I hope there is no fighting tonight.....

Not because I am anti-fighting. Heck, I grew up in the era of the Broad Street Bullies and Big Bad Bruins.

But I am tired of the constant moral preening of the hockey journalists here in Canada over the whole issue of fighting.  All this week they have filled every waking moment of air time with discussion over fighting and the soon to be (they fervently hope) its eventual ban.

Whatever.

Back in the early 90's it was fashionable for those same journalists (or their forebears) to stick a microphone into every player's face and ask "Do you think fighting should be banned?" (although the tone of their quesition always suggested that they were really asking - "C'mon, you really want fighting to be banned, right?" )

Not a single player answered in the affirmative. And these were often stars like Mario Lemieux who were being asked.

Instead, every player said "We have to do something about all the hooking and holding that's creeping into the game".  Imagine that - the players had an idea that something was wrong but the media was too busy carping on fighting to even notice.

The dead-puck era was just beginning and it took almost 15 years since players started mentioning it was a problem for the league to do something about it.

Among the confusion displayed by the journalists this week was that they had heard that if put to a vote the players would not agree to banning fighting.

Guess they know something we don't.

The laughing lady

She's been a presence on this blog for a long time.

She's been a friend when we've been down.
She's been there when we've forgotten that there are people out there with far worse problems than our own.
A reminder that you could drive down the highway 4hrs and find a place where playoff hockey was a distant memory and not the spring ritual that we here in Ottawa have been able to enjoy.

Tonight, the Leafs could put an end date on the laughing lady.  Pray, or take a drink, that she can hope to live a little longer.

Amazing Skills Competition Move!

Last night in a meaningless exhibition game, Ottawa forward Kasper Daugavins tried this fun and very creative move. Good for Kasper, using the shootout as an opportunity to entertain fans and get his name out there in the headlines, that's what these warm-up games are for!

Battle of Ontario Part III

The game starts in less than an hour. 

Here are a few stories.

                                                                                                            

Maple Leafs winger Matt Frattin won’t play tonight.

Toronto Star

Muppet: Believe it or not Bob Mitchell followed this headline up with 429 words that really didn't need to be written. Matt Frattin won't be playing. Got it. Thank You. 

                                                                                                            

Bruce Takes in the ACC.

Muppet: More of the never-ending sarcasm and cynicism that we're fed daily from just about everybody who has a keyboard. I remember when this was a tactic exclusive to us rat-faced bloggers.

                                                                                                            

Randy Carlyle Coaching Myths Part Two...

Pension Plan Puppets

Muppet: Be careful when you criticize the shit out of a coach early in the season and then his team starts winning many games, because you are forced to choose one of two paths. 1. You can admit that maybe you judged too quickly, and perhaps a highly decorated NHL head coach might actually have a clue, or, 2, you can keep coming up with increasingly flimsy ways of justifying your position. If the Leafs keep winning and make the playoffs and even win a round, this ought to get real good. 

ENJOY THE GAME. 

Take that Blackhawks.

GAME DAY THREE PACK: Komisarek, Brown and Fear of the Devil.

Mike Komisarek may want to consider waiving his No Movement Clause. When he signed with the Leafs in 2009 the addition of the NMC was undoubtedly to ensure Komisarek played in the NHL and the NHL only. Ironically enough, if Komisarek could have been sent down to the Marlies earlier in the season to work with Marlies coach Dallas Eakins in hopes of finding his NHL game again, perhaps by now or in the near future he might be back in the NHL and contributing. From a Sens fan perspective: has Alanis Morissette figured out what the word ironic means, or is it still just rain on your wedding day?

The Mike Brown trade to the Oilers is every bit a minor deal if you look at his production and playing time. Of course, there is more to hockey than stats. Hockey is a team sport played by human beings, and while some guys play 2:06 and some 26:00, intangibles are a part of the game and judging by Leafs players reactions to the trade here, Mike Brown brought something to the team. Unfortunately for MB (or fortunately, if he always wanted to play for the Oil), Colton Orr has changed his game and can do what Brown does and also pound heavyweights.
From a Sens perspective: Chris Neil has one less Leafs player to turn down in a fight Wednesday. 

