Patrice Bergeron

Seven Games To Go?

“He’s got 20 games,” said a well–known figure in the National Hockey League. “If the Leafs aren’t playing up to par by mid–November, Babcock’s gone. Count on it. There is lots of appetite for change in Toronto.” — BETWEEN THE… 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

Why Even Go There?

TORONTO (June 1) — Predictably, it took no time at all for the most–sophomoric angle to emerge from the Toronto Raptors brilliant playoff run: Has basketball become more popular in Toronto than hockey? Such a challenging question on the day… Read More

There’s No Place Like Road

TORONTO (Apr. 12) — Sorry for the double–entendre, Judy Garland. But, it’s undeniable: the Toronto Maple Leafs just love packing up; bidding adieu to family/friends and staying in five–star hotels. It’s been that way since the beginning of October. The… Read More

Write it Down: The Leafs in 6

TORONTO (Apr. 8) — It’s alright. Call me crazy. Measure me for a straight–jacket. Order blood and urinalysis. Administer a warm, soapy enema if you think I’m full of sh**. But, in the end, be sure to remember where you… Read More

Is Simmonds Worth Nylander?

TORONTO (Jan. 11) — The best teams in the National Hockey League can often rely on skill to achieve a particular level… and there may be no better example, right now, than the Toronto Maple Leafs. On occasion, however, a… Read More

The Leafs Cannot Relax

TORONTO (Nov. 19) — Yes, we all understood, by the quarter–mark of the National Hockey League schedule, that the Maple Leafs would likely be in a points dogfight with Tampa Bay and Boston near the top of the Atlantic Division.… Read More

Of Course Nylander Will Be Dealt

TORONTO (Nov. 12) — How many times can we put a different spin on the same likelihood? Let us count. 1 Toronto’s three–player nucleus beyond the coming season will be Tavares, Matthews and Marner. 2 The Nylander contract stalemate… is… Read More

Leafs Following or Bucking Trend?

TORONTO (Sep. 19) — So, the Leafs have made it clear that they can win the Stanley Cup by loading up on forwards while comparably ignoring their blue line. Good luck to them. And, to those that concur. Neither am… Read More

Babcock/Andersen Will Shape Leafs

TORONTO (Aug. 16) — When the Maple Leafs begin training camp at the Gale Centre in Niagara Falls, Ont. less than a month from now (Sep. 14), most eyes will be on John Tavares, the Toronto boy that signed a… Read More

Fun (and Nostalgia) With The Leafs

TORONTO (July 22) — One day in March of 2014, I was feeling silly. Or, for today’s blog: narish. I began to think about my late mother, Sandee, and how she would launch into Yiddish on the telephone (with another… Read More

Sliver of Light After a Dark Day

TORONTO (Apr. 24) — Ten people are dead after the driver of a van mounted a sidewalk–curb in North York and indiscriminately bowled over pedestrians, making international news. And, yes, the Toronto Maple Leafs are once more en route to… Read More

Nothing Odd About Leafs/Bruins

TORONTO (Apr. 20) — As a sign of hope for the Toronto Maple Leafs, it would be nice to suggest there’s an oddity in their opening playoff round against Boston. But, it simply isn’t true. The 3–1 Bruins’ lead after… Read More

Leafs Need To Rinse and Repeat

TORONTO (Apr. 17) — The consensus around town is that the “real” Maple Leafs showed up for Monday night’s third game of the playoffs against Boston. We shall see. Game 4 will provide a clearer indication. What I saw at… Read More

It’s Babcock Time

TORONTO (Apr. 15) — So, this is what you get for 50 million dollars? Okay, I’m being a trifle facetious… but c’mon. The Maple Leafs did not lure Mike Babcock from Detroit with the National Hockey League’s most–lucrative coaching pact… Read More

Bruins’ Work Still Not Done

TORONTO (Apr. 14) — Though Thursday night’s playoff opener at TD Garden was as lop–sided as the 5–1 final score indicated, the Boston Bruins have merely accomplished half their goal. Only a sweep of the first two matches on home… Read More

Leafs–Bruins on Razor’s Edge

TORONTO (Apr. 11) — When you think about it, there is no particular reason for the Boston Bruins or Toronto Maple Leafs to lose four times in a seven–game segment. Yet, one of the teams will do just that in… Read More

Maybe Leafs Are Good Enough

TORONTO (Feb. 27) — Let me begin today by stressing that the trade deadline machinations on Monday only invigorated my pre–season pick of Tampa Bay defeating Nashville for the 2018 Stanley Cup (as per this blog: http://bit.ly/2xdXAqQ). With Victor Hedman,… Read More