PLANTATION, Fla. (Dec. 22) -- The gratuitous talk from the Maple Leafs over the summer that they had a solid goaltending "tandem" with the acquisition of Vesa Toskala has proven to be just that. Talk. In fact, the Leafs have no more of a tandem in net right now than they did in the second half of last season, when Andrew Raycroft's death might not have been enough for Paul Maurice to replace him with back-up J.S. Aubin. For those who have lost track, it was four weeks ago tonight that Raycroft had his last sniff of playing time. You may remember him starting that fiasco in Phoenix and allowing a pair of soft goals in the first five minutes. Out he came and in went Toskala. And, Raycroft has been been strictly a practice goalie ever since.
Now, there is a reason for this. A pretty damned good one, in fact. Toskala, after a slow start, has been lights-out for the Leafs in much of the past three weeks. We might go as far as to suggest that there hasn't been a much better goalie in the entire NHL during that time. And, the Leafs are in a position -- because of their early-season struggle -- that they need every point available to them if they have even a prayer of making the playoffs. So, it appears Maurice is going to ride Toskala until he either leads the Maple Leafs to that goal... or he keels over from exhaustion. Raycroft seems no more likely to see playing time than Aubin did in the second half of last season, when Maurice completely gave up on him.
This may not be all bad for the Leafs, providing Toskala continues to perform at his current level. Despite their party-line stance last June, the Leafs were hoping for precisely this circumstance -- that Toskala would establish himself as the clear No. 1 goalie on the hockey club, and one of the better puck-stoppers in the league. But, what happens if and when Maurice decides to give Toskala a breather? Has the coach left any indication that he has even a smidgen of confidence in Raycroft? That a game in which he chooses not to use Toskala can be looked upon with more than just a wing and a prayer?
This is either a flaw in Maurice's coaching method, or the result of some very poor decision making above him. In either case, it's the second time in as many seasons behind the Leafs' bench that Maurice has completely forgotten he has a back-up goalie. Let alone, a netminder pulling in the princely sum of $2 million this season. Maurice knows he'll have to give Toskala a rest at some time in the near future. He also knows that the two points available in the game he starts Raycroft will be just as valuable as any two in the schedule.
Which begs a couple of questions. Has Raycroft played his last game in blue and white? If so, why doesn't the hockey club put the goalie on waivers to give him a chance of resuming his career elsewhere in the NHL? Or, at least, to demote him to the AHL Toronto Marlies, though there doesn't appear to be much room down there, either, with Justin Pogge and Scott Clemmensen sharing the role. Secondly, what can the Leafs realistically expect from Raycroft if they use him in another game? Those who have observed Raycroft closely will tell you he doesn't have a large number of technical flaws in his goaltending repertoire. His problem is concentration. His mind tends to wander in a 60-minute hockey game, and it results in soft goals for the opposition. Goals that frequently off-set difficult saves. How can anyone expect Raycroft to have kept even a modicum of mental sharpness after an entire month on the sideline?
Like I said, going back to him would be done on nothing more than a prayer from Maurice. In the interim, the Leafs must hope that Toskala does not falter. Even a little. Otherwise, it's gonzo from the playoffs for a third season in a row.
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The on-and-off argument about the reliability of composite hockey sticks flared again this week, after Pavel Kubina's stick desintegrated in the final minute of Thursday night's game in Tampa, leading to the Lightning's winning tally with 41.6 seconds remaining. The point of the argument has nothing to do with the outcome of that game. Of course, had Kubina's stick held, he might have won the match for the visitors with a slapshot from 25 feet. But, the Leafs did not defend Tampa Bay's follow up rush particularly well.
Instead, it is more relevant to compare the composite sticks to the other vital pieces of equipment in professional sport. Can you imagine a football in the NFL suddenly deflating in mid-air on a potential game-winning pass? Or a basketball in the NBA going flat with a team heading up floor in overtime? How might it be received if a tennis ball crashed through the racket of Roger Federer on match-point at Wimbledon? These things simply would not happen. But, a composite hockey stick could easily break during a critical moment of a Stanley Cup playoff series.
That's why the NHL should continue to take a hard look at the the composites. They possess an inherent flaw that has the potential of leading to even more embarrassment for the league. Along the lines of Brett Hull's toe-in-the-cresae Stanley Cup winner for Dallas in 1999. One thing is certain: No single piece of equipment in pro sport today rivals the composite sticks for unreliability. Baseball bats occasionally shatter, but with far less regularity than hockey sticks break. The composites are four times as expensive as the old wooden sticks, and 10 times less reliable.
That's a very bad combination.
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