Jason Spezza choosing to come home to Toronto turning into a wonderful story. Remained a classy professional despite being shown a lack of respect initially. Great to see him succeed.
Understand there is no truth to rumour that next Covid Protocol step has NHL players to be dropped off by parents 30 minutes before game time with skates tied up and skate guards on. 😎
I never imagined a world without Johnny Bower. Can you imagine growing up in Toronto, watching him hoist Stanley Cups and then work with him and become great friends. RIP.
#TheBestEver
Minnesota and Montreal in wild card race and have lost Matt Dumba and Paul Byron respectively to injuries for standing up to the "code". Devastating losses in both cases. It's 2019....Time to get a new code!
I often look back at old Draft's and wonder why players made it and others didn't. Kyle Beach was the highest drafted player (11th overall in 2008) to never have played a single NHL game from the Drafts from 1993 to 2018. Now we have some understanding about all that he endured!
Don't look now...but the often maligned Ron Hainsey had most ice time for all Leaf players last night in win over Calgary!....and at +36 he leads the NHL in plus/minus....+5 better then second place Morgan Rielly and Mark Giordano!
Very proud that my middle name Roderick is after my Mom’s father Roderick Montgomery who suffered three gunshot wounds fighting for Canada in World War I.
#RemembranceSunday2018
How fortunate I was to watch first hand all the greatness of Borje Salming on the ice for almost every game through thick and thin in his NHL career. What a treasure he has been to know off the ice! Hall of Fame person as well! 👊
George Armstrong could be arguably the greatest Captain in NHL history. An honour to work with him. Wonderful sense of humour. Very smart in his perspective on what really mattered in life. A larger than life personality who’s modesty led him to to stay in the background. 2/2
I am like thousands of others mourning the passing of the Iconic George Armstrong. Conn Smythe often said the smartest decision he made was to appoint “The Chief” Captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ team that would win four Stanley Cups in the 1960’s......1/2
Jim Gregory was my first boss with the Leafs in 1977. He always had your back and was supportive and we thrived . He used the WE approach and championed people like myself to grow professionally. I thought my working world would have many Jim Gregory's -no one else came close!
Hot of the presses. Very pleased with my second collaboration with Damien Story of the 1978 Leafs and memorable playoffs versus the Islanders. Memories of Borje, Darryl, Tiger, Lanny, Palmy, Roger and others.
#Leafs
#NHL
Like the NHL role in Las Vegas and Parkland and with the Humboldt tragedy, the moment of silence last night and heartfelt comments from Mike Babcock and Leaf players helped start the healing process and galvanize and unite a city in shock and mourning!
Great day personally as we all continue to deal with tough times. Excited with start of the NHL season but more pumped that 90-year-old Mom Rhoda and 94-year-old Aunt Peggy got the Vaccine today.
#ReasonForOptimism
Only 4% of those who play one game in the NHL reach the 1,000 Games Played mark. In the past week Ryan Suter, Jason Spezza, Ron Hainsey and Jason Pominville have all hit that Milestone. All class acts as well!
Working part-time in the intimate modest Leaf executive offices in 1977 with a ringside seat to George Armstrong, Johnny Bower, Jim Gregory, King Clancy, Gerry McNamara, Johnny McLellan and Roger Neilson bantering and holding court. Decades later I treasure that opportunity.
From Stats Whiz Steve Fellin....John Tavares' last four-goal game was January 27th, 2009 in London with the Knights in a 9-0 win over Kitchener. Three of those goals were assisted by Nazem Kadri!
Our daughter Jesse really enjoyed babysitting the young Anthopoulos children when they lived on our street while their father Alex was GM of the Jays until 2015. Congratulations to a neighbor we miss and a wonderful family on their World Series victory!
Ken Daniels and I filled in on Christmas Eve afternoon show first year of the FAN in 1993. Indelible memory is the legendary Johnny Bower singing "Honky The Christmas Goose" over the phone to us while his beloved wife Nancy accompanied him on the organ. Christmas Magic!!!
Sentimentally thinking of late father Ernie who always said two most fortunate events in his life was Canada welcoming him as a displaced person from Czechoslovakia in 1948....and then meeting our mother Rhoda a few years later in Toronto. 🇨🇦
I am among the many who saw the seeds in today’s news evolving from the end of season press conferences by Babcock and Dubas. Never mind not being on the same page...obvious they weren’t even reading the same book.
