Autocracy to Prevail at Sportsnet

TORONTO (Apr. 1) — What the MAGA man wants, the MAGA man gets. In this case, the monolith of Toronto professional sport. Soon to be the domain of Edward Rogers, the Donald Trump zealot and Mar–a–Lago frequenter that owns 100… Read More

The “MAGA” King of Toronto Sport

TORONTO (Mar. 28) — Now we know why that poor senior citizen got thrown out of the Blue Jays’ season opener on Thursday afternoon: He wasn’t a Donald Trump lackey. Unlike Edward Rogers, the individual that owns the stadium and… Read More

The Leafs Cannot Act Impulsively

TORONTO (Mar. 24) — If you are Brendan Shanahan and Brad Treliving, how can you not wait until after the playoffs to determine your strategy with Mitch Marner and John Tavares? What would happen, for example, if both players re–signed… Read More

Leafs Owners Have No Mercy

TORONTO (Mar. 18) — The answer is short and simple: As long as this is allowed to happen, it will continue. Unabated and unchallenged. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment has its season ticket patrons by the short and curlies. And,… Read More

Is Matthews “C”–ing The Light?

TORONTO (Mar. 15) — As much as I contend that he’ll never be a consistently big–game performer for the Maple Leafs, Auston Matthews is clearly hampered by… something. No one anticipated another 69–goal season. In the 109–year history of the… Read More

Really, This Is Shanahan’s Mess

TORONTO (Mar. 10) — There are a number of seminal dates in the history of the Toronto Maple Leafs, but Apr. 11, 2014 is fast–rising in prominence. It was the day Brendan Shanahan became president of the hockey club. The… Read More

Why It’s Over For Mitch and the Leafs

TORONTO (Mar. 8) — Yes, the salary cap is about to rise exponentially in the National Hockey League. But, no, the Maple Leafs did not offer the Carolina Hurricanes their immediate prospect and draft pool to obtain forward Mikko Rantanen… Read More

Brad Treliving Made His Moves, But…

TORONTO (Mar. 7) — If Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo are the final marble slabs of the Maple Leafs, Michaelangelo could have stopped at David’s waist. The part everyone stares at in Florence would be missing. Not that Brad Treliving’s… Read More

Expect Leafs, as Usual, to go Small

TORONTO (Mar. 3) — It’s an annual rite of passage for hockey in this city; largely forgotten by the ensuing year. First, the general manager–of–the–day calls media together so he can set the trade–deadline bar as shallow as possible. Check.… Read More

Abraham, Bobby and Wayne

TORONTO (Feb. 24) — Whenever my time comes, I will take with me two remarkable badges of honor: I got to know Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky by name. Not bad for a small media muffin in a large bakery.… Read More

What’s Next For Auston and Mitch

TORONTO (Feb. 21) — This was happenstance you rarely see. Teammates in the National Hockey League; rivals in the most–hyped international shinny fracas since the “golden goal” that won the 2010 Winter Olympics. Auston Matthews trapped in no–man’s land, between… Read More

It Was King Edward’s Call — Totally

TORONTO (Feb. 19) — Let’s be clear: No professional athlete is worth the riches being sought by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Neither is Guerrero worth to the Blue Jays what the slugger is evidently asking of Rogers Communications — a salary… Read More

Are You Ready For “Prime” Time?

TORONTO (Feb. 17) — This blog has nothing to do with the groundbreaking radio show I produced in its first three years — executed, without parallel, by Bob McCown from 1989 to 2019. Prime Time Sports is relegated to history,… Read More

Recency Bias Shaping Canada vs. USA

TORONTO (Feb. 15) — In the Millennium of Overkill, tonight’s 4Nations encounter between Canada and the United States is being touted as the “best hockey game of all time.” Particularly among the millennials on television who aren’t even old enough… Read More

Imagining The Unimaginable

TORONTO (Feb. 13) — That was quite some tumult Mitch Marner induced at the Bell Centre on Wednesday night; its euphoric tentacles penetrating all corners of the nation. Not in ten National Hockey League seasons has Marvelous Mitch contributed such… Read More

Remembering Paul Morris: 1938–2025

TORONTO (Feb. 11) — It’s a moment I’ll never forget. Even if occurring nearly 54 years ago. Maple Leaf Gardens was filled to near–capacity for a game between the Leafs and Montreal Canadiens alumni (or “oldtimers”, as they were known… Read More

The Notorious No. 63 in Leafs Blue?

TORONTO (Feb. 10) — It would be the rough equivalent of Benjamin Netanyahu inviting Kim Jong Un to moderate peace talks in the Middle East. Or, Donald Trump having the Bidens and Clintons to the White House for a casual… Read More

It’s Getting Closer… Every Day

TORONTO (Feb. 8) — Darryl Sittler. Doug Gilmour. Auston Matthews. The Toronto Maple Leafs have been around since 1926; the franchise, previously known as the Arenas and St. Patricks, since 1917. Only three players in 108 years have struck for… Read More