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By Melissa Hashemian… When Shakespeare said “Be not afraid of greatness,” he was referring to everyone except the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Leafs are full of promising talent, but they have trouble showcasing it effectively. On most occasions, they give up and drown in the Pressure Pool, also known as the Air Canada Centre. This inevitably destroys any chance of achieving the greatness they deserve.
Not winning the Stanley Cup every year isn’t a crime, but failing to make the postseason for four consecutive seasons is; frankly it’s the most plausible explanation as to why the Leafs have denied themselves of a Cup opportunity thus far.
Despite what could have been, however, Toronto has fulfilled an adequate amount of effort and fortitude in the 2008-2009 season with a 34-35-13 record. They finished with 81 points while standing 13th on the Eastern Conference spectrum, and managed to put up a good fight in the process.
Fans cannot dwell on the past. Although greatness was put aside for the time being, there is much to look forward to when it comes to the blue and white.
The future looks bright with GM Brian Burke and head coach Ron Wilson on board, who both bring a substantial amount of leadership and guidance to the young Maple Leaf group.
This year was a good representation of that. They taught players, and in Burke’s case, brought in players to aid in the reconstruction and production of the team.
Ron Wilson’s experience was shown immensely through the effort of the team this year. Players were able to learn and get better every game; the stats of the three top goal-scorers are proof of this.
Jason Blake(25G 38A 63P), Alexei Ponikarovsky(23G 38A 61P), and Matt Stajan(15G 40A 55P) all had breakthrough seasons this year. Blake, who started off a bit shaky in the beginning, came back and played superbly, while Ponikarovsky and Stajan both tripled their point total from last year and had their best season yet.
Instead of creating theories as to why the Maple Leafs didn’t make the playoffs, there now needs to be a focus on creating strategies to prevent the possibility of history repeating itself.
Consistency, perseverance, and passion are three key components that must be present at all times on the ice. The Leafs have a very unnatural love affair with inconsistency which needs to be controlled and changed. They need to alter the way they play the game in order to be successful next season.
Memo to the 2009-2010 Leafs: Make drop passes confidently and make sure there’s someone behind you to take it, go in deep and keep an eye out for rebounds, don’t take stupid penalties, improve your powerplay, and cut down the number of turnovers you create in each game.
Believe it or not, there has to be a sufficient amount of improvement before the Leafs go anywhere near a Cup, yet the idea can’t be disregarded all together either. Things need to get done in the offseason so that the team has a solid plan to start from and build on.
Unfortunately there’s not much we can do now but await the arrival of the 2009-2010 season. Old jerseys are going to get tossed and new ones are going to be put on. The fate of the team is now in the hands of its fans and management. It’s going to be a new team, a new time.
Who stays and who goes will always be a part of the game. It’s all about separating the pretenders from the contenders now. The rest is just ice.
By Melissa Hashemian… There have been numerous players who have come in and out of Toronto. Some have made impressions, some have created memories, and some have simply left fans confused.
With everything that has been happening with the Leafs’ organization, it is difficult to rely on many players for leadership and support. There are, however, a few players who can help bring back the confidence and stability the team requires to succeed in the future.
It’s hard to predict who will remain a Leaf, and who will be turning in their jerseys for another in the next few years. Nothing and no one can be counted on with the various altercations being done on the team right now. It’s all up to the picture management will paint and whether or not it will become a reality.
With the many promising players present on the roster, Mikhail Grabovski is considered as one of the key factors in turning the team around for a better tomorrow. He has come a long way to get to the level of success he has attained today and continues to be a growing attribute as a Toronto Maple Leaf.
The 5′11″ 179 pound forward was drafted 150th overall in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft by the Montreal Canadiens. He unfortunately only played three games in 2007 before being sent down to the Hamilton Bulldogs (Montreal’s AHL affiliate).
When the 2007-2008 season rolled around Grabovski continued to exploit his impressive speed and aptitude in Montreal. However, there was a distinct form of frustration on his part when he failed to be in the Canadiens’ lineup on several occasions.
Big mistake.
Grabovski ended up being traded to Toronto on July 3, 2008, and since then has become a vital asset to the team’s rebuilding process. He was a healthy scratch for most of the season and posted adequate numbers during this time as well.
Recently Grabovski experienced a scoring drought and found it challenging to keep up. After displaying solid effort and numbers, Grabosvski went on to play 18 games without a goal.
It was evident that his lack of production had gotten to him as he displayed a sour puss face under his long wavy hair every time he sat on the bench. Fortunately, the bad luck didn’t last too long as his scoring slump came to a halt on March 10th against the New York Islanders.
Since then, he’s been nothing but amazing registering seven points in his last three games (2G, 5A). He’s a fighter and screams potential with every game he plays. It’s important to have players willing to get their hands dirty on a team like Toronto that is still finding itself; this is why every bit of effort counts.
Grabovski currently has 18 goals and 24 assists for a total of 42 points (third on the team) and is riding a five-game-point-streak with four goals and six assists. He’s turned out to be a very valuable player for the Leafs.
Grabovski’s character is similar to a Peter Parker, before he created his alter ego in Spiderman.
Peter Parker was shy, young, and unsure of how to handle the pressures of his situation, but as he gained experience he became a stronger individual. Grabovski is the same. The Potsdam, Germany native is still on the path of self-discovery and continues to find out what his strengths and weaknesses are.
The more he learns, the more strength and agility he will possess, which will have positive results in his career as he highlights his alter ego (Spiderman).
He has found his comfort zone in Toronto and will continue to get better every season. Though he will never be the No. 1 go-to guy Superman was, he will suffice as the next best thing.
The 25-year-old has gained the trust and support of Leaf fans and shows just why he is among the top NHL rookies in goal scoring throughout the present season.
He still has a long way to go, but there is plenty of ice left to skate on in the meantime.
by Melissa Hashemian… 
If there’s one thing I learned in life it’s that things are always better after the battle, so keep fighting and don’t look back. It may sound like a cliche line, but it seemed to really help me during some of the rough moments in my life.
I just hope rookie netminder Justin Pogge got the memo from someone as well.
Pogge has had quite the rollercoaster ride with the Toronto Maple Leafs since being acquired in 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He’s unfortunately experienced the type of rollercoaster that has undergone many mechanical issues however.
After receiving gold with the Canadian Juniors in ‘05-’06, Justin Pogge was deemed as the Leafs’ hopeful star of the future and turned pro in ‘06-’07 with the Toronto Maple Leafs’ American Hockey League affiliate the Toronto Marlies. He spent the following two seasons with the Marlies posting impressive stats, yet still did not gain any respectable starts with the Maple Leafs.
He registered 19 wins and a 3.03 GAA in his rookie season with the frandchise and followed that up with 26 wins and an impressive .908 Saving Percentage the next year.
Many argued that the 6′3″ goaltender needed to play games for the Leafs in order to successfully build the confidence and skills required to do well in the NHL.
Although it would have helped immensely, Pogge was still negated any opportunity to play and continued to protect the two posts in the minors.
Yes, the Leafs’ staff should have given him a few starts during those two years, and yes they should have allowed him to display his talent. After all that’s the reason why he was drafted in the first place wasn’t it?
Did the organization really think putting Pogge in a few games was really going to jeopardize their chances of making the playoffs?
