2023

The Leafs Could Steal Patrick Kane

TORONTO (Feb. 16) — A large taste of what lies ahead for the Toronto Maple Leafs could result in Patrick Kane becoming a very cheap rental before the Mar. 3 National Hockey League trade deadline. Kane has complete control of… Read More

The Heat Will Intensify

TORONTO (Feb. 14) — What happens if the Toronto Maple Leafs refuse to show up, on Wednesday night, against the second–worst team in the National Hockey League? It is hardly out of the question after a humiliating performance at home… Read More

A Meaningful Blockbuster

TORONTO (Feb. 11) — Let’s begin by consigning this blog to fantasy. For a number of reasons, not the least of which is the reluctance of the current Maple Leafs management to venture beyond its comfort zone. The most–likely scenario,… Read More

Who’s Calling the Shots on Bay St.?

TORONTO (Feb. 10) — The dawdling and indecision of the Toronto Raptors at the National Basketball Association trade deadline on Thursday oozed with corporate influence. A below–average team, the Raptors are nonetheless still in contention for the preliminary (or play… Read More

That Disturbing Media Conflict

TORONTO (Feb. 8) — If you follow this corner with any regularity, you’ll know that one of the prevailing topics is how soft and superficial the Toronto hockey media has become in recent years. Far different from the era (1994–2011)… Read More

The Leafs Are Still An Illusion

TORONTO (Feb. 6) — The dubious playoff record is gut–wrenchingly familiar to fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs: Most Consecutive First–Round Eliminations by a North American Professional Sports Team — 6. Is there a logical or pronounced explanation for the… Read More

Abraham, Martin and Jean

TORONTO (Feb. 2) — It was the night of Dec. 2, 2014. I had arrived home from the Air Canada Centre after watching the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Dallas Stars, 5–3. Turning on my computer, I saw the heartrending… Read More

My Indelible Bobby Hull Moment

TORONTO (Jan. 30) — If you were a young hockey fan in the 1960’s or 70’s, chances are you have a story about Bobby Hull. Perhaps even an autograph from the Golden Jet; among tens of thousands that he signed.… Read More

Henderson To Ballard: “Shove It!”

TORONTO (Jan. 28) — Unexpectedly, Paul Henderson beat me to the question. “Did you watch the Ballard documentary last night?” asked the man who scored, more than 50 years ago, the most–famous goal in hockey. I had deliberated raising the… Read More

Steve Stavro’s Bare Ass

TORONTO (Jan. 25) — Stories. Oh so many. And, they keep coming back when I reflect on my 23 years in radio. Such as the trip to Tokyo in September 1990 to cover the 96th Session of the International Olympic… Read More

The Leafs Have A Wild Card

TORONTO (Jan. 22) — There has been nothing overly special about the Toronto Maple Leafs during the past six weeks. Since mid–December, when the club sported a gaudy 19–5–6 record, it has built a rather pedestrian 9–6–2 mark in 17… Read More

TSN Pioneered Broadcast Inclusion

TORONTO (Jan. 20) — From its earliest days in the middle–1980’s as Canada’s first all–sports television network, TSN has valued the presence of female voices. This may be disputed by Sheri Forde and Natasha Staniszewski, both of whom, in recent… Read More

The Forbidden Leafs Angle

TORONTO (Jan. 15) — Here are words you will neither read nor hear from any person in the mainstream Toronto media: Auston Matthews is not performing nearly as well as he did last season. This is sacrilege; an opinion that… Read More

The Matthews–Marner Conundrum

TORONTO (Jan. 12) — Less than six months from now looms one of the most–compelling dates in the modern history of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Or, so it appears. Whether July 1, 2023 becomes such a colossus will be determined… Read More

How To Become a Leafs Reporter

TORONTO (Jan. 10) — While chatting with a fellow worker the other day, I recalled some of the youthful escapades that directed me toward covering the Toronto Maple Leafs for 17 years at The FAN–590, Canada’s first all–sports radio station.… Read More

Leafs Still Lack A Fulcrum

TORONTO (Jan. 7) — No one debates the skill. Or, on most nights, the resolve. Proof is in the formidable ledger of the Toronto Maple Leafs nearing the midway mark of the 2022–23 National Hockey League schedule: Over the past… Read More

Carrying the ‘C’–Word Into 2023

***NOTE: THIS BLOG WAS WRITTEN AND POSTED BEFORE THE DREADFUL SCENE ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD TONIGHT IN CINCINNATI. PERSPECTIVE ENTERED THE PRO SPORTS WORLD. PRAYERS FOR DAMAR HAMLIN OF THE BUFFALO BILLS. IT’S POSSIBLE HE SUFFERED FROM THIS RARE AILMEMT:… Read More