The Devils have missed the playoffs once since 1996, and even when they missed the playoffs they were still higher in the standings than most of the Maple Leafs teams since Pat Quinn left town. I always dread playing them and it always feels to me like a game Toronto will lose, despite the fact that all time the series between the two teams is only slightly in the Devils favor. I think it goes back to those two playoff series losses in 99/00 and 00/01.
From a Sens fan perspective: I think I finally know how you feel about the Toronto Maple Leafs. 

*More about the beer: the delicious Pliny The Elder. Even Sens fans would like it. 

Maybe it's a difference in leadership?

Montreal's last two games:
1. Outshoot Ottawa 45-24, lose 2-1
2. Outshoot Toronto 40-23, win 5-2

Headlines...
Should Maple Leafs captain Dion Phanuef have fought Montreal’s Brandon Prust last night?  The Star
Senators aren’t feeling sorry for themselves Gazette
Maple Leafs top line snoozes through loss to Montreal Canadiens  The Star

Great Moments, Part 2

A poorly timed dive by Tucker led to this great moment...

Great Moments in BoO History.

This hit will get you suspended nowadays. I'd like to think that
Mark Bell would still do it anyway.

BATTLE GAME #2

My heart tells me this one is gonna be a laugher. Ottawa are decimated by injuries, Toronto are playing well, and the game location is pretty much neutral territory (despite Melnyk's sad attempt to keep Leafs fans away).

My head tells me to play it cool and not outrightly predict victory for the Blue and White.

My balls say F*ck that... Leafs 4 Ottawa 2.

Not a bad lineup

Spezza, Michalek, Karlsson, Cowen, and Anderson.  I guess you can put Regin, Latendresse, or O'Brien on the other wing.

Too bad it's the lineup to the trainers room and not starting on Saturday.

Well - no excuses come tomorrow night.  We don't need to hear any 'Boo hoo' quotes from the visitor's locker room.

Possible Replacements for Lindy Ruff.

Looks like Buffalo have a coaching vacancy to fill this summer.
Here are a few former Battle of Ontario coaches available for consideration:

1. RON WILSON: 
He's Canadian, but he can be American too. Just ask Don Cherry. While Ron wasn't able to find any  success in Toronto, he is one of the winningest coaches in NHL history to never really win anything. This should help him fit into Ruff's office seamlessly.
Where to find him: In a foxhole with Brian Burke.

2. JOHN PADDOCK:
Things started out well for John in 2007/2008, with the Sens winning 15 of their first 17 games. He would go on to coach the all-star team for having the best record in the east, only to be fired exactly a month later for a string of poor games. For Buffalo readers, the all-star game is that thing Ryan Miller used to attend.
Where to find him: Assistant GM office in Philly on his phone playing Words with Friends.

3. JACQUES MARTIN:
Jacques only needs 8 more coaching wins to pass Bryan Murray on the all-time wins list. Which is right around how many wins Buffalo are projected to get the remainder of the season.
Where to find him: Running the "Jacques Martin Hockey School for Kids 7-17" where Buffalo's next three high first round picks could be training as we speak.

4. PAT QUINN
Has coached an early expansion era team (4, in fact). Check. He's won the Jack Adams. Check. And in Toronto he was fired by a stupid front office person who had overspent on mediocre talent. Check. I think this is your man.

Where to find him: Probably in a god-damned cigar shop in Yaletown... Sorry, that's all the info his wife would give me on the phone. 

FINALLY A BoO GAME THAT MATTERS!

7pm @ Toronto

Last weekend the Leafs and Habs reignited a rivalry. Hopefully we’ll see the same bitter renewing of vows tonight between two teams that have not played many meaningful games lately. The winner of this game leaves the other behind them in the standings. A refreshing plot twist. 

GAME DAY SIX PACK

1. DAMAGE CONTROL.

Alfredsson has, over his career, played almost an entire season against the Maple Leafs with 75 games. His 70 points is quite the success story. Leaf fans will boo him for the Tucker and Sundin incidents, which while a bit tiresome at least means sounds will be coming out of the mouths of ACC patrons. Phil Kessel, meanwhile has 34 points in 37 games in his short career against the Sens, some while with the bruins.  While not having a great year by Kessel’s standards, he is still putting up points despite his insistence on doing the same things, the same way, every night. Look for a couple of wrist shots from 43 feet away. Maybe a game against Ottawa is just what he needs.

EDGE: Both these guys find a way in these games. Coin flip.  

