Freddie P's Blog

I've received a couple of e-mails today from people asking me if I'm going to be pulling for the Montreal Canadiens tonight.

The answer is no.

You see the Habs host the Carolina Hurricanes, and it's the Hurricanes who Leafs are chasing for the final playoff spot in the east. It would only seem natural that I would prefer the Habs to beat the Hurricanes because if the Leafs beat Pittsburgh, they'll only trail Carolina by two points.

But my mind doesn't work that way. Not in this case anyway.

To tell you the truth, I don't care if the Leafs make the playoffs. If they do, what's the point? They'll probably play Philadelphia in the first round and get bounced rather quickly anyway.

Wanting a playoff spot now is exactly what's been wrong with Maple Leaf strategy over the past few years. I'd rather Brian Burke continue on the path of looking at the big picture and conducting his business with an eye to two or three years down the road.

If the Leafs do make it, great, but if they don't, so what.

So do I want the Habs to beat the Hurricanes tonight? Nope. The scenario would have to be a lot more severe than this to ever pull for the Habs, because I'd this point, I'd rather see Montreal miss the playoffs than the Leafs make it.

Category: Sports

I watched a bit of the Boston / Ottawa game last night and it sure was weird to see Tomas Kaberle in a Bruins uniform.

But it was classic case of mixed emotions for me. On one had I felt happy for the guy that he's finally playing on a decent hockey team, on the other hand I had that melancholy feeling.

Kaberle in a Bruins uniform just didn't seem right, and while I kept imagining him lifting the Stanley Cup in that very uniform, I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

I'd love to see the guy win a Cup, yet at the same time I'm sick of having to watch former Leafs win Cups in other cities. It's happened too many times over the past half century.

However, the one thing you'll never be able to take away from a Leaf fan is the great memories and moments that Kaberle provided over his dozen years in Toronto. He came out of virtually nowhere to become a stalwart on the Leaf defense, through the good times and the bad.

Unfortunately, the bad times far outweighed the good.

But times changes and now was the time for Kaberle to move on. The deal that Brian Burke pulled off was nothing short of miraculous given what he had to work with, and it will make the Leafs better in the coming years.

And don't forget something that seems to have been lost in the reporting of this trade so far. Kaberle did not agree to a new deal with the Bruins prior to this trade, it was not a condition, so as it stands he becomes a unrestricted free agent this summer.

Tomas Kaberle loves Toronto, and he didn't want to leave the Leafs. Who knows, he might just end up back here this summer.

And if that happens, then Brian Burke should be arrested for grand larceny.

Category: Sports

The CFL just announced its 2011 schedule and there's a glaring change. There is no Labour Day Classic between the Argos and Ti-cats.

According to the league, due to scheduling problems for the Argos at Rogers Centre, the annual battle between the Argos and Tiger-Cats won't happen this year, but will return next year.

What?

Let's be honest, in Southern Ontario the CFL doesn't have a lot going for it. Both teams stink while getting lost in the sea of other things that this region has to offer in the summer and fall.

However, if there was one thing that the Argos and Ti-cats and by extension the CFL could hold on to, it was the Labour Day Classic. It was one of the few things that actually had re-call for the people of Southern Ontario.

You can't remember the names of the players because they change so often. And you aren't really sure when they're playing from week to week during the summer because the schedule is scrambled eggs.

But if there was one thing you could count on, one thing you could remember, one event that was usually worth considering, it was the Labour Day Classic.

But not this year.

Because the Argonauts are third class citizens in their own ball yard, the schedule dictates that playing a Labour Day game would screw up the rest of their home-schedule, so a valuable tradition will be put on the shelf this year.

Oh well.

Category: Sports

"Lindy Ruff revealed this week he declined to sign a two-year extension from the Sabres earlier this season. That might change with the team being sold to billionaire Terry Pegula. But if Ruff is a free agent in June, he will be in hot, hot demand. If Brian Burke decides that's it for Ron Wilson, Ruff would be a perfect fit in Toronto."

Damien Cox wrote this in the Star today and I couldn't agree more. What the Leafs need is a coach who's got a proven track record of developing young players into great players, and that's Lindy Ruff.

If Ruff leaves Buffalo his legacy will be that of over-achieving. He's taken many Sabre teams over the years and led them way beyond where they were expected to go.

