Thoughts From The Leaf Game (11)

1. Still can’t buy the first goal

2. Another three goals let in by the Monster

3. That being said, he looks fantastic and most of those goals are not groaners

4. These nights at least they are coming to play

5. When taking costly penalties game after game, night after night, isn’t coaching a part of the problem?

6. After 11 years, I miss Nik Antropov. There was a time I never thought I would say that.

Thoughts From The Leaf Game (10)

1. They continue their streak of allowing the first goal

2. Sometimes lucky breaks get you back in, you need a few of those pucks to go in

3. The benched players seem to have gotten the message for now

4. Gustavsson has let in in his three games 10 goals for a not so respectable 3.3 GAA...

5. That being said the Leafs play like a far more confident bunch in front of this goaltender, and he has made some spectacular saves in key moments

6. Someone needs to remind the team that there can still be some hockey played after 60 mins. (They look better though don’t they - sound better too from where I’ve been lately)

Thoughts From The Leaf Game (9)

1. Finally
2. If he wasn’t the annointed one before, Mr Gustavsson took a monster step towards that direction last night
3. Once again, scored on first...
4. That being said, that is how you respond
5. If they had lost while gaining 11 powerplays who knows the amount of lost sleep Leafs Nation would have experienced
6. A hat trick for Hagman, 5 points for Kaberle but most importantly a win. Let’s see if they can bring collective confidence back to Toronto one day soon.

Thoughts From The Leaf Game (8)

1. They still can’t score first
2. Or second
3. If you need a moral victory this early in the season...
4. That being said there is something to be said for at least showing up to fight
5. The perfect coach to have right now, to teach young kids and work from the bottom up is Paul Maurice. Shame really.
6. On a dark cool wet October evening, listening to the game on a radio, in a cottage with a fire , somewhere in Ontario, there is a soft and familiar charm that is just as important to remember as any Saturday night in the city.

Thoughts From The Leaf Game (7)

1. Who's under more pressure, the team, the coach, or the gm? answer: none, it's the upper echelon of management that should be rattled right now. Their gravy train is going right off the tracks.

2. Is it worse Here or Montréal? the age old debate se continuer je spose. But at least Montréal

3. Whenever Don is right he really likes to tell people about it and shove it home. So where is the clip from 2 weeks ago where he said Joey Macdonald would be a star if he was put it?

4. To continue from above, he is right about Schenn. Why is he playing on that side all the time? After 7 games shouldn't the coach change that or is he deliberately trying to see Schenn fail?

5. How long until the ACC is only half filled? 2 more losses? 3 tops and if is happens on national television...

6. How long until the the debate for and against national Leaf games on the EnglishNationalMouth appears in print?

turns out most of my thoughts led to more questions...such are our Leafs this year.

Thoughts From The Leaf Game (6)

1. This looks like a team playing to get their coach fired. There doesn't seem to be any explanation for that

2. No goalie is going to save this team, especially with a defence that has more holes than a bawdy house.

3. If they cared about playing here, maybe then some players would attempt to block shots. With that said, there is no excuse for highly paid professional athletes to not block shots and play with some semblance of heart and pride.

4. This team would have been a Stanley Cup contender if it was assembled pre 2004 lockout. And then only with Mats Sundin leading the way.

5. The bandwagon has already written off the season, good to see that they are in full force early in the season.

6. A kid is in divorce court and the judge asks him to choose which parent to live with. The child, with some fright looks at both his parents and then smiles looks at the judge and says "neither." The judged, perplexed asks the child to explain, whereupon the child says I want to live with the Toronto Maple Leafs, they can't beat anybody!" Yeah it might be time to bring that old joke back. A part of me is sad, the other part just can't help laughing and laughing. If you're a leafs fan, that just might be the only thing to do.

Thoughts From The Leaf Game (5)

1. An embarrassment on so many levels and at this point shouldn't some of that embarrassment be put on the coach? Has a coach ever lost his team 5 games into the season? Ron Wilson's seat is starting to heat up.

2. Time for a new goalie experiment! At this point, a pylon is an upgrade. I still feel bad for Toskala though, a shame through and through.

3. Forget urgency, where is the pride on this team? Don't you want to play at least to show people you aren't doormats?

4. When Sean Avery is scoring goals that make him look like an all-star, your defensive experiment has failed

5. You cannot use the "goalie is injured ploy" in order to play another goalie and give the other guy some time to think about his commitment level two years in a row. That being said, we should not be falling for this two years in a row, Toskala just might be done if needs the same excuse 2 years running.

6. Dreading watching Leaf games for a diehard like me is uncharted waters. This feels very weird yet oddly empowering. Thank God I still love hockey itself, or I might be starting the trumpets to open the 7 seals.