Bottom-Six Musical Chairs: Who Wins a Spot with the Leafs?

The Toronto Maple Leafs have more bottom-six forwards than I have had girlfriends in my lifetime. This means that this training camp could turn into a fire sale. Which Maple Leaf player will be sent down to the Marlies? When the waiver wire starts, who will be put on waivers and who will we lose? When the Maple Leafs made the trade for Marner and brought in Nicholas Roy, the days of Calle Jarnkrok and David Kampf were numbered.

This is where my brain catches fire. Bobby McMahon, Nick Robinson, and others will fight for six spots. Actually, they are fighting for five spots, because you have to figure Roy has got one of them. They didn’t bring him in to send him down to the minors.  

LW Joshua Dakota - Centre Bobby McMann - RW Nicholas Roy

Roy would take the draws. I put him on the right because he can shoot right. McMann has to keep it up this year, and he is capable of doing that. If Roy matches his totals from last year, this line could succeed. Dakota scored 18 goals two years ago. If this line can score 50 goals between them, there will be dancing in the streets.

LW Steven Lorentz - Centre Scott Laughton - RW Calle Jarnkrok

The fourth line was hard for me to put together. It is almost a crapshoot. I love Laughton and Lorentz. They are excellent penalty killers. Jarnkrok is a feisty winger who can mix with the best of them. I suspect Nick Robertson will be dealt with sooner or later.

The Leafs have become a more complete team. With the addition of Dakota and Roy, the bottom six is definitely stronger, as I mentioned in the below article. They also bring in some extra offence. Will it be proven in the standings? Only time will tell.

No More Mr. Nice Leafs

And the Crowd Goes Crazy: Bob Cole’s Unforgettable Moments

Bob Cole

Let's talk some more about the voices of the game. One of my favourites was Bob Cole. There was nothing better than watching Bob Cole on Saturday night hockey night in Canada.

Bob's vocabulary - My three favourites

Oh Baby!

One of my favourite Bob Cole sayings was "Oh, Baby." It seemed to light up the room whenever I heard it. When you heard Bob say "Oh, baby," you knew it was something special. What made it so powerful was that he didn't use it for any play. He only used it at the most significant parts of the game; he was the perfect storyteller in every way.

Wow!

I love how he would say "Wow!" at the end of the play. It's the perfect way to describe a great save or a great goal. It was his tone that made it so good. You knew this was the most important part of the game. He's probably up in heaven announcing a legendary game as we speak, happy as ever. He was always talking to people. He loved the game. He loved the people who were part of the community in the game.

And the crowd goes crazy

"And the crowd goes crazy," sent chills down my spine. It would evoke either joy or sorrow, depending on whether the result was in my team's favor or not. The term was perfect for the atmosphere; it described exactly what was going on.

Bob's best calls

Joe Sakic's breakaway goal 2002

Has to be one of my favourites. Canada is trying to hang on. "They get a break. It's gonna be a break. It is Joe Sakic… scores! Jiiiiiiiiooooo Sakic scores!" All Canadians were hanging on his words.

"They are going home" from the 1976 Super Series in Philly

The epic call when the Soviet Red Army left for the dressing room. The Red Army Team was leaving after a controversial hit by Flyers defenceman Ed Van Impe. Bob's repeated call that "they're going home" was epic.

Final word

Bob was the fans' mouthpiece and representative for the game. He was the one who paved the way for announcers today. He set the standard. Bob was the master.

“Bernie, Bernie, Bernie”: The Goalie Who Could Do No Wrong

The hockey world lost another legend. The iconic Bernie Parent left us this weekend. He was the heart behind the Philadelphia Bullies in the 1970s. I did not meet Bernie, but from what I read, he is one of the most loved players in the NHL. People had nothing but good things to say about him.

When I was younger, I was ecstatic when the Toronto Maple Leafs made a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers and acquired the iconic Bernie Parent.

The Toronto Maple Leafs sent Bruce Gamble, Mike Shakey Walton, and a first-round pick back to the Flyers. With Bernie, the Toronto Maple Leafs had a dynamic duo in goal, with Plante being the other goalie. After two seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs, we lost Bernie to the WHA. Bernie returned to the NHL’s Maple Leafs and was immediately traded to the Philadelphia Flyers.

Parent became an elite goalie with the Flyers. Winning two Stanley Cups, two Vesna trophies, and finally two Con Smith trophies. He was the MVP of the Philadelphia Flyers, or should I say Philadelphia Phillies, during their Stanley Cup years. In those years, the Flyers were a rough team. He could do no wrong among the Philadelphia Flyers fans as they chanted “Bernie, Bernie, Bernie.” He was the immovable object in the net. The opposing teams had a hard enough time getting around the Flyers’ defence, but then they have to face Bernie in net. It would take a perfect shot to beat him.

In Parent’s final six seasons, his average was a sensational 2.32. The two years they won the cup were 1.89 in 1973-74. That year, he had a whopping 12 shutouts. In the second year, 1974-75, his average was 2.04, and he again recorded 12 shutouts.

Final Word

I remember the years when the Flyers won the Stanley Cup. I wondered how many cups the Leafs would have won with him in net. I wish we could have had him for a couple more years. The world is a lot sadder without him.

Randy

Giordano Hangs Up the Skates, Picks Up the Whistle

Mark has officially called it quits. He announced his retirement after accepting a position reportedly within the Marlies staff.

