Toe-RANT-toe-knee-in
2011 Toronto Sportsmen’s Show
January 4, 2011 · Leave a Comment
The 2011 Toronto Sportsmen’s Show - Canada’s BIGGEST Fishing & Outdoor Show! runs March 16th to March 20th at the METRO TORONTO CONVENTION CENTRE. Wanna catch a great show? Come and visit, its a Blast. I go every year and suggest you do too. Share and Enjoy: Read More →
Interview
Ten Minutes With Chuck Swirsky
December 28, 2009 · Leave a Comment
By English Paul… I recently got the opportunity to interview current Chicago Bulls and former Toronto Raptors play-by-play announcer Chuck Swirsky. Here’s what he had to say: Q. What inspired you to get into sports broadcasting? A. Well, I wasn’t a very good athlete so I had limited options in terms of wanting to play. When I was a little boy I became intrigued by turning on the radio and hearing a voice describing what was going on with baseball, football, soccer, and basketball games. Suddenly, at... [Read the full story]
The Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames Strike a Deal For Dion Phaneuf
January 31, 2010 · Leave a Comment
By Bryan Thiel… What exactly made today so special? Why wasn’t it yesterday? Or tomorrow? Or a week from now? It was none of them. It was today, Jan. 31st, that changed the Toronto Maple Leafs, hopefully for the better. We’ll say hopefully because, in sports, you take nothing for granted because nothing is guaranteed. In a pair of moves that turned Leafs Nation on its head, Brian Burke was able to go out and acquire a cornerstone defenseman in Dion Phaneuf, a fast defense-first forward in Fredrik Sjostrom,... [Read the full story]
Wake UP With
Do the Olympics Impact the Stanley Cup?
January 23, 2010 · 4 Comments
by Jeremy Gibson… In 1998 the International Ice Hockey Federation and the National Hockey League came together to forge a bold new initiative – allow NHL players to participate in the Olympic Games. For many this was a dream scenario. Fans loved the idea of witnessing a best-against-best world tournament, something not seen since the NHLPA fabricated Canada/World Cup series. For players, it was an opportunity to represent their country on the grandest stage in sports, and play for a prize that very few hockey players... [Read the full story]
The Raps
Chris Bosh: No, He’s Not Leaving the Raptors!
January 30, 2010 · Leave a Comment
by Stephen Brotherston… Through the first two months of the season, there was constant speculation that Chris Bosh was on his way out of Toronto. Speculation that ran rampant, despite Bryan Colangelo’s statements that he intended to re-sign Chris at the end of this season. But the rumours persisted. Authors wrote that Bosh would not want to remain in the oft-ignored, frozen wasteland north of the U.S. border, that all players had become frustrated with the hardships of U.S. Customs, and, of course, that Bosh was... [Read the full story]
The Jays
So Far So Good For Alex Anthopoulos
January 10, 2010 · 3 Comments
by Jeremy Gibson… When 32-year old Alex Anthopoulos became the fifth general manager in Toronto Blue Jays history, it came with little fanfare. Most of the media attention focused not on who was hired, but on who was fired – the much maligned JP Ricciardi. Ricciardi was hired in 2001 to restore the Blue Jays to their winning ways. Despite his efforts, his failure to produce a playoff spot lead to his dismissal, and at the same time brought out the vultures to second guess his every move. The team that he leaves... [Read the full story]
The Adventures of Captain Fanatic
Politics of the Puck
Winter Classic Thrills Boston Crowd
By Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter… After spending two days taking in the sites and sounds of Fenway Park, the Boston Bruins and Philadelphia Flyers outdoor practice and numerous... [Read more]
Top 10 Most Important Games Remaining for the Maple Leafs
by Jon Neely… It’s hard to say that any one game is more important than another this season for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Currently in a battle for the eighth and final... [Read more]
If You Could Turn Back Time: 30 Players the Leafs Could Have Drafted, but Didn’t…Since 1979
By Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter… Hindsight. It’s a word that oozes possibilities and, in the case of Toronto Maple Leaf fans, a word that haunts them in their sleep... [Read more]
Bryan Berard - The Forgotten Franchise Player
By Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter… “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do”. -John Wooden There is no better quote on the planet that could describe... [Read more]
Phil Oreskovic- Toronto’s Future Fierce Friendly Giant
By Louis “King of Roncesvalles” Pisano… After his ten game stint up in the NHL with the Toronto Maple Leafs, the name on the lips of every fan is that of the rugged... [Read more]
Thanks for the Memories, Joe: Hockey Loses a Giant
By Josh Lewis… So this is how it feels to lose an old friend. When Joe Sakic announces his retirement from the NHL on Thursday, hockey will lose one of the best it ever... [Read more]
Why The NHL Draft Needs To Change
By Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter… Failure, for the most part anyways, is not rewarded, unless of course you are a professional sports team and it’s draft time, then... [Read more]
Paul To The Hall: Paul Henderson Should Be Inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame
By Mike Allder… “Here’s a shot…Henderson made a wild stab for it and fell. Here’s another shot right in front…they score! Henderson has scored for Canada!... [Read more]
The NHL Instigator Rule, And What The League Needs To Do With It
by Derek Harmsworth… First, a confession, I hate the instigator rule. I don’t hate it because it discourages retaliation, or late game fights. I don’t hate it because... [Read more]
Playoff Overtime, Like It Or Not, It’s Here To Stay…..
By Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter… There is nothing more exciting than NHL playoffs, the hard hits, the great saves, the late period heroics, the heart the players exude,... [Read more]
More Puck
- Playoff Overtime, Like It Or Not, It’s Here To Stay…..
- Thank You, Ron Ellis
- What If The NHL Were Still Six Teams?
- Top Ten Toronto Sports Personalities - Yes Cherry, No Tortorella
- Why John Tavares and the Toronto Maple Leafs May Not be a Perfect Fit
- Toronto Maple Leafs Prospects: A Case Study
- Parody And A Diminishing Cap, Breeds Possibilities For Leafs In 2010
- Takin’ a T/O with BT: Martin Brodeur Makes 552 His Winning Number
- “Commie Reds” Puck Off
- “Zap em’ Punch, Batman’s With Ya!”
- A Look at the 2008 NHL Draft
- My First Game at Maple Leaf Gardens
- USA all the way?- Can USA Hockey win it all at the 2010 Olympic games???
- The Slender Swede, Borje Salming
- Team Finland- Where will they finish?
- Team Sweden- What’s the “Ikea” to success??
- Russian Hockey set to attack at the 2010 Olympics- Are the Russians the team to beat?
- One on One with Nikita Filatov future Russian Superstar
- Team Canada 2010- Stopping the opposition…
- Building an Olympic Winner 101- Class is in session…
- Takin’ a T/O With BT: Sean Avery—Better or Not He Still Has a Long Way to Go
- Ritter’s Power Rankings
- Takin’ a T/O With BT: Doug Gilmour and Pat Burns Make Saturday Night Alright
- Rookie Review - GRABOVSKI MAKES TOP TEN NHL ROOKIE LIST!
- Takin’ a T/O With BT: Are We Starting To ‘See’ Steven Stamkos?
- Why We Can’t Call Ourselves True Hockey Fans
- Hockey Safety
- The Plus and the Minus of it all
- Takin’ a T/O With BT: Prospects Abound For John Tavares and Victor Hedman
- Takin’ a T/O With BT: The Calgary Flames’ Stretch-Run Conundrum
Random Stuff
Chris Bosh: Is the Toronto Raptors All-Star Underappreciated?
by Stephen Brotherston… Chris Bosh has been selected to the Eastern conference All-Star team the past four consecutive years mostly by NBA coaches but has had trouble being... [Read more]
Paddle the Head River
www.FISHblast.com - The Head River runs roughly parallel to the Monck Road, traversing the southern reaches of the Canadian Shield from east to west. For the most part there... [Read more]
2009 – A Year Full of Fantastic Finishes
by Jeremy Gibson… Sports fans in Canada will forever be closely aligned with our neighbours to the south. Like it or not, virtually every sports league is heavily US based... [Read more]
NOboat NOcar NOproblem!!
