Is Klee The Key?


For at least the past three or four seasons, many Toronto Maple Leafs fans and reporters have said, quite publicly, that in order to get better and potentially contend for the Stanley Cup, they will need to drastically improve their defense. It finally looks as though the Leafs hierarchy is getting that message which has been only too obvious over the past few playoffs runs, especially as the team got deeper into the tournament.

This past summer, they went ahead and signed rugged defenseman Bryan Marchment who is sure to strike fear into opposing forwards who may have ideas about setting up camp in front of Ed Belfour. Today, another more than competent defenseman was added to the roster in the form of Ken Klee.

Klee, who is by no means an all-star caliber defenseman, is still a solid stay-at-home style blue-liner with decent size at 6 feet, 210lbs, adequate for helping opponents find their way out of the slot in front of the net. Last year he recorded a team best plus 22, ranking him twelfth among NHL defenders. He is not the most offensively skilled defender out there registering only one goal and sixteen assists last season but as indicated by his excellent plus minus and large amounts of ice time, his defense is strong.

With Klee now aboard, it gives the Leafs two solid pairs of defensemen which can be rotated against the opponent’s best players. Kaberle and McCabe, along with Klee and Marchment are two solid pairs. Aki Berg and Wade Belak could make up the third pair, while maybe alternating Jamie Pushor in when possible.

It looks as though the Leafs will finally have two solid, dependable pairs that can be relied upon in crucial situations, a luxury that has not been at the Leafs’ disposal for quite a number of years now.

Tired Leafs Run Into Road Block

Returning from a ten day Scandinavian adventure and literally being thrown right back on the ice to face an eagerly waiting Buffalo Sabres team is not the homecoming the Leafs would have liked but such are the hardships of the fast moving preseason schedule. This schedule sees the Leafs complete their remaining eight preseason games in fourteen days, a set up that leaves no rest for the weary.

Those weary, or perhaps more accurately, injured players include Nikolai Antropov and Gary Roberts, not to mention the ailing Trevor Kidd and Bryan McCabe. Antropov and Roberts are experiencing a shoulder injury and groin pull, respectively. Antropov skated today and seems to be recovering fairly well. Roberts’ groin injury is taking a little longer to heal than was originally expected. "We are altering his rehab a little bit. We are not getting the results there that we hoped,” said Leaf coach Pat Quinn. Starting the regular season with a healthy lineup is important to help the Leafs get off to a good start.

Along with Antropov’s injury that was incurred in last night’s contest, the Leafs chose, quite wisely, to rest a number of veterans allowing them an extra day to recover from jet lag. Mats Sundin, Alexander Mogilny, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi, Tom Fitzgerald and Aki Berg were all healthy scratches for last night’s game.

Ed Belfour was the starting goaltender for the Leafs but was replaced by Sebastian Centomo mid-way through the second period. Centomo allowed two goals on nine shots; however, both came during short-handed situations. Centomo, who a year and a half ago was in the third spot on the Leafs’ goaltending depth chart, has slipped seemingly below Mikeal Tellqvist and even Jamie Hodson. Centomo could challenge for the starting job in St. John’s to start the year but will probably be relegated to the back up role once either Hodson or Tellqvist is returned to The Rock after serving as Trevor Kidd’s replacement.

The Leafs take on the Habs in Montreal tomorrow in what should be a typical Habs-Leafs game. The best is usually brought out in both teams during these contests and often result in compelling games, whether they occur in the preseason or regular season.

AC/DC Has A Hold On Me ~ And I Love It

After the Sars-stock concert in July, I have been unable to keep ACDC music from blasting out of my speakers. Before this concert, I thought of ACDC as a relatively successful 80's band; never really paying much more attention than that. Now I think of them as one of the better groups in rock and roll history.

What has really hooked me on them is the fact that they seem to be very down to earth and quite honestly, nice people with good personalities. Various specials have been aired featuring the band and its members, most notably Brian Johnson and Angus Young. They seem unaffected by their status as immensely popular rock stars, more surprised than anything else at their gigantic success in North America and abroad. Many interviewers have said that the two aforementioned ACDC members were the most pleasant and co-operative celebrities they have ever interviewed.

I picked up the ACDC Live album in August and it has been in my stereo ever since. I cannot seem to stop singing their songs. Recently, I've been told by many people that Back In Black is one of the best rock albums ever to be produced, so naturally I felt compelled to pick it up. What an album that is. Every song is one for which I would use the repeat function on my stereo.

