

You'd think we'd be used to this by now.

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Leafs Eliminated From Playoffs by Toronto Star After 2 Games
Published October 4, 2009 @ 14:27 in Toronto Maple Leafs

Horonymous' eagle eye spotted a potentially predictive error in the NHL standings posted on the Toronto Star's website.

Their 2009-10 NHL stadings show our beloved Maple Leafs have already been eliminated from playoff contention. There's always next year...

Click here to see it in its original size.

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Maple Leafs 4, Capitals 6
Published October 4, 2009 @ 09:44 in Toronto Maple Leafs

I watched this entire game, and let me tell you this final score was very flattering. What I saw for two periods was a team with skill exposing us as for the hacks we are. Ovechkin looked like a man playing against boys and there was nothing we could do to stop him.

Where was the pugnacity? Where was the testosterone? Where was the truculence and belligerence? And when the highly skilled opposition lacks a player interested in dropping the gloves, how helpful are those traits without a single player with 2/3rds the talent of Washington's #8?

Although I'm not willing to necessarily blame Vesa Toskala for last night's loss, one thing is clear. It's time to try The Monster in the #1 slot. Tosky's .800 save percentage this season aside, we all know there's no playoff hope with him as the starter. We don't yet know that's the case with The Monster.

Let's find out.

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Maple Leafs 3, Canadiens 4 (OT)
Published October 2, 2009 @ 07:57 in Toronto Maple Leafs

Game one is in the books and it was a lot of fun. It doesn't get much closer than this. Komi had a rough first game in blue and white, helping his former team squeeze one out.

Matt Stajan had two goals, and Alexei Ponikarovsky added the other one for the Leafers. My kid says Tosky played okay and we should all give him a chance. He also told me The Monster doesn't look nearly as scary with his helmet off.

I disagree. That bad-ass Cliff Claven beard The Monster is sporting is pretty damn frightening.

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Maple Leafs Roster and Prediction
Published October 1, 2009 @ 09:50 in Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs open the 2009-10 regular season tonight against those hateful Habs. I can't wait.

Here's our opening night roster.

Forwards
Jason Blake
Mikhail Grabovski
Niklas Hagman
Phil Kessel*
Jamal Mayers
John Mitchell
Colton Orr
Alexei Ponikarovsky
Wayne Primeau
Jay Rosehill
Viktor Stalberg
Matt Stajan
Lee Stempniak
Rickard Wallin

Defence
Francois Beauchemin
Garnet Exelby
Jeff Finger
Tomas Kaberle
Mike Komisarek
Luke Schenn
Mike Van Ryn*
Ian White

Goalies
Vesa Toskala
Jonas Gustavsson

* Injured non-roster players

And now, without further ado, Toronto Mike's prediction for the 2009 / 2010 Toronto Maple Leafs....

7th place in the Eastern Conference and a return to the playoffs!

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Mats Sundin Retires (Translation: Swedish » English)
Published September 30, 2009 @ 09:24 in Toronto Maple Leafs

Mats Sundin has retired. He spoke in front of reporters at a news conference at Stockholm's Grand Hotel, and he spoke in Swedish.

Here's what he said:

Ishockeyn är som ett drama utan manuskript. Ett envig i ett känslomässigt kaos där varje byte har sitt eget liv. Manuskriptet skrivs under spelets gång och när alla gör ett bra jobb är slutet alltid lika ovisst.

Detta är för mig tjusningen med hockey.

Det känns tråkigt att i dag berätta för er att min karriär som professionell ishockeyspelare är över.

Min karriär inom den sport som jag älskat och älskar, som har gett mig så mycket, format mitt liv, även det liv jag har nu framför mig.

Jag har fått vara med om en resa både sportsligt och mänskligt och som jag inte kan sammanfatta i några få meningar.

Skulle jag få välja skulle jag fortsätta spela ishockey på elitnivå tills jag blir 65 år och pensionär, tyvärr så blir du pensionär i ishockey betydligt tidigare än så…

När jag som barn började med ishockey så drömde jag som så många andra om att bli en berömd spelare.

Att en gång bli så bra att jag kunde ta en plats i Tre Kronor och NHL.

Det var en pojkdröm som för mig gick i uppfyllelse.

Nu när karriären är över kan jag fortfarande överraskas av glädjen att plötsligt inse att jag har förverkligat min dröm!

Jag står i evig tacksamhetsskuld till alla hockey fans. Människor som följt och stöttat mig under hela min karriär, utan er hade jag aldrig stått här idag! Mina fantastiska föräldrar samt nära och kära.

Särskilt tack till Toronto där jag spenderat 13 år av min karriär.

Toronto är och kommer alltid att vara mitt andra hem.

Alla svenska och kanadensiska fans utan vilkas stöd mitt hockeyliv hade varit meningslöst. Ni har betytt mer än vad ett vanligt tack kan uttrycka.

Nu när jag blivit äldre och karriären går mot sitt slut ser man saker på nya sätt. Sporten får en lite annorlunda betydelse, som ung värderade jag alltid slutmålet högst, som äldre uppskattar jag kanske resan dit mer.

Sollentuna HC, Dif, Quebec Nordiques, Toronto Maple Leafs och Vancouver Canucks är alla organisationer som jag vill tacka för att de gett mig en chans att spela ishockey – att jag fått haft min passion som yrke.