Frankly, he possesses all the qualities that Ron Wilson doesn't.

The Leafs have shown absolutely no improvement under Wilson and it's got nothing to do with their talent level. We know its low, but players at the NHL level, regardless of talent, with the right leadership should show some degree of improvement.

Under Wilson there has been none.

Lindy Ruff probably decided not to sign an extension because his time in Buffalo. It's a that old coaching cycle thing. He's been there too long and it's time for a change of scenary.

Problem is, would he want to come to Toronto and take on all the bullshit that comes with it.

Category: Sports

Wow. If there was ever a statement on the Toronto Maple Leafs it came yesterday when Hockey Night in Canada released a Players Association poll that exposed the Buds as a major league burial ground.

Forget the Phil Kessel embarrassment, when over 300 NHL players pick Ron Wilson as the coach they'd least like to play for, and the Leafs as the fourth least attractive market to play in, you know there's big trouble.

The problem for Wilson, Brian Burke and the rest of MLSE is that they can't argue with this result. It's not the opinion of one or two players; it's a consensus of nearly half the players in the league.

The Wilson thing I can see. Burke can promote and protect this guy all he wants, but when you coach the youngest team in the league, and it shows absolutely no sign of improvement, you know they aren't being coached well.

When the power-play and penalty-killing teams are stuck where they were when Wilson first became coach, you know it's not entirely a talent deficiency, it's a coaching problem.

When players continuously follow decent efforts with several bad ones, you know there's a motivation problem, and that's often tied to the guy behind bench.

But forget all that, because the thing that really hurts is the destination issue. It wasn't long ago that the Leafs were a team that everybody wanted to play for. When players were either traded or drafted by the Leafs it was a good thing, but now it's a bad thing and several people have to share in the blame.

Wilson, for having a shitty reputation, Burke for hiring the guy, but most of all the blame has to be placed on the shoulders of Larry Tanenbaum and Richard Peddie who have created this situation and culture over the past decade.

It's absolutely shameful but more than that it's unbelievable. I honestly would have thought it impossible.

Category: Sports

As actors, NHL hockey players make great bus drivers. If that doesn't make sense, neither did the idea to have the players play-act or pretend they were pissed, upset or hurt during last nights so-called fantasy draft for the NHL all-star game.

I'll give TSN's James Duthie credit; he shut it down after it became painfully apparent that it just wasn't working. I found the actual draft half way amusing, but the attempt to pretend it was something more than it was, was corny.

Beyond that, the only other glaring observation from my perch was the behaviour of Alex Ovechkin. If you could cut the guy any slack, I guess you could say it was a sign of the times, but I found it extremely rude and arrogant for him to be texting after he was picked and took his position on stage.

Maybe it's just me, but I'm so goddamned sick and tired of looking at people with their heads down while hammering away at their Blackberrys or I-Phones I could freakin' scream.

What has happened to our society and where's it going from here?

It's one thing to be connected to your job and find your own space to deal with whatever's making your unit vibrate, but these people who now tap away while they're in mid-conversation with you is way over the top because you just know they're just answering tweets or idle chit chat.

But I'll take a step further. Not only does it piss me off when someone starts tappin' away while talking to you, it bothers me if they're simply sitting at the same table with you. At dinner, or at a coffee shop or outside on the lawn, they don't even have to be in conversation with me, it bothers me if they're just part of a group and they drift away into cyber land.

And that's what bothered me about Ovechkin last night. He's has the honour and the privilege of taking part in the NHL all-star game, but his addiction to his stupid Blackberry makes him look like he could give a shit.

Hey, maybe he doesn't give a shit, but at least have courtesy and respect for the situation for the precious few minutes you're on stage.

The other 35 guys did.

Category: Sports

I think we may have learned something about Phil Kessel last night. Rumour has it; he's a big asshole and that may explain what happened during the NHL All-Star draft last night.

Kessel was the last pick. Dead last. Sure he may have had a big smile on his face and handled it with class at the moment, but it's more interesting to scratch below the surface and look into "why" he was the last pick.

Under the all-star format, Kessel is definitely a guy I want on my team. There's no hitting, no back checking, just run and gun hockey with lots of scoring - and that's Phil Kessel's game.

When you look at all the players that were picked before Kessel, it doesn't make sense.

Kessel is among the league leaders in goals with 19, and when you consider all the chances he gets, if he'd scored on just a fraction of those, he could be right up there with Sid the Kid and Steven Stamkos.

