Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 2.8

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Sign a big contract. Go to a new team. Drastically underachieve. Get demoted to the 4th line. Start complaining. That, in a nutshell has been the season so far for Sergei Samsonov of the Montreal Canadiens. After playing a significant role in the Edmonton Oilers playoff run last spring, Samsonov, along with several other erstwhile Oilers, caught the Edmontonitis virus and chose to seek work elsewhere for the upcoming NHL season.

Samsonov arrived in Montreal with lofty expectations from the team itself, not to mention the passionate and faithful fans of Les Habitants. He was expected to be a source of offense on a team looking to upgrade that area of their game. However, through the first nine games of the season, Samsonov wasn’t contributing on the scoresheet nor was he devoting much attention to solid positional play and this prompted Coach Guy Carboneau to cut his ice time and skate him on the 4th line. Instead of working harder to regain his coach’s confidence, Samsonov started to whine and complain hinting he would prefer to be traded instead of bouncing from line to line.

Now I really hate to judge but I don’t see how signing a significant contract and proceeding to underachieve gives Samsonov the right to complain. Coaches, now more than ever, are expected to win hockey games first and worry about player’s feeling second. Carboneau felt Samsonov needed to play better and took action to spark his game. Great players responded to challenges, average players do not. Dwayne Roloson, now a top netminder in the league, was demoted to the AHL during the 2000-2001 campaign. He went down, worked hard, posted a record of 32 and 15 and got his career back on track. Had he shared the attitude of Samsonov, Roloson may have found his way out of hockey.

Samsonov responded Saturday with two goals. Much better but did we really need the whining. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

N.B - Andy Frost, public address announcer for the Toronto Maple Leafs, host of Leaf Talk, the Leafs Tonight on AM 640 Toronto Radio and host of Psychedelic Psunday and Frost Overnight on Q107 in Toronto, joins us on Episode 2.8 of AFITC to talk all things Leaf

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 2.7

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After numerous Leafs spent the better part of the first six weeks of the season nursing injuries, the ice packs are finally starting to melt and nobody is rushing to refreeze them. Carlo Colaiacovo, who has been recovering from recurring headaches since the beginning of camp, past his first major test last night as he made it through a full AHL game and played reasonably well in the process. Staffan Kronwall will soon join Colaiacovo with the Marlies as he works toward recovering from an ankle sprain. Pavel Kubina continues to seem confident that he will return around the third week of November.

Of the fallen Leafs, at this point it seems Nik Antropov is the player who will be ready for the lineup first. The question is, “Will the lineup be ready for him?” Apart from the atrocious outing against the Avalanche this past Wednesday, the Leafs forwards have been producing a myriad of goals, a trend certainly unexpected going into the season.

Potentially logical candidates to take a game off like Ben Ondrus, Bates Battaglia, John Pohl, Chad Kilger, and Jeff O’Neill have derived roles for themselves and are excelling at these roles at this point in the season. Further to the causes of the 4th line, Paul Maurice stated specifically after last night’s victory in Columbus that he believe the play of Ondrus, Battaglia and Pohl won the Leafs the game. Think again if you believe Stajan, Steen or Wellwood will be the ones to take a seat. Sundin, Tucker, Peca, well they obviously go without saying.

Nik Antropov is a player who needs 13-15 minutes per game in order to play at an effective level. Play him on the 4th line and he simply will not be noticed. Maurice’s coaching philosophy sees the 4th line get 5-8 energy minutes per game; Antropov is not a relentless, heavy forechecking, energy type of player. Therefore, he requires a 2nd or 3rd line spot and right now, I don’t believe one is available for the taking. The way things stand now, Nik Antropov may be on the outside looking in at least until the injury bug bites again. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 2.6

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June 28th, 1994 was a defining day in the history of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Leaf legend and fan favourite Wendel Clark, along with Sylvian Lefebvre, Landon Wilson and a 1st round pick were sent to the Quebec Nordiques for Garth Butcher, Todd Warriner, and Quebec’s 1st round pick. In addition, the Leafs also acquired a player who would become the team’s 18th captain, record his 500th goal in a Leaf uniform, become one of the most prolific overtime scorers in league history and currently sit tied with Dave Keon for second on the Leafs all time goals list. That player is Mats Sundin.

It was a deal that would shape the future of the franchise for likely what will end up being 15 years but in his early years as a Leaf, life wasn’t easy for Sundin. Sundin had to play in the shadow of the legacy left by the player he was dealt for, Wendel Clark, easily one of the most popular Leafs of all time. Making this difficult for Sundin is the fact that their two styles of play could not be more different. Clark was hard hitting, brash and physical. Sundin plays with tremendous skill, finesse and smarts. Not to compare the two as better or worse, but Leaf fans embraced Clark’s physical workman-like approach to the game and forever complained that Sundin isn’t physical enough. When Sundin became Captain, fans would continue to complain that he wasn’t physical enough, that he wasn’t a leader, that we needed someone like Dougie or Wendel as the captain of our team.

It was only once the Leafs started experiencing some playoff success with Sundin playing a significant role did Leaf fans start to warm up to him. But even then you still heard, “maybe Roberts should be captain” or “Tucker is a better leader than Sundin.”

Now in his twelfth season, Sundin continues to play as well as he ever has for the Leafs. Having shown such loyalty and a true love of being a Leaf, fans seem to finally be appreciating Sundin for the world class player he is. Ride Captain ride. Can’t wait to see number 600!!! But hey, all that was just rigamarole.

Rigamarole - A Foot In The Crease - Episode 2.5

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Thirty three years ago when Borje Salming made the trek across the Atlantic to suit up in for the Toronto Maple Leafs, it was a ground breaking moment to the National Hockey League on a level close to that of Jackie Robinson breaking the colour barrier in Major League Baseball back in 1947. Never before had a European player of any significance competed in the NHL with the impact Salming had both on the Leafs and the league itself.

Focusing on skill and ability alone, Salming was one of the greatest ever to put on a Leaf jersey. Both offensively gifted and defensively sound, Salming played 16 seasons on the Leaf blueline concluding his NHL career in 1990. He finished with some lofty records. All time highest scoring Leaf defenseman. All time highest Leaf assist total. Third all time in Leaf games played. Fifth all time in Leaf penalty minutes. He was the first Swede to be inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Salming really did do it all. Offense, defense, longevity, toughness. Perhaps his penalty minute total is a bit of a surprise but that was due to the ugly aspect of his emergence into the league. Many North American players worried that with Salming paving the way, more Scandinavian and European stars would make their way across the ocean and begin taking their jobs away. Salming was portrayed as a “Chicken Swede” and forced to take on some of the toughest enforcers in the game. Through it all, Salming never backed down and eventually was given the respect and credit he deserved.

Leadership was another area Salming excelled in. When offered the Leaf Captaincy, Salming turned it down, a decision he would end up regretting. When Mats Sundin faced the same decision Salming did, Sundin consulted his countryman. Salming told him not to make the same mistake he did. Now along with Sundin, there are five other Swedish captains.

When Salming’s banner was raised to the rafters at ACC prior to the season opener, he finally received the recognition he has so richly deserved. But hey, all that was just rigamarole.