Captain Blye and the Rabbi Episode 4

Another week, another show. In episode 4, The Rabbi and I review the first month of the season and who has surprised us so far (both good and bad). Next we chat about Stephen Harper and his belief that there should be more NHL teams in Canada and where they should be located. Finally, we discuss the tragic story of Theoren Fleury. Look for more on Theo in the future.

Check it out.

My favourite Northwest rival

Tonight the Avalanche take their league best 9-1-2 record into Calgary. I'm fairly certain it will be a great game and if you want a preview, just click the link to Mile High Hockey on the side of this page as this post isn't about tonight's game. It's about a dynamic shared between me and good friend Adam Smith, one of the biggest Flames fans I know.

Flames-Avalanche games don't quite have the same level of hatred that is owned by many of the other rivalries in the Northwest division. The Oilers and Flames destroy each other during Battle of Alberta. The Flames and Canucks have the showdown over the Rocky Mountains. The Avalanche have the Steve Moore grudge match with Vancouver. And the Canucks-Oilers game dates back to the days of Wayne Gretzky and the Smythe division. Games against Minnesota are tough but don't elicit the same level of passion as the real rivalries.

How does this relate to Adam and I? During my last year at McGill, Adam and I worked at the McGill Tribune together and watched a lot of hockey (usually Flames games though he would sometimes stay for an Avalanche game if the timing was right). The Flames were in the midst of the dreadful Jim Playfair year. The Avalanche were still saddled with Jose Theodore's awful contract/goaltending. Both teams were completely mediocre (to the point that two teams finished 8th and 9th in the West, with Calgary taking the final playoff spot by a point). Playfair's coaching was so bad that Adam penned this column in the Trib, which begun the "Fire Jim Playfair" bandwagon (Playfair was demoted back to assistant coach after the season). This was compounded by the Flames' dismal performance in the final two games of the season and into the playoffs. During Calgary's 81st game it was announced that Avalanche had lost to the Nashville Predators, clinching the Flames a spot in the post-season. The Flames went on to lose that game (against the terrible Oilers) and again a night later, this time against the Avalanche in Denver. They were quickly eliminated by the Detroit Red Wings in the opening round. But I digress.

We knew that our teams weren't going anywhere but neither one of us cared. We had a mutual hatred of the Oilers and Canucks. We both wanted to see our teams beat the Wild. And neither one of us had any time for the Maple Leafs. It became routine. A usual night consisted of Adam heading by just before the game started with a case of beer and bag of Doritos/Lays. We drank, watched, analyzed and usually complained. We'd go nuts if the Canuck/Oilers were the victims and were pissed off when those teams beat ours.

Avalanche-Flames games were different. With puck drop around 9:00, we made the trek (usually in the middle of a Montreal Winter) up St Laurent to Schwartz's for smoked meat. In ground zero for Habs fans, we dared to walk in the door wearing Calgary Red and Colorado Burgundy. When we finally rolled our-smoked meat filled-selves back down the hill to watch the game, we had already dissected everything that we thought our teams could give us that night and we didn't think much of either team's chances (Colorado took the season series 5-3-0). When the game finally began, we both took turns lauding and ripping our respective team. While we both wanted our boys to win, there wasn't a sense of hatred in the room even though every game mattered in the ultra-competitive Northwest.

It's this relationship that has led me to consider the Calgary Flames as an opponent, and not an enemy. I certainly want Colorado to beat Calgary tonight just as I'm sure that Adam would like his Flames to steamroll my Avs. But we only want this for hockey reasons. There isn't a hatred or envy. Just a mutual respect between two consistent and somewhat storied franchises.

Hope it's a classic tonight.

Eastern Conference Preview, Quick Version

A few weeks ago, I was asked if I had done an Eastern Conference Preview on time (and not been lazy) where I would have ranked the Toronto Maple Leafs (and everyone else for that matter). My answer (which I reiterated on yesterday's episode of Cpt. Blye and the Rabbi) was middle of the pack with 7th, 8th or 9th as likely landing spots. Today that would seem ridiculous. What I'm going to do is give predictions based on what I know today, with my preseason rankings beside them. You'll have to trust that I'm telling the truth about them.


