TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS and why they are where they are

[Dimitri]

I am a person who sometimes spends some time with the leafs during practices at lakeshore because of some people i know. Since the 98-99 season I have been let in on the inside world and dressing room of the leafs when i choose to go. Well for this season i made 3 consecutive trips to see how things were shaking in leaf land. Some of the guys I had never met like O'neil khavie ect...well at least never met them as leafs. Because i also get to meet with visiting teams and do so if a player i like is on that team. Now no dressing room is perfect....i have never seen close to perfect either....but what i sen in the past three days it didnt take me long to see why this team is playing lie they are...they simply dont care...from sundin down....i will say this they few that care i love.....now people are gonna respond and say stupid stuff like this or that and i dont care..this is a forum to clear my chest.....i been around the new york rangers (fleury lindros mess dayz) and i see much simularity between these clubs.......everyone is doing their own thing they dont care about each other..practices have no beat....and i brough up ottawa and the 8-0beating but more importantly i brough up mcgraton who after kicking domis ass ( i dont like domi and i enjoy seeing his ego pounded back into his head) went by the leafs bench and stuck his tongue out while he skated by the bench......that happens with idiots that have no repsect or class....but what hurt most no one made that good swallow his stick...like it didnt happen...ill tell you this play hockey and fight many times....i know what its like to be a fighter...sometimes its scary..but never once have i ever let something i though to be wrong get away unless it was a close playoff game where you have to wait to get payback...(8-0 reg season game is not that)..iam not suppose to be the fighter i can score but i like to fight and iam good at it.....i was so so embaressed that night to be a leaf fan with that one little incident...i talk to the leafs and we talk about strip clubs or strippers or w/e so iam not a stranger..every guy i broght that up 2..they didnt care...like whats my point...thats the look that i got...and sundin outrigth said it...WHATS MY POINT...i can see this team has lost that blue grit we use to have...and iam not saying iam jumping the wagon...iam saying this..as of now and the attitude we have my standards dropped lower and this is not a team that looks hungry or wants a cup..or even wants to try to want it....i in al my years have seen some problems but never a team that looked so far apart...i hope they can fix it and i voiced my opinions ntil security told me to be quiet if i wanted to stay in dressing room....but thats all i wanted to share this and say the reason the leafs are stinking..its not def zone blown coverage (well it is) but it al comres from players that are not a family.and until this 25 player roster wants to be together and work for 1 goal
well be lucky to saty medicore lucky to sneak into playoffs and lucky to win a sinlge playoff game...if that what there striving for they are on pace for it...but thats not what i want and many other leaf fans....i just want a team that will give 110% and well see what happens
sat night will be a huge test to see if any wil wake out of the comma...including sundin who has never to me looked this disinterested in a funk....

Well see sat night that will be a good fisrt test...and i hoep they can find a common humilating defeat to rally together....

 

[Dawgger]

Is what you are saying is there is no leadership, no comraderie,with this team?
My impression was the past couple of years Gary Roberts was there leader.
Sundin is an excellent player but I don't see him as a team leader.Lindros also has talent but hasn't played up to expectations anywhere.Domi appears to be lost.He doesn't have the skills to play with the big boys and is there for his muscle, which he seems reluctant use at least as willingly as he once did.Dmitri do you see anyone on that team that has the potential to kick some butt and bring these guys ogether?

 

[Dimitri]

my thoughts

i do love quinner he is a good coach my only hope is him and maybe mats/tucker eddiee...the core and use to be heart...i never see ediee because when i go to practice no matter how early i come hes there working on equimpment, streching ect....lindros heart i think khanov has more and hes useless...lindros fiustrates me bc he has talent but he has no work ethich...biggest floater since dimitri khristich...mats use to try sometimes but your right hes not a natural born leader....mogilny use to be huge for us..we miss that calm presence that mogilny had with everyone...i really miss mo...oneil is ok
but he doesnt have the linemates no more..and allsion well...hes allsion...tucker scores goals but i believe he use to play better all round..goals to me are not everyhting...like bill waters told me this team needs an identity and hes right...were just a bunch of individuals simplying winning some games on talent...but as the record shows thats not enuff

 

[21pro]

I actually think the leafs are playing at the level in which they should be playing. Of course everyone wants better, but there are alotta nuts and bolts that need to be correctly placed in the mix for everything to work out.

The boys have to make the best of what they got. I think leadership on the team isn't bad. Quinn is an honorable guy and has the team ready to drop on all fours for him. One thing I don't like is how JFJr. sounded like he's giving up on this season and expecting 'big' things to happen when the salary cap is raised next season. It's always been 'next season' for him. Maybe this is where the leadership is lacking. Even if a manager is thinking that, he should not let it be heard by the media or players... not when they already have an excellent team.

Or maybe it's us, the fans. We are pretty hard on the leafs. They haven't responded well to our suggestions for 30 some odd years of... trade this guy, he's garbage, fire this coach, axe the management, we need a better goalie, he's not worth his pay, he skates too slow, he floats, a pylon does a better job than him, he's injury prone, we need a 'real' enforcer... yadda yadda yadda...

seriously, what part of Leafs hockey isn't criticized by the fans?

