Official Toronto Maple Leafs Thread

[Babying 613]

I've spent some time with Ovi, and in fairness to him, he signs a TON of stuff... If he was in the hotel and walking, chances are good he was either on his way to a meeting or the bus... if you're Alex Ovechkin and you break stride to sign even one autograph, you're likely to get mobbed, that's why players try to keep moving sometimes. It's just not in Ovechkin's personality to be a dick, especially to a kid. One thing tho, he was quick to realize and despise collectors, so when guys show up with numbers for him to sign (that they will sew onto a jersey later), or books of cards or 8X10's, he shuts them down pretty fast..

Yes Ovy is the guy that will definitely get mobbed. He was in the hotel and with Backstrom. My son got into the hotel away from the other guys and found him. There was no other auto hounds around. I also do understand not signing since they get asked (especially him) a ton of times. I told my son, sometimes you get him and sometimes you don't.We are going to try again when we are in Washington during the Xmas break.Also since it is the Leaf thread. GO LEAFS GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Zach6668 513]

Ya Ovy and Backstrom denied my son (12 years old) an auto. I heard he does not sign on game days and most likely Backstrom was going along with him.What I have heard is that Crosby signs (props for him) but only a few.

No idea how this turned into an Ovy vs Sid thing (actually, I know how, it's just silly), but my personal experience with Crosby was one time when he arrived to the rink before the game. There was like 100 people, and he was driving his car into the arena garage, he stopped signed a bunch, but there's no way he could have signed for everyone and gotten into the rink on time for the game. I didn't get an autograph, because I don't push in front of little kids, etc, but he was very nice to everyone who was there and apologized to those he couldn't get to.IMO, it's inexcusable to not sign for ONE kid if he's all alone.Just to show I'm not biased, I have a similar story from my first time in Pittsburgh. We went to a practice, and hung out by the players cars after, with tons of people. Alex Kovalev was the first guy out, and stood in the rain for an hour signing. Meanwhile, Jaromir Jagr had some guy grab his car, pull it around to the other side of the rink where noone was waiting, and quickly dashed in and the old guy peeled out. Barrasso was a dick too, but that won't surprise anyone.

[mase_gotsem 0]

IMO, it's inexcusable to not sign for ONE kid if he's all alone.

this x 1000000000000000000000im sure it gets old for him and can be tiresome and he doesnt have any obligation what so ever to do it.. he should be happy some little kid looks up tp him a "no body turned famous super star" and be thrilled to sign it . i also despise he collectors seeking gain thru him but hes so rich i dont think he shld really care if other ppl are trying to make a few ends off his name.. i mean whats 1 auto per person if it fetches em 1/2k one person i will always look up to is teemu selane he would sign autos for hours after games and take pictures and made it an effort to get the kids first.really hope ovi wakes up and relises this but hes his own person and will do what he wants i guess

[Zach6668 513]

I mean, like, that's an isolated incident, and we don't know all the facts, so I'll withhold judgment at this time, on Ovy.I agree though, I hate the hounds. An auto won't fetch 1-2k though, not even close. I have an Ovy autographed hockey card, and it's only worth $100, and the card itself is super sick.The "tired of signing" argument is silly, imho. He gets paid $10 M a year, and I think that any and all celebrities should realize that signing autographs for fans are part of their job. I'm sure there's a clause in their contract that has something to do with public relations, event appearances, etc. Obviously this is not an official event, signing something for a kid, but it should fall under a similar category, and actually be a part of the contract. I think.

[serge 904]

there is another thread for you autograph people..Back to thread..leafs are amazing..We are going to make playoffs.

[serge 904]

Eastern Conference Standings since the arrival of Kessel:1. New Jersey....14-4-1....29 POINTS in 19 GP (1.53 PPG)2. Washington....12-5-2....26 POINTS in 19 GP (1.37 PPG)3. Boston........10-3-5....25 POINTS in 18 GP (1.39 PPG)4. Atlanta.......11-7-2....24 POINTS in 20 GP (1.20 PPG)5. Pittsburgh....11-7-1....23 POINTS in 19 GP (1.21 PPG)6. Buffalo.......11-7-1....23 POINTS in 19 GP (1.21 PPG)7. Toronto.......10-7-3....23 POINTS in 20 GP (1.15 PPG)8. Ottawa........10-7-2....22 POINTS in 19 GP (1.16 PPG)9. Florida........8-7-6....22 POINTS in 21 GP (1.05 PPG)10. Tampa Bay.....8-9-5....21 POINTS in 22 GP (0.96 PPG)11. Montreal......8-8-3....19 POINTS in 19 GP (1.00 PPG)12. Islanders.....7-9-2....16 POINTS in 20 GP (0.80 PPG)13. Philadelphia..7-11-0...14 POINTS in 18 GP (0.78 PPG)14. Carolina......5-11-3...13 POINTS in 19 GP (0.68 PPG)15. Rangers.......5-10-1...11 POINTS in 16 GP (0.69 PPG)

[serge 904]

big week for us..4 games starting with a good matchup against Ottawa..Historically the Monday or Tuesday game after a huge Saturday night win hasnt been good for us..Time to come up with another solid effort...With a good week, maybe 6 or 7 pts out of 8, we can leapfrog a lot of teams depending on what happens...As long as we can keep playing like this, not only will we make the playoffs, we may surprise some people.

