on an island
One man can’t do it all. Even Michael Jordan had Scotty Pippen. Wayne had Jari and Grant and Glen. Bird had McHale and Parish. This season, Mats Sundin came ready to play. He looked ready to play. He, along with the rest of the city, was cautiously optimistic that the Leafs would be a playoff team this year, and with a bit of luck, and some good play out of the likes of Bryan McCabe, Darcy Tucker and newcomer Jason Blake…this team might actually be capable of making some noise once the post season got underway.
Things started off well. The team was playing alright…giving up a few too many goals, but still looking capable. Mats was off to a flying start…his best in a few years. Nik Antropov continued to emerge as a pretty good player, and our new goalie showed flashes of the kind of game stealing talent that had been missing in recent years. But something happened on the way to the playoffs. Reality stood up and said ‘hey…what about me?’
Instead of bouncing back from a bad year, Bryan McCabe got worse. Then got injured. Darcy Tucker, fresh off scoring 25 goals and signing a lucrative contract to stay in Toronto, is a shell of his former self. The intensity and grit that were hallmarks of his game are all but gone. And so are the goals. He has 5 in 37 games. Jason Blake scored 40 goals last year with the Islanders. To expect 40 more was bit much…but I had him pegged to reach 30 with no problem. He has 8 in 45 games. Defensively, the team is horrible. If its late in the game and the score is tied, or we are up by one or two goals, we get scared. That’s right….we get scared. We forget how to play…and give up games. Our coach doesn’t know what to do anymore. Our GM never did. And the people in the ivory tower aren’t all that concerned because the tower they’re in is made out of fucking ivory! So…its up to the blindly optimistic fans to continue to cross our fingers, and hope that the next game is a win…and go from there.
I will say this though. If Mats wants to stay…he can stay. I don’t care if it slows down the rebuilding process. I don’t care if we can get something for him and he re-signs in the off season. He is the Toronto Maple Leafs right now…and its not just sentimentality that’s driving my position on this matter…he’s still a dominant player in this league, and those don’t grow on trees. Wouldn’t the team be better served under his leadership for the next 1-2 years before he decides to hang them up…showing the younger players on the team what it means to be a Toronto Maple Leaf? Or, as some are saying, he has to go in order for a fresh start…and that Mats is as much responsible as the Captain of this hockey club than the GM or Coach? Personally, I’m a big Sundin fan and will stay that way, no matter what team he plays for. I’d just like to be able to root for him and my hometown team in the same breath.
Things started off well. The team was playing alright…giving up a few too many goals, but still looking capable. Mats was off to a flying start…his best in a few years. Nik Antropov continued to emerge as a pretty good player, and our new goalie showed flashes of the kind of game stealing talent that had been missing in recent years. But something happened on the way to the playoffs. Reality stood up and said ‘hey…what about me?’
Instead of bouncing back from a bad year, Bryan McCabe got worse. Then got injured. Darcy Tucker, fresh off scoring 25 goals and signing a lucrative contract to stay in Toronto, is a shell of his former self. The intensity and grit that were hallmarks of his game are all but gone. And so are the goals. He has 5 in 37 games. Jason Blake scored 40 goals last year with the Islanders. To expect 40 more was bit much…but I had him pegged to reach 30 with no problem. He has 8 in 45 games. Defensively, the team is horrible. If its late in the game and the score is tied, or we are up by one or two goals, we get scared. That’s right….we get scared. We forget how to play…and give up games. Our coach doesn’t know what to do anymore. Our GM never did. And the people in the ivory tower aren’t all that concerned because the tower they’re in is made out of fucking ivory! So…its up to the blindly optimistic fans to continue to cross our fingers, and hope that the next game is a win…and go from there.
I will say this though. If Mats wants to stay…he can stay. I don’t care if it slows down the rebuilding process. I don’t care if we can get something for him and he re-signs in the off season. He is the Toronto Maple Leafs right now…and its not just sentimentality that’s driving my position on this matter…he’s still a dominant player in this league, and those don’t grow on trees. Wouldn’t the team be better served under his leadership for the next 1-2 years before he decides to hang them up…showing the younger players on the team what it means to be a Toronto Maple Leaf? Or, as some are saying, he has to go in order for a fresh start…and that Mats is as much responsible as the Captain of this hockey club than the GM or Coach? Personally, I’m a big Sundin fan and will stay that way, no matter what team he plays for. I’d just like to be able to root for him and my hometown team in the same breath.
But right now…there ain’t a whole lot to root for…
Leaf haters are loving this...
posted by neil at 9:06 PM
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