MLSE and H1N1: Give a Shot, Take a Shot

Much has been made by the media of MLSE arranging H1N1 vaccinations for players from the Leafs, Raptors, and Marlies (the Toronto Star went so far as to claim it sparked a "fury" but all signs point to "not so much" on that call).

The City of Toronto Public Health Unit has been clear in stating that H1N1 vaccines are currently restricted to special populations (children under 5, those under 65 with health conditions, health care workers, etc.). None of the Raptors, Marlies or Leafs fit that description.

But what's missing from the media reports is any sense of context:

• Are these athletes the only non-priority populations accessing the vaccine?
• How many non-priority candidates are the clinics turning away?
• Will clinics refuse to administer the vaccine to people who are not in the at-risk/ targeted populations? (When my son, who is a priority candidate, went in for his H1N1 vaccine, the clinic staff also innoculated my daughter and my wife - neither of whom qualify for the vaccine. One of my aunts, who is over 65 has also been innoculated. I can only presume that because my family members are not pro athletes the news of their innoculation didn't make the papers.)
• Has the Minister of Health Deb Matthews, or any of her Legislative colleagues who are not priority candidates, had the H1N1 vaccine? What about any of the reporters filing these stories or the editors pushing them?
• Why are infection rates much higher in the NHL than in the general population?
• What is the Province of Ontario and Toronto Public Health's policy for closed populations, like the NHL, where there is a prevelance of H1N1? (There are about 690 players in the NHL and by my rough count, at least eight have been diagnosed with H1N1. If that rate of infection were applied to the province of Ontario, there would be over 125,000 cases of H1N1 reported. As of October 24, 2009, the province of Ontario was reporting fewer than 5,000 cases.)

Given the nature of our publicly funded, universally accessible health care system, I can't condone anyone jumping the queue. But it would be a nice change if the media could serve the public a side of context along with the heaping pile of inidignation they're dishing out on this one.

A good start would be asking a few basic questions.

Paul Maurice: Death of a Salesman?

I’m trying to think of bright spots from the Leafs 2008-09 season and not many are coming to mind.

Big comeback wins over the Rangers and Flyers, the emergence of Ian White, a first round pick that softened the blow from each loss, all the pre-trade deadline day chatter (back when fans thought Leaf players were actually worth something) and the sweet feeling when coaches were fired after losses to the Leafs. Both Michel Therrien in Pittsburgh and Tom Renney in New York were cashiered after their clubs fell to my beloved Blue and White.

Now, I’m not one to take pleasure in the suffering of others, but as a Leaf fan I have to take whatever bright spots I can find.

Fast forward a year and there haven’t been too many more bright spots for the Leafs.

Thirteen games in there’s Jonas Gustavsson grabbing the starter’s job, the debut of Phil Kessel, and Kaberle’s premier production. Sadly, that’s about it.

That may change when the Leafs play the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday. Not only will the Leafs have a shot at getting win #2 (good Lord, how low have I sunk? I’ve been reduced to hoping for a win per month) but they may also have a second shot at axing Carolina Hurricanes head coach Paul Maurice.

The Canes have floundered out of the gate with an atrocious 2-8-3 2-9-3 start including losses in nine, possibly 10 straight (as of this writing, they’re on the ice against the Panthers).

Given the horrific start, I’m sure Maurice has advised Canes fans to load up on some (iced?) Chamomile tea to help them through these troubling times.

Or maybe not, after a decade of this Canes fans should be used to Maurice’s, um, performance. In his 10 years behind the bench in Carolina, he’s made the post season just four times (he’s four for 12 in his NHL career) and his overall coaching record isn’t even .500.

When you think about it, Paul Maurice is the Willy Loman of the NHL. Great with words, not so great at delivering results. Totally convinced that his lackluster teams are destined for truly great things. (I guess that makes the 2007 Stanley Cup bound Toronto Maple Leafs Hap Loman. Always thinking they can find happiness with a new UFA, meant for greater things than their actual talent and abilities would suggest, helmed by a coach who looked at a thin, talentless club and saw 23 men that could challenge for the Cup).

Paul Maurice may be wonderful in front of a microphone, but I'd argue he's incompetent behind the bench. If the Leafs hand the Canes their 11th 12th straight loss don't be surprised if he's the first coaching casualty of the young season.

Instant Karma: Kessel Makes his Leaf Debut

Every hockey trade needs a bit of distance to be properly evaluated.

I thought the Leafs had erred when they acquired Dimitri Yushkevich for a first round pick way back in 1995. The pick turned out to be a bust and Yushkevich became one of my all time favourite Leafs.

Tonight Phil Kessel is scheduled to make his Leaf debut. I don't know the last time a player arrived with such heavy expectations - Gilmour? Sundin? It's a debut imbibed with a lot of pressure and huge expectations for a guy who hasn't played a game in six months and is recovering from off-season shoulder surgery.

I have no idea how Kessel will play tonight but I fully expect another round of instant so-called analysis based solely on his performance in a single game on a weeknight in November.

