A nasty habit shows its ugly face

The Maple Leafs are a brand new car falling apart the day after the warranty runs out. Of late, the Leafs have been off to great starts and then lose it when it really counts.                                                               

They seem to have fixed that in Long Island, but that is only one game. The loosey-goosey third periods have to change for the Leafs to be successful. There are too many giveaways in the defensive zone. The Maple Leafs forwards are too lazy coming back.

The Leafs blew their leads against Colorado and Vegas, running out of steam in the third period. They have clean up the leaky defensive play of late. 

Cambell is getting tired. The Leafs have to be careful not to give him too many starts in the second half. Campbell really struggled at the last road trips. Mrazek needs to get some starts. He is a steady backup in goal when he is healthy.  

Final word

I love the way our captain has been playing of late. JT has been taking the role of a leader. He is constantly working hard at this defensive game, and his offensive numbers are rising because of it. You know the saying —when you take care of the defense, the offense takes care of itself. 

Randy

Remembering Clark Gillies

I was deeply saddened at the news of the passing of New York Islanders legend Clark Gillies. Of course, I will not sit here and pretend that I was fortunate to meet him like most of you. I can tell you my impressions are and memories of seeing Clark in his prime.  

I have spoken to the Isles fans they never had a bad word about Gillies. Charismatic Gillies was always smiling; you could tell he loved the game. From what I read of him, he was always willing to take time for everyone. The game loved him in return and a magical relationship developed between Gillies and the fans. 

This video shows how much he loved the Nassau Coliseum.

The Clark Gillies nod. Don't tell me you don't remember the nod! Gillies had his way of telling players he wanted to go before a fight. He made me fear for the other guy. 

My fondest memory of Clark Gillies is of his loyalty to his teammates. He was always willing to go to battle each and every game. One of the most significant battles was against Dave the Hammer Schultz. There were other altercations, but everyone had to see the epic battles between Gillies and Schultz. It didn't matter what you were doing; you had to stop and watch the fight. At the end of the fight, the two gladiators always respected each other. 

Gillies was the ultimate power forward who got the garbage goals. He was the heart and soul of the Isles. It was almost impossible to take him off the puck. Gillies had six 30+ seasons, including 1981-82, in which he collected 38 goals. His best season was the 78-79 season, scoring 35 goals and adding 56 assists for 91 points. Here is a collection of his highlights that year.

Gillies will always be remembered as part of one of the greatest dynasties, the Isles in the '80s. The Islanders retired four-time Stanley Cup winner Clark Gillies' number on December 7th, 1996.

Clark Gillies was elected to the Hall of fame in 2002. 

Here are Clark's thoughts on being elected to the Hall of Fame.

A true legend and the Man Clark Gillies.

Randy