Oh Blakey, don’t say we didn’t warn you about taking the money and running to Toronto. I mean, yeah the guy’s got 4 million dollar bills lying around the house to dry his tears, but it starting to sound like 3 million and change, and you know…actually playing and not being booed isn’t so bad either. At $4 million, it’ll will be virtually impossible for Toronto to move him in the Salary Cap Era of the NHL.
Moments after hearing the news that he was to be benched for the second-time this season, Jason Blake erupted into a sequence of profanities, reports the National Post.
Blake sat out of last night’s game, a 4-3 loss to the Calgary Flames.
“I don’t know what’s going on … we’ll try to figure it out sometime today,” Blake told the paper.
See, what would be best here is if a giant hole opened up on the ice and no one ever heard from these two clowns again. Our least favorite Maple Leaf and Ranger, Darcy Tucker and Sean Avery, went at it last night. Actually, they almost went at it before the game when Mr. Oh-So-Classy Avery whacked Blake’s shinguards…in warmups. I saw this replay while out last night and was very confused as to who to root for.
With a 6-7-3 record so far this year and a rabid fanbase desperate for their first Stanley Cup in 41 years, pressure is building on the Toronto Maple Leafs and their high-profile free agent Jason Blake to succeed. Through 16 games this season, Blake has only 2 goals compared to a year ago on the island when Blake had 9 at the same point. The Toronto Sun sat down for an interview with Blake to discuss the season so far. It went something like this:
Blah, blah, blah. Mats Sundin. Blah, blah, blah. $20 million. Blah, blah, blah. Ottawa 5 Toronto 1.
At the end of the interview, they ask Blake some questions about the Islanders who have 1 more point than Toronto with 4 games in hand. Here’s the good part:
“No. 1, they have an unbelievable coach,” Blake said. “Ted Nolan’s the best. No. 2, we played like the Senators, that way. We weren’t as talented, we weren’t as big, we weren’t as strong but we moved the puck. We tried to hit the open guy. No. 3, we had Brendan Witt, one of the most underrated defenceman in the league.”
And No. 4?
“The best goalie. The best upcoming goaltender in the league. (Rick) DiPietro will win the Vezina in the next three years.”
The Islanders took their traditional Post Rangers Game Hangover to a new level last night, getting whupped by Toronto 8-1 last night. I got home late, turned on the game, found the Isles down 5-1 after two, and changed the channel. I’m going to keep it short today since I’m off to the NHL Store opening in a couple of hours. Here’s a little bit of Logan’s game article from Newsday.com and some videos - including the Islanders first fight of the season as Andy Sutton threw down with Wade Belak in the 3rd.
You could say the Islanders suffered their traditional hangover after beating the Rangers. You could say their uninspired play was because of their fifth game in seven days. You could say the absence of goaltender Rick DiPietro made a big difference. You couldn’t miss two egregious defensive breakdowns by Marc-Andre Bergeron that hung backup goaltender Wade Dubielewicz out to dry. And oh yeah, the Islanders have yet to get much offense from anyone but the top line and the power play.
There’s some truth to all of it, and it added up to an 8-1 blowout in favor of Toronto last night at Air Canada Centre. It was the Islanders’ worst defeat since they lost to Vancouver by the same score on Jan. 14, 2006, at the Coliseum. Their only goal was a power-play deflection by Ruslan Fedotenko in the first period.
“It’s almost laughable,” Islanders coach Ted Nolan said with a disgusted look. “We’re much better than we showed tonight. I don’t know if they played all that well, but I know how bad we played.”
Sutton vs Belak via HockeyFights.com. 55% of HockeyFights.com voters are calling this a draw, with 36% calling it a win for Sutton.
And some Toronto, I mean game highlights.
See you later today with some pics and thoughts from the NHL Store Opening.
Some bad news this morning from ex-Islander but still a fan favorite, Jason Blake who signed with Toronto this past off-season. Blake revealed this morning to his new teammates that he has a rare but treatable form of Leukemia.
“This morning I shared with my teammates news that I was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia,” Blake said on the team’s website.
“It is highly-treatable, and I have begun taking a pill on a daily basis that has proven to be very effective in controlling this cancer. The prognosis, and certainly the expectations of my physician, myself and my family, is that I will live a long, full and normal life. This situation will not impact my ability to live my life as I otherwise would, and will not affect my ability to perform at my highest level for the Toronto Maple Leafs. I’m looking forward to my first season with the Leafs and helping our club compete for the Stanley Cup.”
A sobering dose of reality from a guy we were sad to see leave the Island. We’re glad that everything is treatable and that Blakey should be OK and can continue to play. Go Blakey…just not Thursday night against the Isles!
The NHL has released the 2007-08 schedule today with a special 2-game series between the Ducks and Kings in London to kick things off in late September. Seems a little strange to me, I understand why they want to include the Stanley Cup Champion Ducks, but it would be a lot easier to send two east coast teams across the pond.
