Shoots Left and Writes

  Game 10: Leafs vs. Oilers Simon B     This is the first time this season that the Leafs have worn their new retro jerseys that the NHL brought in for this year. At first glance, I thought that the jerseys didn't look so good but when I actually saw the team play in them, I thought they looked much better. They're going to wear these jerseys 4 times this year. The next time will be February 22d.     The only lineup changes were that Mikko Lehtonen was in for Travis Dermott and Pierre Engvall was on the fourth line to replace Travis Boyd. Toronto made history on Thursday when they became the first team to win three straight games in Alberta.      A major difference to start this game compared to the last one was that the Tavares line was up against the McDavid line and Matthews was placed against the Draisaitl line. Early on, Tyler Ennis put a shot on the net that looked like it was going to trickle through Andersen's pads but Mikko Lehtonen dove ...

Game 9: Leafs vs. Oilers   Simon B There may be one inconvenience to the Canadian division. More games on the west coast. This means a lot more late games. Thursday's game against the Oilers started at 10 so there was no way I was staying up for all of it. So It was hockey with breakfast again. Travis Dermott was put back into the lineup in replacement of Mikko Lehtonen and Jason Spezza took Joey Anderson's spot on the fourth line. On the Oilers side of things, there have been changes to the lineup almost every game because they haven't been able to find any consistency. The only constant for them (other than McDavid and Draisaitl) has been their goalie Mikko Koskinen who's played every minute of the season so far. Puck Drop      The game started off with some really good early pace. The Leafs had the better-looking hances but weren't capitalizing. Multiple times throughout the game, the Leafs defencemen would jump into the rush or play the puck deep into the Edmont...

  Simon B Yesterday I discovered a really nice pond and it was nicely frozen over. You know exactly what that means. I hadn't played hockey since March 11th and it seems like that was 11 years ago. I had been skating a couple times, but the rink rules were apparent, NO HOCKEY. Those are words rarely to be seen together in Canada, but it's 2021 so naturally, they make sense. But on a pond, there are no rink guards, no limits and most importantly, hockey is allowed! Outdoor Paradise or Indoor Freezer In most places on earth, the idea of gliding around on the ice with metal blades on your feet in sub-zero temperatures isn't quite the ideal way to spend a winter afternoon. But most Canadians will take that rather than having summer all year long. It may be cold but when you haven't played in almost a year, you don't feel it. I rarely play outside let alone on an actually frozen pond. Usually, at this time of year, I'm at an indoor rink every time I lace 'em up. ...

  Simon B     A late-game on a Tuesday. Not exactly the ideal time for hockey. The wonders of cable made it so I could watch it this morning with breakfast which is something I rather enjoyed.      In warmups, the Leafs all wore jerseys with number 10 on them to honor the late Geroge Armstrong. They also had crests on their jerseys during the actual games. Coach Keefe made a few moves before this one. Dermott out, Lethonenen in. Spezza and Barabanov out, Joey Anderson and Travis Boyd in.  A tale of 2 Teams      The first period was dominated by the Leafs. Pressure all over the ice and Calgary had no room to do anything. Early in the game, Justin Holl and Alex Kerfoot jumped into the rush. A hard shot on net by Holl with a long rebound off of Markstrom's pad and Simmonds had a wide-open net to give Toronto an early lead. Andersen (the goalie) had nothing to do for the first 5 minutes of the game. Toronto's defense was really active and th...

 Simon B     Over the weekend, the most obvious trade happened in the NHL. Pierre-Luc Dubois was shipped to the Winnipeg Jets from the Columbus Blue Jackets in exchange for Patrick Laine and Jack Roslovic. Roslovic was not a big part of the trade to let's take him out of the equation for a moment. Backstory      Laine went second overall in the 2016 draft just behind Auston Matthews. Dubois got taken one pick later at number three. At the time, they were both high-end prospects. Laine was a sure bet for going second. Some even thought that he could give Matthews a run for his money to go first overall. Dubois was in the conversation but most people thought that Jesse Puljujarvi (Highest rated European prospect) would go third. Columbus took Dubois to the surprise of most and it turned out to be the right decision. Puljujarvi went fourth, to Edmonton. He struggled mightily there and spent a season back in Finland to try and prove he was still NHL-caliber....

Game 7: Leafs vs. Flames   Simon B     The beauty of an afternoon full of sports. The Leafs are playing a matinee, so are the Raptors and it's championship Sunday in the NFL. The Raptors won a close one 107-102 so that was a good way to start the afternoon. The Leafs were playing at the same time as the Packers so I had to give my remote a bit of workout flipping channels.      I really liked the afternoon start for the Leafs. As a fan, it was a nice way to spend a Sunday. For the players, it might not have been so enjoyable. The afternoon start after a travel day playing a well-rested Flames team. All these factors meant Jack Campbell would be getting the start for the Leafs to give Frederik Andersen an extra day to settle in. Auston Matthews also made his return to the lineup after missing the last game with upper-body soreness. Gametime(s)     Toronto had two very defensively tight games against the Oilers so I was looking for more of the same ...

