Burke To Stay In Anaheim... For Now

TSN is reporting that General Manager Brian Burke will be staying with the his current team, the Anaheim Ducks, for now. Burke has one year left on his contract but plans to fulfill that final year before even contemplating leaving sunny California. There is no final word on whether or not Burke will re-up with the Ducks but one would assume if Burke plans to stay, a contract will be written up as soon as possible.

For the Leafs, this does not rule out Brian Burke being their next GM, it just diminishes the chances greatly. Cliff Fletcher was signed to a nineteen month contract, technically, Fletcher could fulfill that until Burke has finished his time in Anaheim then flock to the GTA. Though, it seems unlikely, there is still some hope for those clinging to the idea of Burke bringing a Stanley Cup to Toronto.

Second Night Of Playoffs Begin

Three new series kick off tonight while one proceeds to the second game in as many nights. Starting in the East, the top-seeded Montreal Canadiens take on the injury-plagued Boston Bruins. Although Patrice Bergeron has been cleared to practice it is unlikely he will be ready for the first few games of the series which could be detrimental to the Bruins playoff success. The Canadiens come in with a rookie goaltender backstopping them and young talent spread throughout the line-up. People have been drawing comparisons to the Patrick Roy era in regards to Price but hockey has changed much since those days. Can he carry this team or will the offence be enough to get by the first round? Only time will tell.

Now to the West where also the top-seeded Detroit Red Wings face the new-look Nashville Predators. Detroit seems to be the same-old dominating puck possession team with sufficient goaltending but will it be enough? Meanwhile, the Nashville Predators have been stripped of many top-notch players in the passed year, yet find themselves still in the playoffs in a very competitive Western conference. Many experts are speculating that this series could be the biggest upset all playoffs, but that is the case every year with the Red Wings due to their dominance of the regular season each year.

Even further West, we have the Flames and Sharks facing off again at the HP Pavillion. The eventual game-winning goal last night came at the expense of a Brian Campbell misplay at the Calgary blueline where Jarome Iginla powered himself to the net and Stephane Yelle completed the play with a very controversial goal. The net appeared to come off its moorings at about the same time as the puck crossed the goal line, fortunately for the Flames the goal stood and they lead the series 1-0.

Finally, the Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks match up in which looks to be the biggest goaltending duel of the first round. The Stars won the season series 5-3 but that was before the additions of the trade deadline and the returning Philippe Boucher. Brad Richards looks to lead another team to the Stanley Cup Finals, now for the Stars, while the Ducks look to be the first team to repeat championships since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997-1998.

NHL Playoffs Kick Off Tonight

Finally, playoff hockey is returning in full force as two of the Western and Eastern conference series begin. Starting in the North, Ottawa takes on the Pittsburgh Penguins in Pittsburgh as it is a rematch from Round One last season. The last time these teams met Ottawa won the series and eventually went onto the Stanley Cup Finals.

On the other side of Canada, the Flames begin their series with the San Jose Sharks in beautiful California. Both teams intend to play a physical game, unfortunately for San Jose, though, Calgary is already used to playing a brutal and nasty game while the Sharks are still experimenting.

From the West the Minnesota Wild and Colorado Avalanche start their series. Minnesota is already missing a key defenceman in Kurtis Foster but recently it was revealed that Nick Schultz will miss the first round and probably longer. That does not bode well for the defensive Minnesota game. For the Avalanche the real wild card is Peter Forsberg. Can he produce his magic like in the past with the Avalanche or will he re-injure his nagging foot?

Back in the East, the New York Rangers and New Jersey Devils face off in a highway series. The Devils won the final game of the season in a shootout to maintain home-ice throughout the first round but is looking to be a snooze fest. Both teams like to play the defensive game. While New Jersey's reputation speaks for its self, the addition of Scott Gomez and Chris Drury as well as the emergence of rookie defenceman Marc Staal has brewed a surprising Ranger defence that surrendered the second least amount of goals in the Eastern conference. Of course, the Devils were first in that category.

Enjoy!

Sundin Likely Out For Weekend

Toronto Maple Leaf captain Mats Sundin is expected to miss both games this weekend against the Buffalo Sabres and Ottawa Senators per TSN. This will be a big blow to a team who is desperate for wins; obviously almost every game is a must-win and missing the captain will not help. On top of Mats' injury, Nik Antropov and Carlo Colaiacovo are both still injured. Antropov looks to be the closest to returning but it may be too little, too late by then.

