The Real NHL Deal

Week 11 Post

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Vessio) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:02:00 +0000

Much anticipated action has happened since the previous post, leafs have won 2 and lost 2 since that time. However its great to have number one net minder James Reimer back in action for the Leafs as he was missed dearly. I don’t think it was a great idea for coach Wilson to put Reimer in net his first game back against defending cup champions the Boston Bruins as Jonas Gustavson was playing very well. The Leafs ended up losing a heartbreaker to the New Jersey Devils last night at the Air Canada Center. After making a comeback to tie the game up in the third period the Leafs could not finish the Devils off in overtime. Even though they lost they played a good heard game and still collected a point. The Leafs are going head to head Friday against the Washington Capitals in Washington it should be a excellent game to watch. However with the all star break coming up there are 4 Toronto Maple Leafs that will probably be playing, firstly league point leader Phil Kessel is voted first among forwards to be on the all-star team and Joffery Lupul is 5^th voted amount fans around the League. Also Leafs Captian Dion Phaneuf has been selected, he is also second in voting in the league for all star defensemen. And last but not least Leafs goaltender James Reimer will be the final addition from the Leafs in the all-star game who was surprisingly ranked first among all goalies in the league in voting should be a great one to watch!!

Week 10

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Vessio) — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:30:00 +0000

Since the Leafs 4 game losing skid a lot has happened to the organization since that time. They have seemed to change there ways and get back on to a sufficient 3 game winning streak starting off with league power house Tampa Bay, then winning in Dallas and finish off with another win in Anaheim. These wins are critical as the Leafs just ended a 6 game road trip in which they needed to do well to stay on top of the leagues leader boards. Some other good news coming out of the Leafs organization, Leafs sniper Phil Kessel and defensemen Dion Phaneuf have been nominated for this year’s all-star game in Ottawa. This is a great way to show how the Leafs organization has turned around and making the best out of their future. However Leafs are still dealing with quite a bit of injuries, now with defensemen Mike Komisarek out with a broken arm and speedy Matthew Lombardi is supposedly out for the remainder of the season needing shoulder surgery. Looking ahead the leafs have 3 critical games coming up, with two back to back games against the defending league champions Boston Bruins and then finishing off Monday against the New York Rangers. The two back to back games against the Bruins will be critical in the definition of the Leafs, as the Bruins have slaughtered the Leafs in there past two meetings 6-2 and 7-0. If the Leafs come out with a win this weekend it would be great for the organization and show the league that the Leafs are back.

Week 9

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Vessio) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:14:00 +0000

The Toronto Maple Leafs are in some hot water currently, with losing there last 4 games many of the critics doubt that they were the great team that started off the year. However they are not playing with the same team that they did at the beginning of the year. With number one net minder out still it is been very hard for the team to move forward as they are know 3-4-1 in their last 8 games. They seem to be lacking the same spark that they started the season with, still with forward Tim Connolly out of commission. It’s very difficult to watch them play know as they don’t seem to have much determination or drive that they started the season with. The Leafs schedule is not getting any easier either with games coming up against the Nashville Predators, Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes. This is a bad time for the team to fall into a slump as competition is going to be very hard these next couple of games. Also new news around the league about goalie protection. Two of the league’s biggest names in the nets are out of injury due to player hits. Brian Burke of the Toronto Maple Leafs went public saying that the league needs to start putting more emphasis on protecting teams goalies as they are valuable assets to everyone team. This is very critical as hitting to the net minders should never be done however teams are doing anything for a win these days.