Back In Black was released in 1980 after the death of former lead singer Bon Scott. The band hired Brian Johnson as a replacement but never thought they would have any more success. Let's face it, in the music business; bands that loose their lead singers rarely experience any further success. AC/DC; however, experienced quite the opposite. They have sold over 20 million copies of Back In Black, their silent tribute to Bon Scott. Let me tell you, buying this album will definitely be one of the best musical decisions you have ever made.

Leafs Are Back In T.O.

The Leafs arrive back in Toronto tonight after spending ten days in Sweden and Finland. Playing well throughout the trip, the Leafs went 3 - 0 in the exhibition games against local clubs.

Niuewendyk, the late off-season acquisition, displayed a plethora of talents during the exhibition games which look to be very promising and most definitely beneficial to the team's second line.

Goaltending prospects, Mikeal Tellqvist and Jamie Hodson, played solid hockey in the Leafs most recent game, splitting a shutout in dominant fashion. One of these two men will be given the backup role to start the season, at least until Trevor Kidd recovers from his shoulder injury.

Another positive situation that has presented itself is the play of defense prospect Maxim Kondratiev, who, along with decent defensive play, has exhibited a strong offensive flare. He is probably in the same situation as Carlo Coliacovo was a year ago. His strong play will leave an impression but he is probably a year away.

The measuring stick, I say this tongue in cheek because remember it is Buffalo, will come tomorrow when the Leafs take on their first NHL opponent of the season, the Buffalo Sabres. Judging from last year's standings Buffalo may not be much of a measuring stick but in terms of NHL opposition, they fit that criterion.

Here We Go Again – Is This The Year?

Round 1, Game 7, Leafs loose. Forget about it. It is just about time for the Toronto Maple Leafs to kick off another quest for the Stanley Cup, a trophy that has escaped them since 1967. The thirty-six year wait to once again see the Maple Leafs parade down Yonge Street with the beloved Stanley Cup has been long but perhaps this could be the year where the wait would inevitably come to an end.

The Leafs have made a number of improvements upfront over the off season and, on paper, they look to have as deep a forward corps as they have had in a number of years. As it stands now, it does not look like there will be a lot of trouble putting the puck in the net; three solid offensive lines and a decent checking line should be able to maintain a fairly consistent attack on the opposing team’s net minder.

Upfront, the Leafs added Joe Nieuwendyk, an experienced and capable veteran second-line centre, not to mention a winner of three Stanley Cups with three different teams which puts him in a fairly elite club of players. Sure it would have been nice if he had the same abilities as he had a decade ago when he scored 50 plus goals on a championship winning Calgary Flames team that also included Gary Roberts, Robert Reichel and the recently retired Doug Gilmour, but he is still a very effective player today. A year ago with New Jersey, he registered a respectable 17 goals along with 28 assists for 45 points.

He will finally fill the role of the second-line centre the Leafs management seems to have been seeking out for what seems like four or five years now. His addition will add some substance to the second line which will inevitably allow Sundin’s line to prosper as opposing teams spread out their defensive strength to combat both lines as opposed to just concentrating on Sundin’s unit.

The Leafs will also start the season with Owen Nolan, a late acquisition at last year’s trade deadline. Provided Nolan’s hip remains healthy, a second line consisting of Nieuwendyk centering Nolan and Roberts could be a daunting defensive task. A line with Sundin centering Renberg and Mogilny, followed by Antropov centering Tucker and Domi could present a situation where opposing teams quickly find themselves feeling defensively inadequate.

The problem for the Leafs still remains their inadequacy on the blueline. Despite the signing of rugged and sometimes rule-breaking defender Bryan Marchment, who turns out to essentially be a replacement for the retired Robert Svehla, the Leafs have once again failed to beef up an obviously depleted defense unit. With McCabe, Kaberle, and Marchment in the lineup for sure, one more quality defenseman is required to establish two solid pairs that can be cycled against the oppositions’ best lines. Aki Berg is still unproven, and Carlo Coliacovo is too young to throw into a top four position.

Jamie Pushor, who played with the Penguins last season, was signed to a tryout based contract, but he will need to prove himself worthy of the job. As of September 12th, Dmitri Yushkevich and Ken Klee remain unsigned and, thus become possible options.

As the regular season grows closer, the excitement and anticipation of another Leafs season is also sure to grow until the puck hits the ice on October 11 at ACC to kick off the 2003 – 2004 season.