Buds Face Tough Times

Some may still be hoping upon a Leaf playoff berth as the season winds down but most people by now have accepted reality: It's hard enough to win without their captain, Mats Sundin but add their second leading scorer Nik Antropov and you have a recipe for failure. Not only does this affect the immediate future of the Leafs but Antropov has had a history of reoccurring injuries and I doubt one would like to add more knee problems to the list. The Buds cannot afford more than two losses with a lot of help to have a chance at the playoffs but in the Eastern conference anything is possible. If you read this and are inspired by the "Tank Nation" crowd then this is music to your ears. Obviously no one wishes injuries upon these players but sometimes this can be for the best.

Gordie Johnson Rocks The ACC

An interesting take on the Canadian national anthem.

Leafs Make Late Push

The Buds are now making their annual late season push for the playoffs. Unfortunately, this time they may be too far behind for it to matter. This is even worse because just like the last two years, they make a late stretch-drive run and it only leafs them to 9th or 10th place in the Eastern conference. Not making the playoffs and getting the worst possible pick in doing so is a double-edged sword. For all the Tank Nation supporters, the schedule doesn't look too fortunate for the Leafs even if they're playing their best hockey. Ottawa plays the blue and white twice, as do the Devils, Flyers and Canadiens. The Bruins square off with the Buds three times along with the Sabres and finally one spin with the lowly Islanders. For those hoping for a high pick your dream may still come true.

Sundin Speaks With Fletcher

According to TSN, Toronto Maple Leafs' captain Mats Sundin and GM Cliff Fletcher sat down yesterday to talk about a possible trade. Although Cliff did not go as far as ask Mats to waive his no-trade clause, he did ask him to compile a list of teams he'd like to play for. Unfortunately for the "Tank Nation" supporters this is only the first step to completing the deal but the meeting alone proves there is a large market for the charismatic Swede.

Division: Sens Bolster For Playoff Push

Yesterday afternoon the Ottawa Senators and Carolina Hurricanes converged on what would be considered a blockbuster deal by this season's standards. Patrick Eaves and Joe Corvo were both sent to Carolina for Stanley Cup veterans Cory Stillman and Mike Commodore. Eaves will be a restricted free agent at season's end while Corvo still has two years left on his contract at $2.75 million a copy. Since Ottawa is making a playoff push, they felt they needed to improve their toughness, experience, leadership and secondary scoring; they did all of the above with this one transaction. I really feel that Ottawa made out like a bandit with this deal; Joe Corvo's contract is now erased from the books which will allow them more freedom to sign impending RFA Antoine Vermette as well as removing oft-injured Patrick Eaves. Since both of the players Ottawa received will be unrestricted free agents at season's end, they have no allegiance to them and they may walk after this year. In conclusion, Carolina got younger while improving their powerplay and Ottawa bolstered their playoff hopes but at the same time improved their chances of locking up key pieces to the Ottawa puzzle in the long term. Kudos to both general managers, in my opinion.

Conference: Richard Zednik Unfortunate Event

Sunday evening, Florida winger Richard Zednik had his throat cut by teammate Olli Jokinen's skate as he was falling. The tragic event was obviously a complete accident as Jokinen was pushed off balance and now the talk is starting for required neck guards. It's also a coincidence that both serious neck lacerations of recent history took place in Buffalo. If you recall, goaltender Clint Milarchuk was even more severely cut in the '80s. Fortunately Clint survived the event and Zednik is expected to as well. Richard was taken by ambulance to the nearest greater Buffalo area hospital in stable condition but gravely by first account is expected to miss the rest of the season.

Buds Get Embarrassed At Home

The dismantling on the ice Tuesday night may lead to the dismantling of the roster in the coming weeks. Toronto lost 8-0 to the Florida Panthers last night at the Air Canada Centre upon the booing of the crowd. Mats Sundin continues to deny he will waive his no-trade clause and I truly believe this due to Sundin's track record of loyalty to each team he has represented over the years. Even with Mats staying put, there are still assets to be traded, the problem is none of these players seem to be playing for their jobs. Although many Leaf players are injured that include but are not limited to McCabe, Kilger, Steen, Bell and Boyce there seems to be little urgency for this team to win. It's almost like the team has accepted the fate that Fletcher has come in to trade away as many players as possible as quickly as possible. With that said, those hoping for change are rejoicing in the recent woes, those who still believe are disgusted. It is less than 20 days until the NHL trade deadline and if the team collectively does not improve their play expect one or more of the following: trades, demotion to Marlies and buyouts. These are rough times in Leafland but I'm sure the ACC will stay filled until it is burned to the ground.

