Monday, October 31, 2011

Halloween in the NHL

As teams all over the NHL celebrated Halloween last night, some of the players (and their girlfriends/wives) were kind enough to tweet pictures of their costumes. And so if you're curious or have nothing better to do, take a look.


Taylor Hall and Jordan EBERLE (via @hallsy04)
This bromance refused to do the traditional Mario-Luigi and instead went as one of hockey's most famous duos: the Green Men from Vancouver. Pretty awesome, I must say.

Paul Bissonnette (via @BizNasty2point0)
This is a little bit scarring. You've been warned.



Raffi Torres (via @BizNasty2point0)
Torres and his wife dressed up as Jay-Z and Beyonce. Their use of blackface has resulted in controversy as to whether or not it's racist and/or socially acceptable.


Ray Whitney (via @BizNasty2point0)
Ray Whitney and his wife dressed up as toy soldiers. Pretty sweet.


Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby (via @malkin71_)
Fake chest hair, bright green pants.. this is amazing. Sid's costume is pretty cool as well. Stick this one in the bromance category too.


Phil Kessel, Jonas Gustavsson, Luke Schenn and Carl Gunnarsson (via @BSPerlman)
This is just o.O Nice to see Luke wearing sunglasses to protect us from accidental pregnancy, but that duckface doesn't suit him.



Tyler Kennedy and Jordan Staal (via @tk1448)
Another bromance?


Colby Armstrong (via @MeliArmstrong)
Cruise Armstrong is adorable. 


Joffrey Lupul and Dion Phaneuf (via @JLupul)
Dion Phaneuf as Frankenstein. So fitting it's funny. 


James Reimer (via @JLupul)
This costume wins. For those of you that aren't lucky enough to live in Canada, there's a Tim Horton's commercial for their new bagel B.E.L.T. featuring a bunch of construction workers, one of whom bears an uncanny resemblance to Optimus himself:





Saturday, October 29, 2011

Thank you, Mats

(coincidence: this is our 13th post!)
Name: Mats Johan Sundin
Nickname: The Big Swede
Birthday: Feb 13, 1971 in Bromma, Sweden

Mats was drafted by the Quebec Nordiques first overall in 1989. After four seasons in Quebec, Sundin (and other people) was traded to Toronto for Wendel The Great (and other people) in 1994. From what we've heard from those who were alive and old enough to remember that time, many people disliked him from the beginning because he was the reason Wendel left. Mats, however, quickly won everyone over with his awesome awesomeness. When Doug Gilmour left the Leafs, Mats was named the first (and so far, only) European-born captain in team history.

Both of us grew up during the Mats era. My earliest Leafs memories include chanting "13! Mats Sundin!" every time he touched the puck. He was the face of the Leafs during the good times (yes, we were good once upon a time) and bad. Even during our darkest days, Mats would always do what was best for the team. Here he is trying to rip Toskala's head off. How nice of him.


Most of you should be familiar with the way Mats ended his time in Toronto. He was given a no-trade clause by The GM Who Shall Not Be Named and was under pressure from the fans and the media to waive it so the Leafs could trade him for draft picks/prospects/unicorns. He refused and said he wanted to remain a Leaf, and not become a rental player for a Cup contender. Yet when his contract was up, he signed with the evil Vancouver Canucks during the 2008-2009 season. Sundin played exactly half of the regular season and the Nucks were eliminated in the 2nd round of the playoffs by Chelsea Dagger. That offseason, Sundin announced his retirement.

Many members of Leaf Nation still harbour a grudge against Mats for refusing to waive his NTC, and even both of us are divided on our opinion of how that whole fiasco played out. Despite that, Mats was the best player for the Leafs in our lifetime, and arguably of all time. He holds the records for the most goals, assists by a forward, and points in team history, and is tied for the most assists in a period with Tucker, Stajan and MacArthur, none of whom will ever reach the same level.

