Bobby Orr

Leafs Need More From 34

TORONTO (Apr. 14) — The white noise that Auston Matthews is probably trying to ignore could become deafening in the very near future. It is still too soon to burden the young Toronto Maple Leafs star with a label, but… Read More

Let’s Temper Babcock Hostility

TORONTO (Apr. 10) — Though I was very–likely the first local observer to write (on Jan. 28) that Mike Babcock needs an opening–round playoff victory to ensure he remains as coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the animus toward Babcock… Read More

Would The Leafs Trade Kadri?

TORONTO (Apr. 6) — When Brian Burke questions Nazem Kadri, you have no choice but to pay attention. In his role as president and general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Burke chose Kadri seventh overall (from the London Knights)… Read More

Sweet Revenge For John Tavares

@Berger_BYTES John Tavares will score tying goal late in 3p Monday at NYI, thus clinching a playoff spot for the #Leafs. Fate will come full circle. 8:20 PM · Mar 31, 2019 TORONTO (Apr. 2) — So, I called it… Read More

Will Freddy Be Ready?

TORONTO (Mar. 27) — Something is wrong. Whether it’s resulting from a late–season slump or a factor more ominous, Frederik Andersen has lost his way between the pipes for the Toronto Maple Leafs. That, alone, is hardly unfamiliar. Andersen’s performance… Read More

Babcock Situation Intruging

TORONTO (Mar. 21) — Back on Jan. 28, I wrote a blog here (http://bit.ly/2WtCazl) suggesting Mike Babcock needs a first–round playoff victory to ensure a fifth season at the helm of the Maple Leafs. The notion was widely–ridiculed on social… Read More

Catching Up with the Leafs

TORONTO (Mar. 9) — Okay… back on the key–pad after getting flattened for nearly a week by what felt like an old–time Bobby Baun hip–check. Or, in my case, the flu — thankfully, a strain more manageable than the H1N1… Read More

Babcock Made The Difference

TORONTO (Feb. 20) — I’m not sure what was said, or at what volume, in the visitors’ dressing room during the first intermission last night in St. Louis. All I do know is the Maple Leafs were a far–better team… Read More

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

Leafs–Blues “Still In Touch”

TORONTO (Jan. 29) — Kyle Dubas made a solid move on Monday by acquiring defenseman Jake Muzzin from the Los Angeles Kings. Muzzin is, by no means, a difference–maker, but he does perform somewhat aggressively and should complement Morgan Rielly… Read More

Lock The Doors, Larry

TORONTO (Jan. 15) — As the largest individual shareholder at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, it is incumbent upon Larry Tanenbaum to bar the entrance of Scotiabank Arena on all future game nights. Send fans away. Issue full ticket–refunds. Instruct… Read More

Leafs Won’t Mortgage at Deadline

TORONTO (Jan. 9) — Isn’t it rather amazing how three losses in four games can alter a team’s posture in the parity–stricken National Hockey League? Throughout the first half of the 2018–19 schedule, the Toronto Maple Leafs lingered second in… Read More

Andersen Situation Double–Edged

TORONTO (Jan. 6) — Pending the outcome, it could be a blessing or a curse that largely impacts the Maple Leafs this season. By tomorrow night (Monday), Frederik Andersen will have accrued 15 consecutive days of rest in the middle… Read More

Rielly Closing the Gap — Finally

TORONTO (Dec. 22) — For whatever it’s worth (and I think many would agree), my criteria for the James Norris Memorial Trophy in today’s National Hockey League is a defenseman capable of putting up a minimum 60 points… and a… Read More

My Top 20 NHL Jerseys

TORONTO (Dec. 21) — With Christmas 2019 just around the corner, it’s time for a little fun. Time to forget, briefly, the contract conundrum in the immediate future of Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas. And, whether Mike Babcock… Read More

Marner Will Be The Big Challenge

TORONTO (Dec. 18) — The headline on the Toronto Star website was so understated as to be comical: Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas confident team will sign Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews to long-term contracts. Confident? The words that come… Read More

Matthews is Truly Remarkable

TORONTO (Dec. 5) — I start today by posing a question that dovetails with the recent chatter about restricted free agency in the National Hockey League: Other than Connor McDavid, is there a player that deserves a more–lucrative contract than… 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