15. New York Islanders (15)
This team sucks. Tavares and Hall would make a nice combination next year.

14. Toronto Maple Leafs (8)
Goaltending, goaltending, goaltending.

13. Florida Panthers (13)
Sorry Ethan. I know that you liked them early but this team has done nothing so far

12. Atlanta Thrashers (12)
I'm not buying the start.

11. Tampa Bay Lightning (11)
Very talented first line. Nothing else.

10. Ottawa Senators (14)
Okay, they're going to finish better than 2nd last but I refuse to believe this team can make the playoffs.

9. Buffalo Sabres (10)
Again, I don't believe that these are the real Buffalo Sabres. Call me in month.

8. Carolina Hurricanes (5)
Better than they've played so far. Fifth might have been a bit high.

7. Philadelphia Flyers (4)
I suppose they're underachieving, but this team shouldn't be losing to the Florida Panthers.

6. Montreal Canadiens (7)
I honestly believe that this team is too talented to miss the playoffs. Call it blind faith. I don't care.

5. New Jersey Devils (9)
Remind me to never doubt a team backstopped by Martin Brodeur.

4. New York Rangers (6)
Pleasantly surprising though they don't get to the play the Leafs twice in the same week all time. Let's see if this can last.

3. Boston Bruins (2)
Still should win the Northeast but I doubt they'll have a top three record.

2. Pittsburgh Penguins (3)
I expected the Atlantic division (specifically Philadelphia) to be better. The Pens should run away with the division crown. Would have ranked them first but...

1. Washington Capitals (1)
I picked Alexander the Great's squad to win the Cup at the beginning and take first overall in the East. I stand by this prediction.

Captain Blye and the Rabbi Epsiode 3

In this week's edition, Ethan and I talk about what wrong with the Leafs, what's right with the Coyotes and give present a crash course on the KHL in Russia.

A random walk through the Eaton Centre

On my way back from lunch today, I walked by a newsstand whose biggest draw is that it carries the same-day news from Montreal (including all three French papers). Naturally, the covers of La Presse and Le Journal had stories (or tease bars) about the bubbling goaltending controversy. Yep, one win in one game for Halak and the French press is stirring. Btw, Le Devoir is all about Gerald Tremblay and the Mob. Montreal municipal politics are high comedy.

Avs win 3-2 in Montreal

From an Avs fan:
Mile High Hockey sums it up quite well

From a Habs fans:
The Active Stick is quite fair in her assessment. No word yet on whether she's speaking with me.

My take:
Aside from everything else that's been written, it's impressive where Colorado's goals are coming from. One from the first line (Hedjuk), one from the third line (O'Reilly's first NHL marker) and one from a 4th/5th defenceman (Cumiskey). Not a lot on the scoresheet from Wolski, Statsny or Duchene - just one assist from SoS. But if this team can win when the best players are being shutout, it bodes well for when they put the puck in the net. Duchene will get his first goal soon. Maybe on Saturday in Detroit? Wouldn't that be sweet? And of course Craig Anderson is fucking incredible.

Preview for tonight's Avs-Habs game

Sorry I've been slow on the uptake this week. Things have been a little busy.

Avalanche-Canadiens

What have they done?
The Avs are in the midst of a seven game road trip (tonight is night five). They've opened the season 4-1-1 (tops in the West), with a respectable 2-1-1 record for the road trip.
The Habs finally head home after a five game road trip to start the season. Montreal own a 2-3-0 record over that span but closed the trip losing to all three Western Canadian clubs. Tonight is home opener at the Bell Centre.

How have done against each other?
Since the lockout the Avs own a 2-1-0 edge in the series, including a 4-2 win over the Habs last February. Colorado lead the all-time 10-4-3 since the franchise moved to Denver from Quebec.

Key players
For Colorado, goaltender Craig Anderson has been phenomenal. The former Florida backup has started every game for the Burgundy and Blue, producing a stunning .940 save percentage and 1.98 GAA. Rookie Matt Duchene is putting in an early case for the Calder Trophy based on his performance so far. All he needs is that elusive first career goal.

On the Habs side, Brian Gionta leads the team with three goals but after him it's the truculent Travis Moen with two. Mike Cammalleri needs to step up his production beyond his four assists. Finally which Carey Price shows up tonight? The man who kept them in the game against the Leafs and Flames or the kid that was shelled in Vancouver. Either way, bar owners on St.-Laurent should see an uptick in sales and sleazy girls tonight around 11:30.