Our MMMM (Most Memorable Mats Moment) occurred on October 14, 2006. Mats ripped a slapper past Miikka Kiprusoff of the Calgary Flames in OT. It was a short-handed goal, it was the game-winning goal, it was his third of the night, and it was the goal that made him the only Swedish player to reach the 500-goal plateau. Here it is, in all of its goaliest glory:


There you have it. An idol to all of us young'uns, a Mats appearance will be sure to make rooms all across Leafs Nation just a little bit dustier. His number will be honoured this February, and rightfully so. And from two fans who grew up watching him play, a big thank you to Mats Sundin.


Thursday, October 27, 2011

Get well soon, Reim

James Reimer is a legend. He is worthy of a statue. If he's not in net, we can't rest easy if the puck's in our zone. See, we have a problem. We don't trust any other Leaf goalie. I call it the Toskala Syndrome.
With ABR (Anyone but Reim) in net, we'll lose every game 8-1 (or 8-0, if Roloson is on the other team). If we lose the game tonight, the season is over. I don't care that it's just our ninth game of the season because OMG PANIC REIM ISN'T PLAYING!!!1

That is all.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Why is Twitter Awesome?

Twitter is an interesting facet of being a hockey fan that essentially combines the awesomeness of the internet into a timeline of tiny tidbits (try saying that 10 times fast). What is it? Literally millions of people broadcasting their thoughts in 140 characters or less. Who's on it? Everyone from Lady Gaga to the Dalai Lama, and a whole bunch of hockey people in between:

Current Players
NHLers on twitter is hit-and-miss. They've got the usual cliches, overused exclamation marks, and stupid hashtags (#bro #beast #beauty #pro #sick) but when used properly they can be a snapshot of the players' lives as they go through the grind of the season and the prep (or in Ovie's case, partying) of the summer. The players seem a bit more personable, and it's always nice to get to know some of the lesser-known guys, or those who tend to shy away from the spotlight. It's also fun watching them chirp teammates and opposing players.
Notables: The man himself, Paul Bissonnette. Ovechkin and Malkin can be quite entertaining as well; the former in a drunk-tweeting sort of way, and the latter in the "hey look, I'm not really enigmatic" sense. It's a good idea to check this list, although it's not updated, for a look through your favourite teams and players. If you enjoy disappointment watch out for prospects, especially if they're draft-eligible, so you can choose which guy to set your heart on for future drafts.

Retired Players
These guys are mostly being followed for nostalgia's sake. Many tweet about watching sports, golfing, fishing, and other old man stuff. The ones on CBC's Battle of the Blades tend to tweet generic comments about how great practice was or how amazing their partners are, but are worth at least a follow from the fans of the show.
Notables: You know what you're getting when you follow Jeremy Roenick. Brett Hull and Mike Modano are other favourites since they tend to be less drab and more fun.

Teams
The teams' twitter accounts will give you lineups, practice reports, and other behind-the-scene stuff. They're also a good way to verify player accounts so you know who to follow. Team accounts have the official word on roster moves, and since that can take a while they end up tweeting news quite a few minutes after other sources, which is a long time in the twitterverse.
Notables: your favourite team! Also the NHL for big news (trades, important games) if you don't feel like following all 30 teams. Follow AHL affiliates for even more in-depth coverage.

Media Gurus
These are the guys to follow, especially during free agency and trade deadline. While the guys from the big-name networks are must-follows, it's a good idea to follow local reporters that cover your favourite teams, because they tend to spend more time around players and personnel.
Notables: There are a million and one big-name reporters out there who all end up breaking news at around the same time. My favourites are Bobby Mac and Kevin Weekes, but that's mostly because he was Brodeur's backup in NHL06 when I traded away all their good players in an attempt to sabotage the Devils muahaha (to be fair, I was 12).


Other Personalities
To be honest, I'm still a little surprised Ron Wilson's on twitter.
Notables: Allan Walsh has some interesting tweets on players he represents. Brendan Shanahan because he's Brenden Shanahan.


Sunday, October 23, 2011

The Hockey Days of the Week

While talking to my friends one evening, I started singing the Friday song because it was, well, Friday. That quickly evolved into the Reimer Song, partly because I don't remember all the words to Friday and partly because DGB/Bloge Salming >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Rebecca Black. We then decided Friday will be known as Reimday (yes, we're weird) and so we went through the days of the week and assigned hockey players to them.