2. DRAFT BUDDIES.

James Van Riensdyk and Kyle Turris were drafted 2nd and 3rd back in 2007.  Before either really had the chance to mature they were eventually traded to the BoO. Turris seems to be picking up assists with regularity while JVR is Toronto’s leading goal scorer. One has to figure both Murray and Burke/Nonis feel pretty happy about what they paid for two young dynamic forwards, but thanks to injuries both players need to shoulder a bigger load in tonight's game for their team to succeed. 

EDGE: JVR. Because he’s playing with Phil Kessel and not Eric Condra (who?).

3. WARRIORS OF THE WOVEN WOMB.

Wait, did I just beat Joe Bowen to a goaltending alliteration? Probably not. I'll wait by the phone for his lawyers to call.

Anyway, Scrivens vs Anderson. Look at me attaching a white handkerchief to a stick and waving it sheepishly in the air. 

EDGE: Ottawa. 

4. PISS AND VINEGAR.

Chris Neil and Zack Smith have provided all four fights from Ottawa this year. In Toronto it’s been a little more spread around, with Orr, McLaren, Brown, Frasor, Kotska all having thrown down. You could even include Grabovski if one of the Sens players puts their arm into the mouth region of Grabbo's face. While some Leafs fans criticize the team for having too much fist and not enough skill on the lower lines - everyone agrees that staged fights off the faceoff are pretty tired - Carlyle has used fighting and hitting and shot blocking as the basis of a team identity that frankly is fun to watch. There is solidarity between the players and to paraphrase what Kadri said about the Leafs muscle: "Those guys get our legs going". It's too bad Burke doesn't get to enjoy the team he once promised. 

EDGE: Toronto. Expect Frasor/Neil and Smith/Brown to possibly go if Brown is back in the line-up.

5. SHATTERED ARM LUPUL? THAT’S SO CUTE I COULD PUNCH A BABY. 

For the last two days I’ve reached down and pinched my Achilles tendon and then dry-heaved thinking about a skate sawing it nearly in half. The Karlsson injury was hideous, to understate. Add Spezza to the Sens injury list and Toronto fans can’t feel too sorry for themselves. Obvioulsy missing Lupul sucks and Reimer was playing 1A in the cage before exiting last week while Frattin was a point-per game player before his surgery. But they are all short term losses. You don’t replace a Norris winner or your 1C when they are gone for the season. 

EDGE: Toronto, but seems like injury riddled teams are tough to put down.

6. TWO WINS. FOUR LOSSES. 

The Leafs and Sens share an identical record when it comes to playing at home (Toronto), and on the road (Ottawa). During the Leafs last home game against Philly, a convincing victory, the fans gave a standing ovation after the Leafs convincingly killed a 5-minute major. Maybe this is a sign of things to come, both in home success and noise? Meanwhile, the Sens have dropped their last 3 on the road. 

EDGE: Fuck knows. I just needed a 6th thing. 

Enjoy the game. 

It's been too long

Hard to believe these guys are STILL on the Senators.

BoO Game #1 Post coming tomorrow.

We'll also be refreshing the blog over the coming hours/days/weeks and making this a regular thing again. Lots of fun stuff ahead.

Oh, the league started back up again?!

We here at the BoO have totally missed that the season started back up again - sorry about that!

Well, don't worry - we've going to be back at it very soon better than ever.  See you shortly!

Oh, and it's been 3209 days in case you were wondering.

THM's Day of Smugness

This place is dead and has no hopes of revival unless Don recruits new commenters and hands over the keys.  I've got a kid coming in a few months and, aside from that, I'm too old for this shit.

Except when something really great comes along.

Oh hey, something DID!

So for today, start with this link, skipping (if you like) to the 2nd article and its embedded links.

http://battleofontario.blogspot.ca/search?q=allaire

Next, think to yourself: "Wait... Allaire and the Leafs just parted ways.  Must've been Burke being a dumbass GM again and f'ing things up because, as Muppet has said all along, Allaire is untouchable"

Ruminating for a while on that, you'll then move on to read the daily sports news and end up here: 
http://www.thestar.com/sports/leafs/article/1258758--maple-leafs-l-affaire-allaire-turns-vicious-cox

Oh my...

"Allaire’s approach with his goalies hadn’t altered even though rule changes meant his insistence on the butterfly technique wasn’t working"   (h/t to Chemmy of PPP for the easy copy+paste)

No idea how to change out the comment system anymore folks, and I don't have the energy to dig.  Just follow TDT's in the side panel if things don't work.