JMHO

 

[A-ROD]

I agree with 21pro. I said on a thread here before the season started that the Leafs will be lucky to make the playoffs.

I also think Dawgger hit it on the nose...Roberts was the soul of this team.

All we can say is wait till next year...once again

 

[Dimitri]

Jfj

jfj makes me sick to my stomach from acquiring the wrong type of def in leetch when we needed the other type of def and in philly he got cut threw like a hot knife in butter..it was gly to watch...then he re-signed that useless domi for 1.25 mill and i know the leafs closely domi is anything but a leader...he has an ego big enough to make a new country...dont be fooled by his pr camera crap.....the 2 are night and day.....then he signed khanov and this is a huge mistek...jfj said he saw he closely in stl...i still ask him what is it that he saw? but we do have a core that shouldnt struggle for a playoff spot at all...they really shouldnt...this team on paper is easily a playoff team....next year crap i dont like that shit...always next year...like were siging 1 year deals so we get next year...then in 1 week vinny l was off market for years and iginla and joe thorton...Clap clap jfj you are great.....it doesnt matter what stupid says this room has to believe in itself because iam a frim frim believer that ottawa is the best but after that its anyone.....and when you are part of anyoe theres a shot....and i also believe the leafs are the only team that cant stop ottawa......


TONIGHT EITHER IS A BIG STEP IN RIGHT DIRECTION...or IT WILL BE THE BEGINNING OF A BLOWUP......i hope its the latter.....


-Dimitri Leaf

 

[GlavaMan]

I'm hoping for BLOW UP! hehehe

Seriously though, I think tonight's game wil be very close. Maybe another shootout. Probably a 3-2 game.

 

[ackack]

Dmitri, some things I agree with you about. The other stuff I can't read.

 

[Dimitri]

lol i know

i get to emotional and i cant type as fast as i talk and then iam to lazy to proofread...i guess my lack of work ethic i took after the leafs ahahahahah

 

[21pro]

just Dimitri Vernacular! wooooooo

 

[Dimitri]

my head hurts

this was a nightmare game and we failed this huge test big time.....iam at a loss of words and maybe for the first time in my life a loss of hope as well.sigh

 

[21pro]

I'm hoping for BLOW UP! hehehe

yeah, you sure got it!

Seriously though, I think tonight's game wil be very close.

well, the first period was. i actually thought the leafs were bringing it in the first even thought they got outshot again 18-5 in the 1st!

i thought Belak looked like a pansy chopping Neil down with the spear end of his stick...

then Coliacovo did the same thing 4 minutes later... i don't like the stick work, man. sure is a sign of a sore and weak loser. it just isn't good character.

 

[the_big_E]

They got drubbed tonight no doubt, but you can partially thank the refs.

That was a horrible game to watch, way too many power plays...

 

[scouser1]

ohh when the Leafs get the calls its the right thing to do when an team that is superior in every way to the Leafs beats the crap out of them, the followers of the blue and white cult begin to turn into their Pat Quinn like selves and blame it on the refs, that game was a perfect example of how the new rules are to be enforced in the league, the problem is the refs are being inconsistent, now Leaf fans deal with the fact your team will finish 7 or 8th in the conference and get pumelled by Ottawa or Philly

 

[Dimitri]

domi

not a hockey move for sure...made for other reasons...thats the way this brass always operates....and for the penalty tonight....i dont care when they go for su and when they dont...but thats not hockey at all......half of those pen's should not even be considered....my dont we all this sport ice soccer and start giving free shots to...like come on players are scared to get physical because they still dont know what they can do...tonigth everything was called but if you watched the dalls game nothing was dallas hooked and grabbed us to death later in the game.....keep it one way and keep it a hockey way...yesturdays game was a joke (not bc of teh score) when it was the 2-1 , 3-1 score i was saying this aint hockey and it wasnt

 

[huntingale]

Es Sports Nhl2006

They don't need pratice any more,Pat Quinns just buy ES SPORTS NHL2006 to all players before the Christmas.Let's play video games,Merry X'mas and Happy New Year!

 

[the_big_E]

scouser you said it right, inconsistency by the refs, drives me nuts. Generally speaking, a game with 8 million power plays isnt that great to watch anyway you cut it...Leafs are mired in mediocrity this year and you wont get any argument from me on that they are better, so dont lump me as saying oh I am blaming the refs, no I am not...I said partially blame the refs on last nights game...

 

[21pro]

dont lump me as saying oh I am blaming the refs, no I am not...I ... blame the refs on last nights game...

???

then what are you blaming it on?

 

[Dimitri]

i loved monday

mondays game was not pretty and we still played bad...but that old thought of us vs. the world was there...iam so happy those refs did a outstanding garbage job..maybe this will wake em up...i like how we took no shit...3 5 on 3's we could of folded up but we didnt....ran over eddie for a goal ect....i liked monday circle it down in the books when the leafs turned around their 05-06 season

 

[blitz]

mondays game was not pretty and we still played bad...i liked monday circle it down in the books when the leafs turned around their 05-06 season

They allowed SIX goals fer goodness sakes!

Against a supposed weaker team!

At home!

After allowing NINE goals on Saturday!

It's a freaking mess! I'll be happy with 8th but hope for 6th.