Leafs Lowdown: Everybody Loves Raymond

The puck dropped on the 2013-2014 NHL season this past Monday and it certainly felt like it crept up on us. Last year, fans across the world waited and waited for an announcement that seemed at times like it was never coming. Boardroom bickering and first-world-millionaire problems almost forced fans to endure yet another lockout. However, in the end, we were rewarded with arguably the best season ever… and a glimpse into what could be. 

The shortened season put an emphasis on a per-game basis that has never before been felt in the NHL. It appeared like an NFL season on ice with the importance of each and every game obvious in both the standings and play. Ask yourself if you tune into the 1000m relay with the same (if any) interest as the 100m dash? No. We want things to start fast and end quicker – and last year we got just that. 

Throughout the NHL season, I’ll provide a variety of opinions on the players and issues that make up the NHL today. If you are looking for cookie-cutter analysis and/or bland commentary, you are certainly in the wrong place. With that, here are my plus/minuses for week one: 

PLUS: Montreal just does it right. Their player introduction and ‘lighting of the torch’ tradition is, simply put, professional – while Leaf fans will have to cover their ears, or go grab beers, when the 48th Highlanders take to the ice in Toronto Saturday blasting bagpipes and giving away free Opening Night headaches. 

MINUS: Toronto’s home opener puck-drop ceremony was completely laughable. They decided to host a contest with the winner receiving this honour. Sorry, Jonny Bower, we don’t need you tonight. The clown who unfortunately won this prize made ‘stink’ faces at the opposition before checking if the goalies were ready prior to dropping the puck. It was something I would expect Columbus to do at fan appreciation night – not the league premier franchise on game 1 with all eyes on you.

MINUS: Fans will quickly notice that for the first time in years the NHL has tinkered with the actual goalie net. Now, this wasn’t exactly reinventing the wheel, as it will continue to have an opening; this is four feet high and six feet wide. However, it will be 4 inches shallower, creating more room behind the net for playmakers to set up shop. Gretzky will be thrilled with the expansion of his old office. In addition to the depth, they have also adjusted the top corners, making them less rounded. It remains to be seen what impact this will have on the game, but it should certainly change the ‘polite’ conversations goalies have been having with their posts over the years.

PLUS: It was great to see James Reimer earn the season start between the pipes for Toronto in Game 1. He was a key contributor to last season’s success and certainly not the reason the club failed to advance past the first round of the playoffs. While offseason acquisition Jonathan Bernier is widely considered Toronto’s future, and this city’s saviour, starting Reimer sent a strong message that veterans still rule the roost in this locker room and past performance counts for something. He was Toronto’s best player on the ice and a major reason the team started the season off with a win.

PLUS: Bernier got the start in game 2 and truly put on a clinic. He was fantastic from start to finish and flashed the kind of elite talent that saw him drafted 11th overall by the LA Kings in 2006. In his 31-save debut performance, he showcased his full arsenal of skills, which was capped off by a textbook save on a penalty shot in the second period. Coach Carlyle stayed true to his word, as he had stated from day one that whichever tender didn’t start game one would get the nod in game two when the club traveled to Philadelphia for the Flyers season opener.

MINUS: Travelling seemed to be a hot topic on Coaches’ Corner in Game 1 when a brash Don Cherry brought up several excellent topics, and is now rocking what can only be described as beard-sideburns to accompany his iconic white goatee. He berated the MLSE organization for poor management and not playing favourites towards the organizations title franchise. A little-known NHL fact is that each franchise is responsible for creating their own pre-season schedule. This is done to both limit the distances teams have to travel, as well as agree upon games that would be played in non-NHL arenas (such as London, Ontario). However, the main reason the league puts the scheduling responsibility into each team’s hands is to allow organizations the ability to end the preseason at their discretion. Cherry blasted the MLSE brass for essentially worrying too much about what song Drake will sing at the 2016 NBA All-star Game and neglecting to notice the fact that their organization’s bell cow will now play four games in six nights to open the season. Amateur hour at its finest, and simply inexcusable. The Raptors have started at the bottom… and according to Cheery, are still there. However, fresh off a hot 2-0 start to this young season, who really cares?

MINUS: Fighting in hockey is an endless debate that truly does not have a clear, right answer. Personally, I think it’s part of the fabric of the game and has its time and place. Players have been regulating the game themselves for years, and while sportscasters, writers and chump bloggers like me are the first to sqwak “it’s dangerous,” many NHLers (including those like retired NHL enforcer Stu Grimson, whose career ended in a fight with a concussion) have continued to support their right to say “wanna go?” Listen, no one can deny that fighting is both dangerous and illegal. However, these two consenting adults are well compensated and know exactly what they are doing. They voluntarily drop the mitts and thus accept the risks.  The bigger question is what hockey ‘regulation’ will look like once, not if, fighting is banned in hockey? Maybe sword fighting will then have its time and place too…

MINUS: Unfortunately. Reimer was unable to fit the swagger he developed in Montreal into his Porter carry on for the flight home. He looked absolutely dreadful in front of the hometown faithful on Saturday night at the ACC and surrendered four goals before being pulled in the second period. To make matters worse (for only him), Bernier came in, did not let in a single goal, and he propelled the team to a 5-4 comeback shootout victory. It is too early to simply write off Reimer and hand the reins over to JB, but through three games it’s now clearly it’s his job to lose. Bernier is expected to get the start when the Leafs host Colorado and hotheaded coach Patrick Roy on Tuesday.

PLUS: Last season the Leafs did not win a single shootout, finishing dead last in the NHL in that category. As a team they scored on only 1 of 12 attempts (Tyler Bozak). On Saturday night, they doubled that total highlighted by a controversial spin-o-rama goal from new Leaf Mason Raymond. The NHL has since put out an article explaining why it was a legal goal.

Cover image courtesy of Francois Lacasse