Here's hoping we all remember to take a bit more of the long view.

Toronto Maple Leafs: November's When it Matters

I play shinny early Saturday mornings. Good bunch of older guys. The ice is full of their young kids skating laps while we assemble our gear and try to remember to put our jerseys on before our helmets (it's not as easy as it sounds at 6:30 AM).

Each week we look at who showed up, try to pair guys off according to their skill level and then red and yellow pinnies are passed out. We chase the puck for an hour or so and hope the 10 year olds that hit the ice after us don't smirk too much at the old men and the sloppy play.

Recently my side got stuck with a few too many of the guys who struggle on the ice. The teams are usually pretty balanced but we certainly missed the mark that morning. It was so lopsided that after the game our goalie turned to me and said, "Does this mean we get to play dodge ball at practice tomorrow?"

It’s the Goaltending, Stupid.

I haven't been writing much about the Leafs this season because there hasn't been much worth writing about.

It was pretty clear that the big challenge for the club was between the pipes and until the team addressed the goaltending situation they wouldn’t be able to compete. Thin forward corps and poor goaltending is a deadly combination. Giving up four goals a night is only a viable strategy if your team can notch five or six. Yes, the Leafs might have the odd six goal night but there’s going to be three times as many games where it’s a stretch for this team to score one or two.

Without any real offensive punch and unable to score at 5 on 5, it’s not much of a surprise that this team is 1-11.

That said, the Leafs are not as bad as their record and they're certainly not as good as many fans hoped/expected.

I think the main thing fans can take away from the first twelve games is that the pre-season is pretty much meaningless. A month ago, Viktor Stalberg looked like a Calder candidate and, for the first time in a long-time, the Leafs looked like a team with an identity. A dozen games into the real season and Stalberg is with the Marlies while the Leafs have the identity of an amnesiac.

Centre of Attention

Looking ahead, if goalie Jonas Gustavsson is the real deal, the biggest challenge for this team is up the middle.

How far can any team go when their top pivot is Matt Stajan? He might have outstanding comparables for a guy his age, but he’s built for the soft parade not to clash with the top lines of the East.

If the Leafs are to make the most of their high-cost acquisition Phil Kessel they also need to find a centre that can get him the puck. Yeah, Stajan had 40 helpers last year, but too many of those were secondary assists and he also tends to disappear for long stretches at time.

Ideally, the Leafs can land a pivot that can also dominate on the face-off dot. It’s an essential part of an effective PK. Jamal Mayers currently leads the Leafs in shorthanded face-off wins (admittedly with a tiny sample size) having won five of six shorthanded face-offs. The Leafs top three are not faring so: Stajan 52%; Wallin 46%; Primeau 40%. (Minnesota has the best PK in the league and their top three centres have much better results: Belanger 57%; Koviu 54%, Brodziak 43%.) It's hard to kill a penalty when you can't win a face off to get possession of the puck.

This Team Could Be Your Life

It’s November, when the games officially matter. Over the next month Leaf fans will get a chance to see how Kessel has recovered, how he fits into the line-up and if the it looks like a good deal was made to land the high-scoring winger.

We’ll also get a better idea if Gustavsson is the real deal. It’s one thing to look pretty good when you’re an unknown in the league. Once tape of him gets out and teams can isolate and identify his tendencies it may be a whole new game. Conversely, the more games Gustavsson gets under his belt, the quicker he can adapt to his team, their systems and the NHL style of play.

Should be an interesting month of hockey ahead, I certainly hope that the Leafs put up better numbers than October or is two wins in a month too much to ask?

An Ambulance Only Goes so Fast

I missed the Leafs game against Colorado as I was busy losing a hockey game of my own.

The winning (losing?) goal in my 2-1 game was scored from out near the red line. It beat our goalie clean from 60 feet out. I've always dreamed of playing for the Leafs and for one magical night I got to know just how it feels to see a hard fought game lost on a routine shot.

Continuing with the personal take, the good news about the Leafs current six game losing skid is I think I've already moved through four of the five stages of grief.

1. Denial: "We totally outplayed the Habs and deserved the win. It took two blown calls for the Senators to beat us. This team cannot be this bad."

2. Anger: "My grandmother could have stopped that Ovechkin shot. How many times can this team go down a goal a few minutes into the game?!?"

3. Bargaining: "If the team only had an average goalie...maybe the D just needs time go gel."

4. Depression: "Can't say I've seen a team down by a single goal roll over a play dead in the third like that."

5. Acceptance: With the absence of a first round pick, I'm not sure I can get past level four. I hated the Kessel deal when it was made and I hate it even more now. I'm not at acceptance yet, maybe in February I'll be numb to the horror.

I was a big proponent of keeping the kids on the farm this season. Shelter them from the tough minutes at the NHL level and let them play 20+ minutes a night in all situations for the Marlies. Bring 'em up next year, give them PP time and let-them have free reign on the soft-parade.