One argument would suggest the players don't really care about winning tomorrow's game, but I don't entirely buy that. I'm sure the prevailing thought is this, if we're gonna play, we might as well win.

And that's what makes me raise an eyebrow to the Kessel thing.

Under an All-Star "no touch" situation Kessel could end up being the game MVP, but nobody touched him with a ten foot pole last night. Even when Patrick Kane finally made the announcement at the end of the night, he didn't sound that enthusiastic about picking Kessel... and remember, they played together during the Olympics on Team USA.

Bill Watters often refers to the problem that Phil Kessel can be in a dressing room because of his selfishness and bad attitude. Other players don't like him.

Last night may have exposed it even more.

Category: Sports

There's nothing like Hab fans to get a hockey fan thinking with some common sense.

I won't point the finger at my buddy Freeway Frank because I think a big part of his Hab fan act is simply a reaction to the bombs I throw to him periodically.

I'll admit, I like to bait Hab fans because it's so easy to get a reaction out of them. So hung up on things that happened almost two decades ago, its fun to push their stupid button and listen to all that shit about 25 Stanley Cups like it actually applies to what's going on today.

It's like a Blue Jay fan still harpin' about '92 and 93. It's irrelevant.

In some respects it's a good thing that the Maple Leafs have lost two games in a row, because it would probably lesson this essay if I brought it up during an extended winning streak.

Yes, the Leafs have gathered nine out of a possible 12 points recently, but I'd rather look at the big picture, the entire season to date.

Isn't it amazing that Hab fans like to piss all over the Leafs like there's light years between the two franchises, when really there's not? On the contrary, there's a fine line that separates the two teams and they could change sides in the blink of an eye.

After Leafs shootout loss to the Flames last night, and the Habs victory over the Rangers, the Habs have 12 more points than the Leafs in the standings, but Toronto has a game in hand.

The Habs have played 45 games while the Leafs have played 44, but over that stretch the Leafs have lost only six more games, notable yes, but not nearly the lopsided embarrassment that Hab fans would like to promote.

Scratch lightly below the surface and it gets more interesting. The Leafs have lost one quarter of their games this season by one goal, yet they have the youngest team in the NHL. The Leafs have actually scored more goals than the Habs but the break-down occurs in goals against. The Leafs have allowed 24 more.

That's where we get to the fine line. The Leafs veteran defensemen have under achieved this year while the rest of the team have reacted exactly how the youngest team in the NHL should react. They've made mistakes that young teams make, teams that are on the upswing of a learning curve.

Any fan, including any Hab fan could look at the Leafs season so far and recall at least six games that they could have or should have won but they broke down in the late going, some of due to the defensive corp that is lacking, but also a good measure rests on the shoulders of the youngsters.

I hate to break it to Hab fans but there really isn't that much to choose between the two teams and part of that has been displayed by the fact the Leafs have won two of three meetings this year.

It's become part of the culture in Toronto to be impatient and rightly so, but sometimes this clouds the facts.

Forget the Phil Kessel trade, because that's water under the bridge, instead we should look at Kessel the Leaf, the player he is now, and you know what, it ain't so bad. Phil Kessel is far from the problem, if anything; he's a big part of the solution that could play itself out over the next couple of years.

Kessel has 19 goals this season, and in case you didn't know, that's more than the following list of players.

Alexander Ovechkin, Nicklas Backstrom, Alexander Semin, Evgani Malkin, John Tavaras, Daniel Alfredsson, Jason Spezza, Joe Thornton, Dany Heatly, Patrick Marleau and absolutely every member of the Montreal Canadiens.

It was this kind of production I'm sure that Brian Burke had in mind when he made the trade. In many ways, Kessel has not disappointed and given that he's only 22 years old, and that there's a team maturing around him with a defense that can only get better, there's actually reason for optimism.

Should we consider that Burke does know what he's doing but we just want results too fast?

I understand the frustrations of Leaf fans, and its human nature to want things now as opposed to later, but I'm still a Brian Burke fan and I think later may be a lot sooner than we think. A couple of strategic acquisitions along with the other points I've made could turn this thing around pretty fast.

The definition of the term fine line is this - "so similar that one can easily become the other."

It's comin' Hab fans.

Category: Sports

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Category: Sports