Open Your Eyes

It wasn't an original 6 match-up but in my eyes it was just that. The bullies from Philadelphia against the true original 6 team from Chicago. When both teams made it to the Stanley Cup finals, it seemed kind of a perfect battle that the NHL needed, just something different than the Penguins and Red Wings.

There were plenty of story lines, Hossa, 7th seeded Philadelphia, and the drought both cities have endured but in my eyes the biggest story line was Mr. Gary Bettman. The message I would love to shout at him is,

"Look at the teams and the cities that are in the Stanley Cup finals and open your eyes to the fact that people from hockey cities deserve your attention. Instead of wasting time and money on non-traditional cities pay attention to the true hockey towns."

It pisses me off to see all the potential the NHL has as a league and be forced to watch an idiot like Bettman force NHL teams into American cities where hockey is basically a hobby and not a part of life. Hockey teams should be put into cities where arenas are going to sellout on a nightly basis, satisfying true blooded hockey fans and let's not leave out those owners who want to fatten up their bottom line. Win win situation!

The NHL and more importantly the loyal hockey fans deserve better.

On The Rise

Wings visiting the Leafs

After a terrible start to the season in October, the Leafs have made a 180. After walking in and taking a win from Paul Maurice and the Hurricanes, the Leafs came back home to a tough Red Wing team. Who cares, we have Kessel and Gustavsson. The Leafs were in control for the entire night leaving the ACC with a 5-1 victory. What impressed me the most was the balance in scoring with 12 guys registering a point in the game, that to me is a sign of good things to come.

November brings 13 games and if the Leafs can leave the ACC on Nov. 30 with 7 to 9 wins, you'll see me with a pretty big smile. You won't see me planning a parade down Yonge or Bay (not too sure where they would hold it) but with the Leafs winning and rising up through the standings, it gives me hope that the Leafs have started their path to the ultimate goal, raising the Stanley Cup.

One More

Just browsing the box scores and reading through all the stories on ESPN and TSN when I happened to bump into the NHL playoff section on Yahoo! Sports. Can you believe the 08-09 NHL season is going to be over on June 12th?!?! Where the hell does time go...it just seems like yesterday that the season started. To be honest, I lost interest in November. The NBA this year was absolutely amazing. The fierce battles didn't start when the playoffs started but right when the season began. Remember when KJ was taunting Calderon during game seven of the regular season.

I can't seem to find a reason for why I didn't keep up with hockey this year. I always keep up with hockey and the day to day life that surrounds the league. If you asked me who the leading scorer was I would be puzzled. If you asked me who finished first in each conference I would be puzzled. If you asked me...you get the picture.

Maybe it was the Leafs that kept me from watching. The Leafs kill me. They have all the resources in the world but still can't find a way to compete in the NHL. Almost every kid who grows up in Canada wants to play for the Leafs or the Canadiens but they still can't seem to sign a free agent, who isn't over the hill, to play and contribute. It baffles me everyday!

Just read somewhere that Dany Heatley of the Senators wants out of Ottawa. He still has 5 years left on his contract extension and it's pretty hefty in price, I think $7.5 mil each year, but still worth a look. If the Leafs wanted to sign and bring in a player who can score and understands the game, this would be a guy they need to sign.

As a Leafs fan, I'm used to saying, "Maybe next year, maybe next year."

Guess we'll see how I feel when the 09-10 season rolls around.