A year in Toronto sports:

Sept: Wolfpack win league championship

Nov: Argos win Grey Cup

Dec: TFC wins MLS Cup

Mar: Markham Thunder win Clarkson

June: Marlies win Calder

July: Leafs sign JT

July: Raps aquire Kawhi

Aug: ?

but there is a fundamental difference. Historically the NHL was populated with mostly Canadian born players. Obviously not the case in the NBA.

There is clearly a lot of unwillingness for NBA players to leave the U.S. I am guessing the climate for some people is a problem, taxes maybe? and perhaps some ignorance of the city itself?

Maybe it is just that they can't get Raptors underoos in the U.S.
- Aetherial

Customs
TV coverage

But with Police Brutality and Trump.....you could see more coming to Canada.

The leafs have never had the best the player or top 3 player in the league play on the team....in a 100 years.
Matthews may change that.
- Fakepartofme

Babe Pratt and Ted Kennedy both won Hart trophies as Maple Leafs - these were both lifetimes ago but still.

Amazingly enough no Leaf has ever won the Art Ross or Norris Trophies. A number of Vezina's though.

Gilmour, Sittler, and Sundin were all close to top 3 players in the league during their respective years here.

I get your point though, and I think Matthews will end up changing that.

Customs
TV coverage

But with Police Brutality and Trump.....you could see more coming to Canada.
- Fakepartofme

I’ve already made it clear that i’m not going to the white house when the leafs win the cup next season

edit:nice alliteration

edit:what a (frank)ing joke

but there is a fundamental difference. Historically the NHL was populated with mostly Canadian born players. Obviously not the case in the NBA.

There is clearly a lot of unwillingness for NBA players to leave the U.S. I am guessing the climate for some people is a problem, taxes maybe? and perhaps some ignorance of the city itself?

Maybe it is just that they can't get Raptors underoos in the U.S.
- Aetherial

Agreed 100% a huge difference.

I also agree that unwillingness to leave the U.S. is one of the biggest reasons why the Raps have never had that superstar. That and they've never been lucky in the draft.

Day drinking is exhausting.

Day drinking is exhausting.
- Atomic Wedgie

I spent all last week doing that and night drinking....while swimming kayaking and playing volleyball.
It was tiring

Day drinking is exhausting.
- Atomic Wedgie

No it's not.

I spent all last week doing that and night drinking....while swimming kayaking and playing volleyball.
It was tiring
- Fakepartofme

2 weeks of shakes for me afterwards if I did that.

The leafs have never had the best the player or top 3 player in the league play on the team....in a 100 years.
Matthews may change that.
- Fakepartofme

Not exactly: Dave Keon was the best player in the league for many years in the sixties. Wasn't the top scorer, but close enough. Easily the best stickhandler of his time, best defensive forward - was the best player on a team that won 4 cups in the sixties. A team that had lots of great players including Frank Mahovlich, Red Kelly (who was the first winner of the Norris trophy when he broke in as a d-man with the Wings) and then became a top centre for the Leafs.

Toronto FC

A year in Toronto sports:

Sept: Wolfpack win league championship

Nov: Argos win Grey Cup

Dec: TFC wins MLS Cup

Mar: Markham Thunder win Clarkson

June: Marlies win Calder

July: Leafs sign JT

July: Raps aquire Kawhi

Aug
- Fakepartofme

When do Buffalo Bills move to Toronto???

Not exactly: Dave Keon was the best player in the league for many years in the sixties. Wasn't the top scorer, but close enough. Easily the best stickhandler of his time, best defensive forward - was the best player on a team that won 4 cups in the sixties. A team that had lots of great players including Frank Mahovlich, Red Kelly (who was the first winner of the Norris trophy when he broke in as a d-man with the Wings) and then became a top centre for the Leafs.
- winsix

Dave Keon was very good. But best player in the league?

He was no Jean Béliveau or Bobby Orr.

Dave Keon was very good. But best player in the league?

He was no Jean Béliveau or Bobby Orr.
- Scabeh

Keon was no Bobby Orr - for me Orr was the best ever. Jean Béliveau - was also a great player - also not in Orr's class, for me, D!ck!e Moore and the Rocket were both better than Jean Béliveau as players. Keon was MVP of the playoffs in 67 when Leafs beat heavily favoured Habs ass in the finals. Keon was much better than very good, so were the Big M, Horton, Baun, Kelly and the over the hill gang that last won the cup for the buds. Dave Keon was named the best Leaf of all time, please don't marginalize it by saying he was very good.

Day drinking is exhausting.
- Atomic Wedgie

I'm hitting some detours to keep it light and save my energy for the evening. Great day for backyard sitting though.