Key Stats
Colorado power-play: 10 for 26 (2nd)
Montreal penalty kill: 7 for 19 (28th)

Goals for Colorado's second line (Svatos, Tucker, Duchene): 6
Goals for Montreal 's second line (Plekanec, Kostitsyn, D'Agostini): 2

Craig Anderson's career record against Montreal: 3GP 0-2-1, 3.86 GAA
Carey Price's career record against Colorado: 0GP 0-0-0; 0.00 GAA

Key Questions

Can Craig Anderson handle seven straight starts?
Will Matt Duchene/Mike Cammalleri get his first goal of the season?
Can the Avalanche keep up their spectacular power play?
Does Montreal's 63.6. % PK come back to bite them in the ass?
Will the Habs find any scoring beyond the first line?
If the Habs don't get it going early, how fast does an fired up Bell Centre crowd turn on them?
How many seconds will it take for the crowd to jeer Darcy Tucker?
How many Jägerbombs/beers/any other drink does Carey Price order tonight at Buona Notte/Globe?
Does The Active Stick ever talk to me again if the Avs win?

Captain Blye the Rabbi - Episode Two

And we're back for another week. Ethan and I talk about a possible return of hockey in Quebec City, debate the merits of Dany Heatley and his questionable demand for a trade and whether or not Don Cherry is past his prime. Check it out.

A Plea to my friend The Active Stick

This one is just for my friend at The Active Stick (btw, read her blog). I'm not below begging here at Unfinished Business so here goes:

IF YOU SOMEHOW CAN GAIN ACCESS TO TICKETS FOR THE HABS-AVS GAME TOMORROW NIGHT, I WILL BOW TO YOUR GREATEST AND FOREVER BE IN YOUR DEBT. I WILL MAKE THE TREK TO MONTREAL JUST FOR THIS GAME AND PAY YOU BACK TEN-FOLD.

New Team in Quebec City?

The Star is reporting that Bill Daly met with Marcel Aubut this week about a team returning to Quebec City. Marcel owned the Nordiques until 1995. More on this when I've got a minute or 60 to think about this.

Western Conference Preview, Part Two

Here we go with the best in the West (god, that's an awful cliche). Also, this preview and my essays on the East will be simplified. I'm getting a bit lazy.

8. Nashville Predators
What I like: Pekka Riine was solid in goal last year; Weber, Suter and Hamhuis are nice young defensive base; Barry Trotz is one of the best coaches in the NHL who consistently gets more out of his players than their abilities indicate; Steve Sullivan, Jason Arnott and J.P. Dumont is a decent first line; The penalty kill was top ten last year; The Predators didn't lose any quality players in the off-season.

What I don't like: Scoring lags after the front line; Power-play was bottom five in the league last year; Didn't add any particularly great players either; It's too bad this team isn't playing in Southern Ontario. They would be an interesting team to watch in Toronto/Hamilton.

7. St. Louis Blues
What I like: Full of ex-Leaf first round draft picks (Boyes, Colaiacovo); Top ten PP and PK last season (8th and 3rd); Good goaltending provided by Chris Mason; Solid coach in Andy Murray; A good scoring balance with a lot of potential on the first line. T.J. Oshie and David Backes could break out this year.

What I don't like: Full of ex-Leaf first round draft picks (Steen, Jackman); Not a lot of defence beyond the first pairing of Jackman and Erik Johnson (and Johnson cannot be allowed anywhere near a golf cart); St. Louis is relying on Keith Tkachuk and Paul Kariya for the scoring on the second line with Boyes. Both have had their best days behind them.

6. Columbus Blue Jackets
What I like: Rick Nash opted to stay with the team and sign an eight-year extension. I might not like this for the future but I love it for 09-10; Nash's linemate Derrick Brassard was poised for a breakout year in '09 (10 goals and 15 assists in 31 games) before going dislocating his shoulder in a fight. All the more reason I like this guy to explode in 2010. Ken Hitchcock a is proven winner and routinely makes the most of what little defence he's got; Steve Mason is coming off a great rookie year in goal.