Monday -- Oviday (Alexander Ovechkin)
This day is evil. ahahahaha.

Tuesday -- Poggeday (Justin Pogge)
Like Pogge, Tuesdays are overhyped just because they're not Mondays, and are usually boring. At the same time, they can be useful if you're really desperate; say, a poor student looking for a Toonie Tuesday discount, or the Ottawa Senators.

Wednesday -- Lupulday (Joffrey Lupul)
I don't know what to make of Wednesdays. On one hand you're a day closer to the weekend, but on the other you're still stuck in the middle of the week. Emily and I use Lupul's name (written "LUPUL") to change the topic of a conversation, and I've experienced a few awkward moments that involve Lupul in some way, so by now he's synonymous with the fabled awkward turtle
Photoshop cred to one of my awesome friends for this one

Thursday -- Genoday (Evgeni Malkin)
Thursdays are cool, but could be better. Still pretty nice in their own right. If your Thursday is crappy, at least you have the consolation that Friday is just around the corner. If you aren't careful, Thursday could be traded to the Kings.

Friday -- Reimday (James Reimer)
As explained above, Reimday comes from DGB/Bloge Salming's Friday parody. Reimer's awesome, Fridays are awesome, it just makes sense.

Saturday -- Sidneyday (Sidney Crosby)
Saturdays are the best days of the week. Sidney Crosby is the best player in the world. Craps fans may have a tendency to switch Oviday with Sidneyday, but that's because they're Craps fans. Nobody listens to them anyway.

Sunday -- Stempniakday (Lee Stempniak)
Sundays are supposed to be a day of rest. If Coyotes fans existed, they'd probably argue, but as it stands Stempniak is kinda-sorta useless. There's a reason we called him the ninja, and it's not because he was cool.


Friday, October 21, 2011

Why I Love Phil Kessel

Phil Kessel is my favourite Leaf. I broke my own "Player X had to be a Leaf for one full season before he can be my favourite" rule and made him my favourite after his first game.
Phil Kessel is a point of division for Leafs Nation, which is somewhat unavoidable considering the way in which we acquired him. I'm not going to argue the Kessel trade in this post, though, because to me the Leafs have clearly come out on top (just compare Seguin's goals to Kessel's).
Without further ado: the reasons I love Phil Kessel

1) He is leading the league in goals and points.
2) He is socially awkward.
3) He has more goals than anyone in his draft year
4) He's not on TSN's Top 50 players list (underdog!)
5) He and Bozak are Bert and Ernie
6) He is better than Tyler Seguin
7) He beat cancer
8) He reminds me of a teddy bear
9) This video
10) Because  Phil Kessel is freaking awesome.



Thursday, October 20, 2011

Leafs Suck

So the Leafs suck right now, and me (Shelly) and our friend Will have decided that the best way to win games is to buy all the goalies in the league. It's that simple. We are using this incredible smartness as evidence of our competence; therefore, we kindly request that MLSE surrender ownership to us. If they do not give in to our demands we will undertake a hunger strike that will last until we are named co-CEOs/Presidents or 3 hours, whichever comes first.

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Pessimism is a Fun Thing

While watching the Leafs game tonight, Shelly and I got a little mad. The freaking Jets, man.
Here is a transcript of our conversation:
 
