Turning Over a New Leaf(s): The 1988-89 Maple Leafs

[uWoHollywood]

It is the Summer of 1988. Harold Ballard, as was often the case, was in a foul mood. His Toronto Maple Leafs had finished 2nd-last with just 52 points in 1987-88, and went 4-16-0 over the last quarter of the season. Shockingly, the Leafs somehow made the playoffs (with one point more than Minnesota), setting a record for lowest win percentage (.325) in NHL history for a team that qualified for the postseason (and played at least 70 games).



The NHL landscape had just experienced a seismic shift: just a few days earlier, Wayne Gretzky had been traded from Edmonton to Los Angeles, after Edmonton had won four cups in five years. This meant that the Edmonton Dynasty could be vulnerable, and the Norris Division winner may not simply be a speed bump for the Oilers on their way to the Cup Final. The Smythe could also become a bloodbath, with Edmonton, L.A. and Calgary all battling for supremacy.

Ballard decided enough was enough. He was rich, he was powerful… and now he wanted to be a winner. But he had zero faith in his current infrastructure; the Leafs hadn’t been above .500 in a decade, and so far in the 80s Toronto was averaging just 25 wins and 60 points per season.



His partner Yolanda came to him with a suggestion: there was a consultant who had worked on a project for Maple Leaf Gardens Ltd., and could be a good fit. He didn’t have a hockey background, but that could be a GOOD thing. He was young-ish (mid-30s), educated and already had some experience with the behind-the-scenes environment at the Gardens.

Harold immediately told Yolanda to hire him, no matter the cost… as long as the cost was cheap. Yolanda reached her target on the phone shortly thereafter and the consultant, a man named Jason Taylor, was asked to come down to Maple Leaf Gardens for an urgent meeting. Taylor was at the Gardens an hour later, and sat down in Harold Ballard’s office. Ballard informed him that as of this moment, Taylor was the General Manager and Head Coach of the Maple Leafs. Taylor was shocked; didn’t Gord Stellick get the job just four months ago? Ballard bluntly told him that Stellick and John Brophy had already been fired and sent home. Ballard then laid it out: the Leafs needed to become a winner. He was willing to rebuild, but only if it was quick. As Taylor shook Ballard’s hand, he asked: “Any advice?” Ballard looked him in the eye and said “Don’t f**k this up”. And with that Taylor began his first day on the job.

[uWoHollywood]

Jason Taylor was still in shock: his life had completely changed in a matter of hours. Here he sits at his desk as the new General Manager and Head Coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. And just a few hours ago, it belonged to ex-GM Gord Stellick; the change was so fast that Stellick’s cup of coffee was still somewhat warm. Taylor was optimistic that he could ramp up quickly on the management side of things, but was out of his depth in terms of on-ice coaching (for now). He knew the best way for himself and for the team to succeed was to hire the best coaching staff he could.






He immediately asked his assistant for the contact information of Scotty Bowman. Bowman had coached the Buffalo Sabres for most of the 80s before stepping down early in 86-87. Since then, he had been operating as a freelance scout. Taylor was able to reach him, and laid out his proposal: he wanted Bowman to run the Leafs’ offense. The team was flush with young, high-potential forwards such as Ed Olczyk, Vincent Damphousse and Gary Leeman. But Taylor knew those players hadn’t reached their full potential, and suspected they (and others) had been demoralized by John Brophy’s aggressive coaching style. Taylor was also upfront: he wanted to learn how to be a coach, and wanted to learn from one of the best to ever step behind a hockey bench. Bowman was intrigued; he had guided the Habs to glory, and liked the idea of helping mold the Leafs into a winner while not having the full pressure and spotlight that comes with being the bench boss in Toronto. He then gave another name for Taylor to hire, with an offer: get him, and I’m in.





Per Scotty Bowman's feedback, Taylor's next target was NY Islanders’ legend Al Arbour. Arbour had guided the Isles to four straight cups, and stepped down after the 85-86 season. Taylor gave a pitch similar to what he told Bowman; he wanted Arbour to guide the Leafs’ defense, while also helping guide Taylor in his development as a coach. Arbour was in, specifically citing his respect for Leafs’ legend Borje Salming and his love for the Leafs (Arbour was a member of the 1962 Cup-winning Leafs team).




