TORONTO (Jan. 11) — It was a shot in the dark that landed bullseye. An idea so preposterous that it must have resulted from paralyzing fatigue. Even if, unwittingly, it became the genesis of my career path in sports radio.

While checking out of a hotel in midtown Manhattan, 30 years ago this morning, I called Nick Pitt of Warwick Publishing Inc. Told him I was heading back to Toronto and wanted to meet with him about another book idea. I had previously ghosted an autobiography of Toronto Blue Jays’ radio voice Tom Cheek… and a compilation of hockey stories from 1964 to 1994 entitled Maple Leaf Moments: a 30–Year Reflection. As I waited for a cab on 7th Ave., Nick asked me about the idea, but I wanted to save it for our face–to–face gathering. He pushed harder, so I spilled the beans: Would Warwick underwrite and publish a book about a reporter (me) traveling with the Maple Leafs during a condensed, 48–game schedule? That portion of the 1994–95 National Hockey League season had just been rescued after a marathon, last–ditch bargaining session in New York between commissioner Gary Bettman and Players’ Association boss Bob Goodenow. If Warwick liked the idea — and my bosses at The FAN–590 were on board — I’d have to be in Los Angeles, eight days later, for the Maple Leafs’ season opener.

Lots had to come together. Quickly.

Nick professed immediate enthusiasm for the project, pending a budget review. I calculated travel expenses at roughly $35,000 for the January to May schedule of 24 road games, all within the Western Conference, where the Leafs still resided. Cheaper than financing a full, 41–game road slate. In the meantime, I met with my radio bosses, Nelson Millman and Scott Metcalfe, both of whom also liked the idea… particularly the cost. Though Warwick would finance the project, I could contribute to the Leaf broadcasts, as we still held the radio rights. And, file voice reports for our top–of–the–hour updates. From The FAN’s perspective, it was a win–win. The Leafs were more difficult to convince, as the book would require me to accompany the club on flights and bus rides. When such allowances were still made for traveling reporters. I spoke to coach Pat Burns; told him it was going to be a “hockey” book, not a “tell–all” and assured him I would use the utmost discretion in my radio reporting. He, too, okayed the idea. Once Warwick agreed to underwrite travel, we began moving forward. At breakneck speed.

Jan. 9–10, 1995 was the most physically challenging 1½ days in my radio career. Not resulting from subject–matter; I’d already covered a brief NHL disruption (late in the 1991–92 season) and the lengthy players’ strike in Major League Baseball that canceled the 1994 playoffs and World Series. The FAN–590 should have purchased a condominium in Manhattan. It would have been costlier than the hotel rooms I kept booking, week after week. The end of this labor dispute, however, took the cake. In the book (On The Road: An Inside View of Life With an NHL Team) that resulted from covering that shortened season, I wrote about having to repeatedly slap myself awake:

 
 
MY OLD PAL, ARTHUR PINCUS, GOT HUNG OUT TO DRY ON THE EVENING OF JAN. 10, 1995 (NEW YORK DAILY NEWS, ABOVE). THE LEAGUE’S VICE–PRESIDENT OF PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFERED A CRYPTIC MESSAGE. AND, THEN, UTOPIA… AS HE GUARANTEED NOTHING WOULD BE ANNOUNCED UNTIL THE FOLLOWING DAY. I WAS ASLEEP IN THE HOTEL BEFORE MY HEAD HIT THE PILLOW.

All elements of the book came together by Jan. 18. Except for one. I had to leave the following day for Los Angeles. With a return flight, Jan. 22, from San Francisco. Given the inflated cost of last–minute flying, I made a desperate, pleading phonecall to Terri Ashton of CorpSport, which booked travel for the Leafs when the club still flew commercially (today, all trips are via charterted aircraft). There was space on the same outbound–to–L.A. and return–from–San Francisco flights as the Maple Leafs. Terri, God bless her, hacked nearly $750 off the cost by using a travel agency waiver, which precluded the necessity of booking a flight in advance… and ensuring a Saturday night stayover (remember that criterion?). My flight fee went from $1,300 to $565. I  remember the following day as the start of a dream. From my earliest years — while reading such–legendary newspaper scribes as Red Burnett, Frank Orr (Toronto Star); Eaton Howitt, John Iaboni (Toronto Sun); Lou Cauz, James Christie (Globe and Mail) — I wanted to follow the Leafs on the road. Now, it was about to happen. For a travel diary… and radio.

