Heart and Spirit Reborn

December 5, 2010 Game #25 Leafs 3 Bruins 2 SO Kessel Salts Leaf Win in Shootout What a difference a couple of days can make in hockey! On Thursday evening, the Maple Leafs played a disgraceful game and were severely taken to task by a sellout crowd at the Air Canada Centre. They had been shellacked by the Edmonton Oilers. They were booed off the ice by their irate fans. The crowd screamed for the head of Ron Wilson on a platter. It was a catastrophic loss, to say the very least. Last night, the Leafs came out of the gate with a determination that they have dearly lacked in several of their recent games. When Nathan Horton scored the first Boston goal, it looked like the Leafs were beginning to dig a hole for themselves, as has been the case on so many previous occasions. However, tonight was going to be different. With just four minutes left in the first period, Carl Gunnarsson teamed up with Tyler Bozak and Nazem Kadri to tie the score. There were no goals scored by either club in the second period. Early in the third, Gregory Campbell put the visitors ahead. Things began to look a little grim for the home team, thanks to an absolutely brilliant performance in goal by Tim Thomas, the 36 year-old goalie in the Boston net. He is having a career year so far this season. His team boasts the best defensive record in the NHL, and Thomas has been absolutely marvelous in the Beantown net. Tonight, however, the Leafs were not going to be denied. With less than a minute left in the game, Kris Versteeg capped a furious assault on the Boston net by slamming a rebound past Thomas, sending the game to overtime. The five-minute, four-on-four extra session solved nothing, so the decision rested on the outcome of a shootout. Phil Kessel turned out to be the player who prevailed in the shootout session. He fired a shot at Thomas that was so hard it propelled the goalie backwards into the net, carrying the puck in with him under his pads. Game over! The Leafs played hard all night. They were rewarded by a standing ovation, and they raised their sticks skywards in appreciation. They had rebounded in fine fashion from the horror of their most recent outing. But…can they keep the momentum going? I have great concerns about that. Their next two games pits the team against the Washington Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins in two consecutive road matches. They will be the clear underdogs in both of those contests. This team remains very fragile. They are not showing very much potential of a strong offence. The road ahead is long and steep, and, if they are going to have success, several players MUST develop more offensive output…and they’ll have to do it SOON! They did well last night, but they have to keep things rolling, and that is going to be tough for them to accomplish. February 18, 2011 Tomas Kaberle Traded to Boston Well, dear readers, speculation has become reality. General Manager Brian Burke announced today that Tomas Kaberle has been traded to the Boston Bruins. He has obviously agreed to the trade, waived the no-trade clause in his contract, and will report to his new team in time for this evening’s game in Ottawa against the Senators. In return for Kaberle, the Toronto Maple Leafs will acquire: • Centre Joe Colborne • Boston’s First Round Draft Pick – 2011 Entry Draft • Boston’s Second Round Conditional Draft Pick – 2012 Entry Draft Joe Colborne is 21 years of age, and is a native of Calgary, Alberta. He was a first round draft pick of the Bruins in 2008. He played for two years at the University of Denver. Currently, he is tied for the third scoring position on the Bruins’ AHL affiliate in Springfield with 12 goals and 14 assists. He will report at once to the Toronto Marlies, where he will play his first game with them tomorrow. *************** It is only appropriate that we pay tribute to Tomas Kaberle as he parts company with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Brian Burke thanked him for his 13-plus years of service to the team. He described Kaberle as a model team member, and thanked him for his contributions to the club, along with his active role in the community. Toronto has been the only NHL team that Kaberle has played for. He joined the Leafs in 1998. Since then, he has played in 879 games, has scored 83 goals, and added 437 assists, for a total of 520 points. He has represented the Leafs in four NHL All-Star games. He has also periodically worn the “A” on his jersey as a Leaf Assistant Captain. Tomas has also played for the Czech Republic eight times in Junior World Championships, World Championships, and the Olympics. In 2006, his team won the Olympic Bronze Medal Speaking personally, I have mixed feelings about Tomas as he departs the team. I view him as a solid performer and team member, but I’d never describe him using the adjective “great”. He constantly frustrated me by passing the puck to his team-mates rather than shooting to the net. I rarely considered him as a “tough” defender or particularly eager to sacrifice his body in the shooting lanes. In terms of production, I would venture that he had six good years and six average years. Tomas Kaberle is most certainly deserving of the appreciation of everyone in the Leaf Nation as he leaves the Maple Leafs. We should all wish him the very best throughout the remainder of his career.