Taylor also reached out to two other top minds: Craig Patrick and Gerry Cheevers. Patrick would run the team’s Skills training, while Gerry Cheevers would be tasked with solidifying the Leafs’ very shaky goaltending situation. Cheevers (who coached the Bruins for four-and-a-half seasons in the early 80s) liked the idea of his story coming full circle, as he played 2 games with the Leafs in 61-62 before Boston grabbed him in the 1965 Intra-League Draft. And as soon as Patrick heard he’s be working with (and learning from) Arbour and Bowman, he couldn’t say “yes” fast enough.


Lastly, Taylor wanted someone who could keep their finger on the pulse of the locker room, while also providing invaluable insight into the ebb and flow of the game. One man came to mind: Herb Brooks. Taylor approached Brooks, and told him he wanted Brooks’ ability to reach and motivate young players, describing the Leafs as having an up-and-coming core in need of guidance. Brooks was intrigued, and agreed to join the staff with a focus on motivation and tactics.

Taylor was thrilled at the experience, gravitas and intelligence of his newly-assembled coaching staff. Now it was time to plan for what was probably the Leafs’ biggest weakness: scouting.

[uWoHollywood]

Leafs GM and Head Coach Jason Taylor was on a conference call with his four assistant coaches: Scotty Bowman, Al Arbour, Craig Patrick and Gerry Cheevers. Taylor was blunt in his question: “Toronto scouting has been inconsistent for some time now… some hits, but a lot of misses. You are both highly connected and know what the job demands. Is there anyone on the Leafs’ scouting staff who you feel should be here?”

After a long pause, Bowman finally chimed in. “Honestly… no”. Arbour also spoke up: “Toronto has been able to draft some very good players, like Clark and Damphousse. But they haven’t drafted a true star since Randy Carlyle (1976) and Lanny McDonald (1973)” Bowman agreed, and pointed to picking Scott Pearson this summer over more highly-regarded players like Jeremy Roenick and Rod Brind’Amour (both of whom went to divisional rivals). Bowman also cited selecting Luke Richardson last year over Joe Sakic, with Sakic now projected to replace Peter Stastny on the Quebec Nordiques’ first line.



Taylor asked Patrick for his assessment, and he agreed; “The current scouting system has really struggled to find talent after the first two rounds, and that is reflected in the shallow talent pool we have in Newmarket.” Cheevers also chimed in: “Ken Wregget and Allan Bester are perfectly fine goalies, but I don’t have confidence that either one is capable of challenging for a Vezina. We have a few options in the AHL and Junior, but there’s this kid at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who was never drafted; I’d love to get him on our Newmarket Saints roster.”

Taylor leaned back in his chair, nodded silently to himself, and said “OK. I hired you all here to help guide this franchise, and I’d be a hypocrite now if I didn’t follow your advice. I’ll take care of it.” The call ended, and Taylor took a deep breath before approaching his Executive Assistant.



One by one, each member of the Leafs scouting staff was either called into his office or made available by phone. And one by one they were told that their services are no longer required. After some tears and a LOT of obscenities, it was official: the scouting staff had been completely let go. Including Leafs’ legend The Chief George Armstrong. After a quick break to catch his breath and down his fourth coffee of the day, Taylor began looking at the shortlist prepared by Bowman and Arbour, and began making calls.



Taylor began first with the legendary Sam Pollack, who agreed to do it as a favour to Bowman. Taylor then reached out to some highly-regarded up-and-comers: Mike Penny, Jim Gregory, Elmer Benning. Walter Bush and Markus Cruthers would head up their US scouting staff, while Linus Högberg and wunderkind Hakan Andersson would patrol Western Europe. The impact of these folks would take some time to be felt, but once it was all said and done Taylor had a staff that he believed would help Toronto develop a legitimate pipeline of NHL talent. His next task… the roster.