Week 8

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Vessio) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 14:57:00 +0000

Over the past week much has happened in and around the NHL. Firstly the Toronto Maple Leafs held the first place position for a week and a bit, great to see. However due to their recent back to back to back loses against the defending champs the Boston Bruins, and lasts night defeat to the Florida Panthers they have slipped to 5^th in the league. The Leafs have been struggling without their number one net minder James Reimer, Jonas Gustavasson and Ben Scrivens have tried to fill the void however have been unsuccessful. That has not been the only bad news for the Leafs, as grinder Coby Armstrong is will out of the roster and know added to the injury reserve is Leafs first line center Tim Connolly with a upper body injury. To put more fuel to the fire Leafs youngster defensemen Luke Schenn was a healthy scratch during Saturdays night’s game against the Bruins, with a steady decline of ice time. Coach Ron Wilson isn’t impressed with the youngster’s game play from the beginning of the season so I guess he is trying to send a message to his players saying if you don’t produce you’re not going to play. However on a positive note, Leafs rookie James Gardiner (21 years old) has been sensational with 5 points and averaging 20 minutes of ice time each game. He has shown that he is ready to play in the NHL and seems as if he has already been playing in the league for a couple years. This kid has a great future so look out for him to be a future leader for the Leafs.

HockeyBuzz.com - Ken Beckett - Moves Like Jagr - Hartnell and Jagr Score Twice as Flyers Double Up Leafs

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Vessio) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:57:00 +0000

HockeyBuzz.com - Ken Beckett - Moves Like Jagr - Hartnell and Jagr Score Twice as Flyers Double Up Leafs

Week 5 Post

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Vessio) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:46:00 +0000

Since my last post much has happened in the NHL and especially in the Toronto Maple Leafs Organization. The Leafs suffered a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Colorado Avalanche Monday night, however despite here loss the leafs came back from a 2-0 defecate to tie the game and force it into overtime. Leafs sniper Phil Kessel is names NHL player of the week with his league leading 7 points, Phil is off to a great look to him to lead the Leafs in the playoffs this year.

Tonight is going to be another story as the Leafs take on the newly added Winnipeg Jets who currently have a 1-3-0 record, this is the first of four meetings between the two Canadian teams. Other headlining news is that New Jersey’s superstar goalie Martin Brodeur will be out longer than expected. The veteran goalie was hurt in his previous game against the L.A Kings and has missed 2 games so far and will probably be out for more than a week. Important news coming out of Pittsburgh, defensemen Chris Letang is going to be suspended for 2 games for his vicious boarding hit to the Jets forward Alex Burmistrov .

Mr. Letang will also have to dish out $ 37, 837.84 in salary for his actions. News out of Vancouver, the had a ceremonial honouring fallen player Rick Rypien , who battled depression for many years and committed suicide this summer. Many of his teammates had nothing but good things to say about the fallen player he would stick up for anyone and wore his heart on his sleeve.

Leafs Get On a Great Start

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Vessio) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 04:18:00 +0000

It has been a great kick off for the Leafs this season opening up with a great 2-0 record! They have gotten off too great start with wins over rivals Montreal and the Ottawa Senators. Both games were close however with the new additions to the Leafs you could tell they are a much stronger team then last year and a new force to reckon with this upcoming year! James Reimer played phenomenal in both of the games, continuing from his great performance last year and showing all the fans and the NHL that he is here to stay. Captain Dion also had a great two games registering a goal and a assist showing with he is the Leafs Leader! Looking forward to there upcoming game this Saturday night against the Calgary Flames! Hopefully they can continue their luck and go on a 3-0 to start this 2011-2012 season. Leafs Sniper Clarke MacArthur will be back in the lineup after being suspended for 3 games and fined $35,135.14 by Senior VP of Players Safety Brandon Shanahan. However on a positive note newly acquired Leafs Defensemen Cody Franson will be making his blue a white debut Saturday against the flames. The 6’5 defensemen knows how critical this will be to his career and will defiantly be giving it his all so he doesn’t have to be sent back to the Marlies. Keep an eye out for leafs goal scorer Phil Kessel to be making headlines with a 3 goal game against the Ottawa Senators he has shown that he is looking for the back of the net and will continue to be a big impact for the Leafs. And keep your head up PHANEUF IS COMING

