Long time, you?
- Garnie

Quite a while. Just surprised you didn't know checks to the head were legal.
It happened quite often and it made a lot of news when they implemented the no headcheck rule.

A lot of media chat about the need for Shanny to tear it down and rebuild the Leafs...thoughts? Would it fly with the fan-base?
- LeftCoaster

We've been begging for it since the end of the Sundin era. I thought it was finally going to happen when Burke took the reins, but he thought he too much smarter than everybody else... I'm still all for it, if done right. What's right? I'm glad you asked. Like this:

1. Fire Carlyle

2. Fire Nonis

3. Shanny hires his GM (Hunter, Dubas, whoever Shanny's guy is) and immediately starts exploring what kind of picks/prospects/young NHLers with upside he can get for everyone not named Rielly/Bernier/Nylander. Make every move that makes sense and wait for the draft if the returns will be better for the non impending FAs

4. New GM announces hiring of Babcock on Jul 1st (let’s face it; if he’s coming here, it’s already been decided/worked out), failing that hires his coach, whoever that is

5. Let new core develop under new philosophy/identity (possession/grittiness/truculence/battle, whatever it may be) articulated and enforced by Shanahan until it’s time to use the new cap space to sign a couple UFA’s/deadline acquisitions that turns the team into a contender, all the while not being afraid to ship out young players unwilling to adhere to the strict philosophy/team identity

The key here is the philosophy/identity of the team. If you develop a core this way, you end up like a Boston, LA, Chicago, Detroit, NJ type team where any new players immediately buy in. Look at (frank)in Gaborik of all players last year with LA! No matter what kind of player you are, you immediately realize you’re either going to play your sack off like everybody else in the room does or you’re going to be an outcast. Burke tried to do this with the ‘truculence/pugnacity’ poop he was constantly preaching… he didn’t have the right coach for it with Wilson, and didn’t get enough time. This would be Shanahan’s job and I think it’s what he’s meant with ‘culture change’, but he hasn’t yet articulated exactly what he means by that to the fanbase. Anyway, Shanny’s new GM would need to share this philosophy and in turn the GM’s coach would as well. Everybody from the Pres on down would be on the same page, and if any player needed to be sat or shipped out to support that philosophy there wouldn’t be any infighting about it between coaching, mgmt and admin.

#Frattattack

Paul Kariya, says "I don't (frank)in think so "
- bixll

And the beauty of the old NHL is Paul didn't female dog and whine he said it was HIS fault for admiring his pass...

At this point I'd almost rather see Orr up right now, Leafs are totally dominated physically, and they can give them the lead in hit stats all they want, when you watch the games it's obvious the Leafs have no gumption at all...
- aminnes

No. You are not aloud to say things like this. Fighting is bad. Teams that are mean and hit to hurt and fight can't win and we can't build our team like that. We must follow the Detroit model of skilled, boring, nice hockey. We must not follow the model of teams like LA, Boston. etc....

Fighting is for Cretins.

Just make sure you are teaching team defense while you're doing it.
- Cfser

big time.. and any high end talent that comes in and doesnt buy into the system.. get rid of him..

take a no tolerance to selfishness approach.. if you are afraid to bench your stars.. nothing will change

And the beauty of the old NHL is Paul didn't female dog and whine he said it was HIS fault for admiring his pass...
- aminnes

It is actually the only way you can get hit like that.. Head up, we were taught. Or, that could happen in our day.

I rarely do fantasy trades on here, but I'd love to hear the possibilities here of these doozies going through

Anyone here have a problem with:
To LA: Phaneuf
To Toronto: Richards, McNabb, Adrian Kempe?

To a team needing a 2nd line Center (based on versteeg trade):
To Team: Bozak
To Toronto: 1st and 3rd?

