Ron and Don just finished their thing, so here are a few quick thoughts from Toronto Mike after twenty minutes. Yes, I'm going to start referring to myself in the third person.
I miss the Canadian Tire guy. He got the boot back in March and now the Canadian Tire campaign has something to do with signs dropping from the ceiling. It's not very memorable and it makes me long for CTG. Does anyone else miss the Canadian Tire guy or is it just me?
Joe Nieuwendyk has announced his retirement. The guy started his career in Calgary where he won the Stanley Cup. He then moved on to Dallas where he won the Stanley Cup. His next stop was New Jersey where he won the Stanley Cup. Poor Joe then came to Toronto and guess what? That streak came to a grinding halt.
Down 2-0 to Hasek and the Red Wings, I will be absolutely floored if we manage to come back. This will be our seventh loss in a row and I have no confidence this streak won't hit seventeen. In hindsight, that good start to the season was a mini-miracle. What's worse is I don't know what we can do to right this ship. Do we trade Sundin, McCabe and Raycroft and start thinking about a couple of years down the road when Pogge is ready to rock? Do we acknowledge that our young buds aren't nearly as good as we hoped they would be and replace them with different young buds? Where the hell do you find decent young buds?
Last season, I begged MLSE to gut the pig. They did clear out Quinn, Belfour and Domi, but we're no better now than we were then. I know things are bleak yet I cannot turn away. I will watch, I will follow, I will hope for the best while expecting the worst. Don't feel bad for me, this is the life I chose.