[uWoHollywood]

Toronto Maple Leafs trainer Zach Caples gave GM Jason Taylor the bad news: Wendel Clark’s back was in horrible shape. He was going to be out for a very long time, possibly the entirety of the 88-89 campaign. Taylor hung his head; the loss of THE fan favourite, and a heart-and-soul leader, was a huge blow. Taylor looked at Caples: “We need to do right by Wendel. He barely played last year, and I don’t want to rush him back.” Taylor also gave Clark a brief phone call telling him “Your spot on this team is safe; I have no intention of trading you, and you’ll get a ton of icetime whenever you’re ready. We need you on this team, and I don’t want you to come back until you’re at full health.” Clark thanked him, and promised to pop by Maple Leaf Gardens every now and then to see the boys.



Taylor walked down the hall to his boardroom, where he sat down with his coaching staff and his most senior scouts. One by one they reviewed every player currently under contract to the Maple Leafs. Taylor made it clear what he wanted: growth potential, regardless of whether they were NHL-ready or needed some time to develop in the AHL. Taylor also wanted to sign several of Toronto’s recent draft selections, which meant the Leafs had to shed some contracts. The list was put together, and over the next 24 hours the Leafs bought out 10 contracts:

• C Wes Jarvis, 30
• C Mike Kirton, 30
• RW Mike Blaisdell, 28
• RW Craig Laughlin, 30
• LW Daryl Evans, 27
• LW Greg Terrion, 28
• D Chris Kotsopolous, 29
• D Greg Hotham, 32
• D Bill Root, 28
• G Tim Bernhardt, 30

All of these players were deemed to have developed to their full potential… and it wasn’t very good. They would either drag down the Leafs, or limit the ice time of the prospects with the Newmarket Saints. And so Taylor informed them one-by-one that they were being bought out (and being paid whatever amount remained on their contract). They were now UFAs, free to seek employment with any franchise that would have them.



Taylor then turned his attention to the Leafs’ unsigned players, and asked his coaching/scouting staff to identify which ones had the highest potential to make the NHL. The list was finalized, and Bowman (acting as Assistant GM) worked with their agents. By the end of the week, seven prospects aged 18-21 were signed and would report to Newmarket for training camp.

• C John McIntyre, 19
• C Mike Eastwood, 21
• RW Joe Sacco, 19
• RW Tie Domi, 18
• D Jeff Serowick, 21
• G Damien Rhodes, 19
• G Peter Ing, 19

Lastly, Taylor’s scouts put together a list of unsigned players. The finalized a short list, and Bowman/Arbour teamed up to work with their agents:

• LW Todd Krygier, 22; a defensively sound winger with Connecticut in the ECAC-2
• C Jamie Baker, 22; a two-way center with St. Lawrence University in the ECAC
• LD Mike Heidt, 24; a two-way defender playing in Germany
• LD Peter Andersson, 22; an offensive defenseman playing in Sweden

All four were young enough to be considered prospects, and old enough that they might be able to bolster the Leafs’ roster as early as next year.



Lastly, Gerry Cheevers contacted that goalie he had flagged with the University of Wisconsin-Madison: Curtis Joseph, 21. Joseph had made the WCHA All Conference team, but had flown under the radar of every other team’s scouting department. These changes made Toronto a little better, and a lot younger. With the foundation in place, Taylor was ready to start tinkering with his NHL roster.

[uWoHollywood]

Leafs GM Jason Taylor began reaching out to his colleagues, targeting underappreciated youngsters who would be good enough to play now but who would also have some decent upside potential. He also wanted to add 1-2 veteran leaders with strong character, players who could lead by example.



Taylor’s first step was to shop some players with modest value who might better fit elsewhere. One such player was veteran defenseman Darren Veitch, who caught the eye of NYI GM Bill Torrey offered LW David Volek, 22 for D Darren Veitch, 28. A quick consultation with head scout Sam Pollock confirmed that Volek was a decent two-way player who could also provide offensive depth, and might have a little room to improve. Taylor and Pollock both agreed that Veitch wasn’t a good fit with Taylor’s vision for the Leafs, and the trade was finalized.