Men livet som professionell ishockeyspelare har även ett vardagligt slit med stor psykisk och fysisk påfrestning, långa resor med mycket tid borta från familj, nära och kära. Något jag nu ser fram emot att ta igen.

Jag ser fram emot nya utmaningar!

TACK ALLA!

Thanks to Google Translate, I can tell you what that means in English.

Ice Hockey is like a drama without a script. A duel in an emotional turmoil in which every byte has its own life. Manuscript down during the game and when everyone is doing a good job is the end always uncertain.

This is for my fascination with hockey.

It feels sad to be here today to tell you that my career as a professional hockey player is over.

My career in the sport that I loved and love, which has given me so much, my life style, even the life I have now before me.

I got to be part of a journey both sporting and human and that I can not summarize in a few sentences.

Would I get to choose, I would continue playing hockey at the elite level until I am 65 years old and retired, unfortunately you will be retired in the ice much earlier than this ...

When I began as a child with hockey, I dreamed that so many others to become a famous player.

That once become so good that I could take a seat on the Three Crowns and the NHL.

It was a boyhood dream for me came true.

Now that his career is over, I can still surprised by the joy of suddenly realize that I have realized my dream!

I am in eternal debt of gratitude to all hockey fans. People who have followed and supported me throughout my career, but you, I had never been here today! My wonderful parents and loved ones.

Special thanks to Toronto where I spent 13 years of my career.

Toronto is and always will be my second home.

All Swedish and Canadian fans without whose support my hockeyliv had been futile. You have meant more than a simple thank you can express.

Now when I grew older and his career is coming to an end you can see things in new ways. The sport may be a slightly different meaning, as young ladies, I always end up the case, as older, I appreciate the journey there maybe more.

Sollentuna HC, Dif, Quebec Nordiques, Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks are all organizations that I wish to thank for that they have given me a chance to play hockey - I have had my passion as a profession.

But life as a professional hockey player is also an everyday wear with great mental and physical stress, long trips with a lot of time away from family, friends and loved ones. Something I now look forward to catching up.

I look forward to new challenges!

THANK YOU ALL!

Mats was our best player for 13 seasons. He was also:

• the longest-serving European captain in NHL history
• the first European player to be drafted No.1 when the Quebec Nordiques selected him in 1989
• tops among Swedish players with 564 goals, 785 assists and 1,349 points in his NHL career
• the NHL record holder for most regular season overtime goals with 15
• the Leafs' franchise all-time leader in goals (420) and points (984)

I've mentioned Mats Sundin's name in 329 entries. Enjoy them all again for the first time!

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Monsters I Have Loved
Published September 26, 2009 @ 22:00 in Toronto Maple Leafs

I've watched The Monster tend net for the Leafs two nights in a row, and he's yet to allow a single goal. He made a save late in the third on a Detroit 2-on-0 that was just sick. I'm loving The Monster.

Here are monsters I have loved in my lifetime.

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The Monster, Doc, Great One and Two Words: Viktor Stalberg
Published September 26, 2009 @ 09:13 in Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Maple Leafs

It's Saturday morning, I'm sipping my coffee and about to head to High Park. This is the perfect time to throw down a sports smörgåsbord.

The Monster
Jonas "The Monster" Gustavsson made his preseason debut for the Leafs last night and he looked awesome. He played half the game and didn't allow the Red Wings to beat him once. It's tough to look any better than that. I'm excited about The Monster, because that is an absolutely fantastic nickname.

Doc
Roy Halladay, the best starting pitcher we've ever had, made what may have been his final start in Toronto as a member of the Blue Jays. It was a gem. He threw his major-league leading eighth complete game in a 5-0 win over the Seattle Mariners. Thank you, Roy.

The Great One
I grew up idolizing Wayne Gretzky. He's the best hockey player I've ever seen. This week has been tough for us Gretzky fans. The Great One deserved a better fate.

Two Words: Viktor Stalberg
Those are the words I used to close my 2009 Training Camp Roster analysis. I will use them again. Viktor Stalberg. That is all.

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Nazem Kadri: Let the Kid Stay
Published September 23, 2009 @ 09:49 in Toronto Maple Leafs

On September 12, I threw my two cents at the Leafs' 2009 Training Camp roster. I openly bet Nazem Kadri would make this team.

I've watched all five Maple Leafs preseason games. We've won the last four, which makes watching them much more fun. But I don't watch to see the Leafs win, I watch to see how the kids play. And three of them, Nazem Kadri, Tyler Bozak and Viktor Stalberg, have looked pretty special.

You could tell during last year's preseason that Luke Schenn would make this team. He deserved to. Similarly, Nazem Kadri deserves to be playing for the Leafs come October 1. The Leafs are sadly lacking offensive skill and goal scorers, and Kadri has shown a gifted nose for the net. Kadri is precisely the kind of player this team needs, and we need him now.

I'm aware of the contract ramifications if Kadri plays the first 10 games for the Leafs, but I sincerely hope Ron Wilson gives him a fair nine-game run before sending him back to junior.

With Kadri, Bozak and Stalberg, the future suddenly looks a great deal brighter. Here's Kadri's sick shootout goal last night.

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