To a team needing a winger:
Joffrey Lupul
To Toronto: 2nd round pick

oh.... just jettison the talent.. play the grinders with the kids worth keeping.. dont tank deliberately.. but lets give up this absurd hope that there is any relevant the leafs can do assembled as they are

they are going to lose.. lose... and lose some more.. but for once... its happening with enough time to be a big seller at the deadline
- Dozzer

Yup, but I don't have faith anything gets done, and I sure as poop don't want no nards involved in any deadline deals...

I rarely do fantasy trades on here, but I'd love to hear the possibilities here of these doozies going through

Anyone here have a problem with:
To LA: Phaneuf
To Toronto: Richards, McNabb, Adrian Kempe?

To a team needing a 2nd line Center (based on versteeg trade):
To Team: Bozak
To Toronto: 1st and 3rd?

To a team needing a winger:
Joffrey Lupul
To Toronto: 2nd round pick
- mykokes

I think you have to move Phaneuf without a major long term contract like Richards coming back if that's possible. #2 and #3 - where do I sign?

My issue is that its interference, no puck anywhere...
- aminnes

He actually had just dished the puck. Legal hit, by NHL rules:

big time.. and any high end talent that comes in and doesnt buy into the system.. get rid of him..

take a no tolerance to selfishness approach.. if you are afraid to bench your stars.. nothing will change
- Dozzer

This is obviously so easy. I'm surprised no one in the leafs office has figured it out

question. why is jvr wearing a full visor? surely it's not clarkson envy?

question. why is jvr wearing a full visor? surely it's not clarkson envy?
- Rockhead_37

broken nose

I think you have to move Phaneuf without a major long term contract like Richards coming back if that's possible. #2 and #3 - where do I sign?
- 1979AD

I was thinking of buying low on richards, then letting the leaf hype machine and Richards finding his scoring touch to do the rest. JVR-Richards-Kessel might actually work. No? Plus I think Richards contract is shorter than Dion's.

Quite a while. Just surprised you didn't know checks to the head were legal.
It happened quite often and it made a lot of news when they implemented the no headcheck rule.
- Cfser

They were already illegal, a ref could call several different penalties if he felt the intent was to injure, now they want robots, so even when its a piddly little weak one or one that the hitter was totally clean but the guy unfortunately gets caught, the refs or league turn it into an issue... 10 years and there will be little to no hitting at this rate...

question. why is jvr wearing a full visor? surely it's not clarkson envy?
- Rockhead_37

He actually had just dished the puck. Legal hit, by NHL rules:


- Atomic Wedgie

It may have been legal, but it was dirty. Hockey players know when a guy is in a vulnerable position and doesn't see you and you have the choice to let up or kill the guy. When players like Richards choose the later option, it ruins peoples careers.

broken nose
- 1979AD

game, practice or dressing room mishap?

They were already illegal, a ref could call several different penalties if he felt the intent was to injure, now they want robots, so even when its a piddly little weak one or one that the hitter was totally clean but the guy unfortunately gets caught, the refs or league turn it into an issue... 10 years and there will be little to no hitting at this rate...
- aminnes

They were not illegal. As long as you kept your shoulder down it was perfectly legal.

The Leafs have made the playoffs once since 2004... The building is still full every night, ratings on TV still doing well.

You tell me.


We wanted a teardown when Sundin Left. That was the sign of the end. They've never done it yet.
- burn

Why do you even bother if you know they have no chance then?

I was thinking of buying low on richards, then letting the leaf hype machine and Richards finding his scoring touch to do the rest. JVR-Richards-Kessel might actually work. No? Plus I think Richards contract is shorter than Dion's.
- mykokes

I think it would help, but I'm 100% sold on a long term solution to this dumpster fire as per the 5 point plan I posted above.

game, practice or dressing room mishap?
- Rockhead_37

It was a game bro...

Quite a while. Just surprised you didn't know checks to the head were legal.
It happened quite often and it made a lot of news when they implemented the no headcheck rule.
- Cfser

I guess, always thought they called it if the body wasn't hit 1st...most times a guys head was hit due to the whiplash and they wouldn't call it.