Emily: we're losing this game
Shelly: LOSE ALREADY
Shelly: mhm
Emily: all is lost
Shelly: yup
Emily: the season is over
Shelly: the season is gone
Emily: no seriously
Emily: this is it
Emily: we're gonna lose like five in a row
Shelly: and we won't get Nail
Emily: and be so far out of it
Shelly: 8 in a row
Shelly: Kessel's gonna get injured
Emily: more likely 12
Emily: for the season
Shelly: and never score another goal
Shelly: ever
Emily: he'll probably get a concussion
Emily: and retire
Shelly: Komi will become our best D-man
Shelly: not because he deserves it
Shelly: but because everyone else will suck
Shelly: Grabbo will get traded to the Habs
Emily: and we will get the 4th pick
Emily: which will be a bust
Emily: and number five will be a star
Leafs Power Play
Shelly: oh look
Shelly: they're gonna get a SHG now
Emily: then next year
Emily: there'll be a lockout
Shelly: and the year after
Shelly: they'll move the Leafs to Atlanta
Emily: yeah probably
Emily: but by then we'll just be thankful
Shelly: that our misery is over
Shelly: we will die sadly when the Atlanta Thrashers 2.0 lose the SCF to the Habs in 2050
Shelly: in game 7 in OT
Emily: more likely it would be in 2067
Will: will you guys become Pens fans when the Leafs move?
Emily: no
Emily: we'll leave hockey forever
Shelly: probably
Shelly: crap Army's on crutches
Shelly: Army's gonna die
Shelly: of a broken leg
Shelly: Toskala will come back to the NHL
Shelly: and lead the Sens to 10 straight Cups
Emily: starting next year
Emily: and Nail Yakupov
Emily: will be the best player ever
Emily: like actually ever
Emily: and Reimer will let 6.89 goals every game
Shelly: Dion will continue to shoot wide
Shelly: (oh wait..)
Shelly: the PP will be 0 for 10000000
Shelly: PK will be 0%
Shelly: we will lose every faceoff
Shelly: and fan on every shot
Emily: the Leafs fans will finally stop going to games
Emily and the stupid freaking media
Shelly: won't shut up
Shelly: the MSM will never see
Shelly: they will continue to rip us
Shelly: even after we move to Atlanta
Shelly: oh
Shelly: and Harold Ballard will rise from the grave
Shelly: and plot with JFJ
Shelly: to ruin the Marlies too
Emily: oh gosh what a nightmare
Emily: (I like how after all this, the thing that got me was Ballard and JFJ)
Shelly: We're getting Lebda
Shelly: back from Nashville
Emily: what other terrible things can happen?


I, for one, am scared to find out.


Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Getting to Know the 2011-2012 Maple Leafs (goaltending)

Whether or not you're a Leafs fan, it's always nice to know a little bit about the players under the helmet. This year's Toronto Maple Leafs include some new faces joining old favourites. If you haven't seen our forwards yet, click here (and here for D-men). Let's get to know the goalies, shall we?

#50 Jonas Gustavsson (Gus, The Monster, Head Case)
Gus is entering his third NHL season and we're not really sure what to do with him. The guy has suffered through the death of his parents and missed a lot of games due to heart problems. He seems to be pretty emotional, and unfortunately that's a bad thing when you're a goalie for the Leafs. After a pretty good rookie season, he suffered a sophomore slump last year, mingled in with health issues. Here's hoping he can bounce back. Also, he's a pretty sharp dresser (far right):

#34 James Reimer (Reim, The Statue,Optimus Reim, The Reim Minister of Defence)
This guy seems like one of the most humble and, well, good, people in pro sports. People say he doesn't swear, but I did see him say "crap" once. I met him and he posed for a picture without me asking! Yay! Our playoff hopes this season rests largely on Reim's shoulders, and so far he doesn't look to be fazed by the pressure. He also has an adorable smile.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Getting to Know the 2011-2012 Maple Leafs (defence)

Whether or not you're a Leafs fan, it's always nice to know a little bit about the players under the helmet. This year's Toronto Maple Leafs include some new faces joining old favourites. If you haven't seen our forwards yet, click here. Let's get to know the defencemen, shall we?

#4 Cody Franson (Nickname pending)
Franson was unhappy with his ice-time in Nashville and was looking forward to being a top-4 defenceman when he was traded here, where he started the season as the 7th D-man. He's obviously not happy with his position, and made sure to let all of us know. Either way, he's better than Lebda.

#51 Jake Gardiner (the Gardiner Expressway) @Jgardiner272
A rookie who hasn't really had time to show us what he's really like. Has potential to be a pretty good player, therefore he's awesome until further notice.