You may wonder how a book on a truncated NHL season evolved into 17 years of traveling with the Maple Leafs for Canada’s first all–sports radio station. After covering the 1995 Stanley Cup final between Detroit and New Jersey (then the NHL draft, in Edmonton, and free agency), I went to Los Angeles for a summer respite at my in–laws’ house in the San Fernando Valley. Not thinking I would cover the Leafs for another season, let alone for more than a decade–and–a–half. But one afternoon in July, while lounging on the pool deck, the phone rang inside the house. My mother–in–law summoned me. Scott Metcalfe, my radio mentor (and the news/sports director of The FAN–590), said he had exciting news for me: Corus Entertainment had just swiped the Leafs radio rights from us with a nine–year contract for games to be broadcast on AM–640. Starting in October, I would continue traveling to all Leaf road games as a beat–reporter… this time on the radio station’s ticket.

You couldn’t have scraped me off the ceiling.

“Are you saying that’s what I’ll be doing for the next nine years?” I asked Scott, incredulously.

“If it works out, I can’t see why we would stop,” he replied.

And, it did work out. For nearly double that time. Best media gig in the city.

ARE THE LEAFS ACTUALLY BETTER?

There’s a long road ahead for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2024–25 NHL schedule… with eyes, of course, trained on the spring. A succession of strong regular seasons has continued — now, perhaps underappreciated given all the early playoff exits. Toronto stands at 27–14–2 for 56 points. My son, the die–hardest of Leaf fans, has grown skeptical. “Been there, seen this,” said Shane, now 28. “Wake me up in April.” It’s a sentiment likely shared by the majority of adult Leaf rooters. Neither should it come as a surprise that the Maple Leafs, during the Auston Matthews era, are rather consistent after 43 games. In fact, the club has been ahead of its current pace on four occassions since Matthews donned blue and white in 2016–17. Here are the records, year by year:

2016–17: 21–14–8 50 points
2017–18: 25–16–2 52 points
2018–19: 28–13–2 58 points
2019–20: 24–14–5 53 points
2020–21: 28–11–4 60 points
2021–22: 30–10–3 63 points
2022–23: 26–10–7 59 points
2023–24: 22–13–8 52 points
2024–25: 27–14–2 56 points

The COVID–19 pandemic played havoc with the 2019–20 and 2020–21 NHL schedules. The latter saw the seven Canadian teams hoarded into a division for exclusive, head–to–head competition. Toronto finished atop the group by five points, scoring the most and yielding the fewest goals. Only to spit up a 3–1 lead against Montreal in the opening playoff round. In the past three (post–pandemic) seasons, the Leafs have been within four points of their current pace after 43 games. So, what to make of a club that seems more playoff–ready than the others?

JORDAN STAAL’S HATTRICK PACED CAROLINA OVER THE LEAFS, 6–3, THURSDAY NIGHT IN RALEIGH.

Here is a statistical comparison between this year and last:

LAST SEASON — 22–13–8 / Goals Scored-154 / Goals Allowed-141 / Differential +13
THIS SEASON — 27–14–2 /  Goals Scored-135 / Goals Allowed-121 / Differential +14

The Leafs are winning more games; going extra time less frequently; but, scoring and allowing fewer goals at nearly the identical pace. The big change involves the teams around the Maple Leafs. Boston and Tampa Bay are significantly weaker than in recent years. The New York Rangers are the league’s most–disappointing team so far. By virtually staying the same, the Leafs have built separation between the Bruins (11 points) and Lightning (10 points). Toronto is a remarkable and unforeseen 16 points ahead of the Rangers, a consensus Stanley Cup favorite in the fall. Heading into action today, Washington is surprisingly atop the Eastern Conference with 59 points. Followed by the Leafs (56 points); Carolina and New Jersey (54) and Florida (52). These five clubs are significantly ahead of the pack; marking opponents that will likely stand between the Leafs and a Stanley Cup push.