Primarily known as Gio Mark, he made his Mark (see what I did there?) with the Flames from 2008 to 2021. Mark won the James Norris Trophy in the 2018-2019 season. He was probably even better defensively than offensively. What made him so good was that he instinctively knew where the play was going on the defensive ends. His stick would break on 2-on-1 breaks, either by blocking the pass or defying the shots. Mark was constantly among the best shot blockers in the league.

Mark was also a leader in the dressing room. He won the Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award. The trophy awarded to him demonstrates leadership skills in his community and the dressing room. Mark and his wife were known in Calgary for their charitable work through the Team Giordano foundation. Team Giordano partnered with the Calgary Board of Education to provide resources for low-income schools.

Mark played in the 2015, 2016, and 2020 All-Star Games and was a first-team all-star in 2020. He ended his illustrious career with the last three years in Toronto, where he was indeed another coach on the ice. His best year for points was 2018, with 74 points. Gio's record for the most goals was 21 in 2015. The Flames lost Gio in the Seattle expansion draft and traded him to the Leafs.

Why this is a good hire for the Marlies

Michael will be great with the kids. He will teach them how to be defensive, responsible, and how to make it into the big leagues. With 16 years of experience as one of the most offensive responsible defencemen in the league, he will be a great coach for these kids. A great hire by The Mapleleaf organization. 

Blue Line Blues: Life After Dobson

To put it mildly, the New York Islanders’ defense is a complete mess. We don’t know exactly what we have. Let’s try to put it together one piece at a time, as if we were putting a jigsaw puzzle together.

Alexander Romanov

Alexander has to take over this team. He is the number one defenceman and has to play like it. He has to share the load of the offense. If he doesn’t, then the New York Islanders are in trouble. Bottom line, he is the man.

Adam Pelech

If Adam can stay healthy, he can be a key cornerstone of the defense. He is a good, steady, defensive defenceman. Any kind of offence from him will be a bonus.

Tony DeAngelo

Tony is what he is. He is a solid number four defenceman with some upside on the offense. He will be an asset on the power play. Tony has to compensate for some of Dobson’s losses. He has to add his offensive numbers, but do not put all of it on his shoulders. That would not be fair to Tony and would put undue pressure on him.

Ryan Pulock

I’m going to be straightforward with Ryan. We need to have the Ryan who scored 10 goals. Someone has to pick up the pieces after the loss of Dobson. I am not saying that Ryan has to do it all. I’m saying that we could use some more offense from Ryan. Remember that hard shot that he had on the power play? Can we have some more of that, please?

Matthew Schaefer

I have discussed Matthew enough of late. If he stays, he will be the number one defenceman on the power play. I would let him stay for the first nine games of the season and then send him back to Juniors. This is where I previously discussed Matthew.

Adam Boqvist

Adam is what he is. Adam is a serviceable number five defenseman. He is solid, nothing flashy, he knows his role and does it. Adam’s strength is that he rarely gets caught out of position. He might not be as athletic as the other defenseman, but he won’t give you any unnecessary grief.

Scott Mayfield

Scott has to play with a chip on his shoulder and be more defensively responsible. He is more viable than people think; he is a solid number-six defenseman.

Final word

The loss of Dobson cannot be put on one defenceman. The offence must come by committee. Everyone has to pick up the slack. We’re not talking 30 or 40 points each, but maybe an improvement of five points each. Dobson will be missed, but Romanoff, DeAngelo, and Schaefer can make it up. If everyone does their share, the Islanders might not be as bad as people think. 

Heaven Just Got a Goalie: Remembering Eddie Giacomin

Hockey has lost another legend: Eddie Giacomin, a New York Rangers Hall of Famer. Eddie was a fan favourite. He loved playing in New York and was a Big Apple hero. Eddie played for the Rangers from 1965 to early in the 1976 season. He was a favourite in the dressing room; heaven just got a true gentleman.

Eddie’s best season in the NHL was the 1971 season. He might have only played 45 games, but he racked up 27 wins that year, with only 10 losses. What was most impressive about that season was that Eddie’s save percentage was a whopping 922, saving the first shot 92% of the time, which was especially impressive in those days. The goalies did not have the equipment that they have now. Eddie was old school. He did not get a goalie mask until late in his career. 

He was Iron Man for most of his career. He played between 60 and 70 games per season in the 60s, which was especially impressive because the season was only 70 games. Between 1966 and 1970, Eddie missed only six starts.

I have a really good contact who I consider a very good friend. I contacted him to see if he would like to put in a good word for Eddie. Jan writes for Hockey Hot Stove. He gave me permission to take a quote from his article:

“The most famous image of Giacomin is from his return to MSG after he was claimed by Detroit four games into the 1975-76 season. The Red Wings faced the Rangers in New York the game after he joined Detroit. Giacomin was feted through the contest by the adoring and angry fan base, who chanted Ed-die, Ed-die. The emotions of the contest, which he won 6-4, finally got to Giacomin, as the iconic picture is of him with his face in his hands, crying.”

And one more quote from him before I close the article:

“One fun fact. First hockey game I watched was the ’72 Cup Final against Boston with my mom’s parents and my dad, so I saw Giacomin in the net.”

Hall of Famer Giacomin Passes Away at 86