He said "ridiculously hot"


- AdamFrench

That's tough. One of them you want to score on five-hole, and other you're probably thinking back door.

No she stopped calling me Gerkin a long time ago,

She changed it from budgie, which came after she changed it from lightswitch.
- Aetherial

My mom had a budgie once. I was telling some friends how we used to play with my mom's budgie, and the budgie could talk. Unfortunately, my cousin's dog bit my mom's budgie when it was on the ground.

My Korean friend was looking at me horrified. I guess budgie sounds like the Korean word for vagina

That's tough. One of them you want to score on five-hole, and other you're probably thinking back door.
- Monkeypunk

Why does it make a difference how big a player is for hitting? Hitting other players, battling for pucks, not shying away, and going to the dirty zones is physicality and toughness.

Against the Stars that was evident. Watching the big four fighting through hits to get the puck on net and coming out of the corner with the puck was amazing. Everyone looked good. I like Timmins but we need to sign a couple more the way guys are getting hurt.

Every team goes through things. Could find excuses for any team.

They were a healthy team last season and did not do well.

They have been even healthier this season and will be in tough to make playoffs.
- Santo_44

Oh ffs. Not excuse, just what occurred.
In a playoff spot now.
I hope they dont make the playoffs but its funny, every year the same peeps predict their demise to a bottom 5 team. Every year the isles seem to prove otherwise.
Moving on.

That's tough. One of them you want to score on five-hole, and other you're probably thinking back door.
- Monkeypunk

Why not try back door on both?

Oh ffs. Not excuse, just what occurred.
In a playoff spot now.
I hope they dont make the playoffs but its funny, every year the same peeps predict their demise to a bottom 5 team. Every year the isles seem to prove otherwise.
Moving on.
- Fakepartofme

You were saying they battled injuries and illnesses and thats why they didnt do so well last season. 95% of the league went through worse. You are backpedaling.

Every year? They were bad last season

But okay moving on I guess

Leafs 6th in Power Rankings.

Eff the power rankings.

Agreed, i think the rangers wake up soon but i could see the wings fall off in the 2nd half. Unless they make moves.
- Fakepartofme

Disappointed you didn't make an Icarus reference here.

Step up your game, Faksie.

Hockeybuzz has raised its standards.

Why does it make a difference how big a player is for hitting? Hitting other players, battling for pucks, not shying away, and going to the dirty zones is physicality and toughness.

Against the Stars that was evident. Watching the big four fighting through hits to get the puck on net and coming out of the corner with the puck was amazing. Everyone looked good. I like Timmins but we need to sign a couple more the way guys are getting hurt.
- crawfordg

Short, skinny guy here.

I love the sentiment here, but it's absolute crap.

Bigger, stronger, heavier guys are more effective in hitting, and it tires out the small guy more.

Short, skinny guy here.

I love the sentiment here, but it's absolute crap.

Bigger, stronger, heavier guys are more effective in hitting, and it tires out the small guy more.
- Atomic Wedgie

Its easier for a big guy to hit.

Its easier for a 6 ft player to be better at hockey.

Its what a player does despite his size.

Engvall can't and will never be able to hit despite being huge.

Its easier for a big guy to hit.

Its easier for a 6 ft player to be better at hockey.

Its what a player does despite his size.

Engvall can't and will never be able to hit despite being huge.
- Santo_44

4-3 Dallas in a shootout.

Both streaks continue.

Holl plays fantastic.

34 gets his payback for the cross check, drops gloves and beats the brakes off Benn.

Kurtis from Alberta loses his mind on Twitter.

Book it.
- DrunkenCanuck

This aged like milk, left out in the Sun on the hottest day of Summer, at the Equator.

Why not try back door on both?
- jmatchett383

This aged like milk, left out in the Sun on the hottest day of Summer, at the Equator.
- GreatGigInTheSky

He's only here to talk hockey

Oh dude…..you haven’t seen Tombstone? Go to Blockbuster, whoops I mean online on some streaming thingy and watch it. Immediately post game.
- Cush29

One of the best movies ever

One of the best movies ever
- GreatGigInTheSky

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8OWNspU_yE

Further to our conversation yesterday, the Leafs have a franking horrific track record of drafting and developing defencemen.

Here's the stats, going back 25 years of drafts:

1998: drafted three guys you never heard of (one was Petr Svoboda - no, not that Petr Svoboda) in the 2nd,6th and 8th rounds. 73 NHL games total.

1999: drafted five guys in the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 8th and 9th rounds. 8th rounder Pierre Hedin played 3 NHL games. Nobody else had a cup of coffee.

2000: 3 guys in the 7th, 7th and 9th. 9th rounder Jean-Philippe Cote played 27 games in the NHL. That is all.

