Battle of Ontario Losing Steam?

So the GM's, busy schmoozing, boozing and taking in some of Toronto's culture (Ed: NSFW), decided to stick with their original three-year plan and keep the current un-balanced schedule for next season. Glad you guys all got together to agree to do nothing. Actually, that sounds like every meeting I have ever been a part of, but I digress...

For Leaf fans, this can mean only one thing; 12 more losses to the Senators by at least a touchdown. Personally, besides the fact that I rather feel that the Leafs/Sens games have become a bore (well, after it is 5-0, so about 10 minutes in), I just don't like paying for NHL Center Ice so I can watch the Buds get taken to the woodshed by the laziest team in hockey. Maybe I can convince DirecTV to refund me for these games... and yes, the Sens are the laziest team in hockey simply because they have the laziest player in hockey, one Jason Spezza. He seems to have infected the whole team lately, and this is a point that even the most die-hard Sens fans (yes, both of you) could agree to. It was a struggle, but he somehow managed to wrest that title away from perennial front-runner Alexei Yashin. Kudos Jason.

Of course, in calling the Sens the laziest team in hockey, I open myself to criticisms like, "How can the laziest team in hockey beat the Leafs by 25 goals a game?". Clearly, logic would dictate that either: 1) The Leafs are the laziester team and I am a liar, or 2) my brain checked out long-ago when it comes to the Leafs and 'logic'.

Lets go with a little of both and call it even. I truly believe that the Leaf players are 'over' this rivalry. They are sick of playing the Sens, sick of looking at Neil furrowing his brow at the bench, sick of the whole deal. It's as if they decided, "Look, we beat them in the playoffs four straight seasons, they are dead to us."

I can't say I blame them for the attitude in general, but they are clearly forgetting one important point. They actually NEED to beat the Sens more than once a season if they would like to play hockey when it counts. Heck, I know I am sick of going into work everyday, with their dress-codes and their "don't sleep in your cube" rules, but I still have to do it. How else would I keep myself living the life of luxury, awash with the finer things in life?

They have to suck it up and play like these games matter, because they do. Bitching and moaning about it, something they mastered during the Quinn era, is a cop-out and Leafs fans should rightly demand that they play these games with more passion. If the laziest team in hockey can do it, the 'new' Leafs sure as hell better match them out there inch-for-inch. If they can't man-up and play these BoO games with some passion and self-respect, something the Sens have shown in spades, I will gladly pass the torch of laziest team onto the Buds, because it will be well deserved.

(This post was written by The Mad Hockey Blogger. His first entry in the search for a new BoO Leaf member)