That’s right Toronto Sports Fans; The Captain brings you the ultimate Fishing Experience. Spend a day or weekend fishing in the Kawarthas, long considered one of the best places... [Read more]
Soccer and Baseball: It Is Time for Video Replay
by Jeremy Gibson… I was recently asked a very interesting question: why would anybody want to be a referee? It is not an easy question to answer, especially in this day... [Read more]
The NBA Vs. The NHL
By Adam “Sully” Sullivan… I figure that with the shape the United States is in right now, it’s only a matter of time before we lose one of the four major... [Read more]
Being a Canadiens Fan in Leaf Country Isn’t Always Easy
by Joshua Murray… Regardless of records or standings we are constantly the fodder of jokes and ridicule about our team. Memories of the last time the Leafs won the head... [Read more]
What does it take to be a True Sports Fan?
By English Paul… What makes someone a serious sports fan? Given that the average supporter has been gradually priced out of going to the games, combined with the current... [Read more]
The Toronto Blue Jays: Pittsburgh Pirates version 2?
by Jeremy Gibson… Monday September 7th, 2009 – a day that will live in infamy for the Pittsburgh Pirates. That was the day the Pirates lost their 82nd game of the ’09... [Read more]
NBA Legend: Wilt Chamberlain, The Unstoppable Force!
by Stephen Brotherston… Wilton Norman “Wilt” Chamberlain (August 8, 1936 – October 12, 1999) also known as “Wilt The Stilt”, “The Big Dipper”, amongst other... [Read more]
More Stuff
- NBA Legend: Wilt Chamberlain, The Unstoppable Force!
- TORONTO NATIONALS FINISH INAUGURAL SEASON ON TOP WITH CHAMPIONSHIP WIN
- Toronto Blue Jays: A Conversation Between Roy Halladay and His Body
- Eleven Reasons College Football Is Better Than Pro Football
- Cycle To Help, An Inspirational Journey
- DeMar DeRozan: Two Raptors Writers Debate His Future In The NBA
- DeMar DeRozan: Not Exactly a Project
- Steroids in Baseball: It’s Time To Stop Cheating on Our Humanity
- To Live and Die in L.A.
- Debunking Da Playa - A Chick’s Point of View
- Raptors Dish: Who Will Return for Toronto in 2009-10?
- Searching for the Greatest Toronto Blue Jays Pitcher of All-Time
- The 10 Greatest Postseason Quarterbacks in NFL History
- The Day the Blue Jays Were Born
- Respect Yourself: Nine “Pro Athletes” Who Are in Worse Shape Than You
- A Tale of One City: Why the Toronto Raptors Can’t Keep Their Stars
- The NBA Just Isn’t What It Used To Be
- Comprehensive Preview: Toronto Blue Jays 2009
- Paying Tribute to My Customized Indianapolis Colts Jersey: RIP, My Friend
- Is Roy Jones Jr., Stalking Bernard Hopkins for 16-Year-Old Rematch?