With the Leafs being the 2nd-worst defensive team in the NHL last season, Taylor was interested in bringing in some defensively sound forwards to build a shutdown line. One such target was Mike Hough of the Quebec Nordiques; he was responsible defensively, still young at 25, and reportedly a positive influence in the locker room. Taylor contacted Nordiques’ GM Martin Madden, who said he would want a prospect and a mid-round pick. After some back-and-forth discussions, they agreed to a deal. Quebec sent Toronto LW Mike Hough, 25 in exchange for D Darryl Shannon, 20 and a 7th round pick in 1990.

Shannon was the Leafs’ best defensive prospect, but Pollock felt his ceiling was at best that of a #5-6 defenseman. After the trade, Hough expressed an interest in keeping his #18. Taylor agreed to speak to Peter Ihnacak, who reacted extremely negatively. This outburst completely shifted Taylor’s perception of Ihnacak. Rather than escalate, Taylor calmly explained that Ihnacak had shown that his attitude may not be right for the team. Taylor also offered to buy him out if Ihnacak wanted to leave; Ihnacak stormed cursing in Czech, leaving Taylor shaking his head.



Taylor also received a call from Edmonton GM Glenn Sather, who was interested in bringing Al Secord’s toughness into the Oilers’ lineup. Taylor advised he would be looking for help with Toronto’s fairly weak blueline, and Sather offered ex-Leaf Craig Muni. The idea of a homecoming of a capable defender with two Cup rings was deemed worth the loss of Secord’s toughness. Secord’s offense had also evaporated, dropping from 40 to 29 to 15 goals in the last two years. Taylor agreed, and the Edmonton Oilers traded D Craig Muni, 26 fo LW Al Secord, 30. And with that, Muni became a Leaf once more.



A few days later, Taylor made another minor move. Calgary Flames’ GM Cliff Fletcher accepted Taylor’s offer of C Ken Yaremchuk, 24 and a 7th round pick in 1989 for LW Paul Ranheim, 22. Ranheim was good enough to crack Toronto’s line-up, but not Calgary’s. Yaremchuk had 224 NHL games under his belt, and was deemed a safer depth piece for the Flames’ cup run. Taylor felt this would be a win-win trade.



Later on that week, Taylor made his first truly significant trade. He and his scouts poured over rosters, looking for young backup or third-string goalies who could be undervalued with their current teams. The type of goalie who could #1 on their farm team, but could do well in spot duty if called up. Taylor had discussions with a few GMs, but tended to fizzle out when the asking price typically involved what Taylor considered a core piece. Then Taylor got Chicago’s GM Bob Pulford on the line. Taylor asked about two of Chicago’s young goalies: Jimmy Waite and Ed Belfour. Pulford immediately said Waite was a no-go, but Belfour could be available. Belfour had gone undrafted, and Chicago signed him after a season with North Dakota the WCHA. Both of the Blackhawks NHL goalies were quite young (Darren Pang was 23, and Jimmy Waite was just 19), but Belfour was pressing to be on their NHL roster after a very solid season with Chicago’s IHL affiliate (the Saginaw Hawks). Taylor offered a solution: let’s swap goalie prospects. Belfour would have a better chance of playing in Toronto, and Toronto had several goalies in the AHL who understood they would have to wait for their shot. Pulford liked the logic, as Belfour had potential to become disgruntled after another full season in Saginaw. So Pulford traded G Ed Belfour, 23 in exchange for G Jeff Reese, 22 and a 6th round pick. Pulfor insisted on another piece; Taylor suspected it was so Pulford could spin things with the Chicago sports media as him outfoxing an upstart rival. But Taylor’s scouts were very high on Belfour, and the 6th rounder was deemed an acceptable cost of upgrading from Reese to Belfour.



Toronto was also able to sign UFA D Anders Eldebrink, 27. Eldebrink had been playing in Sweden, and Leafs scouts liked his two-way style; Eldebrink wanted a longer deal, but Toronto got him to accept a shorter term with a higher price. Taylor wanted to minimize a buyout if things didn't pan out, and he was able to do so.