Antropov Suspended

As per TSN's Darren Dreger, Nik Antropov has been suspended for 3 games due to his actions towards a referee last night. Witnesses at the game claim the tall Kazak threw his stick at the referee after captain Rod Brind'Amour scored the game-winning goal in overtime. Abuse of a referee carries an automatic 3 game suspension. Unfortunately for Toronto, they are already dealing with a rash of injuries; add the Leafs' second leading point-getter and you have a recipe for failure. It is yet to be seen if Fletcher will make any depth decisions before the deadline or turn to the "firesale" mode many Leaf fans so desperately crave.

League: Finnish Flash Is Back

Teemu Selanne has rejoined the Anaheim Ducks as expected. It took four months but the Ducks are almost back to their championship roster. Dustin Penner and Andy McDonald are the two significant ripples missing from the "pond" but the additions of Mathieu Schneider and Doug Weight and the emergence of youngsters Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry almost compensates for those losses. Also in the up and coming is Ryan Carter who is taking the faceoff specialist role head-on while contributing on the scoresheet as well. The Selanne and Niedermayer additions only makes the Ducks stronger in their recent resurgence in the West and are poised to be a serious contender for the Stanley Cup a second straight year. The last team to repeat as Stanley Cup Champions were the Detroit Red Wings in 96-97 and 97-98.

Kaberle Achieves Perfection

Tomas Kaberle joined an elite club last night at the NHL Super Skills Competition with his perfect 4/4 shooting in the target shooting segment. He eventually led the East to the victory in that category as he finished 8/9 overall. He joined the only other defenceman to achieve this feat in the legendary Raymond Bourque who did it back-to-back in 1992 and 1993. Not bad for a 204th overall pick, right? Hopefully Tomas can carry this over to the fishtank us fans call the Air Canada Centre where Kaberle is constantly criticized for not shooting the puck enough.

Leafs Win One For The New Guy

Last night the Leafs put on a nailbiting show for the new guy. Mats Sundin scored with 29.2 seconds left in the third period to lift the Buds to a 3-2 victory just minutes after Semin scored to tie the game. Ovechkin was his normal self, shooting, scoring and double-shifting. Many players tend to fade after signing multi-million dollar contracts especially in the length of Ovechkin's but he seems to be relishing in the spotlight. Alexander the Great has a six game point streak in that time since signing on the dotted line. Toronto seems to be treading water for the time being but if these winning ways don't continue expect the heat to be put on Fletcher and the front office to make the changes needed for a playoff push or extensive rebuilding sequence.

Ferguson... FIRED

Today was a normal day in Leafland -- more drama that is. General Manager John Ferguson Jr. was eliminated from his position today. He was replaced with one of the most famous in Leaf history, Cliff Fletcher. The esteemed Fletcher was once quoted, "Draft, Schmaft", not very encouraging news for the prospect-starved club from the GTA. Apparently Fletcher will be taking at least two weeks to evaluate everything from the locker room to the farm team, from there he will make his decisions. Those decisions not only will affect the Leafs future, but the impending full-time GM that is expected to be hired this summer.

As The Leaf Turns

Another chapter has been added to the soap opera. According to TSN's Bob McKenzie, the Leafs will know if they'll have their new interim GM in the next 24 hours. Cliff Fletcher is that man and he's about to go on a Mexican vacation. If he gets on that plane you can bet he isn't taking the job, if not.. well you can figure that out. Right now the Leafs are considered to be the worst team in the league with little upside or future talent in the system so whoever takes over the job will have their have their hands completely tied. As of now, John Ferguson Jr. remains as the Toronto Maple Leafs' GM. Apparently Fletcher will not be the full-time replacement but will be in charge to clear up any mess he can before the deadline that Ferguson has created. Even completing one of those tasks seems insurmountable but Alexei Zhitnik was traded twice last year, was he not? A full time replacement shall be hired in the off-season, the most enticing time for the Leafs if they wish to hire the legendary Scotty Bowman. That remains to be seen but you can bet one thing, GM John Ferguson won't be cleaning his own mess up; if no one is hired before the deadline, nothing is happening.

Leafs Call Up Pogge, Claim Moore

After being humiliated in both of their first two Western road trip games the team has decided there needs to be a shakeup. Youngster Justin Pogge was called up from the Maple Leafs' affiliate the Toronto Marlies earlier today. Also, brother of Steve Moore, Dominic Moore was claimed off waivers from the Minnesota Wild. In 186 games, Moore has accumulated 41 points, hardly the answer they are looking for their latest offensive woes. Apparently Leafs management feels the pieces to the puzzle are there, just not in the right spot; only time will tell as the Leafs try to crawl their way out of 14th spot in the Eastern conference. Surprisingly, they are only five points out of a playoff spot but the team they're chasing, the New York Islanders, have two games in hand. The next month will tell a lot about the Leafs' future. With the trade deadline coming up this February we will see the true direction of this franchise and its approach to creating a winner.

