Toronto Maple Leafs

[Bam_Margera]

Toronto Maple Leafs - New Jersey Devils 3:2 OT (1:0, 0:1, 1:1, 1:0)

1:0 (10.) Tucker 9 PP (McCabe, Kaberle)

1:1 (37.) Lidström 7 (Datsuk, Zetterberg)

1:2 (52.) Samuelsson 9 (Lidström, Franzen)

2:2 (54.) Sundin 23 (Kubina)

3:2 (62.) Antropov 19 OT (Stralman, Kaberle)

SOG: Leafs 25, Devils 34.

PIM: Leafs 4, Devils 4.

PP: Leafs 1/2, Devils 0/2.

-> Recap

Hab gar nicht gewusst, dass die Devils so viele Schweden haben

[AustroLeaf]

Hab gar nicht gewusst, dass die Devils so viele Schweden haben

Ottawa, Montreal, jetzt Detroit --> ich beantrage, nur mehr gegen die führenden Teams der beiden Conferences spielen zu lassen...

[themanwho]

Übrigens hatten Leafs und Wings (original six game) vorher seit vier Jahren nicht mehr gegeneinander gespielt, trotz 250 Meilen Luftdistanz .. tolle NHL-Schedule.

[AustroLeaf]

Übrigens hatten Leafs und Wings (original six game) vorher seit vier Jahren nicht mehr gegeneinander gespielt, trotz 250 Meilen Luftdistanz .. tolle NHL-Schedule.

Stimmt nicht ganz, seit 4 Jahren waren die Red Wings nicht mehr in Toronto, letztes Jahr hatten die Leafs einen Auftritt in Wannabe Hockeytown. Bin aber im Bezug auf Schedule trotzdem ganz bei dir. :aaarrrggghhh:

[Bam_Margera]

Hat nicht auch Herr Chelios schon mal "etwas ungestüme" Worte in Richtung Mr. Bettman gefunden?

[AustroLeaf]

STAMKOS DREAMS IN BLUE&WHITE

By MIKE ZEISBERGER -- Sun Media

Memo to the Maple Leafs: You are screwing this thing up.

Admittedly it is admirable that you refuse to wilt under the criticism that has snowballed on the team since a Christmas-time free fall left you wallowing among the NHL's bottom-feeders. Wins over powerhouses like the Detroit Red Wings, Ottawa Senators and the Montreal Canadiens in the past nine days showed a skeptical city that maybe, just maybe, you are not as pathetic as some would make you out to be.

Besides, no one likes quitters.

Having said that, this recent penchant of winning might eventually cost you a legitimate shot at Ontario Hockey League superstar Steven Stamkos, the consensus early pick to be the No. 1 overall selection in the June entry draft.

Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place.

But here is the aspect of this dilemma that hurts the most.

Steve Stamkos, the boy wonder of the Sarnia Sting, wants to be a Maple Leaf. Badly.

"To be a Leaf would be a dream come true," said Stamkos, who already has 80 points in just 46 games. "I idolized the Leafs growing up. I've always been a Leafs fan.

"I'm not going to lie to you. I've checked out the NHL standings. I pay attention to where the Leafs sit. I know they're near the bottom of the standings. The chance of (getting picked by them) definitely is in the back of my mind."

Don't get the kid wrong. There will be no "I'm going to play here or else" hissy fits a la Eli Manning or Eric Lindros. He's just thrilled at the prospect of getting a shot to be an NHLer.

"Ever since the OHL season began, I've just been so excited about being in the NHL draft," said Stamkos, who celebrated his 18th birthday last Thursday.

Of course, the experience would be that much sweeter if he walks on to the stage at the entry draft in Ottawa this June and is handed a Leafs cap by Cliff Fletcher or whomever is running the franchise by that time.

Growing up in Unionville, a thriving bedroom community just north of Toronto, young Steven viewed the world through blue-and-white glasses. His father, Chris, was a huge Leafs supporter and passed on that unbridled passion to his son at an early age.

"I think I was about three years old when I went to my first game at Maple Leaf Gardens," Stamkos said. "I'm not sure but I think it was Boston. I started crying when the crowd got loud."

In subsequent years the only tears being shed came from opponents who could not compete with the skilled Stamkos out on the ice.

Off the ice Stamkos would hang out with Sean Bowen, a classmate at Brother Andre Catholic High School in Markham. Sean's father, Joe Bowen, just happens to be the long-time play-by-play voice of the Maple Leafs.

"My dad played (soft) ball in a beer league with Mr. Bowen," Stamkos said. "It was fun.

"Dad's favourite player was always Wendel Clark. I kind of carried on that tradition."

Stamkos was thrilled a year ago when he had the opportunity to meet Clark after a game at the Air Canada Centre. Stamkos was accompanied by his agent, Don Meehan, Clark's long-time representative.

Interestingly, the Leafs have not held the first-overall pick in the draft since 1985. At that time they selected a gritty kid from the Saskatoon Blades named -- you guessed it -- Wendel Clark.

In order to get the top selection again, the 2007-08 Leafs must finish among the bottom five teams in the final standings.

The selection order in the first round is subject to a lottery, held among the teams that hold the top 14 picks. There is only one winning team in the lottery. That team moves up a maximum of four places in the draft order. The lottery is weighted to favour the teams with the fewest points.

In other words, to be eligible to move up to first overall under terms of the lottery, the Leafs must complete the season no better than 26th. If they keep stringing victories together, that is not going to happen.