Taylor now turned his eye towards addressing his remaining core need: some veteran leadership. Several NHL teams were looking to rebuild, among them the Winnipeg Jets. With Edmonton, Calgary and Los Angeles fighting for Smythe supremacy, the Jets at best would a .500 team and a first round casually in the playoffs. Jets’ GM Mike Smith was very open about his veterans being available, Which made the Jets an ideal trading partner. Taylor told Smith he was interested in two defensive-minded veterans: Doug Smail and Ron Wilson. Taylor advised that he was willing to move just about anyone on his AHL roster, except for the players he had signed a few weeks earlier. After Smith consulted his scouts, he came back with his preferred players: Derek Laxal and Jack Capuano. Taylor’s scouts advised that the loss of their upside was likely worth it to get Smail and Wilson in the dressing room. At the last minute Smith asked for a late round pick, and Taylor obliged.

So the Jets traded C Ron Wilson, 32 and LW Doug Smail, 30 for RW Derek Laxdal, 22, D Jack Capuano, 22 and a 12th round pick in 1989. Wilson was thrilled; he was born in Toronto and played for the Toronto Marlboros in Junior. Taylor immediately slotted him in as their #3 Centre to anchor a shutdown line. Smail was saddened to leave Winnipeg, but Wilson told Taylor that Smail would come around. While Smail’s days as a scoring winner were clearly behind him, but (like Wilson) he was great defensively and a strong presence to help guide Toronto’s youngsters.

Taylor took stock of his team as the calendar was turned to September. He had brought in:

• Veteran leadership and defensive ability (Wilson, Smail)
• Players who were young, but could step in now (Hough, Muni)
• Younger players with decent upside potential (Volek, Ranheim and Belfour)

Toronto’s top tier talent was not really an issue; the Leafs had quite a lot of firepower on their top two lines. Taylor was confident that he had addressed depth concerns, while making solid upgrades in their bottom six and their third defensive pair. The only question remaining was this offseason: did Taylor have any cards left to play before training camp?



EDITOR'S NOTE: I hope you've enjoyed the read so far! Feedback is always welcome, positive or negative. I'll post about training camp and the preseason early next week!

[uWoHollywood]

With the preseason rapidly approaching, Leafs GM Jason Taylor was working tirelessly with his coaches and scouts. They were analyzing every piece of data and video they have for their current roster. The goal was to classify their players into three groups: those with further upside, those at their peak and those at risk of regressing.

Earlier in the summer, the Blues and Flames made a 7-person trade focused on two star players: Doug Gilmour went to Calgary, and Mike Bullard went to St. Louis. But the “mad scientist”, Blues’ GM Ron Caron, was still moving his chess pieces. In a shocking move, he traded Bullard (coming off a career-best 103 points, including 48 goals) to the Winnipeg Jets in exchange for 20 y/o Pat Elyniuk. None of the Norris division teams were truly in “win now” mode, and no one was a lock for the playoffs. This was definitely a blockbuster trade: and a week later, Taylor made his own blockbuster trade that would be his signature move.

Taylor had made his priority clear: he was looking for teams with undervalued players who were young enough to have unrealized potential, but also talented enough to play on a rebuilding NHL roster. An ideal trade partner would be a team firmly in Win Now mode, which might be willing to sacrifice upside for here-and-now. And that team was the Mario Lemieux-led Pittsburgh Penguins. The Pens were coming off a season where Lemieux had scored 168 points and was the first player other than Wayne Gretzky to win the Hart trophy since 1979. The team had finished with 81 points, which was good enough to make the playoffs in any division… except the Patrick, where they finished one point behind the New Jersey Devils. Pittsburgh GM Tony Esposito advised Taylor that they were looking to add some veteran talent, and an upgrade in net. And with that, a blockbuster deal was born.

Pittsburgh traded C John Cullen, LW Kevin Stevens, D Zarley Zalapski and LW Phil Bourque for C Tom Fergus, LW Mark Osborne, G Allan Bester, D Brian Curran and a 12th round pick in 1990.

Here are the players Pittsburgh received:



C Tom Fergus, 26
Fergus went 19-31-50 in 64 games last year, good enough for 5th in scoring for the Leafs. Fergus was a solid second-line C for Toronto, but his points-per-game had declined each year during his 3-year stint with the Leafs. Taylor’s sentiment was that, while talented, he was already at his peak.