Conference: Ovechkin Signs Huge Contract

So the trend of "longterm" deals seems to be catching on. In the last two years we've seen more than a few ten-plus year contracts, most recenly Mike Richards for twelve. Now Ovechkin has given up his first UFA freedoms for the foreseeable future to stay with the Washington Capitals for thirteen years. The contract is expected to be worth more than $120 million, the richest contract in NHL history. It has been reported by TSN's Bob McKenzie that the contract is mildly backloaded, the first six years to be worth $9 million per year while the final seven will be worth $10 million per year. So much for all the speculation that the Leafs or Habs would be signing him to an offer sheet this summer.

Sundin On The Block?

Many sites and newspapers have recently been reporting Mats Sundin may be considering waiving his no-trade clause despite his constant denial of wanting to leave the greater Toronto area. It is yet to be seen if Sundin actually would waive his contract but with the recent play of the Maple Leafs he may change his mind even with his incredible season so far. It is believed that the Detroit Red Wings will be the frontrunners if he does decide to test the waters so he could join many of his Swedish linemates. One would assume the interest would pick up when and if Forsberg either joins a team or decides not to return to the NHL this season. The Red Wings lost a key prospect last year in the acquisition of Todd Bertuzzi in that of Shawn Matthias so they may drop out of the running altogether despite all of the speculation -- once bitten, twice shy.

Leafs Are Falling

The Leafs are now 2-7-1 in their last 10 games. With Vesa Toskala still not ready for game action it doesn't get much easier especially with their Western roadtrip on deck. Toronto will be traveling to Anaheim, Los Angeles then finally San Jose to finish their trip. If Toskala is not ready before then don't expect to see him until after the road trip. Twenty-seventh... they now are 4th last in the league during their latest freefall. If the team doesn't pick up its play soon expect changes to the team or front office.

Kyle Wellwood Looks For Answers

Centre Kyle Wellwood has been the latest scapegoat for Leaf Nation during their latest slump. Just before Kyle returned, the talk in Leafland was the spark he was going to bring to the lineup when he returned from his injury. Wellwood sustained a mysterious "lower body injury" that took a suspiciously long time to recover from; he was supposed to be back early in the season but didn't return until almost quarterway through the season. Unfortunately, when he returned, there was a controversy at the centre position. At the time, the tall Kazak Nik Antropov occupied the number two centre spot; Wellwood was supposed to fill that slot when he returned. Therefore, Paul Maurice was forced to move Antropov to the wing while he was on his unbelievable hot streak. Since Wellwood's readdition to the lineup neither Antropov or Wellwood have been the same. Kyle has been a healthy scratch the last two games but was placed on a line centering the tall cans, Alexei Ponikarovsky and Nikolai Antropov. Head coach Paul Maurice hopes this will give the spark he needs so he can get back to his normal point-per-game production.

NHL Boasts Highest Ratings In Over A Decade

The Winter Classic did not disappoint; the NHL, NBC and even the audiences claim the event to be a success. According to NHL.com the event achieved the highest viewer ratings for a regular season game since 1996. If you're trying to think back to the Wayne Gretzky days, this also surpasses his final NHL game in 1999. When will the NHL put on another outdoor game? No one knows. You can count on another one taking place but it just depends on the opinions of the owners. Do they think having one annually will streak some of its luster? That remains to be seen but one thing you can count on is that the NHL has gained some notoriety among the American fan base.

Clemmensen Ends Leafs' Skid

Since Toronto netminder Vesa Toskala went down, the Leafs goaltending has been questionable at best. Youngster Scott Clemmensen was given a chance tonight at the Air Canada Centre and didn't disappoint. Put on a show? No, but he got the job done. One could argue that the Maple Leafs have the Lightning's number, but stopping two of the league's best players in the shootout (Brad Richards and Martin St. Louis) is not a simple task. The Lightning tied the game with 41 seconds left in regulation and eventually sent it to a shootout where Clemmensen shined. Tampa Bay started fellow youngster Kari Ramo on the opposite end of the rink, mainly because of his strong performance the last time these two eastern teams met. I'm sure if you asked him, Clemmensen would be giving a lot of credit to ex-teammate Martin Brodeur for his strong performance in the shootout.