Memo to Leaf Nation, especially Scott Tribe @ Progressive Bloggers

Hey there, Leafs fans, I hope that you and your homer media machine are over your hangovers after drowning your sorrows in your suds on Thursday night.

Let us examine the cumulative evidence: here, here, here, and here.

Games Played: 4
Record: Senators 3 Wins; Leafs 1 Win
same record in reverse: Leafs, 3 losses; Senators, 1 loss
Cumulative scoring: Senators 17, Leafs 11. Not as bad as last year (just yet) but probably headed in that general direction.

Brief Comments:

I didn't see Darcy -ucker droppin' 'em tonight against, er, anyone. I did see a whole lot of Senators dropping Darcy -ucker, 100% legally, especially when he took a moment to admire his drop pass around the blue line of the offensive zone. Ouch.


TOP 10 PROACTIVE COMEBACKS to extremely predictable Leaf Nation putdowns of Senators that will result from this blog entry:

10. At least the Senators were _in_ the Playoffs last year...

9. When the Senators make the Eastern Conference finals, they lose to the eventual dominant Stanley Cup Winner (New Jersey Devils, 2003)

8. When the Leafs hook, hack, rough, fight, whine, and ref-bait their way to the Eastern Conference finals, they lose to the team that loses to other conference in the Stanley Cup Final (Carolina Hurricanes, whupped by Detroit, 2002; Buffalo Sabres, defeated for Cup in OT by Dallas Stars, 1999; Los Angeles Kings, defeated for Cup by Patrick Roy Habs team and quite a lot of OT destiny, 1993.)

7. Senators just didn't have the playoff goalies in those losses to Leafs. Lalime could not cut it versus vets like Belfour or Cujo. Those were some of the better veteran goalies too much money could buy.

6. [Senators still didn't have a big time playoff goalie in 2006, either]

5. Last year's Sens Team would have whupped the lumbering Leafs in the "new NHL" playoffs provided the Toronto media machine, and quite possibly League offices in Toronto, did not intimidate the referees into putting the whistles in their pockets.

4. Ditto this year's Sens Team, although, Leaf trades may yet remedy this at some point. Too bad they can't just spend their way to competence anymore (with the likes of Belfour or Cujo) Kyle Wellwood is okay, but when you make him your saviour, you have a problem.

3. Despite all this trash talk, I am going to give some props here to Mats Sundin. I mean, who can't enjoy a 500th career goal that is a game winner, scored shorthanded, in overtime. It in fact reminded me of a goal he scored on Lalime in a playoff Game one. The Senators were at home, and that goal in OT hurt. Anyway, Sundin is a classy guy, an excellent warrior and Leader, a world class player, pretty tough, and he plays a balanced game of hard work and nice talent. He has not lead the Leafs to a Cup, but, then again, neither did Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark, Rick Vaive, and whoever the Captain was when I was under ten years old, or between 1967 and 1974. Sundin also handles those softie questions from admiring Leaf Fans / Toronto sports journalists quite nicely, day after day after day after day. I doubt they are really all that aggressive, but I definitely know there's a lot of them.

2. Kudos here to Alfie, too. Especially since he cut the crazy hair. I recall when Alfredsson mocked Sundin having a brain fart and throwing his stick into the stands (I also recall the T.O. fan who caught the stick was pretty happy, too...) So while Leafs fans tried to turn it into the most egregious, horrendous insult ever, Sundin himself enjoyed the joke, too. Sorta like the fan who caught his stick. This, to me, is a good anecdote that symbolizes great differences between Leaf talk and basic strong performance playing a fine game on the ice. Leafs and their fans and their boosters are all talk, no walk. Ultimately, they just fall back on themselves and talk amongst themselves about themselves.

1. 1967.

Also, I think the Senators are probably finding their stride, their character, and their chemistry. It takes a while for gaps like Zdeno Chara and Martin Havlat to be filled up front and in the back. I notice Chara is wearing the "C" in Boston. I'll miss Big Z, so will the team, but maybe they are getting over it. Spezza and Heatley have clearly also found the groove. Stats tonight pretty much speak for themselves on that.

Just one other observation: isn't an 8-1 trouncing of the Devils almost as noteworthy (possibly more) than the Sabres 9-1 thrashing of the Flyers? The Flyers were on a dismal streak to start the whole season, the Devils are the competent and steady 'always at least .500' Devils. Talk amongst yourselves.

P.S. We should all be a bit concerned about the Sabres, though. Young, fast, explosive, built for this League's rules. Defeated the Senators in the playoffs last year a lot more efficiently and effectively than the Leafs ever did by really beating the Senators at the own game. I'm not sure even ol's spaghetti groins Hasek could have prevented it.

P.S.#2 I'm still calling for a Calgary Flames versus Ottawa Senators all-Canadian Stanley Cup Final in 2007. Just like last year!

P.S.#3 This one also goes out to Hon. George Smitherman. A good fella, loyal Torontonian and Deputy Premier. Big shout-outs to everyone in OLP at their AGM this weekend and the big countdown to October 4, 2007. Especially Dalton and the whole Ottawa South crew.

P.S. #4 It also goes out to Mike 'Murph' Murphy.

P.S. #5 I have attached a tremendous photo. It's not from tonight, but, the Phillips wallop on -ucker tonight was great, too.

P.S. #6 To my readers (I know there's, like, maybe three of you) if you are a Sens fan (I know lots of you are) then wade in on the comment board because the Leaf fans will come a snipin'.