Nice to see Rick Vaive getting some appreciation in view of Matthews' accomplishments. Rick wore the Leaf sweater with great pride! A class act on and off the ice!
Been a great run on Leafs Nation. I look forward to continuing to be a big part of The FAN as a Leaf and NHL hockey analyst for the upcoming season. Looking forward to a great run.
Thank you to
@Gunning590
and
@GordStellick
for their contributions on Leafs Nation the past few seasons. We look forward to their continued presence on the
@FAN590
airwaves this year!
Happy Personal Anniversary. 20 years ago today I entered Mt. Sinai Hospital for my hip replacement surgery. Dr. Allan Gross had told me "you won't believe how good you will feel". Thank you so much to the amazing Dr. Gross and the Mt. Sinai staff. You changed my life!
Respect both sides being firm in their positions, but if the deadline passes with no deal for Nylander...then both sides have failed in how they negotiated. Hope and trusting Babcock's optimism is the true scenario!
The Super Dave Osborne Show was on Global TV before local Leaf broadcasts for a few years in the late 1980's. Remember Super Dave came to Maple Leaf Gardens to do fun promo's with some of the Leaf players. I loved the show! Loved him as Marty Funkhouser on Curb Your Enthusiasm!
For decades now you ask any NHL team what their most pressing needs are and they ALL would include "We could really use a Clark Gillies type forward". Decades later there still has yet to be another such individual!
Jim Gregory was probably the most underrated Leaf executive ever. As a person he was larger than life and championed many starting out in the hockey business...including me. I will miss his great laugh after every joke he told no matter how funny it was.
Don’t remember a comparable Leaf situation going to the wire since the failed Kyle Wanvig trade. Hopefully the paper in the fax machine won’t jam this time. 😀
Bob, Craig, Karen and I lost our Dad (Ernie) last September. He lived life large for 92 years and we reflect on the many great memories and our good fortune on Father's Day. Great to hear his voice still on our Mom's voicemail.
Fun Leaf this day in hockey history Memory as on January 8th, 1986, Wayne Gretzky's 37th career hat trick is not enough as Miroslav Frycer scores four goals and the Leafs beat the Edmonton Oilers 11-9 at Maple Leaf Gardens!
I was fortunate to get to know Barry in 1980 working with the Toronto Maple Leafs. A great coach in Medicine Hat, Adirondack and Los Angeles. An even greater broadcaster. And an even greater person and friend.
NEWS:
Barry Melrose has Parkinson's disease and is stepping away from our ESPN family to spend more time with his. I've worked with Barry at ESPN for over a quarter century. Cold beers and hearty laughs in smokey cigar bars. A razor sharp wit, he was always early & looked like a…
Happy 88th Birthday to Rhoda Stellick. Bob, Craig, Karen and myself have no idea what we did to deserve the BEST Mother in the World! We cherish our good fortune every day!
Hard to believe it was 25 years ago today that the blockbuster Toronto - Calgary trade saw Doug Gilmour, Jamie Macoun, Ric Nattress, Rick Walmsley & Kent Manderville to Toronto for Gary Leeman, Michel Petit, Craig Berube, Jeff Reese & Alexander Godynyuk!
Now that the Olympics and NHL Trade Deadline are over. Can we PLEASE get around to addressing the fact that the City of Toronto has become the Pot Hole Capital of the World.
#2FlatTiresIsEnough
!
With no NHL players in past Winter Olympics, might Team Canada see strength down the middle with Connor McDavid, Jonathan Toews and John Tavares on their team for World Championships in Denmark?
December 7th, 1968 - Next door neighbors, The Manos Family, give us their Leaf tickets at the last minute.... and brother Bob and I are thrilled to sit in their red seats and watch Norm Ullman's hattrick in a 5-2 win over the New York Rangers!
On this date in Leaf history 50 years ago, Norm Ullman records hat trick against the Rangers at the Gardens, having done likewise against the same team in the same building less than a month earlier. Ullman would lead ''68-69 Leafs in goals and points (77).
Oh my goodness. Like her late husband, Nancy was an absolute treasure. She was his rock and as nice a person one would ever meet. I imagine she will be joining Johnny in a special place for Hall of Fame people.
I’m saddened to learn of the passing of Nancy Bower, wife and soulmate of late
#LeafsForever
icon Johnny Bower, who has died at age 96. Nancy was a sweet, kind, gentle soul – exactly like John, who left us on Dec. 26, 2017 at 93 and greets her now with a hug
@johnnybowerfund
Tough start for Toronto Maple Leaf season. Their biggest fan our beloved Aunt, Isabel "Peggy" Montgomery, passed away after 95 great years. She was looking forward to watching all 82 Leaf games this season as well as all 82 game replays the next day!