LW Mark Osborne, 27
Osborne was coming off a solid 23-37-60 season in 79 games, good for 3rd in Leafs’ scoring. A good physical winger, but that 60-point season was his most since he posted 67 points with Detroit as a rookie in 81-82. The verdict among Leafs veterans was that Osborne was well liked in the locker room, but he could be a hothead in social settings. Taylor felt that Osborne’s 60-point season was an aberration, with the prior five seasons seeing him in the 40-50 point range.



G Allan Bester, 24
As Ken Wregget’s backup last year, Bester went 8-12-5 with a 3.81 GAA and .884 PCT. He even took over the starter’s spot from Wregget in the playoffs, but was shelled by the Red Wings in a 6-game loss. Bester’s acrobatic style and affable personality made him a fan favourite, so his departure definitely hurt the fanbase. But Toronto saw Wregget as a better bet to be a #1 goalie in the NHL. But on the Penguins side, Bester was a solid upgrade over Frank Pietrangelo and Wendell Young.



D Brian Curran, 24
Curran only played in 29 games last year, but the prior season (86-87) he went 0-10-10 with a +3 and an incredible 356 PIM. Curran clearly adds a toughness and surliness to the blueline, but not a tremendous amount of skill. Taylor also felt that the acquisition of Craig Muni and signing of Anders Eldebrink had pushed Curran down their depth chart enough that he could be expendable. Additionally, the Leafs’ scouts agreed his upside was very limited. But he definitely added a lot of toughness (and a willingness to fight) to a Penguins blueline sorely lacking in those qualities.

Here are the players Toronto received:



C John Cullen, 24
Cullen had put up monster numbers in the IHL (48-109-157 in 81 games). The Leafs felt that while he was currently a step down from Fergus in terms of skill, Cullen’s upside could result in him surpassing Fergus within 1-2 seasons. Pittsburgh was willing to give up that upside for a sure thing in Fergus, as they were very clearly in win-now mode.



LW Kevin Stevens, 23
Stevens split 87-88 with the IHL Muskegon Lumberjacks (24-41-65 in 45 games) and the Penguins (5-2-7 in 16 games). Definitely not as talented as Osborne. He was probably 2-3 seasons away from reaching his peak, around the same time period where the Leafs were likely to be more competitive.



D Zarley Zalapski, 20
Zalapski spent most of 87-88 Canadian national team (3-13-16 in 47 games) and even represented Canada at the ‘88 Olympics in Calgary (1-3-4 in 8 games). He then had a short-but-impressive stint with the Penguins (3-8-11 and +10 in 15 games). Zalapski gives the Leafs another offensive weapon on the blueline, and helps take some of the pressure off Al Iafrate. Zalapski was the must-have piece when the Penguins asked for Bester. And with both Paul Coffey and Doug Bodger ahead of him, Pittsburgh felt they could give up his offense from the back in exchange for solidifying their net.



LW Phil Bourque, 26
Bourque had spent four seasons mainly with Pittsburgh’s AHL/IHL affiliates, with increasingly-long stints with the NHL squad. But he hadn’t yet locked in a full-time NHL roster spot. Bourque was viewed as a nice addition to the Leafs’ 4th line, and Esposito acknowledged that Bourque was a competitive guy who stepped up his game when his team was struggling. That sealed the deal for Taylor, who already liked Bourque’s ability to be an physical, “energy guy”-type player.

Esposito and Taylor finalized the deal with the NHL’s office, and wished each other well in the upcoming season. Taylor felt confident the deal would be a win-win, and was happy with what would be his signature stamp on the Leafs’ roster.

[uWoHollywood]

Leafs GM Jason Taylor focused on settling things down during the final days of the offseason. He offered extensions to some players where he was confident about long-term fit and potential.

• G Ed Belfour, 23 - 4yr 2way @ $45k/yr
• RW Russ Courtnall, 23 - 3yr @ $290k/yr (no budge)
• LW Dave Reid, 24 - 3yr @ 130k/yr (no budge)

Taylor also asked Scotty Bowman to ensure that any player on the final year of their contract be qualified in June, to avoid losing any of them as a UFA. Taylor would see how some of his older players on expiring contracts (Brad Marsh, Borje Salming, Doug Smail and Ron Wilson) performed with the team before offering them extensions.