But I'm starting to re-consider.

If the club is going to be this bad, and let's face it, the young season has produced some atrocious hockey, maybe the kids should get thrown into the fire.

Why not give Hanson, Boazk and Tlusty a 10 game run alongside Stalberg? Sure two or three vets are likley going to get exposed to waivers and might be lost, but isn't this organzation all about players earning their spots and being held accountable?

In 2005-06, the Leafs had a number of underachieving, older veterans on the club and struggled with the inconsistent goaltending of an aging Eddie Belfour and a tandem of Mikael Tellqvist and JS Aubin. It was only when the old guard was hurt and the kids were given a chance that the Leafs reeled off a number of wins. That's how Ian White got his shot.

Maybe it's time to see what the kids can do.

After all, they couldn't do any worse.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Ugly numbers

After playing three hundred and four minutes and forty seven seconds of hockey this young season, the Leafs have held a lead for all of six minutes and forty seconds. That's about 2% of total time on ice.

The Leafs trailed Montreal for 7:12, Washington for 58:43, Ottawa for 33:15, Pittsburgh for 56:40 and the New York Rangers for 57:26.

All told, the Leafs have been in the hole for 213:16 of this season or 70% of their time on the ice.

The Leafs have yet to score the first goal of a game and have given up a goal in the first three minutes of play against Washington, Pittsburgh and New York.

Vesa Toskala has given up at least one goal in every single period he's played. The longest Toskala has gone without surrendering a goal is 29:12 (part of the second and part of the third period) against Montreal.

Gustavsson has put up zeroes in two of the three periods he played.

The Leafs have given up 24 goals in five games and are dead last, 30th overall, in goals against.

Averaging 2.5 goals a game, the Leafs are 24th in goals for.

The Leafs are 29th in the NHL on the PK (let's hear it for Dallas!) and 10th on the PP.

With an, ahem, winning percentage of .100, the Leafs are last in the North East Division, last in the Eastern Conference and dead last overall.

With 77 games remaining, to hit the 95 point mark (the presumed cut-off to qualify for the playoffs) the Leafs have to play .611 hockey for the balance of the season.

These are your 2009-2010 Toronto Maple Leafs.

On the Leeds side-streets that you slip down

Before Leaf fans start to panic, one has to wonder what the best case scenario was for this young season. Looking at the strength of competion, I'd say the best this team could have hoped for was to be 2-2-0 in their first four.

The Leafs played well and deserved to win game one against Montreal. It took two bizarre calls and some bad officiating to lose the game against the Sens. Losses to Pittsburgh and Washington shouldn’t surprise anyone.

Now, don’t get me wrong, the Leafs have looked absolutely atrocious in three of their four starts this year.

The team didn’t show up for the Sens, got outclassed by Washington and in the last game against Pittsburgh the Leafs had more turnovers than a Pillsbury factory. (Crosby scored two PP goals from the exact same spot on the ice. He was untouched and unguarded on both plays. Maybe it’s just me, but somebody might want to keep an eye on the #87 out there or maybe Wilson’s coaching cheat sheet mis-spelled Crosby’s name and the leafs weren't sure who to cover.)

I don't know if it's physical, mental or both but Vesa Toskala looks about as comfortable as a woman in burqa a at a Klan rally.

Keeping the Story Straight

Does anyone think management set expectations at a level that’s remotely in line with the talent (or lack thereof) on this club?

The organization said playoffs was their goal and then iced a team with Matt Stajan as the #1 centre and Vesa Toskala as the starting goalie - even though he hasn’t been able to approach the league average save percentage in three years.

Burke also promised an entertaining team. Other than game one against the Habs, I haven’t seen any entertaining hockey - have you?

Remember the old competition in camp theory? You know, the one where guys were going to earn their jobs. Well it turns out the Leafs couldn't get the msessage straight on that front either and some guys earned their starts this year based on last season's play. That would be the same season the team put up 81 points and missed the playoffs for the third year in a row.

A few days ago, Ron Wilson compared public criticism of Vesa Toskala to waterboarding. Your read that right, the Toronto media were metaphorically torturing the goalie.

Tonight the coach decided to throw that same goalie under the bus.

The only consistent thing coming from the Leafs is the stench of incompetence.

Shortcomings and Off-Season Moves

The two biggest issues that dogged the Leafs last year were the penalty kill and goaltending. The Leafs were dead last in both categories.

In the off-season, Burke shuffled the defence - moving out Kubina and bringing in Komisarek, Exelby and Beachemin. He also added Rickard Wallin to the forward mix (as well as pugilist Colton Orr)

In nets, Burke actively pursued the Jonas “The Monster” Gustavsson, who unfortunately is battling injuries and has only started a single game.

Four games into the Season and the Leafs are, once again, dead last in goals against and dead last on the PK.

Until goaltending and special teams play is resolved, this team will remain winless.

Oh, and a question the media horde might want to ask Coach Wilson: what the heck is Wallin doing on the PP?