  Simon B      Coming into the second of four meetings between the Leafs and Oilers this month, Toronto would be without top-scoring threat Auston Matthews, due to upper body soreness suffered at practice. They also just lost the honorary team "dad" Joe Thornton, for 24 days with a rib fracture.  Lineup Mixup     This is going to finally test the depth in the Leafs' forward group. Head coach Sheldon Keefe had to make a bunch of decisions prior to Friday's game. The Leafs went with 11 forwards and 7 defencemen the last two games but Keefe went back to 12 forwards and 6 defencemen for this one. Mikko Lehtonen was taken out of the lineup along with Matthews and Thronton. Which left 3 vacant spots. So Adam Brooks got his first start of the season. The other two spots were filled by Pierre Engvall, a regular with the team last year, and Alex Barabanov. The Lines also got jumbled. They looked like this:  - Hyman - Tavares - Marner - Nylander - Kerfoot -...

  Simon B      It's NFL conference championship weekend! Tampa vs. Green Bay in the NFC and Buffalo vs. Kansas City in the AFC. These are the 4 teams I was expecting to make it to the Final four but each game is a different story in itself. Will Tom Brady return to the Super Bowl with his new team in Tampa? Can Kansas City repeat as champs? Will the Bill exorcise demons and make it back to the final game for the first time since 1991? All these questions will be answered this Sunday. Let's take a look at each matchup a bit more in-depth. NFC Championship - Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Green Bay Packers     This is the battle of the veterans. Brady vs. Rodgers. The best player in NFL History against another quarterback great. Rodgers and the packers were dominant this season. They won the NFC with a 13-3 record. Rodgers is the favorite to win the MVP this year as well. However, one of the 3 losses the Packers was against the Bucs back in mid-October. They did not...

Game 5: Oilers vs. Leafs Simon B     The Oilers and the Leafs. Two of the most offensively talented teams in the NHL. On one side Connor McDavid, the best player on the planet and a guy who has arguably the most insane amount of skill ever seen in the history of the sport. On the other, Auston Matthews, one of the best goal-scorers in the league and certainly in the North Division. As a fan, I came into this game hoping for open ice, lots of goals, and an awesome display of talent. But both teams had different ideas.      The Oilers lost two straight to the Habs and they did not look very good in either of those games. The Leafs have one-two straight and had an almost perfect game Monday against the Jets.      The Game In the first shift of the game, both coaches put their star players against each other. McDavid and Matthews lined up head to head. This means that the other big offensive threat for the Oilers, Leon Drailsaitl, would be facing off ...

  Simon B      I think I should just write about what I want to happen to my favorite teams because so far when I write about what I think should happen, it happens. On Monday I wrote about how the Toronto Blue Jays hadn't made a major move like they said they would.      Late Tuesday the Jays finally broke the ice signing the biggest free-agent position player on the market. George Springer and the Jays agreed to a 6-year deal worth 150$ million. This is the largest signing in franchise history. The center fielder has been to 2 of the last 4 World Series, won it all back in 2017 (although there was the sign-stealing scandal that taints it), and brings a lot of playoff experience to this young Jays' team.      I mean, what a way to start a great day in history! Toronto sports is absolutely buzzing about today! The Raptors are facing the defending eastern conference champion Miami Heat, Auston Matthews, and Connor McDavid are going head-t...

  Game 4: Jets vs. Leafs Simon B            The Leafs are coming off a split back to back in Ottawa where we saw 2 different versions of the team. Because fans are so used to inconsistency, they're always asking themselves: "What version of the team will we see tonight?"      Frederik Andersen has had poor starts in the past. There's a reason we call him "October-Freddy" (Meaning he's not playing well like he usually does in October). This year October-Freddy could become January-Freddy. After a shaky start in the first 2 games will this be prof he can change his early season woes.      Entering Monday night's clash, head coach Sheldon Keefe was forced to make a few lineup changes. Nick Robertson was injured last game so they needed to bring someone up from the taxi squad (This year only, a group of players travel with the team and are there in case of injury because there is no AHL season). To do so they needed to wa...

Simon B It's January, so let's talk...baseball! I'm a Leafs fan, so, naturally, I'm a Blue Jays fan too. I've been going to games since I was less than a year old, and the team has always been somewhere in my thoughts.  Last season, a young Blue Jays team unexpectedly made the playoffs.  Yes, it was a shortened season, and yes there were expanded playoffs, but not many people predicted them to be in the postseason in 2020. Young stars Bo Bichette and Cavan Biggio made big strides to become every-day big leaguers. Teoscar Hernandez had a breakout season, hitting 16 Home Runs and posting a .289 batting average. Randal Grichuck led the team in RBIs. It was overall a good offensive season. The pitching was much improved compared to the 2019 campaign. They had more consistency and Manager Charlie Montoyo could trust that his starters would likely give the team 4 to 5 solid innings of work. The addition of ace Hyun-Jin Ryu certainly helped with that too.  Is the Jays’ Off...