There was one final meeting with his coaching staff to decide on line-up and strategy. Here is the Maple Leafs’ starting roster for the 1988-89 Preseason (with Ken Wregget as starter, and Ed Belfour as backup in net):







Fan happiness was strong, as is almost always the case in Toronto. But losing two fan favourites (Al Secord, Allan Bester) along two of the team’s top scorers (Tom Fergus, Mark Osborne) were not well received. This was especially true following the loss of the acrobatic Bester. Taylor understood he would likely need to hold off on any more blockbusters to avoid angering fans for the foreseeable future.



The only hiccup as training camp opened was Scott Pearson reporting out of shape. Rather than blast him in the media, Taylor took him to his office for a one-to-one chat. Taylor advised that he understood Pearson was young (18) and still maturing, but this would need to be a key learning for him. There is a level of commitment required to be a professional hockey player, and coming back from vacation unfit to play would cost him both development time (getting back into shape) and any chance of starting the season with the NHL squad. Pearson hung his head, and said he understood. Taylor stressed he wasn’t going to be traded or released; he would get plenty of ice time with the AHL Newmarket Saints. But Pearson HAD to be better, and Taylor didn’t want to have this conversation ever again.

A few days later, on Taylor’s birthday, the preseason would officially begin. With Toronto’s players fully committed to training camp, and the Leafs’ first exhibition game on the horizon, Taylor briefly allowed himself a moment of satisfaction. He felt his efforts had put the Leafs in a better position to succeed in the long term, while still remaining competitive in the weak Norris division. Go Leafs Go indeed.

[uWoHollywood]

The Toronto Maple Leafs’ line-up had seen some significant changes; of the 20 players in Toronto’s line-up, 11 were holdovers from 87-88 and 9 were new. However, the changes were mostly concentrated on the bottom half of the roster.

• Of their top half (Lines 1-2, D-pairs 1-2, starting goalie), only 3 of 11 players were new
• Of their bottom half (Lines 3-4, D-pair 3, backup goalie), 6 of 9 were new

GM Jason Taylor had largely respected the team’s core, and focused as much as possible on complimentary pieces.

The Leafs kicked off their Exhibition games, with fans eager to see what the new-look Leafs could do:


Game 1: 5-2 Loss @ PIT
Allan Bester stopped 18 out of 20 against his former team; Vincent Damphousse and Russ Courtnall both suffered minor injuries that could result in some time missed


Game 2: 4-1 Win v WSH
Ed Belfour stopped 19 of 20, and the Leafs’ top two lines turned in extremely strong performances



Taylor held a meeting with the Leafs players. He wanted the team to decide who their captain would be. Wendel Clark was A1 (but likely out for the year) and Brad Mash was A2. Taylor made it clear that both of them embodied the qualities he wanted in leaders, so this vote was on Captaincy only. The 23 players in the room each wrote a name on a piece of paper and put it into a hat. Taylor counted the votes, and was surprised when it was a nearly-unanimous vote for Wendel Clark. He smiled, looked at the team and asked if they were sure. Marsh stood up and said “He may not be here, but he’s our Captain.”



Taylor then said “do we need to do a vote for our Assistant?”, but Marsh shook his head. He pointed at Ed Olczyk and said “Eddie was our best player last year, and there isn’t a guy in this locker room that wouldn’t run through a wall for him. He more than deserves an A on his chest.” Olczyk looked taken aback, but Leafs holdovers in the room cheered, and the newcomers joined in on the applause. With that, Taylor advised the equipment manager to stitch an A on Eddie’s jersey before the next Exhibition game.


Game 3: 5-3 W @ CHI
1G and 2A by Gary Leeman, and the Leafs outshot CHI 39-26. Ron Wilson pulled an abdominal muscle, and would miss a week; John McIntyre was called up to replace him



Taylor again put out feelers for Rick Lanz, and his pal Tony Esposito called him. Esposito offered 21y/o D Paul Stanton in return. Sam Pollock confirmed that Stanton was already somewhat close to Lanz’s skill level, and had modest upside potential; Taylor pulled the trigger and told Stanton to report to Newmarket.


