Ode to Chris Chelios; Hanson joins “bottom-six” fight for a job

No one is surprised that Chris Chelios is “officially” retiring. Anyone who saw him play for Atlanta at the end of last season had to know i...

10 questions for Leaf fans to ponder heading into camp

One of the most hopeful times of year for the hockey fan is when training camp kicks off. You hope the off-season moves will pan out and tha...

Great goalies of my youth: Hall, Plante, Sawchuk, Giacomin and Esposito

Those who visit this site fairly regularly may recall that my earliest hockey memories date back ...

Competition for “bottom-six” forward positions can only help

Sometimes it’s the little moves that can make a difference. And the tinkering that Burke is doing speaks to that point. He’s no different...

As we talk blogs versus “mainstream” media, remembering real Canadian sports writing giants

I best not dip my toe too deeply into the current discussion around “bloggers” versus mainstream media. I will say I never would have, many...

You can’t expect a miracle (e.g. Phaneuf) from Burke every year: Looking at 10 major Leaf deals over the past 50 years

It’s fair to say Brian Burke pulled two rabbits out of his hat in the last year: one was acquiring...

What will be the first Maple Leaf crisis of 2010-‘11?

It has been, relatively speaking, a quiet off-season in Leafland. Oh, we’ve had the on-again, off-again Kaberle “situation” and the acquisi...

Spring of 1959— the greatest Leaf comeback ever

Before the 1958-’59 NHL season began, Leaf fans didn’t know what to expect. They had not made the p...

Three easy (?) changes to make hockey better

We’ve just come through another summer round of self-examination when it comes to possible rule adjustments in the National Hockey League. M...

Tomas Kaberle: If your Dad’s not happy, you’re not happy

Earlier in the week, I posted on Kaberle far more than I had intended. Recognizing that people are at best bored and quite likely annoyed at...

Feedback for Vintage Leaf

There is no question that the blogosphere is filled with plenty of opinions when it comes to hockey and the Leafs. When I first launched thi...

The Leafs wouldn’t have won 4 Cups without…

When old Maple Leaf fans gather (do we ever really gather?), certain names come up in conversation...

What if Tomas Kaberle really wants to stay- until he retires?

Here’s what only people on the “inside” (i.e. those who work in Burke’s inner circle) really know: did they want to move Kaberle because the...

The Kaberle saga: Unfortunately, the damage has been done

Perhaps, sadly, this is the way it had to be for the Leafs and Tomas Kaberle. Rocky I was pretty good. By Rocky V, something was missing f...

As the Leafs talk deals now, remembering one off-season deal that didn’t work: Eddie Shack for Murray Oliver

When the Leafs won the Cup in May of 1967, they were a team on the decline. They had given everythi...

August can be one of the special times of the year for Leaf fans

When I was a kid, in the early ‘60s, being a Leaf fan was tremendous. They didn’t win the Cup every ...