Day One Rinkside American Hockey League Show crew reunion with Gord Stellick, Jim Ralph and Darryl Reaugh. Thanks as well to Rick Hodge, Paul Siemms and the late Rick Pyman!
Stating the obvious. No middle ground tonight. A Leaf win will be a team positive in succeeding through adversity that should propel the Leafs to more future playoff successes. A loss is probably the most disappointing end to a Leaf season in a very long time!.
Isn't this a time for Freddie Andersen to play back to back games this Tuesday and Wednesday to both help sustain the Leafs recent strong play, but more importantly put the current glaring lack of an adequate backup goaltender on the back burner for a few days?
Less known fact is that Brian Burke is one of the all-time great people at reaching out to support and help friends and colleagues in them dealing with adversity. I experienced it first hand leaving the New York Rangers in 1990 and the FAN morning show in 2010!
#CherishedFriend
When 2021/2022 NHL schedule is released, I am going to take a quick look for when Columbus comes to Toronto as we look forward to the Mikko Lehtonen video tribute. 😎
Dr. Finley also did an amazing job dealing with the 250+ stitches Borje Salming suffered in a game in Detroit in 1986. I remember the Detroit trainer saying to us after Borje was taken to the hospital that their doctor (Finley) was "the best in the country"!
To know the "real" Dan Maloney was to know a man of great character, great integrity, loyalty, passion, compassion, generosity and a wonderful sense of humor! Honored to have known "Satch" as a great friend and work colleague! RIP!
The last time the Leafs scored 4 or more goals in nine consecutive games (before tonight) was February, 1993. A prelude to their best Playoff run since 1967!
Weird, quirky Leaf note. What kind of Vegas odds would you get for a Leaf game where 17 of the 18 players have at least one shot on goal (like last night with 44 Leaf shots on goal vs. Anaheim) and the only Leaf player without a shot is Mitch Marner?
#TooMuchTimeOnMyHands
My Grandfather (my Mom’s Father) Roderick Montgomery suffered gunshot wound injuries on three different occasions in World War I. Extremely proud that Roderick is my middle name.
Enjoyed a great four years working with Rob Simpson on NHL Network Radio! He remains a great friend. Nobody has had more interesting NHL and life adventures than Simmer and wish him all the best!
@simmerpuck
Sentimental thoughts about the Leafs' last playoff game against Montreal, a 5-4 OT loss on April 22nd, 1979. I was working part-time in the Leaf offices. This proved to be the last game for Jim Gregory as GM and Roger Neilson as coach. Never met two more quality people!
About an hour before Joe Carter's World Series walk off home run this day in 1993....Mark Osborne scored twice and Felix Potvin picked up shutout in Leafs' 2-0 win over Tampa Bay Lightning. This made Leafs victorious in first 9 consecutive games of NHL season, then an NHL record.
Team loss last night for Leafs. Jake Gardiner doubtful to be back next season for cap reasons so boo birds should focus concerns elsewhere. Nylander still a non factor! Next Marner and Matthews contracts will almost double what Mackinnon ($6.0M) and Landeskog ($5.571M) make!
Here is how you win Stanley Cups. Your scouts select Brayden Point in the 3rd round. Your GM has him on the 2nd year of a 3 year second contract bridge deal at $6.75M. He has 45 points (22 goals, 23 assists) in his last 34 Playoff games (close to 110 point pace in 82 games)!
Thought that Morgan Rielly and MLSE handled situation first class. Who is accountable in social media world for first making an allegation that proved to be unfounded?
"In sports sometimes the unthinkable does happen, and it happened to me." – Darryl Sittler
45 years ago today Darryl had a record setting night. His remarkable 10-point performance against the Boston Bruins has yet to be matched.
#LeafsForever
A reminder to those who think buying out final year of Patrick Marleau contract is an option for Leafs to find cap space. Not So!!! 35+ age player on multi-year contracts, team retains FULL Cap hit if player is bought out.
With the Columbus Blue Jackets winning their first playoff series (they entered the NHL in 2000 - 2001), the Toronto Maple Leafs now have the second longest streak of not winning a playoff series (2004 is the last time). Florida Panthers have not won a playoff series since 1996!
