Connor McDavid

All He Does Is Score, But…

TORONTO (Jan. 11) — Should he remain injury–free throughout the National Hockey League schedule, Auston Matthews is a good bet to establish a Toronto Maple Leafs record for most goals in one season. Rick Vaive has held the mark —… Read More

Yes, Jack Todd Had A Point

TORONTO (Oct. 15) — I remember sitting at a popular hamburger joint here in town a few years ago (Golden Star, on north Yonge Street), gabbing with Dan Shulman. Each of us had brought our sons for dinner. It was… Read More

Babcock Needs a Playoff Win

TORONTO (Jan. 28) — Given the mammoth contract (eight years, $50 million) he signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs on May 21, 2015, it could seem incomprehensible for someone other than Mike Babcock to coach the hockey club next season.… 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

Could Matthews Ever Go Home?

TORONTO (Nov. 13) — This is a blog I did not plan on writing. It stems from a brief debate I had earlier today on Facebook with a life–long friend, Steve Blustein, who is thoroughly convinced the Arizona Coyotes will… Read More

Leafs Will Be Fine, Unless…

A much–more interesting study will, of course, abound if the Maple Leafs do not match or exceed their lofty expectations. Can you envision the national outcry when the Leafs unavoidably lapse into a four or five–game skid, as will every … Read More

Too Early For Injury–Prone Label

TORONTO (Oct. 28) — The shoulder ailment that could sideline Auston Matthews for an appreciable term may prompt fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs to wonder if a career pattern has beset their best player. After all, Matthews sat out… Read More

The Leafs’ Staggering Numbers (So Far)

TORONTO (Oct. 12) — After the first five games of the National Hockey League season, players on the Toronto Maple Leafs have been compared, in local print, to Wayne Gretzky, Bobby Orr and Mario Lemieux. Merely the most–gifted trio in… Read More

Star Back In The Game (For Now)

TORONTO (Sep. 8) — It appears as if local hockey fans will be treated to a dying spectacle this season as the Toronto Sun and Toronto Star will dispatch writers/columnists to road games with the Maple Leafs. This was common… Read More

Just Imagine If…

Twenty–four years after trading for a guy named Sundin at the 1994 NHL Draft in Hartford, the Leafs chose a guy named Sandin Friday night in Dallas. Will Rasmus turn out anything close to Mats? In the meantime… TORONTO (June… Read More

And the Wait Continues

TORONTO (Apr. 26) — Quite the coincidence that fewer than 24 hours after another failed Stanley Cup bid by the Toronto Maple Leafs, Dave Keon was announced as an inductee into the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame. Considered the greatest… Read More