What I don't like: The Jackets had worst power-play in the league last year; Hitchcock might be able to improve the play of mediocre defencemen in their own end but can't do much about the fact that this team is completely lacking a PP quarterback; Goaltenders coming off great rookie years have a slight tendency to drop off in their second season - reread the last sentence of What I Like.

5. Anaheim Ducks
What I like: Getzlaf, Perry and Ryan are arguably the best first line in the NHL; Saku and Teemu are pleased to be playing with each other; Scott Niedermayer remains one of the best leaders in the game and is still a pretty good defencemen; Artyukhin, Lupul and Marchant are one of the better third lines in the league; Randy Caryle is a quality coach who usually gets this team motivated to play; Jonas Hiller was great for the Ducks in last year's playoffs.

What I don't like: With Pronger and Beauchemin both gone, the defence is a thin beyond the first pairing (even though Beauchemin hasn't preformed yet in Toronto); The overall makeup seems to be a departure from the Brian Burke way. The tough guys aren't quite on the same level as in the years past. Savu Koivu and Ryan Whitney, though both talented, would not have played on a BB team; Ducks have to hope that Hiller can carry the load over a full season.

4. Chicago Blackhawks
What I like: The first line is awesome; The defence is great combination of stoppers and puck-movers; The third line has John Madden, one of the best defensive forwards in the league; I've always liked Joel Quinnville as a coach (possible Avs bias); Stan Bowman might be the titular GM but has never run a team before. But Bowman, that name sounds familiar no? That's right, Stan is Scotty's son. And wouldn't you know Dad is the Senior Adviser. I think Stan will be alright.

What I don't like: Havlat's gone and Hossa's out until November; Patrick Kane had an incident with a Buffalo cabbie; Huet has never been counted on to do the job on his own for an entire year; Everyone is taking the Hawks to win the Central and it seems too easy to join that bandwagon.


3. Detroit Red Wings
What I like: The Red Wings have been the model franchise in hockey for almost 15 years. They have one of the best owners, GMs, Coaches and Scouting teams in the NHL; Their line up is among the best in the league; Datysuk, Zetterberg, Fippula and Draper could be the league's best centre combination; Franzen is emerging as a top-six winger; Hossa was useless in the playoffs and he's gone; Lidstrom leads what's still one of the best defensive units in the league.

What I don't like: The Red Wings employ a certain cretin who wears the number 44; All Avs' bias aside, Osgood is a year older and he couldn't go for a full season last year. Backup Jimmy Howard has played exactly 10 games in four seasons; Hossa's gone (meaning that they lose his 40 regular season goals. Playoffs are another issue); Everyone is a year older and even the "Youngsters" such as Fippula and Abdelkader aren't that young (25 and 22). Lidstrom is 39, Draper is 38, Osgood, Holmstrom and Matlby are 37. At some point age will catch up to the Red Wings.

2. San Jose Sharks
What I like: The Sharks fleeced the Sens for Dany Heatley (not that it's too difficult). Cheecoo is a one-season wonder, Michalek will be always a year away and they didn't give up any defencemen or Patrick Marleau. Heatley, Thornton and whoever is the third winger will be one the best combinations in the league this year; Dan Boyle and Rob Blake provide a very solid base on defence; Evgeni Nabokov has been remarkably consistent in the post-lockout era. He's one of two goaltenders to have posted three straight seasons with a GAA under 2.50, a save percentage of .910 or better and at least 6 shutouts. The only other player to manage this feat: Martin Brodeur; Top five in both power-play and PK in '09.

What I don't like: Not a lot of depth beyond beyond first two lines; Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley have their respective reputations (poor playoff performer and prima donna). The Sharks will need both of these reps to be overcome; This team is dangerously close to the salary cap and will have to unload players next year.

1. Calgary Flames
What I like: Calgary has the single best defensive unit in the league. Dion, Bouwmeester and Regehr are downright scaring on the blue line. Expect Pierre Maguire to have a heart attack for all the monster plays these three will make; In goal, ole Kipper has looked decent so far, though three games do not a season make. Up front, Jerome Iginla continues to lead by example and finally has a centre of similar talent in Olli Jokenin. Craig Conroy and Damon Langkow can finally play on the second and third lines (likely interchangeably) while wingers Rene Bourque and David Moss are both coming off 20 goal seasons and have the potential to make the leap this year.