Ranking order of NHL teams most deserving of Lottery Luck:
1. Minnesota; 2. Winnipeg
3. NY Rangers 4. Nashville
5. Florida; 6. Toronto
7. Pittsburgh; 8. Edmonton
My opinion!
Hutchison pulled at 6:13, fastest Leaf non injury pull since Allan Bester at 6:09 on February 6, 1991 against Winnipeg. Daniel Marlos scored first and then Doug Evans and Thomas Steen scored 24 seconds apart and Tom Watt gave Bester rhe hook down 2-1. Game ended a 5-5 tie!
Suffering from E.W.L.J.P.S. (Extreme White Leaf Jerseys and Pants Syndrome) from Saturday night's game. Found myself dreaming constantly of decades old Pepsodent and Mr. Clean TV commericals the past two nights!
NHL Draft Lottery Tonight...Vancouver and Arizona are two teams deserving of the type of Lottery luck that Carolina got last year. How about the New York Rangers never having a pick in the top three since modern day Amateur Draft began in 1969!
Looking forward to Darryl Sittler being honoured at Easter Seals Conn Smythe Dinner this week. Tiger Williams and Lanny McDonald will also be there. This book I wrote with Damien Cox covers their best times as Leafs. Available at Indigo Stores or order through Amazon!
Sportsnet stats whiz Steve Fellin- First time in Leaf franchise history Leafs have two centres with back to back 30-goal seasons with Kadri and Matthews.
Keep in mind when Vegas made the Final in 2018 their top forwards included David Perron, Erik Haula and James Neal and D corp had Nate Schmidt and Colin Miller. Three years later they are all gone and they have added likes of Pacioretty, Stone and Pietrangelo.
#AstuteManagement
Has lightning struck twice for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Patrick Laine replicates a similar impact like that Seth Jones brought to Columbus in the trade for Ryan Johansen?
As Leafs were cruising to easy victory over Florida Panthers, nice moment late in game when James Reimer got a great ovation from an appreciative Leaf crowd when Panthers changed goaltenders in the third period. Was always a class act and standup guy on and off the ice!
Success of Leafs regular season saw a first place team that was able to come up with a “statement” game the times it was required. Need now for a playoff “statement” performance tonight to close the deal.
I have been fortunate to meet many nice people so far in my life. I have never met a nicer person than Mike Nykoluk. Always greeted you with a smile and a cigar! Nice Guys Do Finish First!!
We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Mike Nykoluk.
Mike captained the 55 Memorial Cup winning Marlies before going on to play 32 games for the Maple Leafs. He later served as the Maple Leafs head coach for 4 seasons, from 1981-84.
Our thoughts are with his family.
Easy call with this Olympic hockey disappointment to get a long term World Cup of Hockey plan firmly in place. We did have something comparable from the Canada Cup in 1976 up until the World Cup in 1996 and many still great hockey memories exist from that 20 year ride!
If you’re
@MapleLeafs
fan of a certain age, or even if you’re younger and want to know why all of us talk about this team so much, you will love this book by
@DamoSpin
and
@GordStellick
. Great memories and learned a ton I didn’t know. Well done fellas!
What a giant of journalism. A one of a kind larger than life personality. Loved championing the "little guy or girl". Will miss seeing her jogging in our neighborhood. North Toronto Arena has plaque paying tribute to her Dad as the original Arena Manager!
Keefe said he started Spezza on a bit of a hunch, knew Spezza's four daughters were here, Spezza would appreciate the moment. Spezza scores 30 seconds in. As
#Leafs
Nation knows, none of this happened on opening night.
Maybe most telling team stat for Leafs is that they have given up at least three goals in a period 27 times. Only Detroit (29) with worse record while Nashville (19) and New Jersey (18) are next two.
Shortly after The Score 1997 launch, Tim Micalef and Sid Seixeiro created “Tim and Sid”. I knew it would never last. 24 years later I am proven correct. 😀. Congratulations Sid! You guys were awesome together and you both still will be awesome on your own!.....2/2
Firing Peter Chiarelli not unexpected. But who was the last GM fired in the emotional aftermath immediately after a tough loss? I believe the last coach fired in this fashion was Gerard Gallant searching for a taxi in Carolina after being dismissed by Florida Panthers!
Growing up in Toronto, my American Network TV stations were based out of Buffalo. Was bombarded by a ton of car commercials by a guy named Dan Creed and also Dan Kane. Who knew the guy who gave Hasek the great car deal would have a future HHOF son!