The new-look Islanders will kick things off with a home and home against the new-look Sabres. The Isles will open at the Coliseum on Friday October 5th and travel to Buffalo the next night. Other highlights:
- The Rangers bring Chris Drury and Scott Gomez to town on Wednesday October 10th
- Jason Blake returns to the Coliseum wearing Toronto blue on Wednesday December 26th
- The Isles visit Rental Ryan Smyth and the Avalanche on Saturday January 5th
- Two Islanders/Rangers home and home series: early March (4th and 6th) and the teams finish the season vs. each other on April 3rd (last Isles home game) and 4th
Full Schedule
Oct-07
Date Visitor Home Time
Fri Oct 5, 2007 Islanders Sabres 7:30 PM ET
Sat Oct 6, 2007 Sabres Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Mon Oct 8, 2007 Capitals Islanders 2:00 PM ET
Wed Oct 10, 2007 Rangers Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Thu Oct 11, 2007 Islanders Maple Leafs 7:30 PM ET
Sat Oct 13, 2007 Islanders Flyers 7:00 PM ET
Thu Oct 18, 2007 Islanders Capitals 7:00 PM ET
Sat Oct 20, 2007 Devils Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Sat Oct 27, 2007 Hurricanes Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Nov-07
Date Visitor Home Time
Thu Nov 1, 2007 Lightning Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Sat Nov 3, 2007 Penguins Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Tue Nov 6, 2007 Rangers Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Sat Nov 10, 2007 Devils Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Mon Nov 12, 2007 Islanders Flyers 7:00 PM ET
Thu Nov 15, 2007 Islanders Penguins 7:30 PM ET
Fri Nov 16, 2007 Islanders Devils 7:00 PM ET
Mon Nov 19, 2007 Islanders Rangers 7:00 PM ET
Wed Nov 21, 2007 Canadiens Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Fri Nov 23, 2007 Islanders Bruins 12:00 PM ET
Sat Nov 24, 2007 Bruins Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Mon Nov 26, 2007 Stars Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Wed Nov 28, 2007 Senators Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Thu Nov 29, 2007 Islanders Rangers 7:00 PM ET
Dec-07
Date Visitor Home Time
Sat Dec 1, 2007 Thrashers Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Mon Dec 3, 2007 Bruins Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Wed Dec 5, 2007 Islanders Thrashers 7:00 PM ET
Fri Dec 7, 2007 Islanders Panthers 7:30 PM ET
Sat Dec 8, 2007 Islanders Lightning 7:30 PM ET
Wed Dec 12, 2007 Islanders Sabres 7:00 PM ET
Thu Dec 13, 2007 Coyotes Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Sat Dec 15, 2007 Penguins Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Wed Dec 19, 2007 Sabres Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Fri Dec 21, 2007 Islanders Penguins 7:30 PM ET
Sat Dec 22, 2007 Capitals Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Wed Dec 26, 2007 Maple Leafs Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Thu Dec 27, 2007 Islanders Senators 7:30 PM ET
Sat Dec 29, 2007 Devils Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Mon Dec 31, 2007 Islanders Hurricanes 8:00 PM ET
Jan-08
Date Visitor Home Time
Thu Jan 3, 2008 Panthers Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Sat Jan 5, 2008 Islanders Avalanche 9:00 PM ET
Mon Jan 7, 2008 Islanders Oilers 9:00 PM ET
Tue Jan 8, 2008 Islanders Canucks 10:00 PM ET
Fri Jan 11, 2008 Islanders Flames 9:00 PM ET
Sun Jan 13, 2008 Islanders Senators 7:00 PM ET
Tue Jan 15, 2008 Canadiens Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Wed Jan 16, 2008 Islanders Devils 7:00 PM ET
Sat Jan 19, 2008 Flyers Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Mon Jan 21, 2008 Hurricanes Islanders 2:00 PM ET
Tue Jan 22, 2008 Islanders Hurricanes 7:00 PM ET
Thu Jan 24, 2008 Islanders Bruins 7:00 PM ET
Tue Jan 29, 2008 Senators Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Thu Jan 31, 2008 Kings Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Feb-08
Date Visitor Home Time
Sat Feb 2, 2008 Islanders Canadiens 2:00 PM ET
Tue Feb 5, 2008 Ducks Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Thu Feb 7, 2008 Islanders Penguins 7:30 PM ET
Sat Feb 9, 2008 Islanders Wild 6:00 PM ET
Tue Feb 12, 2008 Flyers Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Thu Feb 14, 2008 Islanders Maple Leafs 7:30 PM ET
Sat Feb 16, 2008 Thrashers Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Mon Feb 18, 2008 Sharks Islanders 2:00 PM ET
Wed Feb 20, 2008 Islanders Capitals 7:00 PM ET
Thu Feb 21, 2008 Lightning Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Sat Feb 23, 2008 Islanders Devils 1:00 PM ET
Tue Feb 26, 2008 Penguins Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Thu Feb 28, 2008 Islanders Thrashers 7:00 PM ET