What I don't like: Losing Mike Cammalleri and his 39 goals will naturally be noticed as there was a large drop-off in goalscoring after the Italian/Jewish speedster; Kipper might be good so far but hasn't been great in the past couple seasons. While his defence is strong, there will likely be night that he needs to save the team while the offence meshes together; Gone with Cammalleri are 19 of the Flames' 61 power-play goals from last year. Not only will the Flames need to step up with the man advantage but Big Dion has to rediscover his booming slap shot from the point.

Captain Blye and the Rabbi Episode One

You've probably noticed that I link to a number of other blogs that I like/think are worth a read. Most of them are sports/hockey blogs. The one noticeable exception is one called Musings on Greenwood. This my friend Ethan Rabidoux's realm. Most of you know him and I don't need to describe him or his antics. For those that don't, check out the homepage for his mini-bio. He's one of the good guys.

Little more than a month ago, we spoke at Ryan and Sarah's wedding about doing a Hockey podcast. In less than six weeks time, that drunken idea has become a very sober and exciting reality. It is without further ado that I give you Episode One of Captain Blye and Rabbi. There's a full episode description on the linking page. We hope that it becomes a permanent part of your Wednesday nights/Thursday mornings.

PS For future listening, you can click on the iTunes feed link at the bottom of page. It will connect to the "WhatWouldRabidoux" feed where Ethan stores all of his podcasts. You can listen to the others if you want.

I think you need your groin to play goalie

Adrian Dater at the Denver Post is reporting that Craig Anderson has groin pull http://bit.ly/Xr3yz

Yep, one of the few bright spots on the team is hurt. And it so begins.

UPDATE:
Dater says that Anderson is starting tomorrow night against Nashville. http://bit.ly/rjTYU
Alright, I was a bit quick at the trigger

2009-10 Season Preview: Western Conference Part One

Working my way from the "outhouse to the penthouse" here are my predictions for Western Conference this year, starting with the West's members of the Taylor Hall sweepstakes.

15. Colorado Avalanche
Might as well get this out of the way now. Joe Sakic's number retirement ceremony is going to be the highlight of the season. It's all downhill from there. Colorado was statistically the worst offensive in the NHL last season. The Avs were also abysmal on special teams with the power-play and penalty kill ranked 25th and 21st respectively. And of course the team no longer employs Joe Sakic, Ryan Smyth or Ian Laparriere. On the slight plus side, the defence isn't terrible, Paul Stastny is fully healthy, Matt Duchene will give some glimpses of brilliance and Craig Anderson is an absolute bargain at $1.5m. But make no mistake; this is a young and inexperienced team. Colorado will struggle to score goals and will almost certainly finish last. Two wins to start the season not withstanding.

14. Phoenix Coyotes
The only team that might prevent the "Av-Nots" from finishing last are the Desert Dogs. I'm not even going to try writing about their off-ice struggles. But in case you were distracted by all the court room drama, let's not forget that the Coyotes are coming off a 13th place finish in the Western Conference and are drifting from day to day. Wayne Gretzky is out as Head Coach, replaced by former Dallas bench boss Dave Tippett. The move gets The Great One out of the spotlight in Phoenix but seems like it's a step sideways. Tippett was good but not great during his run in Big D and shouldn't make a difference (positively or negatively) to this team's fortunes. The big issue is that personnel-wise, this team is a disaster. The team gutted itself at the trade deadline last year. Goaltender Ilya Bryzgalov recorded a dismal 2.98 GAA last year. The defence is collection of has-beens (Ed Jovanoski), won't-be's (Sam Lepsito) and never-weres (Jim Vandermeer). Their one saving grace is captain Shane Doan. It could be on his sheer will that the 'Yotes don't finish last. But that's about all this warrior will be able to do.

13. Edmonton Oilers
There's a lot of excitement in Oil Country and I have no idea why. The hire of Pat Quinn might have been good if this team was laden with veterans, but it's instead one of the youngest teams in the league. Quinn immediately tried to put his stamp on this team by trading three youngsters for Dany Heatley. While Edmonton is fortunate that it didn't happen (mostly because it would have made Bryan Murray look good and I really don't like when that happens), I can say from first hand experience watching what he did in Toronto that it will happen again. Pat Quinn and his GM Steve Tambellini (read: the man that Quinn wanted to replace him as GM of the Leafs) are going to gut this team of their prospects and young talent - or at least try to. Oilers fans should also note how well Khabibulin played in his first "Battle of Alberta." Have fun with that 36 year-old Russian who's in year one of a four year guaranteed contract.