[mrdannyg 274]

4th win in a row! For the first time since 06-07...wow. Still...woot!

[serge 904]

****ING A..WOW...I dont think I have ever jumped so high in my life..WOW..

[mase_gotsem 0]

[serge 904]

4th win in a row! For the first time since 06-07...wow. Still...woot!

just to clarify...Thats at home....4th win a row at home..

[Babying 613]

Serge maybe skinny dipping in Lake Ontario tonight.Go Leafs Go.

[Babying 613]

It is always big game when the Leafs are playing these days. Phoenix tomorrow and then the always crazy full of Leafs fans in the HSBC (just like a home game) and then Saturday against the Bruins.I have been to 1 Leafs game in Buffalo (and another but got shut out by scalpers so will not count that) but it was the last game of the year and they were eliminated. That was the game that Peters did the golf swing on the ice. Total bush league by Peters in my opinion.

[serge 904]

It is always big game when the Leafs are playing these days. Phoenix tomorrow and then the always crazy full of Leafs fans in the HSBC (just like a home game) and then Saturday against the Bruins.I have been to 1 Leafs game in Buffalo (and another but got shut out by scalpers so will not count that) but it was the last game of the year and they were eliminated. That was the game that Peters did the golf swing on the ice. Total bush league by Peters in my opinion.

Its been an amazing run...We have been just as good as any team in the NHL IMO, since are horrid start...The road game in Buffalo is a killer , followed by the Bruins, who seem to have our number..I would be very happy with 4 pts in our next 3 games...Side note..I made a pretty silly bet with a good friend that the Leafs will be 3pts ahead of the Habs after their game on December 26..It was really silly a month ago, but now I have a slim shot..ONE TIME DEALER

[serge 904]

The Toronto Maple Leafs are now 6th in the league in GFA...We have been scoring tons, mainly due to the insertion of Kessel into the lineup.The knock against the club has been the lack of top 6 forwards..Its a little bit off base IMO.We actually have one of the best balanced offences in the league...7 guys with 20 or more pts, only behind LAs 8...I think the key to a succesful team is to have 3 solid scoring lines....Not a lot of teams have that, and the Leafs after Kessel's arrival have been showing that there is more than just one scoring line on this team.Ironically our opponent tonight has NO 20 pt scorers on the team...They have been able to survive on their defence and amazing goaltending.Our obvious shortfall in the beginning of the year was the GAA, while its still not great(we are 29th), it has improved immensely with the play of Toskala..

[Whiter Sr 0]

I have been to 1 Leafs game in Buffalo (and another but got shut out by scalpers so will not count that) but it was the last game of the year and they were eliminated. That was the game that Peters did the golf swing on the ice. Total bush league by Peters in my opinion.

As a Sabres Fan I find that comical.

[serge 904]

Tonights game vs Phoenix is sort of like Bill Gates vs a homeless man in the business world...The richest team against a bankrupt team..GO LEAFS GO

[strategy 4]

.

[serge 904]

except bill gates is by all indications a pretty nice guy

thats not nice..May the St louis Blues lose every game till Easter..

[Speed Limit 0]

6 goals in the second period, that's a hell of a lot of action.

[serge 904]

tough game..We didnt have the intensity like against Ottawa..Didnt also help that we got hosed on a goal that clearly was not conclusive the puck crossed the line..Oh well, played a good third and hopefully will carry into Buffalo

[gruven 530]

I thought that was a helluva entertaining hockey game.... end to end, tons of hitting, some nice goals, nice saves, etc..... fun to watch, and closer than the scoreboard would indicate..

[Dubey 1,035]

Sloppy game by the Leafs. Seemed like quite a few times they weren't able to find loose pucks in the defensive end, and everyone was caught standing around with thepuck laying there. A few of those ended up in our net. Props to Phenoix, they played well. If we can keep up this 2 wins, 1 loss, 2 wins, 1 loss pattern, I'll be quite happy :)Also, how the heck was that 5th goal called in? Mybae they had a different angle than TSN, but none of the replays showed the puck clearly over the line.

[serge 904]

I thought that was a helluva entertaining hockey game.... end to end, tons of hitting, some nice goals, nice saves, etc..... fun to watch, and closer than the scoreboard would indicate..

especially the third period..Do you agree we got hosed twice?Not sure if you saw highlights but on the one goal, it was clearly offside and the goal that was reviewed the puck didnt clear the line conclusively..But thems the breaks.

[serge 904]

Sloppy game by the Leafs. Seemed like quite a few times they weren't able to find loose pucks in the defensive end, and everyone was caught standing around with thepuck laying there. A few of those ended up in our net. Props to Phenoix, they played well. If we can keep up this 2 wins, 1 loss, 2 wins, 1 loss pattern, I'll be quite happy :)Also, how the heck was that 5th goal called in? Mybae they had a different angle than TSN, but none of the replays showed the puck clearly over the line.

I agree with you totally..I think we did well fighting back like we did, and I think we played really well in the third. I dont beleive how we get screwed everytime with these questionable calls.