Keon was no Bobby Orr - for me Orr was the best ever. Jean Béliveau - was also a great player - also not in Orr's class, for me, D!ck!e Moore and the Rocket were both better than Jean Béliveau as players. Keon was MVP of the playoffs in 67 when Leafs beat heavily favoured Habs ass in the finals. Keon was much better than very good, so were the Big M, Horton, Baun, Kelly and the over the hill gang that last won the cup for the buds. Dave Keon was named the best Leaf of all time, please don't marginalize it by saying he was very good.
- winsix

Those Leafs teams were great, the consecutive cups speak for themselves.

And yes, you can make a case for Bobby Orr being the best ever and in a seperate class from Béliveau.

But your post was in response in someone saying, that, for the first time, the Leafs might have a "top 3 player in the league".

And I know you won't like this, but most if not every stat favors the two players I mentionned (Orr and Béliveau) as being better players than Dave Keon. You could also mention the likes of Bobby Hull or Stan Mikita as more dominating.

It's not a knock on Keon, not the slightest. He just wasn't the BEST of his time.

IMHO of course. Let's be real, I have not seen any of these guys play.

I'm hitting some detours to keep it light and save my energy for the evening. Great day for backyard sitting though.
- TheMussel

Bozak has a career 36 percent shooutout percentage. Tavares has 27. Leafs are worse in the shootout now. Thanks Dubas.
- TheMussel

Don’t worry, we’ll be seeing fewer shootouts and more two point nights going forward.

Those Leafs teams were great, the consecutive cups speak for themselves.

And yes, you can make a case for Bobby Orr being the best ever and in a seperate class from Béliveau.

But your post was in response in someone saying, that, for the first time, the Leafs might have a "top 3 player in the league".

And I know you won't like this, but most if not every stat favors the two players I mentionned (Orr and Béliveau) as being better players than Dave Keon. You could also mention the likes of Bobby Hull or Stan Mikita as more dominating.

It's not a knock on Keon, not the slightest. He just wasn't the BEST of his time.

IMHO of course. Let's be real, I have not seen any of these guys play.
- Scabeh

Good post, unfortunately, stats don't tell the entire story. If they did, Gainey would never have made an all-star appearance, nor would he have represented team Canada - in 1976. Dave Keon was by a mile the best defensive centre in the NHL of his era. What made him special was he could also score, was one of the fastest skaters in the league and was a top notch stickhandler. Hard to say Mikita and Hull were more dominating when they only won a single cup. They were both great players. Hull had a shot that was even more menacing than the Big M's, but the Big M was a better player IMO. Mikita scored almost 1500 points and was a dominating player, then again, Kessel had 92 points last year - is he a better player than Toews?

Those Leafs teams were great, the consecutive cups speak for themselves.

And yes, you can make a case for Bobby Orr being the best ever and in a seperate class from Béliveau.

But your post was in response in someone saying, that, for the first time, the Leafs might have a "top 3 player in the league".

And I know you won't like this, but most if not every stat favors the two players I mentionned (Orr and Béliveau) as being better players than Dave Keon. You could also mention the likes of Bobby Hull or Stan Mikita as more dominating.

It's not a knock on Keon, not the slightest. He just wasn't the BEST of his time.

IMHO of course. Let's be real, I have not seen any of these guys play.
- Scabeh

what if keon was a corsi god. WHAT THEN

- winsix

drank waaaaaaay too much of that stuff before i hit 20

its probably why im so dumb now

Not exactly: Dave Keon was the best player in the league for many years in the sixties. Wasn't the top scorer, but close enough. Easily the best stickhandler of his time, best defensive forward - was the best player on a team that won 4 cups in the sixties. A team that had lots of great players including Frank Mahovlich, Red Kelly (who was the first winner of the Norris trophy when he broke in as a d-man with the Wings) and then became a top centre for the Leafs.
- winsix

Keon was never top 8 in points in any year with the leafs and was never regarded as a top 3 player in the league.
Leafs have had great players...like most teams. But never had a real superstar, best in the league.

Those Leafs teams were great, the consecutive cups speak for themselves.

And yes, you can make a case for Bobby Orr being the best ever and in a seperate class from Béliveau.

But your post was in response in someone saying, that, for the first time, the Leafs might have a "top 3 player in the league".

And I know you won't like this, but most if not every stat favors the two players I mentionned (Orr and Béliveau) as being better players than Dave Keon. You could also mention the likes of Bobby Hull or Stan Mikita as more dominating.

It's not a knock on Keon, not the slightest. He just wasn't the BEST of his time.

IMHO of course. Let's be real, I have not seen any of these guys play.
- Scabeh

exactly.
Keon was really good....but not in the considered the best in the league...or on bobby hull's or mikita's level.

Day drinking is exhausting.
- Atomic Wedgie

if you are still in Paris, the Salvador Dali museum on Rue Poulbot is quite cool ... if you are into stuff like that

- winsix

I can stomach the Finlandia more than any Vodka at a comparable price point but that extra 6 dollars for a Ketel One or Russian Standard Platinum is well worth it in my books.