2001: A stellar year for drafting D for the Leafs.
1st round Carlo Colaiacovo played 470 games
2nd round Karel Pilar played 90 games
3rd round Brendan Bell played 102 games (and signed my daughter's Leafs jersey with a Sharpie, despite me never asking him to)
6th round Maxim Kondratiev played 40 NHL games
8th round Tomas Mojzis played 17 games.

2002: 4 guys in rounds 3, 4, 6, 9. 6th rounder Ian White played 503 NHL games. 9th rounder Staffan Kronwall played 66.

2003: only D selected was John Doherty in the 2nd round. No NHL games.

2004: D drafted in the 5th and 7th rounds. No NHL games, but they got to hang out with Justin Pogge and Robbie Earl at the Leafs post-draft party.

2005: a weird one. Took Phil Oreskovic in the 2nd round, who played 10 NHL games. Then took a guy named Anton Stralman in the 7th round, who played 938 games.

2006: Leafs actually had a good draft this year, taking Tlusty, Kulemin, Remier, Viktor Stalberg and Leo Komarov. Like, wtf happened? Also took D Korbinian Holzer in the 4th round: 206 NHL games.

2007: Juraj Mikus in 5th round (0 NHL games) and Carl Gunnarsson in the 7th round (629 NHL games).

2008: Luke Schenn 5th overall - 889 games and counting. Greg Pateryn in 5th round - can't believe he played 290 games, Andrew MacWilliam in 7th round - 12 games. Really?

2009: Jesse Blacker in 3rd (1 NHL game), Eric Knodel in 5th (0 games), and interestingly, Barron Smith in 7th round. Isn't that the name Donald Trump used to lay bullpoop on a Forbes reporter?

2010: Petter Granberg in 4th round: 45 NHL games total. That is all.

2011: Stuart Percy in 1st round: 12 NHL games. Tom Nillson in 4th (0 games), Dennis Robertson in 6th (0 NHL games), Max Everson in 7th (0 NHL games). Burkie really was a master at the draft.

2012: Morgan Rielly 5th overall. Matt Finn in 2nd round (0 NHL games). Viktor Loov in 7th round (4 NHL games).

2013: No D selected, although we only had 5 picks. Awesome, Burkie.

2014: Rinat Valiev taken in 3rd round. 12 NHL games. No other D taken.

2015: Dermott in 2nd round. 268 NHL games. Other stiffs taken in 3rd, 4th, 6th - No NHL games.

2016: Stiffs taken in 3rd, 4th and 6th. Keaton Middleton played 3 NHL games. The rest, 0.

2017: Liljegren in 1st round. Finally, we start developing D!!!!!!!!! 3 other D selected - you will never hear from them again.

2018: Sandin! Durzi! Hollowell! Filip Kral!

I'll stop it there, because D need to develop, so I don't want to make fun of guys I have never heard of, and shouldn't be written off yet.

If it wasn't for picks at #5 overall (Rielly, Schenn) and some lucky 7th rounders, we wouldn't have produced any real NHL D at all for about 20 years.

This is why the Leafs have sucked for so long.

OK, this is one of the reasons why the Leafs have sucked for so long.

Leafs 6th in Power Rankings.

Eff the power rankings.
- Woderwick

That settles it. We need Schenn

Short, skinny guy here.

I love the sentiment here, but it's absolute crap.

Bigger, stronger, heavier guys are more effective in hitting, and it tires out the small guy more.
- Atomic Wedgie

Depends on the person/player. Don’t have to be a giant to be a wrecking ball. Intimidation comes in many sizes and shapes.

Guy on TSN (the S stands for Sports):

4th best GA/60 pairing in the league (more than 130 minutes) belongs to Gio-Holl

Oh yeah, 3rd best was Sandin-Lilli

Short, skinny guy here.

I love the sentiment here, but it's absolute crap.

Bigger, stronger, heavier guys are more effective in hitting, and it tires out the small guy more.
- Atomic Wedgie

100% correct... particularly come playoffs and long series against the same opponent - getting punished regularly wears you down - and changes your behaviors

hopefully what Dubas is looking for at the moment is a replacement for "good Muzzin" on defense... and a couple of forwards who can "re-inforce" the 3rd and 4th lines.

there's a reason that we aren't talking about Malgin anymore... because he's done exactly what O'Dog said he would do in the preseason broadcasts... dissappear over time - not picking on him individually but Malgin is symptomatic of guys who just can't keep it going for periods of time. And no - before someone makes an assinine comment ... you can't view guys like Malgin in preseason and assume they will play the same in the post season.

please get at least one robust winger with size and traditional stay at home defenseman with size prior to the post-season

That settles it. We need Schenn
- Canada Cup

Yes. Cuz Lilly and Sandy just can’t handle the task.

Depends on the person/player. Don’t have to be a giant to be a wrecking ball. Intimidation comes in many sizes and shapes.
- Woderwick

you're correct - that they don't "have to be a giant"... but more often than not they are more than 200lbs and bigger than 6 feet tall.

there aren't many guys 5'9" and 160lbs who bring it in the playoffs