SEASON OPENER

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Vessio) — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 13:57:00 +0000

As most o f us know the new NHL season will be starting tomorrow night with a bang! Philadelphia will be taking on the Boston Bruins, Montreal will be taking on the Toronto Maple leafs and Pittsburgh will be taking on last year’s cup finalist the Vancouver Canucks. What a great way to start off the new NHL season, however many players will be suspended due to Mr. Shanahan’s current heavy fist on league rules and hit’s to the head. Mr. Shanahan is taking a lot of heat from the players and media. However he is simply just looking out for the best interest and health of the league and the players that play in it. I think there is a method behind his madness, Mr. Shanahan is trying to show from the get go that the league will not be tolerating anymore hits to the head. So by him throwing out hefty fines ( Up to $35,000 usd) he is showing the players in the league from the start to scare them and hopefully influence them in watching the way that they hit. More good news coming from the Toronto Maple Leafs way, they have acquired center men David Steckel from the New Jersey Devils. This is a great acquisition as the leafs are lacking in the faceoff’s being won and Mr. Steckel was leading the league last year with a 62.3 percent faceoff winning percentage. Another great story is that when the Anaheim Ducks went to play a exhibition game against Finland’s Helsinki Jokerit, there two Finish players Saku Koivu and Teamu Selanne both received standing ovations from their home teams.

Pre-Season Over Hauling

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Vessio) — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 14:02:00 +0000

Over the past two weeks in NHL pre-season teams have been showcasing, and shuffling through roster to see how they will adjust to the new season. Many cuts have been made so far putting a lot of the youths playing in the NHL pre-season back to their respectful AHL and OHL teams. From the first few sets of cuts the Toronto Maple Leafs have sent down forwards Jerry D'amigo, Greg Mckegg, Joe Colborne, Mike Zigomanis and defencemen Jeff Finger and Juraj Mikus. All of the NHL teams are tightening up their roster as the season start is nearing and teams are looking to keep the best player to compete for the Stanley Cup. A surprise for the new Winnipeg Jets as they finally re-enter back into the NHL, after a 15 year absence from the league. It’s great to see another Canadian team back into the NHL increasing the total amount of Canadian teams to 7 and bringing back a legendary team. The Jets have also recently went public with their affiliation team the Colorado Eagles who play out of Denver Colorado. The Jets have gotten off to an impressive start with a 4-0 win over Conference finalist San Jose Shard. The young speedy Jets put on a youth display with a goal by 18 year old Mark Schieifele who many thought wasn’t ready to be in the NHL, however has proven everyone wrong. However there is a some controversy going on with one of the Jets starts Dustin Byfuglien, who was caught driving his boat in Minnesota under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Don’t know how this is going to play out but hope his legal actions don’t affect his league appearances.

New Upcoming Season!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Matthew Vessio) — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:07:00 +0000

Everybody get ready for the new 2011-2012 season!! Its going to be a great year with many new and old faces. There was alot of trades and new signings done in the off-season to lead up to a great season. Many new coaches are leading teams, and with the addition of the Winnipeg Jets it should make for a great action packed season. This upcoming season is going to be much more entertaining than the previous year with many European and upcoming stars entering the league. Also some injuries will be carrying over to this year so we will see how teams will hold up and the final rosters after the pre-season games. Teams that didn’t make the play offs in previous years will be looking to end there droughts team such as the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche and they Edmonton Oilers. Usually these teams are playoff contenders however in the past couple years they have failed to make a appearance. However many trades and recruitments have been made over the summer to help change that fact and we will be in for a great season. Players to be looking out for this year will be Phil Kessel of the Toronto Maple Leafs, the sniper had a hard time adjusting to play from Boston to Toronto however look for him to bounce back. Another Player to look out for is 20 year old Mat Duchene of the Colorado Avalanche this nifty forward put up 27 goals and 40 assists his first season he will be a force to reckon with this upcoming season.