A Foot In The Crease – The Toronto Hockey Podcast

Along with my buddy Jeff Hume, we have just begun the newest podcast pertaining to hockey in Toronto. In each weekly episode, we will discuss important happenings in the world of the Toronto Maple Leafs organization and around the National Hockey League. This is a show for anyone who considers themselves a hockey fan.

Each week, we will feature a main weekly topic along with other three segments which include, Who’s Hot, Who’s Not: a look at impressive and not so impressive performances over the past week of play, On The Bubble??: a look at activities pertaining to the minor league affiliates of the Leafs as well as a feature on a different prospect each week, and Rigmarole: a segment that will make sense of a particularly confusing or unusual happening around the NHL.

The podcast can be downloaded directly from our website, www.afootinthecrease.com or subscribed to through a host of different methods. A more detailed explanation of the technical details can be found at Jeff’s site as he is far more knowledgeable than myself in that department.

Keep That Head Up, Lindros A Leaf

Just as earlier in the week when it seemed the Eric Lindros – Toronto Maple Leaf saga was about to hit yet another road bump, a deal that seemed to be three or four years in the making was finally completed yesterday afternoon at the home of none other than the Toronto Maple Leafs surrogate general manager, Tie Domi.

Yes, that’s right my friends. Eric Lindros is finally a Leaf after signing a one year deal worth $1.55 million plus incentives and we have Tie Domi to thank.

Quite the busy guy Domi has been this year. After trying to take the labour strife into his own hands and broker a deal with the Leafs big boss, Larry Tannenbaum and Mario Lemieux in January, Tie went onto complain that he is taken for granted and underappreciated when it came time to discuss his contract earlier this month. That, however, was not before he expressed concern that Gary Roberts and Joe Nieuwendyk had been allowed to leave town in favour of the Florida Panthers.

For a couple of days at least, it seemed Domi had indeed played his last game as a Toronto Maple Leaf and was bound for Pittsburg but at the last second his “true” Maple Leaf spirit came through and he decided to stay with the Leafs for a little less money than he was offered elsewhere. What a guy eh! Now for his latest trick, it seems he had pushed hard since signing his own deal (which I’m fairly sure stipulates player and not general manager although I could be wrong) to see Lindros put on a Leaf jersey. You know it almost reminds me of the good old days in Raptor Land when Vince Carter was the general manager. Though I am sure Domi means well, I have never seen a player of such marginal ability exert so much control over an organization. It would probably be best if Domi stuck to trying to improve his game rather than his managerial skills.

As for the acquisition of Lindros, it could prove to be a coup for the Leafs if he manages to stay healthy for the majority of the season. His contract is very low risk but his potential, as has been seen throughout portions of his career is very high. In fact not more than three years ago, Lindros recorded an impressive thirty seven goals in a season where goals where found at a premium.
This is the kind of low risk – high reward player that could benefit the Maple Leafs this season, a year in which will be largely spent trying to renegotiate their long term game plan going forward under the new collective bargaining agreement. Let’s hope Eric keeps his head up or the enforcer will have to protect him. I think Tie wears that hat too.

Leafs Add Khavanov To Their Blueline

With their latest dip into the quickly dwindling crop of free agents, the Maple Leafs inked free agent defenseman Alexander Khavanov to a one year, $1.25 million deal. Khavanov, who played with the St. Louis Blues during the 2003 – 2004 campaign, will add some size and strength along with reasonable puck moving skills to the Leafs blueline. His addition, however, will take up one more spot in the Maple Leaf defense corps that will already likely include Bryan McCabe, Tomas Kaberle, Ken Klee, Aki Berg and possibly Wade Belak, depending on where Pat Quinn feels he will cause the least amount of problems: on defense or as a fourth line winger. With Khavanov’s addition, there will only likely be, at best, two spots for some of the Leafs numerous defense prospects to compete for.

Carlo Colaiacovo has been knocking at the door for the past two seasons with the likes of Jay Harrison and Brendan Bell not much farther off either. It looks like it could be a tough year for the Leafs who have stumbled into the new era NHL. What better a time to see what some of these highly touted youngsters can do on the big stage?

Domi Chooses With His Heart

Leaf enforcer Tie Domi is back with the team he has played with over the past nine NHL seasons. Domi and the Toronto Maple Leafs have agreed on a two year, $2.5 million deal that will keep the rugged forward locked up through his sixteenth season in the NHL.

Reports had been saying that Domi was actively looking at Pittsburg as a potential suitor but when Andre Roy signed with the Penguins earlier today, that all but terminated their interest in the Leaf tough guy.

It is very infrequent that a player will choose a team with his heart instead of his chequebook: see Gary Roberts and Joe Nieuwendyk, but in this case it appears that Tie Domi did. He reportedly turned down a three year, $4.5 million deal from another team to stay in Toronto. Domi’s better days may well be very much behind him leaving fans to question whether the Leafs overpaid, even at that price, for a winger who has averaged a mere eight goals per year in his career with the Leafs. Despite the fact Domi will sometimes leave fans scratching their collective heads as they try to remember just why they keep him around, after this gesture, there will certainly not be any question of Domi’s desire to compete for the Maple Leafs. For that, I will give him credit. Now let’s see some production.

Roberts And Nieuwendyk Head For The Sun

At noon today, the new world NHL free agent marketplace opened up for the first time under the new collective bargaining agreement and making the first splash in this market was the Florida Panthers. The Panthers inked a pair of ex-Leafs, Joe Nieuwendyk and Gary Roberts, to a pair of two year deals with financial terms undisclosed at this point. With those signings, the Panthers became the first team to sign free agents under the new economic landscape dictated by the CBA.

Roberts and Nieuwendyk had been making it clear they wished to finish off their careers as teammates but the Maple Leafs were unprepared to commit financially to the pair of aging veterans. There had been rumors that the Leafs had offered a pair of one year deals that had been rejected likely because Roberts and Nieuwendyk were seeking the security of two year deals as they are nearing the end of their careers.

Another Leaf could be on his way out of Toronto as well in a matter of days. Tough guy Tie Domi has been becoming remarkably friendly with Penguins superstar / owner / captain etc Mario Lemieux in recent weeks. With Domi reportedly asking for more than the Leafs are willing to give him, it would not be a surprise if Domi decided to go and stick himself right in the middle of all the hype and anticipation of the arrival of Sidney Crosby.