Posts tagged wilson
Ron Wilson Can Be Funny
Jul 20th
What Does Versteeg’s Future Look Like?
Jul 10th
I’m pretty sick of trying to sound all formal and stuff, and making my articles look polished and all that. That being said, I really don’t want to spend a lot of time on an article that has some point but not a lot of depth, so let’s get straight to it.
A week or two ago the Leafs traded for Kris Versteeg. He’s a top-six foward, a right-winger to be exact. He was nominated for the Calder Trophy in 2008-2009 after a pretty impressive rookie campaign but last year his points dipped off because of the depth chart on a stacked Stanley Cup-winning team. First it was up, then it was down for Kris Versteeg and his so far short NHL career…so what should we expect from him next year?
Well, read on to find out.
Leafs Ink Lebda
Jul 7th
Update: 2 years, 1.45 per.
Yep, Brian Burke has wasted no time this off-season bringing in guys with fake last names. Whether it’s Bill Sweatt, Joey Crabb or Brett Lebda, Burke seems to be intent on making us suffer with commentating that was already frsutrating enough on account of Joe Bowen’s dreadful rendition of “GrrrRRRRrrrabouvvsskii”. But I regress, it appears the Toronto Maple Leafs have added to their defensive depth by signing the former Stanley Cup Champion (Red Wings) to a…to a…uh…well, we don’t know the terms, but the Leafs Twitter account told us they signed him, so we’re gonna go on that.
When I first heard the news I didn’t have the overwhelming joy that I had when I found out the Leafs acquired my future new jersey in Kris Versteeg, but I didn’t exactly have the overwhelming dissapointment when the Leafs signed the “decent” grinder in Colby Armstrong. Granted, that could change when I find out the terms of the contract, but as long as he isn’t making more than 1.5 I’d say it’s a decent signing. Oh, I should probably mention that we do know he signed for two years.
Now, to the dismay of Chemmy from Pension Plan Puppets it appears that, as horrible as Lebda may be, he has good intangibles. These include being a drunk party animal and being a drunk party animal, which in other terms translates to him being a hilarious guy who will, if nothing else, be a “good locker-room guy”. Welcome aboard the Character Express, also known as the Leafs 2010 off-season ventures in which they have now acquired three guys, each with varying degrees of skill but all with “good intangibles”. I’m sure you’ll fit right in Brett.
Good news for the Leafs is that Lebda can really skate, so should Tomas Kaberle be dealt this summer it looks like the Leafs blueline won’t be full of pylons after all. And yes, if Tomas Kaberle is dealt it appears the Leafs will continue to eat Jeff Finger’s contract til the bitter end. Ah well, he can earn his money from the press box.
Just so you know, Lebda had 8 points, 24 PIM, 39 hits and a respectable 41 blocked shots in 63 games last season. Intangibles below:
Howard Berger is a Tool.
Jun 23rd
Another post that I guest wrote on Pension Plan Puppets..wasn’t as seen though, so its up here now. Enjoy!
Alright, I’m not one to start completely ripping on known members of the media for no apparent reason. While sometimes people say stupid things that I disagree with, you also know that they must’ve done things in the past that got them to where they are today.
I do make one exception to this, and its Howard Berger. The Fan590 reporter and HockeyBuzz writer is one of many who has made a name for themselves, and have kept themselves relevant in the past few years by consistently looking at negative aspects of the team with next to no exception. What seperates him from, say, a Damien Cox though, is the fact that he is seemingly never not on a mission to bash the team, and never really praises or acts neutral with team decisions. Cox can write the occasion article that’s positive, or at least merely an informative news piece (though he’s still generally a dick and negative as a whole). As can the rest of the media. But with the exception of his reporting on the new Leafs jerseys, Berger spends his entire time writing at a practical vendetta against the team. Hell, it wouldn’t shock me if the jersey reporting was entirely for the purpose of undermining the official announcement. Not to mention the fact that he pretty much spends every press conference looking for ways to try to slam Ron Wilson/Brian Burke/Whatever Player is There/The Audio Technician, to the point where we got this gem a while back:
Captain Phaneuf! Finally something to cheer about
Jun 15th
After a few quiet months for the team during yet another year without playoff hockey, MLSE finally gave Leafs Nation something to get excited about. On Monday, a press conference was set up in order to unveil the team’s new jerseys, and it’s new captain. Dion Phaneuf was chosen to carry both the honour and responsibility of being the 18th captain in Maple Leaf’s history. He will have some very big shoes to fill, as that “C” has not been worn by anyone other than Mats Sundin since the late 1990’s. Mats was an excellent captain, and he truly was the heart and soul of this team for over a decade. Before him, came 2 other great captains in Wendel Clark and Doug Gilmour, who truly “bled blue and white” during their time with the team. Phaneuf definitely has his work cut out for him, because the last few captains have been 3 of the most respected Maple Leafs players of all-time. If Phaneuf is half the leader that either of those 3 were then this is a great move for the franchise. I personally think he is up for the task, however, this move has caused a lot of mixed reactions from the media and fans. In fact, a lot of people see this as a bad move, and believe that he is not the right man for the job. Not only do some say that he is not fit to captain the Leafs, but they argue that he is one of the most overrated players in the NHL.
Oh Captain! My Captain!
Jun 15th
You couldn’t help but notice that on Monday the Maple Leafs named Dion Phaneuf the 18th captain in franchise history. Between the saturation media coverage and the feverish din of the message board set, the amount of attention paid to Phaneuf’s promotion surpassed that given to any other NHL captaincy selection in recent memory. But, such is the profile of the Maple Leafs and what Leafs GM Brian Burke described yesterday as one of the most important sports brands in the world. And it’s befitting of the big, bold personality that slipped on the newly-designed Leafs jersey emblazoned with the captain’s “C” for the first time Monday afternoon.
So it was that all across Canada, but especially in Calgary, pundits were abuzz with the news of The Dion’s ascension. And as much as Calgary writers like Steve McFarlane might pepper their columns with jibes at the match made in heaven between the collective and individual egos of Torontonians and Phaneuf respectively, it’s a case of them protesting too much. One can scarcely imagine as much ink and bandwidth spent on a change in the Flames captaincy. One less courteous might quip that Calgarians are simply stinging over being fleeced by the Leafs in two major trades in the past 20 years, but I’m not that sort of guy.
Toronto Maple Leafs Visual Captaincy History
Jun 14th
Courtesy of me. Fresh from the press conference with your newest captain.
You can follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/raskofalltrades
In Defence Of Jeff Finger
Jun 12th
This may or may not be the most hated article that I’ll ever write. I’m aware, so troll on.
Look, there are many extremely toxic contracts in the NHL, that are extremely detrimental to the team because of their ridiculous length, cap hit, and a players poor play. Jeff Finger, isn’t one of them. Sure, he’s by no means worth it to the Toronto Maple Leafs, filled to the brim with very good defencemen. Sure, his contract was a big WTF when he first signed it. But when you really look at things, its not so bad. Look, I know you’re laughing your asses off right now, but give this article a chance and hear me out.
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