#36 Carl Gunnarsson (Gunnar) @carl_gun
We'll have to see how he bounces back from his sophomore slump last year. Claims to be a Swede but doesn't like ikea.

#8 Mike Komisarek (Komi, Lebda 2.0, Komo) @mkomisarek
Was an awesome player in Montreal, which means we hated him. Sucked in Toronto, which means we hated him. Is possibly getting better, which means we possibly might not hate him. He also has a secret nickname that none of us know.

#24 John-Michael Liles (JML)
Emily thinks he's the cutest Leaf. Hasn't been here long enough for us to have a subjective description of him, so we'll just stick with that.

#3 Dion Phaneuf (Captain Caveman, Phanoof)
Hasn't come back to the level he was at in Calgary just yet, but he's getting there. We got him and Aulie for a bag of pucks (and Ian White), and yes we won that trade by a mile. Is becoming proficient in english after his first couple of seasons were spent communicating through cave paintings and rock banging.


#2 Luke Schenn (Schenner, Our Luke and Saviour)
Luke is wonderful. He is amazing. He is beautiful. You are not to question him. Just remember to shield yourself from his eyes or you'll end up pregnant. Yes guys, even you.



Sunday, October 16, 2011

Getting to Know the 2011-2012 Maple Leafs (forwards)

Whether or not you're a Leafs fan, it's always nice to know a little bit about the players under the helmet. This year's Toronto Maple Leafs include some new faces joining old favourites. Let's get to know the forwards, shall we?

#9 Colby Armstrong (Army)  @armdog
My favourite player. He's not exactly a goal-scorer, but one of those depth guys who loves chirping. He's funny and always has something to say. Plus, he's one of Sidney Crosby's best friends, and that can never be a bad thing.

#42 Tyler Bozak (Bozie) @bozie42
Bozie is a beauty! He's also a beast at faceoffs! We're not sure if he's a jerk or not! He also types with way too many exclamation marks! It reminds me of a chipmunk! #bro #beast #beauty #teamunit

#18 Mike Brown (Brownie, Chuck Norris)
Epic stache, which he just shaved to the dismay of Leaf Nation and the entire twitterverse.

#12 Tim Connolly (Canoli) 
He tends to get hurt a lot. Emily doesn't like him. Nickname is canoli because it's easier to spell.

#11 Philippe Dupuis (Douchepuis)
If you think this guy would be a mixture of Phil Kessel and Pascal Dupuis, you're sadly mistaken. He is a jerk.

#39 Matt Frattin (Nickname pending)
If you ever find yourself with a lawnmower on your roof, this is the man to call.

#84 Mikhail Grabovski (Crazy Guy, Habs Killer, Pineapple Murderer, Grabbo)
This guy is crazy (in a good way). He personally hates the Habs, which always gets you brownie points. Abolishes the fear of the pined apple wherever he goes. Fear his crazy eyes.


#43 Nazem Kadri (Naz, The Potential Future Saviour, "Is that the kid you want?") @43_Kadri
Some rumours claim that he has attitude problems, but it's hard not to when you're the best prospect surrounded by the chaotic jungle known as the Toronto MSM. He could lead the team to the Stanley Cup, or he could not. That statement applies to everyone on this list. We also stole him from the Sens

#81 Phil Kessel (Phil the Thrill, Kess, The Other Saviour, Dweeb) @PKessel81
Phil Kessel is Emily's favourite player. He's crazy fast and definitely the most talented goal scorer on the Leafs. On the other hand, he's quite streaky, and he can be frustrating to watch when things just aren't going his way. He's also a socially awkward loner, which somehow makes him more endearing.

#41 Nikolai Kulemin (Kulie, Kool-Aid Man, Fishface)
He's fast, he's good, he's great friends with Grabbo. Has a tendency to leave his mouth wide open.

#15 Matthew Lombardi (Nickname pending)
Recovering from a concussion, so we basically have no idea how his season will play out. We got him for Brett Lebda. lol Nashville.

#19 Joffrey Lupul (Loops) @JLupul
We use his name to change the topic of a conversation. Plays on a line with Phil.