Mar-08
Date Visitor Home Time
Sat Mar 1, 2008 Flyers Islanders 2:00 PM ET
Sun Mar 2, 2008 Panthers Islanders 3:00 PM ET
Tue Mar 4, 2008 Islanders Rangers 7:00 PM ET
Thu Mar 6, 2008 Rangers Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Sat Mar 8, 2008 Islanders Flyers 7:00 PM ET
Tue Mar 11, 2008 Islanders Lightning 7:30 PM ET
Wed Mar 12, 2008 Islanders Panthers 7:30 PM ET
Sat Mar 15, 2008 Islanders Canadiens 7:00 PM ET
Tue Mar 18, 2008 Maple Leafs Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Fri Mar 21, 2008 Islanders Devils 7:00 PM ET
Sun Mar 23, 2008 Islanders Flyers 7:00 PM ET
Mon Mar 24, 2008 Penguins Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Thu Mar 27, 2008 Islanders Penguins 7:30 PM ET
Sat Mar 29, 2008 Flyers Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Apr-08
Date Visitor Home Time
Tue Apr 1, 2008 Devils Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Thu Apr 3, 2008 Rangers Islanders 7:00 PM ET
Fri Apr 4, 2008 Islanders Rangers 7:00 PM ET
Looks like I wasn’t the only one watching the Leafs/Habs on Saturday night. Hockey Night in Canada set a new audience record.
With a playoff spot potentially on the line, the Hockey Night telecast of the Montreal Canadiens-Toronto Maple Leafs game on Saturday drew 2.81 million viewers. That’s a regular-season record, surpassing the 2.75 million who tuned in for the Hockey Night outdoor game between the Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers on Nov. 22, 2003. It’s also 103-per-cent more than the 2006-07 regular-season average of 1.381 million before Saturday. “I have to buy [Hockey Night executive producer] Joel Darling dinner,” said Scott Moore, the head of CBC Sports.
“He predicted a record audience, but I figured it would be something less.”
AM640 Toronto Radio hosts “Leafs Lunch” from noon-2pm each day. Should be some interesting listener phone calls this afternoon. You can listen to the live internet stream here. I’m sure they’ll have some kind words for the Devils and Martin Brodeur.
[UPDATE] The stream just started…they opened the show with Steve Mears’ radio call of Doobie’s save on Sergei Brylin. Nice! Listener phone calls start at 1pm.
[UPDATE 2] I listened to some more of this, high comedy. The first caller I heard called the Leafs’ GM an idiot within 10 seconds, and one of the hosts says the Leafs “embarrassed themselves” by failing to the beat the Islanders last week which would have gotten them into the playoffs. Gotta love Toronto fans for caring so much about the team. It’s like the Mets and the Yankees here in NY with the media attention.
Here’s what some folks were syaing after yesterday’s big win. Playoffs!
“I thought of that between the overtime and the shootout: ‘Gee, this is tough to swallow if we don’t make it,’” Wade Dubielewicz told Newsday.
“A lot of people counted us out because we were injured,” Brendan Witt told Newsday. “The big thing is we didn’t quit. Dubie played phenomenal the last four games. It’s sweet to get in, and now we’ve got to focus on a good Buffalo team.”
“What a wild finish,” Maple Leafs’ GM John Ferguson told the Toronto Star. “Unfortunately for us, we didn’t give ourselves enough room at the end. I give them (the Isles) credit for getting it done.”
“If you’re an old-school hockey fan, you’re probably not too excited about the way this finished,” Devils centre Scott Gomez told the AP. “If you ask a fan who was here today, I’m sure they would tell you it was incredible.”
“I’m feeling pretty Hollywood-ish today,” Coach Ted Nolan told the New York Daily News. “I don’t think I was breathing the last five minutes and through the shootout. … It’s very gratifying, especially with the early polls picking us 30th (in the 30-team NHL). This has been a special team and special season. Now we have a chance to continue it.”
“Last Sunday, we were pretty much done … but everything fell into place at the right time,” Mike Sillinger told the News. “It’s all pretty unbelievable. But we’ll believe it when we wake up (today).”
The Toronto Star’s Damien Cox takes a fair and sober look at the Maple Leafs’ shortcomings this year and gives credit to the Isles for seizing the moment. As usual, Cox does a great job. Check out today’s column here. Here’s a sampling:
This much is true: the New York Islanders captured an Eastern Conference playoff berth over the Leafs this spring because they were the better hockey team. Period.
The Isles fought harder, overcame injuries better, got emphatic contributions from their stars, received superior goaltending and last Thursday spanked the Leafs in a head-to-head confrontation.
