Questions about the Mats deal

This is what we know: Cliff Fletcher has given the Habs exclusive negotiating rights to Mats Sundin.

And tha'ts pretty much all we know. This being the Maple Leafs, the army of reporters covering the team are more interested in offering up opinions on the deal than in actually finding out the details. Why bother with all those boring "facts", when speculation is so much more fun.

So since they're not asking the right questions, I figured I'd give it a shot. If anyone has seen these questions answered anywhere, please post a comment and I'll update as we go.

- Do these "exclusive" rights mean the Leafs can't talks to Sundin either? Howard Berger seems to think so. Other articles don't mention it. This seems important, no?

- We all assume that there's a conditional deal in place if Mats signs in Montreal. But has anything been filed with the league? Even conditional deals have to be written down somewhere. Look at the Prospal trade this week, which was basically a conditional deal with a seventh-round pick as a placeholder. Did the Habs and Leafs file anything? Or is this a gentleman's agreement with Fletcher and Gainey? If so, is it even enforacable?

- Is there any compensation involved if the Habs don't sign Sundin? Obviously it wouldn't be much, but are the Habs getting a 100% risk-free window here, or are they paying a price just to pick up the phone? Similar deals in pro sports have happened both ways.

- Why would the compensation only apply until June 30? Several articles, including Damien Cox, mention that the conditional deal would only be in place until the start of free agency. Why? If the Habs can work out a deal with Sundin, whether its tomorrow or in July or in August, what difference does it make? And if the trade is only in place until June 30, what's to stop the Habs from waiting until 12:01 on July 1 and signing Mats then?

What price victory?

I like the deal to move up and grab Schenn. But I couldn't help but think about the price tag: two good draft picks to move up from #7 to #5. That's a lot. But it was necessary, because the Leafs had the #7 pick in a draft with five (or six, if you consider Filatov signable) elite players.

A little refresher:

The Islanders had 79 points last year. The Leafs, thanks to their traditional late-season surge after they were already all but eliminated from the playoffs, had 83 points.

You no doubt remember how that final stretch unfolded: Toskala being played into the ground, the veterans getting all the ice time, no look at the younger kids, no Raycroft until the very end. And all because Paul Maurice was coaching for his next employer instead of his current one.

So let's take a moment today to thank Maurice. They say you can't put a price on winning, but now we can. Two more meaningless victories, four more lousy points, at a cost of a second rounder and a third.

Good work, Paul.

The Love Guru: Fact vs Fiction

The Love Guru opens today. As a big budget Hollywood blockbuster, the film will no doubt be seen by a lot of non-hockey fans. This is great news for the NHL, which needs all the publicity it can get.

However, as with any movie the Hollywood version has taken some liberties with reality. Movie goers may be left with some false impressions about the NHL in general and the Toronto Maple Leafs in specific. To avoid confusion, Down Goes Brown attempts to sort out fact and fiction.


Hollywood version: The Leafs' young superstar, Darren Roanoke, is African-American.

Real life: As any hockey fan knows, this is a politically correct Hollywood invention that can only be called pure fiction. The Leafs have never had a young superstar.


Hollywood version: All the Leafs problems are caused by their star player being estranged from his wife.

Real life: All the Leafs problems are caused by their star players being so whipped by their wives that they're not allowed to accept trades to contending teams. A few trial separations would be just what the doctor ordered.


Hollywood version: The Leafs win the Stanley Cup.

Real life: Yeah, not so much.


Hollywood version: In the crucial series between the Leafs and Kings, the hated villain is played by Justin Timberlake.

Real life: In the crucial series between the Leafs and Kings, the hated villain is played by Kerry Fraser.


Hollywood version: The Leafs are run by Jessica Alba, best known for a pair of boobs that everybody loves.

Real life: The Leafs are run by Larry Tannenbaum and Richard Peddie, best known as a pair of boobs that everybody hates.


Hollywood version: Bob Probert makes an appearance on the ice in Toronto, portraying himself.

Real life: Bob Probert makes an appearance on the ice in Toronto, portraying Wendel Clark's personal speed bag.


Hollywood version: The Leafs spend $2 million on Mike Myer's character in an attempt to win.

Real life: The Leafs spend $2 million on Andrew Raycroft in an attempt to lose.


Hollywood version: Jessica Simpson appears as herself: a whiny blond prima donna with an overinflated sense of entitlement who hasn't done anything noteworthy in two years and who everybody wishes would just go away.

Real life: Role played by Bryan McCabe.


Hollywood version: Verne Troyer portrays 32-inch-tall hockey coach, even though he isn't one in real life.

Real life: Kyle Wellwood portrays a 32-inch-tall second line center, even though he isn't one in real life.


Hollywood version: After the Leafs win the championship, everybody is happy.

Real life: After the Leafs win the championship, Damien Cox writes an angry column about how they should have done better.

Leafs acquire Mayers

The Leafs have acquired Jamal Myers from the Blues in exchange for a third round pick.

So... Who had "June 20" in the "When will the Leafs start trading decent picks for 33-year-old fourth liners" pool?

The only good news here is that Mayers brings some sandpaper, meaning we may be on our way back to building a team that's at least a little bit tough to play against. That's something. The Leafs desperately need somebody to throw over the boards if things get out of hand. Is Mayers that guy? I suppose he is now, by default.

Still... no more trading picks, Cliff. Stop it.

A few random and unrelated observations

The NBA has recently had to fend off accusations that it actively worked to ensure that large market teams like the Los Angeles Lakers advanced in the playoffs. Even if the new allegations are false, the league has long been suspected of assigning specific referees to playoff games in an attempt to subtlety influence results and ensure that big market teams did as well as possible. There have even been whispers for years that the league has rigged its draft lottery to ensure that teams in big markets have an advantage.

Major league baseball currently has a salary system that greatly favors large market teams, virtually ensuring that several teams from markets like New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles are contenders every year. Fans in small markets complain, but nobody in ownership or the players union seems to mind.

The NFL recently opened the door to dropping its suspension of star cornerback Adam 'Pacman' Jones. Jones had been suspended indefinitely while playing for the small-market Tennessee Titans, but the league softened its stance shortly after he was traded to the league's flagship franchise, the Dallas Cowboys. The NFL also raised eyebrows by declaring the Spygate scandal investigation closed, in a move that many saw as an attempt to protect the big market New England Patriots.

Meanwhile, Gary Bettman and the NHL have taken a break from actively obstructing the Maple Leafs pursuit of a big-name general manager to announce that they are going to court in an attempt to remove the New York Rangers owners. When not making trouble for their biggest market teams, Bettman and friends appear to spend all their time trying to keep the small market American teams happy.

In completely unrelated news, the NBA has set attendance records three years in a row, MLB business is at an all-time high, and the NFL is the most powerful and successful sports league in North American history.

Meanwhile, the NHL struggles along. Revenue is up thanks mainly to the Canadian dollar, but business in the US is flat and the league continues to need to pad its announced ticket sales with freebies in order to claim that attendance is rising.

So good work, Gary. Keep working hard to pick fights with those big markets. You obviously know something that all those other league's don't.