#16 Clarke MacArthur (Mac, MacA, MacArtRoss)
The last third of the MGK line. Despite his innocent face, he missed the first two games of the season due to a suspension. May need to re-calibrate our opinions on him now that he's revealed his inner Matt Cooke.

#28 Colton Orr (Not Bobby, Orrsie)
Despite his last name, he is not a super awesome goal scoring defenceman, much to Don Cherry's displeasure. The nickname Orrsie is ugly and must be changed.

#38 Jay Rosehill (Rosie?)
Basically Colton Orr.

#20 David Steckel (Stecks, Murderer, Loser, That Guy)
Emily thinks he's cute for some reason. I hate him. Specialises in faceoffs and ruining people's record-breaking seasons.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Our Thoughts on the NHL

There are 30 teams in the NHL, and sometimes it can get hard to figure out which ones to like and which fans to burn at the stake. We've compiled a list of the teams to inform you of our opinion (since I'm sure you were wondering):

Anaheim Ducks- They get bonus points for being Burkie's old team, and also giving us Giggy and Beauch. Also for taking Toskalol away from us and ending our misery. Future Leafs Bobby Ryan and Ryan Getzlaf can be pretty hilarious as well:

Boston Bruins- Love/hate relationship. On one hand, they gave us Phil freaking Kessel, and on the other they gave us Andrew freaking Raycroft. They did beat the Nucks though, so they get a pass for this season. Also Bergeron and Marchand are awesome. We've heard something about some first round draft picks, but we just ignore that.

Buffalo Sabres- meh. They're divisional rivals, but otherwise meh. Ryan Miller is annoying but Derek Roy is pretty cool.

Calgary Flames- LOL. Iggy deserves better. Thanks for Dion and Aulie by the way. Oh, and Dougie.

Carolina Hurricanes- unlike Calgary, they seem to have taken the cool ex-Leafs (except Paul Maurice). Hard not to root for a team with Staal (even though Emily doesn't like him), Kabby, Brent, and this man:


Chicago Blackhawks- Jonathan Toews is amazing. Patrick Kane sucks, but just about everyone else on this team is cool. Also, CHELSEA DAGGER. Joey the Junior Reporter is adorable. Emily loves this team.

Colorado Avalanche- Matt Duchene and Gabriel Landeskog are pretty awesome, and so was Joe Sakic.

Columbus Blue Jackets- I won't have much to say about this team when Rick Nash becomes a Leaf. Bonus points for fleecing the Flyers though.

Dallas Stars- Brenden Morrow is infinitely cooler than Brandon Morrow. (Emily refuses to agree)

Detroit Red Wings- This team is filled with ageless robot zombies. Datsyuk and Lidstrom are amazing to watch. We're supposed to hate them but I (Shelly) kind of like them. However, they did give us Brett Lebda. Emily would like you to know that she hates them.

Edmonton Oilers - EBERLE EBERLE EBERLE EBERLE EBERLE

Florida Panthers- Thanks for taking McCabe away from us, no thanks for giving us Mike Van Ryn. Verdict: meh. The trap is boring.

LA Kings- We love Drew Doughty and Anze Kopitar, but trading the epicly awesome BabySchenn to the epicly evil Flyers was not cool

Minnesota Wild- Eww Heatley

Montreal Canadiens- evilness defined. Also they're short. Also, this:

Nashville Predators- Weber, Suter and Ellis? We approve.

New Jersey Devils- They put Clemmensen in net so they'd lose that shootout to the Islanders to make the Leafs miss the playoffs. That was the year Cam Janssen concussed Kabby. This team will never be forgiven, especially when the awesomeness of Brodeur retires.

New York Islanders- Tavares will be a Leaf one day. Moulson and Grabner get brownie points for being entertaining on twitter.

New York Rangers- Avery is a loser. And, uh, Richards is rich..er

Ottawa Senators- hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha



Philadelphia Flyers- You all suck. Yes, I'm looking at your stupid face, Max. Schenn is amazing and needs to get out of there.

