New York Islanders

Leafs Are Embracing Insanity

TORONTO (Feb. 4) — First, let’s try to not lose our minds over one game… as ghastly as the third–period collapse against Florida seemed. If the Leafs can plummet from third place in the Atlantic Division to beyond playoff contention… Read More

Leafs Won’t Gamble at Trade Deadline

TORONTO (Jan. 31) — It’s an old, timeworn cliche, but the Toronto Maple Leafs had a couple of “must–win” games after the All–Star break and they smartly prevailed with road victories in Nashville and Dallas. This was effective work by… Read More

Should Leafs Nation Be Satisfied?

TORONTO (Jan. 24) — Though it may seem unlikely, let’s assume the Maple Leafs accrue enough points in their final 33 games to finish third in the Atlantic Division, thereby securing one of the three allocated playoff berths. It would… Read More

What Took So Long?

TORONTO (Dec. 21) — Frankly, I’m surprised no one has posed the following questions: With the Maple Leafs an impressive 9–4–0 in 13 games under Sheldon Keefe, why did Brendan Shanahan wait until Nov. 20 to authorize the dismissal of… Read More

Dubas Needs To Unload Salary

TORONTO (Nov. 30) — There is only one contingency for the Maple Leafs in their back–up goaltending conundrum… and it comes with no guarantee: general manager Kyle Dubas has to unload a contract. Maybe not a William Nylander contract, but… Read More

Don’t Look Beyond The Players

TORONTO (Nov. 17) — It remains the most parochial, knee–jerk reaction in sport: “Fire the coach!” And, the parochial/knee–jerk among fans and media that follow the Toronto Maple Leafs are out in full force. Want to craft a newspaper column… Read More

The Leafs After One Month

TORONTO (Nov. 2) — It began, rather predictably, one month ago tonight: a 5–3 conquest of the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Arena. The big gun, Auston Matthews, scoring twice; the big acquisition, Tyson Barrie, assisting twice. Frederik Andersen recording the… Read More

Jim Gregory: 1935–2019

TORONTO (Oct. 31) — There is both irony and coincidence, bathed in Toronto hockey legend, that Jim Gregory would die yesterday at 83 years of age. It was during this week, in 1976, that Gregory made arguably the most–strategic telephone… Read More

Way Too Early… Except For One

TORONTO (Oct. 12) — It has been a difficult second week of the National Hockey League season in the land of the blue Maple Leaf, inciting many — predictably — to draw conclusions. There is the small matter of 77… Read More

Healy Talks TV, Rogers… and Hockey

TORONTO (Oct. 6) — He may no longer be on the television set in your livingroom or den each Saturday night, but no person in our country can speak more eloquently about the tumultuous sports media business than Glenn Healy… Read More

The Leafs Will Tease, But Fall Short

TORONTO (Oct. 1) — Do not be surprised if the 2019–20 National Hockey League season is the most–prolific in the 103–year history of the Toronto Maple Leafs. If healthy, the Leafs could challenge for the Presidents’ Trophy as the No.… Read More

Captain Obvious For The Leafs? Not So

TORONTO (Sep. 27) — Mike Babcock told The Athletic last week he had a strong sense that the naming of a captain for the Toronto Maple Leafs will be “obvious to most”. Adding further intrigue is that the interview with… Read More

Leafs Have Long Had Their Captain

TORONTO (Sep. 25) — The alleged incident involving Auston Matthews last May in Scottsdale shouldn’t be about the captaincy of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Given that it frightened a woman in the middle of the night, it cuts much deeper.… Read More

Pressure Mounting On The Leafs

TORONTO (Aug. 16) — It is mid–August and relatively quiet in the hockey world. As such, fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs likely cannot feel the burden that is beginning to crush their favorite team. But, it’s there. And gaining… Read More

Offer–Sheet All About Timing

TORONTO (July 27) — If you’re surprised that a rival National Hockey League team has not yet presented an offer–sheet to Maple Leafs star Mitch Marner, consider this: “July 1st isn’t the right time to make such a move,” a… Read More

Leafs Going For a Three–Peat

TORONTO (July 3) — What’s all this drivel about the Toronto Maple Leafs and a Stanley Cup “drought”? Why do people keep referring to 1967? Anyone paying attention would know the Leafs have now won consecutive National Hockey League titles…… Read More

Too Much Emphasis on Forwards

TORONTO (June 25) — On the 10th anniversary of John Tavares being selected first overall in the National Hockey League draft — and Nazem Kadri going seventh to the Maple Leafs — perhaps it’s fitting that Toronto’s most–glaring deficiency is… Read More

We The Longest

TORONTO (June 15) — In recent years, lots of stuff has happened for the first time in awhile on the local sports scene… or the first time ever, such as Thursday night’s monumental basketball triumph in Oakland. The Maple Leafs… Read More