Eddie Shack

Leafs Need One More Piece

TORONTO (Feb. 7) — They are close. So very, very close to possessing all the components of a legitimate Stanley Cup contender. With one notable vacancy. Which needs to be filled in the next 18 days. Though yielding 44 shots… Read More

Nylander Options Are Unappealing

TORONTO (Nov. 17) — So, here we are, precisely two weeks from the deadline of L’Affair Nylander. With no apparent resolution in sight and only one scenario that will best–serve the Maple Leafs: a “bridge” contract of two years and… Read More

The Silence Is Deafening

TORONTO (Aug. 4) — This will not be the worst season, by record, in the 42 years since the Toronto Blue Jays joined Major League Baseball — a distinction that belongs to the 1979 club, which compiled a mark of… Read More

Leafs GM Chatter Intriguing

TORONTO (Mar. 8) — With the National Hockey League trade deadline out of the way and the Toronto Maple Leafs comfortably in a playoff spot, Kyle Dubas is the flavor–of–the–week. If you’re not sure who Kyle is, don’t fret. He’s… Read More

Bruce Hood: 1936–2018

TORONTO (Jan. 6) — In mid–November, as he lay struggling with cancer at a Guelph, Ont. hospital, Bruce Hood received a surprise visit from one of his favorite people on Earth. Today — and sadly — Bruce and Johnny Bower… Read More

Matthews’ Leaf Days Are Numbered

TORONTO (Nov. 16) — One more chance. That’s all the Maple Leafs have without Auston Matthews. One final opportunity — against New Jersey, tonight — to prove they can sh** the bed in the absence of their best player. “If… Read More

Matthews Still Splendidly Atypical

TORONTO (Oct. 17) — Barring a protracted injury–absence, Auston Matthews will undoubtedly score between 50 and 60 goals this season for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Should be count 55, he’ll break the franchise record that Rick Vaive established in 1981–82.… Read More

Could Matthews Become Gaye?

TORONTO (Sep. 27) — Yes, the headline here is a play–on–words and, perhaps, marginally inappropriate. But, laugh along with me, folks. Recent events, south of the 49th parallel, have been all–too serious. What I’m asking, within the context of sport,… Read More

The FAN–590 is 25 today

TORONTO (Sep. 4) — The names have changed with ownership and the unquestioned priority of television over radio — from CJCL AM–1430 to The Fan–1430; The FAN–590; Sportsnet Radio The FAN–590 and, today, Sportsnet–590 The FAN. What will never change… Read More

Leafs Are Next to 50

TORONTO (May 2) — It is far from the worst time since 1967 to remind fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs that their club, today, becomes the second to endure a calendar half–century without the Stanley Cup. Yes, it was… Read More

The Leafs At the Quarter–Pole

TORONTO (Nov. 24) — Over–achievement? Moderate achievement? And, does it really matter? These are questions that come to mind with respect to the Toronto Maple Leafs after 20 games of the 2016–17 National Hockey League season. Clearly, the team is… Read More

The Boomer Is 80

TORONTO (Sep. 9) — In the realm of longevity, those Toronto Maple Leafs Stanley Cup teams from the 1960’s will not go away. And, we thank the good Lord for that. The latest in the group to join Club Octogenarian… Read More

The Wall And His Doll

TORONTO (May 18) — I felt extraordinarily privileged on Tuesday afternoon. Not only did I spend time with the most popular and beloved figure in Toronto Maple Leafs history (pretty cool for a decades–long hockey fan; radio–reporter and writer), but… Read More

Leafs Concerned About Burke

TORONTO (Apr. 29) — The Calgary Flames have sent their Irish good–luck charm to our town in an arcane attempt to wrest the 2016 National Hockey League draft lottery from the “favored” Toronto Maple Leafs. His name? Brian Burke. And,… Read More

Woodstock — To Ourselves

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (Dec. 29) — This wasn’t so much a Christmas–holiday trip as a pilgrimage. For the second time in my life — and first with my son, Shane — I visited arguably the most hallowed spot in the history… Read More

How Will Leafs Break From the Break?

TORONTO (Dec. 14) — The “overachieving” Toronto Maple Leafs could resume play on Tuesday night dead–last in the National Hockey League standings. All it requires is Columbus getting to extra time at home against Tampa Bay on Monday for a… Read More

Sad Week For the NHL

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Nov. 27) — The National Hockey League “family” — as it likes to be known — has lost three prominent members since Sunday. Given his involvement in the game, professionally and internationally, the death of Pat… Read More

Could YOUR Zaidi Be a GM?

By HOWARD BERGER TORONTO (Nov. 8) — The Los Angeles Dodgers, earlier this week, hired a 37-year-old Zaidi as their new general manager. Where I come from, that’s an awfully young Zaidi. You see, Zaidi (or Zaida) is a popular … Read More