Tampa Bay, however, must be quietly watched given a splendid plus–36 goal differential, plus–22 better than the Maple Leafs. The Lightning has permitted 108 goals, lowest in the Conference and more than only Dallas (100 goals) and Los Angeles (97). If the playoffs began tonight, Toronto would host the No. 1 wild card team — Boston.

What else is new?

Most–ominous for the Maple Leafs is the continued — and interminable — lack of a Norris Trophy contender (dating to 1979–80 with Borje Salming). Compounding the situation is that Morgan Rielly, the club’s top blueliner, has been mediocre in the first half (20 points in 43 games for 36th place in scoring among NHL defensemen… and a ghastly minus–13). It has been proven, with few exceptions since 1970, that a Stanley Cup challenger needs a kingpin on the back end. The Maple Leafs have no–such component. Nothing close, in fact. While Chris Tanev and Oliver Ekman–Larsson, added in free agency, have solidified the overall group, there is no fulcrum.

If I were Brad Treliving, I’d be on speed–dial with Barry Trotz in Nashville. The Predators are 20 points out of a wild card spot in the West. Roman Josi, arguably the NHL’s top blueliner the past two seasons, is languishing (27 points, minus–22). He’s the precise element missing in Toronto. Treliving would likely have to yield one of Easton Cowan or Fraser Minten for Josi, who has a full no–movement clause and would need to waive. But, the clause expires for his final season (2027–28) and he can be bought out in the last three years of the contract (beginning after 2025–26). His cap hit is onerous: $9.06 million. But, the Leafs are likely to have $22 million in reserve when the contracts of Mitch Marner and John Tavares expire after the current season. As for this year, only a fraction of Josi’s salary would count against the cap after the Mar. 7 NHL trade deadline. The Leafs, as always, are right up against the ceiling, so an adjustment would likely need to be made. But, Josi, still just 33, is extremely available.

ROMAN JOSI IS POPULAR IN NASHVILLE BUT THE PREDS ARE HORRID THIS SEASON AND HE’S NOT GETTING YOUNGER.

THAT DARN CFL SALARY CAP: It is no–longer possible to retain a championship team — and, thereby, name recognition — in the Canadian Football League. Not with a $5.650 million salary cap for 56 roster spots. As such, players switch teams in the off–season far more liberally than in other professional circuits. The defending Grey Cup champion is going to be hit hard. Already gone from last year’s Toronto Argonauts are defensive lineman Folarin Orimolade (traded to Calgary) and ace receiver Makai Polk (signed with the Atlanta Falcons). More big names will follow. An ominous Tweet by former Globe and Mail columnist Marty York cast a shadow over the Boatmen. Scoop: Very quietly, 23 members of the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts have been informed by assistant GM John Murphy that they must take pay cuts. To say the players are upset is the epitome of understatement. They’re fuming. And they wonder why GM Michael Clemons has disappeared. If true, this augers poorly for retention of the club’s most–critical free agents: linebacker (and team leader) Wynton McManis and veteran receiver Damonte Coxie, who is Chad Kelly’s favorite target. Murphy is the wildcard. Though evidently a handful, personally, the Argos’ bird–dog has a keen eye for talent. It’s been proven that he can fill holes with cheaper athletes procured from the American college system. Problem for the fans is that once a player establishes himself here in Toronto, he is gone. Costs too much. So, followers of the defending champs will need to let go of emotional ties.

Of which Orimolade was very much a part.

MY PICK FOR SUPER BOWL LIX…

EMAIL: HOWARDLBERGER@GMAIL.COM