Phoenix Coyotes- We don't know why you exist.

Pittsburgh Penguins- This team is awesome. Enough said.

San Jose Sharks- Are infinitely more awesome now that Heatley's gone. Playoff choking will never cease to amaze us.

St. Louis Blues- We don't really know you other than Steen and Coliacovo. I like them both, but there's a reason Cola's called Splodeybones. No thanks for Stempniak.

Tampa Bay Lightning- They got rid of Downie, which is good. Marty St. Louis is pretty amazing, and I like Lecavalier for nostalgic reasons. Emily loves Stamkos but I hate his guts. Overall they're pretty cool.

Toronto Maple Leafs- This team is the definition of super fantastic mind-blowingly awesome.

Vancouver Canucks- Their fans are annoying, their GM is annoying, their coach is annoying. The Sedins are creepy. Luongo will always suck. NO STANLEY CUPS, HA HA! Oh yeah, congrats on that Presidents' Trophy. I'm sure it was a dream come true.

Washington Capitals- ew. See above taunt about President's Trophy and creepy-looking players.

Winnipeg Jets- Are still the Atlanta Thrashers, no matter how much everyone wants to believe they're the '80s Oilers. Therefore, lol.

Being a Leafs fan

We like the Leafs. If you don't know who the Leafs are, you're probably on the wrong blog.

Why do we like the Leafs? They haven't been very good recently (overall. Can't forget the 2-0 season!) and have missed the playoffs for 6 seasons and counting, the 2nd longest playoff drought in the league (in your face, Florida!). We've been having crappy luck/crappy prospects/crappy players/crappy management since the  lockout, thanks to our crappy ownership. Oh yeah, and tickets cost a fortune, if you're lucky enough to find some.

Being a Leafs fan isn't easy. We get taunted by the rest of the league on a regular basis. Even Nucks fans make fun of us (I don't know why they're so smug, but I don't think they do either). But the fact is, we're awesome. We're the most storied franchise in the league, since the Habs are evil and they don't count.We've got a GM who actually looks like he knows what he's doing, depending on who you ask. At any rate, he's better than JFJ, but that can be said about almost anyone. We've got a coach who's made some questionable moves, but is scary enough that I don't have the courage to question him. Besides, he coached in San Jose, and they're only crappy in the playoffs. We don't have to worry about that for a while. We've got prospects who actually have a chance at being something, though it's too early to tell. We have talented players for a change who, gasp, actually like playing here! We've fixed our goaltending problems with a goalie who may or may not be the Saviour Sent From Above, and a backup who may or may not be healthy enough to have a long-lasting career. Either way, it's an upgrade from the horrors we've been exposed to in the last few years.

We haven't won a Cup since That Fateful Year, but it'll all be worth it the year the blue and white (the real ones, not the stupid Lightning) raises Lord Stanley's chalice. And then it'll be our turn to laugh at the rest of the league, especially those loser Nucks fans. I just hope I'll be alive to see it.

Friday, October 14, 2011

Hello Again Internet, This Time From Blogger

After giving tumblr a try for a week, we were pleased to discover that we are not, in fact, fangirl enough to be satisfied with posting a bunch of cute pictures of hockey players. We actually like using words, too, so here we are.

So, a little bit about us and about what this blog is going to be:
We are Shelly and Emily, Leafs fans who live in the GTA and firmly believe it is the centre of the universe. We're both 17 years old (but not for much longer!) and in our first year of university, Shelly is at the Univesity of Waterloo for Economics, and Emily is studying Health Science at UOIT. We have a soft spot for the Pens (mostly Shelly) and the Hawks ( mostly Emily) but the Leafs are always number one in our hearts. One of the only things we disagree on is the awesomeness of baseball, which Shelly has yet to see.

This blog is going to be largely composed of our thoughts on hockey (yes, another hockey blog), specifically the Leafs. There may be some posts on baseball if Shelly allows it, or random posts about any other thing that happens to be on our minds.

We're looking forward to actually blogging for real this time. Hope you keep reading!

-Shelly and Emily