- MLB The WWE Of Professional Sports
- Toronto FC 2009: Season Preview
- THE TORONTO RAPTORS: FOR BETTER OR WORSE
- The Top 10 Central Midfielders of All Time
- The 10 Greatest Quarterback Seasons in NFL History
- BARTENDER WARS
- TOP 10 YOUNG GUNS OF SOCCER
- Floyd Mayweather Jr: Nobody Loves A Quitter
- 2010 Vancouver Olympics - Mike Yanyk
- ONLY IN THE WNBA
Writers
by Shane House… Oh my goodness did it finally happen? Did Brian Burke finally make that big trade, that blockbuster move that defines the Maple... [Read more]
by Jon Neely… What if? That’s the question so often asked in the world of sports these days, and more especially, in the world of the Toronto Maple... [Read more]
By Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter… The Montreal Canadiens seem to be in the middle of a goaltending controversy. Here’s the skinny—Jaroslav Halak... [Read more]
by Eric Warren… With only a 63-hour window between the end of the Olympic trade freeze and the official NHL Trade Deadline, there is likely to be more... [Read more]
By Louis “King of Roncesvalles” Pisano… As most of Leafs Nation knows by now, Toronto is not going to make the playoffs unless they go on some sort... [Read more]
by Willie Gannon… It would seem that the soap story at Anfield has taken another twist, after Juventus confirmed that Rafael Benitez is their number... [Read more]
by Christian Butzek… Leaf Nation breathed a sigh of relief when Brian Burke was announced as the club’s new General Manager. The no-nonsense, straight-talking... [Read more]
By Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter… Every four years, Canadian hockey fans wait impatiently for the announcement of Canada’s hockey roster. In the... [Read more]
by Sachin Arora… I have a feeling that this article is going to have a lot of hater comments about the Raptors. But people, face the facts: the Raptors... [Read more]
by Stephen Brotherston… On an early Sunday evening, a crowd of over 20,000 people watched the Toronto Raptors gut out a hard-fought win over the Western... [Read more]
by Stoker MacIntosh… The Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., will be rockin’ on March 27, as the big boys of the Ultimate Fighting Championship... [Read more]
by Laura Bridgman… The Toronto Rock (3-0) beat the Rochester Knighthawks (2-1)at the Air Canada Centre in front of 10,104 fans to remain undefeated. Rock... [Read more]
by Conor Hogan… What is the world coming to when the law is coming into every aspect of our professional sports. I am referring to the Patrice Cormier... [Read more]
by Stephen Brotherston… Real GM has published yet another story that the Sacramento Kings‘ Andres Nocioni is available. The Kings have a glut of... [Read more]
By Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter… With the Olympics just a few weeks away, every Canadian citizen with a pulse awaits the drop of the first puck... [Read more]
By Bryan Thiel… This season, the most important date for the Toronto Maple Leafs is March 3, 2010—in other words: this season’s trade deadline. If... [Read more]
by Stoker MacIntosh… Ariel Helwani is a video reporter and mixed martial arts writer for fanhouse.com, and in his latest video interview—which can... [Read more]
by Stephen Brotherston… The Toronto Raptors are getting better as expected. The emergence of Andrea Bargnani as a defensive force, Jarrett Jack proving... [Read more]
by Jon Neely… It’s about that time of year in Leaf land. The losses are less and less painful to watch as the numbness sets in on yet another... [Read more]
by JA Allen… Parity has found its way into men’s tennis. In terms of pure talent and potential, the field at the Australian Open seems wide open. Oddsmakers,... [Read more]
by Stephen Brotherston… As many have said before, the silly season is upon us and despite some misgivings from those who prefer news over rumor, trade... [Read more]
by Stoker MacIntosh… According to TopMMANews.com, it’s been confirmed by credible sources close to the fighter that rising 170-pound UFC contender—and... [Read more]
by Sachin Arora… That’s right, I said it. The Raptors are playing like one of the best teams in the NBA. Really. And with a healthy Reggie Evans... [Read more]
by Brady Rynyk… By now it should be not surprise that the Leafs are awful. With only two wins in their last ten games the team only has 41 points... [Read more]
by English Paul… Another day and yet another story linking the Buffalo Bills with a move to a new city. This time, the rumour mill has them relocating... [Read more]
By Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter… The fact that more people are not talking about New Jersey Devils goaltender as the NHL’s MVP is enough to make... [Read more]
by Geoff Zochodne… When you think of Cuba, you often think of the missile crisis, embargoes, and the cigar-smoking, bearded Presidente, Fidel Castro.... [Read more]
by Laura Bridgman… The Toronto Rock hit the turf at the Air Canada Centre for the first time in 2010 today, Friday, January 15 when they host the... [Read more]
By Louis “King of Roncesvalles” Pisano… The Toronto Maple Leafs are dead last in the goals against department, having given up 164 goals to this... [Read more]
By Mark “The Hard Hitter” Ritter… With my Eastern Conference Buyers and Sellers article completed, my thoughts now turn to the Western Conference.... [Read more]
by Jeremy Visser… I’m pretty sure it’s the dream of every basketball fan with an annual income under $250,000 to sit courtside at an NBA game... [Read more]