Recalling an NHL legend and one-time Toronto Maple Leaf:

August 31, 2008

by Scott Madore... Jacques Plante is best remembered for his backstopping of the Montreal Canadiens to five consecutive Stanley Cups from 1956 – 60. However, some may recall his impact at a much latter stage of his NHL career, right here in Toronto.

Acquired by Toronto from St. Louis for cash, Plante’s debut season with the Leafs in 1970/71 was spectacular. His 1.88 goals-against average led the NHL and was the only sub-2.00 GAA that season. In fact, for the next 25-years (1971/72 – 1995/96), Plante’s 1.88 GAA was the second-best single-season mark by any goaltender in the league. It was surpassed only by Tony Esposito’s 1.77 GAA in 1971/72.

Plante was also selected to the NHL’s Second All-Star Team in 1971, an incredible feat considering that he was 42-years-old, a grandfatherly age for a goaltender.

Another impressive statistic about Plante’s 1970/71 season with the Leafs is that despite playing in just 40 games, he finished 5th in goalie wins with 24. What makes this achievement even more impressive is that from 1970/71 – 1992/93, Jacques Plante & Mike Palmateer were the only Toronto Maple Leafs goaltenders to place among the top-five in goalie wins in any season.

Wake UP with Moon Bloodgood

August 31, 2008

Gotta tell ya, the name first caught me off gaurd, now I’m sort of liking it, in a bloody good kind of full moon way. “nome same?” Moon Bloodgood is known for her exotic beauty, musical talent, and her dancing as a Laker girl at the age of 17. She is of Korean, Irish, Dutch and Native American ancestry. Her first name Moon is Korean, and her lastname Bloodgood is Dutch. Proving once again that we here at T.O. Sports go out of our way to bring you HOT babes with as unique bloodline as possible. Bloodgood, you can come and moon me any time, really!!

Where The @$#! Is…….Bryant Reeves?

August 31, 2008

by Joshua Khan…

Maybe it was because he played for Vancouver, or perhaps that he looked like a stereotypical farm boy, but either way, Bryant “Big Country” Reeves was awesome.

But what happened to him?

For those of you who didn’t have basketball-crazed dads back in the fad-packed and grunge-filled 90s’, Bryant Reeves was a rather unique athlete. Standing 7 feet tall and weighing 275 pounds, Reeves dominated the college basketball world while playing as a “Cowboy” for Oklahoma State University. In his senior year, “Big Country” made the court his playground pasture as he averaged 21.5 points per game and led OSU to the Final Four in 1995. But his career at Oklahoma isn’t what impressed the masses located here in Canada.

Equipped with rather awkward-looking uniforms, the Vancouver Grizzlies entered the National Basketball Association. Many wondered if Canadians could handle the orange rubber ball, but their speculations were instantly dismissed after they realized who was leading the NBA’s new team. Becoming the Grizzlies first-ever draft choice, “Big Country” was selected six overall in the 1995 NBA Draft.

With his gigantic frame, Reeves was perfect for the Grizzlies. His clean good-boy haircut and image showed that he was a kind and gentle person, while his massive hands spoke volumes to fans everywhere. It may be rude to state the following, but Reeves was the ideal image for Vancouver because he looked like a rustled lumberjack. Sure he had a dumbfounded look that’s almost comparable to the game-face of Toronto Blue Jays’ pitcher Jesse Litsch, but his appearance represented rural Canada. Some of us can’t chop a tree for our life, but we can sure chug beer like hostile cavemen and give you a beat-down your dad would approve of.

In his rookie season, Reeves wasn’t a disappointment. His mediocre average of 13.3 points per game was bumped up to 16.2 and soon the mountain man was swimming in a new six-year, $61.8 million dollar contract. The deal might seem astronomical, but it somehow motivated the kid from the country to do better. In the 1997-1998 season, Reeves was at his best, averaging 16.3 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.08 blocked shots per game. “Big Country” even mopped the floor with the Boston Celtics by scoring a career-high (for most centers too) 41 points!

But after 1998, Reeves’ career took a tumble down a lonely road that’s more boring and unappealing than some routes in Southern Ontario. Along with adding a very homosexual goatee to his Paul Bunyan image, “Big Country” just got bigger and injuries came and went like horrible Scary Movie spin-offs. With his statistics going down and his ridiculous contract making him impossible to trade, the boy from Arkansas was stuck in a hard place.

The idea of moving to Memphis seems like it could somehow motivate Reeves to change his ways and try to be the player he was, but that wasn’t the case. The former starting center only played two preseason games and with chronic back pains being a problem, he called it quits. Reeves had finally left the organization midway through the 2001-2002 season and disappeared forever (hopefully with an enormous blue ox named Babe).

Even if you had some clue, now you know what the fuck happened to Bryant “Big Country” Reeves.

Alex Steen or Matt Stajan: Who Is the Better Player for the Toronto Maple Leafs?

August 31, 2008

by Shane House… With the possibility of Mats Sundin returning to Toronto looking bleaker by the minute, I am trying to think of who will replace him.

I mean, you can never replace a Mats Sundin, but it somehow has to be done on this Toronto Maple Leaf team. I honestly don’t believe Nik Antropov has the leadership qualities or the potential to do it, so I am looking elsewhere.

Which brings me to these two players: Matt Stajan and Alex Steen.

Both are good players and contribute a lot to Toronto, but who is the better player?

I believe that both are defensively sound (despite Matt Stajan’s -11 plus/minus rating shows) and both are very good handling the puck.

When it comes to offense, I believe that Alex Steen can be a much better play-maker and offensive threat. This is based solely on the fact that Steen has put up better numbers and shows more offensive prowess than Stajan.

So how is there a comparison then?

Easy. Leadership.

Matt Stajan gives everything he has on the ice every shift and is willing to do whatever it takes to win. He is a heart and soul player with the character and grit to lead a team.

Alex Steen, who I have seen give up on plays, isn’t always willing to get dirty when necessary in order to win a game.

Plus, I feel Stajan is an offensively gifted player, just not to the extent of Steen.

Knowing all of this, as much as I like both players, I think that Stajan contributes more overall to Toronto than Steen. Stajan has character, he has heart, and is good at both ends of the ice. Because of this, I feel he is better for the Toronto Maple Leafs.