Thursday, January 8, 2009

Leafs/Habs post-game thoughts


  • I think I'm enjoying the Brad May era. You?

  • You know those cartoons you see around New Year's, where the weak and hobbled old man representing the forgotten past gives way to the energetic baby who represents the possibilities of the future? Didn't this week kind of feel like that, with the Battle of Ontario playing the old man and the renewed Leafs/Habs rivalry playing the little baby?

  • Kudos to Mayers for taking care of business, and to May for reinforcing the point. He even seemed to have fired up Grabovski, who managed a draw in his fight. Yes, it was against a linesman, but we're taking baby-steps here.

  • And let's be honest, Grabovski-Kostitsyn would have made Semin-Staal look like Clark-McSorley

  • In all seriousness, anyone questioning the May deal is missing the point. It's not about helping the team win games. It's not even about winning fights. It's about the fact that this team had a terrible dressing room for three years, where losing was fine and excuses ruled. Fletcher rolled a grenade into the room, and it got better -- for a while. Based on Wilson's comments after the Florida game, they're heading back to their old ways.

    You can not develop young players in an environment where losing is acceptable. If May can remind the younger guys how to work hard and compete, he's worth a sixth-round pick and more.

    And if all of that sounds like an indictment of the current veteran core of the team, well, it probably is.

  • By the way, where is it written that May can't come in, play regular minutes for eight weeks, remind the young guys what a professional looks like... and then be dealt at the deadline? And if he looks anything like he did against the Habs over the new two months, don't you think the Leafs can get more than a sixth for him from a contender?

  • Seriously, what did Grabovski do that has the entire Habs team hating him so much? Is he just that much of an obnoxious prick off the ice (and face it, he kind of has that vibe), or is there a bigger story here? Did he Leeman somebody's wife? Was he one of those guys who can't have a normal conversation without quoting a Simpsons episode? Did he just walk around holding a knife and pineapple at all times and creep everybody out? What?

  • We only got the French broadcast here in Ottawa, so I was a little confused when I saw Felix and Wendel being honored before the game. For a second, I thought the league had finally got around to reversing the Fraser/Gretzky non-call and the Leafs were being awarded the 1993 Stanley Cup retroactively.

  • Hey, do you think the Habs front office invited Dave Keon to the ceremony, just to twist the knife into MLSE? And couldn't you imagine him thinking about going?

  • Unrelated note: word is just in that the Sens had to take cabs to the airport after tonight's loss to the Bruins, since their team bus has Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza stuck under it.

  • Finally, let's play a round of "write Damien Cox's Friday column for him":

    "Knuckle-dragging Leafs fans begging for fisticuffs got their wish on Thursday as the Brad May era kicked off with two fights, surely pleasing Brian Burke. But the thuggish Leafs were blown out by the speedy and talented conference-leading Habs. There's absolutely no logical connection between those two statements, but I will still attempt to passive-aggressively imply one!"

    Am I close?




13 comments:

  1. Cheers DGB for your insight and interaction pre-game. Was another strange one between these two teams. We used to have tight games, now it's just a back and forth with 6 goals to the victors.

    Good luck with Brad May. I certainly wouldn't want an era named for him. Maybe he like Wendel and Felix was part of the tribute to 1993. We're saddled with Brisebois as part of the same tribute.

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  2. "Unrelated note: word is just in that the Sens had to take cabs to the airport after tonight's loss to the Bruins, since their team bus has Daniel Alfredsson and Jason Spezza stuck under it."

    Hahahahahahaha

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  3. Great post, DGB.

    If May walks as a free agent, the 6th rounder doesn't change hands. That means he's basically here for the rest of the season for free. I didn't like the way he looked defensively on that third MTL goal, but like you said, it's not about winning games. He brings the toughness that we need.

    Mayers' fight was incredible. All the more if it's true that he's been told he shouldn't be fighting. That's why I love Mayers.

    Grabs is a crazy mother fucker. And, over at PPP last night, I was wondering the same; just what did this guy do to get every Habs player to hate him so much? It makes you think, for real.

    Spezza and Alffy were just brutal last night. I loved it.

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  4. If May walks as a free agent, the 6th rounder doesn't change hands.

    Wait, what? Is this confirmed? If so, it goes from a decent deal to an amazing one.

    And what happens if the Leafs still turn around and deal him at the deadline?

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  5. I read that this morning over at Maple Leafs Hot Stove, our The Score Sports Federation brethren.

    I also managed to confirm with Brian Burke that the Leafs’ conditional sixth rounder involved in yesterday’s trade will only change hands if he re-signs Brad May before or on July 1st.

    I'm not sure what happens if we trade him. Under the terms above, we're not re-signing him, so no draft pick for Anaheim. Right?

    And you're right, this trade is sheer genius if that is in fact the case.

    MAY-DAY! MAY-DAY! MAY-DAY!

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  6. great post as always DGB.

    i'd like to think that Grabovski is just pushing all the right buttons on the ice against the Habs.

    I think he just hates the team for tossing him aside so easily, and would like to show them what they gave up, every time he plays them. I get the sense he is a stuck up prick (i.e. - proud) and doesn't like the idea of a team thinking he's dead weight. That or he's crazy...

    either way, good for us.

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  7. Another nice post DGB. Discovered your Blogg when looking for something on Clark and have been reading ever since.

    As for Grabs.....the reason the habs fans and team hate him soo much can be found right here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7LElAtF4DM

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  8. That tribute didn't go too well. I'm not sure if people knew when to cheer and when to boo. Did it not seem like the events manager just suddenly decided the event was dying and pulled the plug on Glory Days and the video highlights?

    Strange-also why kick off with Damphousse? I guess you build up to Bower

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  9. As for Grabs.....the reason the habs fans and team hate him soo much can be found right here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7LElAtF4DM

    That was definitely a cheapshot. But the Habs were after him even before then. There must be some backstory.

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  10. great post DGB. after last night i've definitely warmed up to the May trade.

    and your fake Cox article was inspired... it was like i was reading the great mittenstringer himself.

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  11. That was definitely a cheapshot. But the Habs were after him even before then. There must be some backstory.


    From what i have ever read or seen about this there was a problem in the dressing room with grabs and Kostitsyn. Apparently Grabs likes to badmouth him in the Russian news.

    On another thought, I am pretty sure that both of them play for Belarus in National tourneys....that could be interesting.

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  12. One more thing about Grabovski:
    I've heard that he did a lot of bitching in MTL last year about his ice time and games/played inspite of the fact that he really wasn't marginally better than any of the other guys fighting for spots. Add to that the butt end on Price and the unexplained rivalry with Kostitsyn and the hate is explained.

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  13. http://fourhabsfans.blogspot.com/2008/03/no-fly-zone-emery-calls-grabovski.html
    Here's another reason why the Habs don't like grabs

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