12. Los Angeles Kings
I actually like the Kings, in 2010-11. The forward unit is young and getting better. Adding Ryan Smyth should provide veteran leadership to this talented group. The defence is being built around a solid foundation of Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson, both of whom have the potential to play 30 minutes a night. But the youth up front plus the inexperience of goaltender Jon Quick mean I'm not quite ready to say this team makes the jump.

11. Minnesota Wild
Gone are the days of the Northwest division being the league's most competitive. Jacques Lemaire's departure from Minnesota should have allowed the Wild (don't call us the North Stars) to unleash the oft-injured Marian Gaborik's talent on the rest of the league. I've always felt that Gaborik was ill-suited to playing Lemaire's physical, puck-possession style of hockey and that his injuries were a result of him doing things that shouldn't have (read: hitting). Whether or not I was right, we'll never know since Gaborik took a big contract from the New York Rangers (more about that in the Eastern Conference preview). Minnesota replaced him with Martin Havlat - another talented but oft-injured forward. But in Havlat case, he was getting injured on team that had a rather offensive agenda to begin with (Ottawa post-Jacques Martin, Chicago). If Havlat stays healthy, they should have a good but not great first line with Saku's little brother and Pierre-Marc Bouchard but the Wild will struggle to score beyond this line. Finally, the defence and goaltending are largely unchanged from last season's team that missed the playoffs. The changes that were made on defence (Shane Hnidy and Greg Zanon) I'm not a big fan of. With Lemaire's system, the Wild still finished ninth in '09. Without it, count of something worse.

10. Dallas Stars
I really like Brad Richards. But it doesn't help when you're paying you're second line centre almost $3 million more than first line centre Mike Ribierio. With all that money invested in two players, there might be some problems and it's in the D. The Stars' defence is pegged together with sub-par talent. This might be less of a problem with a good goaltender, but Marty Turco hasn't proven he can do it without strong defence. With all of the criticisms, 11th might seem a little high for Dallas but I love the leadership brought by Brendan Morrow and Mike Modano. This team won't be terrible, it just won't be very good.

9. Vancouver Canucks
This might be a bit rash after the Canucks' 0-3 start, but I remain convinced that the Canucks will only go as far as Roberto Luongo takes them. Right now, Andrew Raycroft would be better. Oh that's right, he played last night after The Captain was pulled for surrendering four goals on just 12 shots. The defence hasn't impressed so far with the team allowing 13 goals in the the first games, with Willie Mitchell as the lone bright spot in an otherwise string of offensive minded rearguards. And of course the penalty kill has been atrocious, currently sitting at 58.3%. The weird thing is that forwards are good. They're averaging 40 shots a night. The powerplay is scoring at a reasonable rate of 20%. Alex Burrows has emerged into a decent winger with the Sedins. Ryan Kesler could become the second line centre that Mats Sundin was supposed to be last year. And the Sedins are good for their usual 82 points in 82 games. But this team needs Luongo and the defence to step up. Roberto might be capable of it but without real defence, the Canucks will be taking a huge step back this year.

"We interrupt this public affairs program in order to bring you a football game"

Quick diversion here at Unfinished Business to rant about the Green Bay Packers' inept play at both offensive and defensive line. I know that Vikings have a very good pass rush and very good o-line, but the Packers made them all look like Pro Bowlers last night. Minnesota sacked Aaron Rodgers EIGHT TIMES!!! He was hit NINE TIMES!!! How many sacks did the Packers defence get on a 40 year old, virtually immobile Brett Favre? NONE! How many hits? ONE. Of course he was going to torch the secondary. He had ten seconds to throw on virtually every down.
And worst part? Aaron Rodgers actually played well in spite of being sacked eight times. In a vacuum, I would love if my quarterback complete 70.3 per cent of his passes for 387 yards and 2 Touchdowns. I can even except the interception, the fumble and the safety. That how bad the offensive line played. But Good Lord, this team needs help on both sides of the line. It needs Chad Clifton back at left tackle tomorrow. It needs Daryn Colledge back at right tackle from left tackle, except he's injured. It needs for neither T.J. Lang or Allen Barbre to be on the field until next year. God I'm angry

Honour Sundin's #13 NOW!