One final point that needs to be brought to your attention, Maple Leafs. Just hours after eagerly discussing his passion for the Leafs in an interview, Stamkos went out and racked up four goals and an assist to lead his Sarnia Sting to a 9-1 win over the Owen Sound Attack.

Imagine him doing that in a Leafs uniform one day.

It won't happen if you keep screwing things up by winning.

Artikel: Toronto Sun

[Lichtgestalt]

Buffalo Sabres - Toronto Maple Leafs 1:0 (0:0, 0:0, 1:0)

1:0 (49.) Gaustad 28 (Paille, Tallinder)

SOG: Sabres 20, Leafs 35.

PIM: Sabres 6, Leafs 8.

PP: Sabres 0/4, Lefs 0/3.

-> Recap

[AustroLeaf]

[x] lottery pick

[themanwho]

1 vor Tampa und 4 vor Los Angeles ... Stamkos looming large. Aber die Kings könnten noch echte Probleme bereiten, die hatten sogar schon mehr Spiele

[Lichtgestalt]

LEAFS WON'T CONCEDE GAMES TO GET TOP PROSPECT

Maurice rejects notion that recent wins over top clubs are hurting club's draft chances

BUFFALO–Maple Leafs coach Paul Maurice bristled at the question and then asked that his initial response be stricken from the public record. His colourful phrasing about a rat's behind wasn't really the stuff of a family newspaper.

Suffice to say, however, that Maurice didn't take kindly to the suggestion, one heard frequently in Toronto these days, that all his team will achieve by pushing for a playoff spot is a worse draft position come June. Isn't it far better to take the long-term view and tank it?

"I understand the concept of a good young player being available but that has nothing to do with us, absolutely nothing to do with our hockey team," said Maurice. "I don't think you could look your players or anyone else in the eye if your were pulling back in February for a draft pick. That would be against the rules."

The Leafs – and not because a lack of effort – seem assured of having a generous number of ping pong balls in the lottery drum. Despite playing some good hockey over the last month, they remain mired in 14th spot in the Eastern Conference. More importantly, with Chicago's victory last night, Toronto has dropped to 28th overall. If that's how they finish, the lowest the Leafs would draft would be fourth. They would have a chance at the No.1 pick.

In the weighted draft lottery among non-playoff teams, only one team is selected and that team moves up four spots in the draft. Therefore, only the five teams with the least number of regular-season points have a shot at first overall. A team can only move down one spot in the lottery.

Cliff Fletcher, the interim general manager, said his club can't become fixated on its draft position and, in reality, said he is quite happy with how his team played last week when it defeated three top teams in Ottawa, Montreal and Detroit. "The draft position is what it is," said Fletcher. "I look at the New Jersey Devils and a couple of years in a row they were picking in the area of 15 to 20th and they picked up Zach Parise (17th overall in 2003) and Travis Zajac (20th overall in 2004), two top-six forwards. The whole idea is to make the team better to compete at the highest level. That's the idea. Winning games is an important part of that."

Fletcher, though, made it clear that Toronto's recent streak of success isn't about to change the team's philosophy going into the Feb. 26 trade deadline. There will be no attempt to bolster the team to make a last-ditch playoff push. "Our attitude going forward, and what we would do trade-wise, is that we're not looking to pick up any short-term help to try and make the playoffs."

-> Toronto Star

[Lichtgestalt]

Toronto Maple Leafs - New York Islanders 4:5 (0:1, 2:2, 2:2)

0:1 (17.) Berard 5 PP (Satan, Comrie)

1:1 (28.) Tucker 10 (Stajan, Steen)

2:1 (30.) Sundin 24 (Ponikarovsky, Kaberle)

2:2 (35.) Fedotenko 11 PP (Vasicek, Johnson)

2:3 (38.) Comrie 17 PP (Satan, Berard)

2:4 (45.) Fedotenko 12 PP (Berard, Vasicek)

3:4 (51.) Stajan 13 PP (Kubina, Kaberle)

3:5 (60.) Meyer 1 EN (unassisted)

4:5 (60.) Ponikarovsky 14 (Blake, Antropov)

SOG: Leafs 31, Isles 29.

PIM: Leafs 14, Isles 10.

PP: Leafs 1/5, Isles 4/7.

-> Recap

[AustroLeaf]

[x] lottery pick

[Lichtgestalt]

Toronto Maple Leafs - Boston Bruins 4:3 OT (1:1, 0:1, 2:1, 1:0)

0:1 (6.) Murray 12 (Axelsson, Savard)

1:1 (11.) Moore 3 (Kilger, Devereaux)

1:2 (39.) Wideman 8 PP (Chara, Savard)

2:2 (45.) Tucker 11 PP (Sundin, Kaberle)

3:2 (57.) Antropov 20 (Tucker, Wellwood)

3:3 (60.) Chara 9 (Sturm, Murray)

4:3 (64.) Tcuker 12 OT (Steen, Kaberle)

SOG: Leafs 36, Bruins 27.

PIM: Leafs 6, Bruins 12.

PP: Leafs 1/6, Bruins 1/3.

-> Recap

[AustroLeaf]

4:3 (64.) Tcuker

Fcuk!

Gemischte Gefühle bei jedem Sieg...

[Lichtgestalt]

Fcuk!

schlag nach unter fosrtner, k.!