Mats Sundin's retirement announcement doesn't come as much of a surprise. He showed last year that even as a part time player, he didn't have it any more. The Canucks will carry on without him (read: They'll be knocked out in the first couple rounds of the playoffs again.) But this post isn't about Sundin's failed attempt to be a role player in an attempted Stanley Cup run; it's about his legacy in Toronto, the place he played the bulk of his career and could never win over the fans despite being the greatest Leaf in forty years. The place that, if management has any sense, they would be honouring his #13 right now.

Sundin was acquired by the Maple Leafs from the Quebec Nordiques after the 1993-94 season in a trade that saw team captain (and fan favourite) Wendel Clark go the other way. Clark would find his way back to Toronto for two more stints. But it was Sundin who stuck around for the next 14 years (13 seasons). It was during that time that Sundin rewrote the entire Leafs' record book. At the end of his tenure in Toronto, Sundin was the team's all-time leader in points, goals, power-play goals, game winning goals, playoff game winning goals and over-time winning goals. The last of these he shares with Jaromir Jagr for most in NHL history. In addition, Sundin was the team's scoring leader in 12 of his 13 years and only once did he fail to score 30 goals over the span of a full season (explanation: Sundin had 23 goals in 47 games during the lockout shortened 1994-95 season).

Early on the team saw the potential for leadership in the Swede and in prior to the 1997-98, Sundin was named Captain becoming the first non-Canadian bestowed with this honour. Mats did not disappoint. Over the next few years, Sundin captained teams made the playoffs in final six seasons prior to the lockout. Twice in that span (1999 and 2002) Sundin's Leaf teams made the conference championships - a feat that equaled the 1978, 1993 and 94 editions of the Buds. Sundin's team were consistent and finished as well as ANY Leafs team after 1967. In the '99 post-season, Sundin played arguably his best hockey posting eight goals and eight assists, and two game winning goals before being stopped by the Dominick Hasek led Buffalo Sabres. In the second round series against Pittsburgh he posted three goals and four assists, and famously laid out Jaromir Jagr.

In 2002 Sundin was injured for most of the playoffs but returned for the the tail end of the Carolina series. While that playoff run was notable for the play of Alexander Mogilny and Gary Roberts, my greatest memory of that entire playoff was seeing Sundin score the equalizer in game six to force overtime and give the Leafs one more chance to extend the series. Seeing the game in person, I've never in my life heard a louder roar at the ACC.

But here's my big argument for this man and for why he deserves immediate honour. Who was on those "spectacular" teams? Steve Thomas, a player who enjoyed two very good years near the end of his career largely was never all-star; Jonas Hoglund, a career journey-man who was able to pull off 20 goals seasons playing on Sundin's wing; Sergei Berezin, a player who showed a lot of potential after scoring 37 goals in 1999 only to never reach these heights again; Gary Roberts, a former 50 goal scorer who never managed to score 30 goals as a Leaf, and I say this spite of his 2002 playoff performance. Roberts never before or never again had a similar performance. The only exception was Alexander Mogilny who, while oft-injured, was most talented winger Sundin ever played with in Toronto. He produced on Sudin's wing highlighted by his team leading 33 goal, 79 point 2002-03 season as well as a team leading eight goals in 2002 playoffs. Other "notable" Leafs from this era were Owen Nolan, Igor Korolev, Dmitri Khristich and Freddy Modin. And of course the one player that could have made a difference, Steve Sullivan, was insanely jettisoned for the aforementioned Khristich.

In all Sundin led the team in all categories during his tenure despite playing with medicore talent. Darryl Sittler had Lanny MacDonald; Doug Gilmour had Dave Andreychuk and Wendel Clark. Sundin had next no one yet still did so much. Do the right thing MLSE. Honour that number 13 sweater.

Please note that I've deliberately omitted Sundin's decision not to waive his no-trade clause at the end of the 2008 season. For all the rhetoric and bullshit on Sundin, it comes down to this: Don't give players no-trade clauses end then whine when, heaven forbid, they actually use them.