Game 4: 4-3 W @ STL
The Leafs outshot STL 42-30, Todd Gill had 2A and Belfour stopped 27 of 30.


Game 5: 6-3 L v NJD
Kirk Muller’s 2G and 1A performance combined with a very poor defensive showing by the Leafs sealed this game. Olczyk was the lone bright spot with 1G 1A.


Game 6: 4-4 T @ EDM
The Oilers outshot the Leafs 35-23, while Jimmy Carson and Glenn Anderson combined for 6 points. On the positive side, Belfour stopped 31 shots and Eddie O scored twice (while Courtnall and Leeman each had 2A). The game was also chippy, with a pair of fights resulting in Steve Smith and ex-Leaf Al Secord each getting 5 and 10.

The Leafs sold 12,558 season tickets, ranking 5th in the league. They also sold 72 of 85 luxury boxes, making Harold Ballard very happy.


Game 7: 4-1 L v MTL
Brian Hayward stopped 22 of 23, and the Habs had strong performances across the board. Phil Bourque goaded Chris Chelios into a fight, resulting in both of them getting 5 and 10.

So the preseason ends with Toronto posting a 3-3-1 record. Olczyk and Leeman led the way with 9 points apiece, while Phil Bourque put up an impressive 3 A and 31 PIM in 6 games. Taylor would have to keep an eye on him for future ice time opportunities. Belfour also played well enough to indicate he may push Ken Wregget during the season, always a good thing.






In the Waiver Draft at the end of the preseason, Toronto considered grabbing Wendell Young from PIT; but Belfour’s strong performance in the preseason convinced Taylor to give Belfour a chance to prove he belongs in the NHL. The biggest shocker was Minnesota leaving G Jon Casey exposed, choosing to instead protect Kari Takko; Casey was grabbed by the NY Islanders with the 6th pick. The Leafs were intrigued by Winnipeg leaving 23y/o D Brad Berry exposed, but that would mean demoting Borje Salming; Taylor was not willing to disrespect the Leafs legend that way. There was one player who did catch Taylor’s eye: 28y/o LW Ken Berry from VAN. He had a solid locker room reputation, was strong defensively and may be equal to Peter Ihnacak offensively. So Toronto grabbed Berry, and demoted Peter Ihnacak. After the draft, Dave Reid asked Taylor if he could have #14; Taylor happily obliged.

Edmonton and Montreal were seen as strong contenders, but Calgary was the runaway favourite to win the Stanley Cup, fuelled by their new star C Doug Gilmour. Unsurprisingly, Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemieux were the two favourites to win the scoring race. And with October arriving, the new-look Maple Leafs are ready to begin their first season of this exciting new era!

[uWoHollywood]

Game 1 - 2-1 W @ BOS
Toronto outshot the Bruins 36-19, and Eddie O led the way with 1G and 1A. Andy Moog almost stole the game for Boston with a stellar 34 saves. Some bad news after the game as Mike Hough suffered a Hamstring Cramp, but would be back in a few days.

NHL News: Craig Simpson posted an impressive 1-4-5 game in a 10-2 win for EDM over the NYI


Game 2 - 4-2 L v CHI
The Leafs outshot the Blackhawks 38-25, but Darrren Pang stole the game with 36 saves. Phil Bourque suckered Steve Thomas into a fight, giving Thomas a 5 and 10. Bourque was proving to be quite the effective agitator, and also fought Wayne Presley late in the 3rd. G Ed Belfour struggled, allowing 4 goals on 25 shots.


Game 3 - 5-4 L @ CHI
Chicago completed the home-and-home sweep of Toronto. Shots were even (37-34), and the Leafs even led 4-1 after the first. But Toronto gave up 3 in the 2nd, and Steve Larmer’s GWG came less than a minute into the 3rd period. Gary Leeman scored 2G in the loss, but Ken Wregget had a very poor performance.

NHL News: Doug Gilmour had a 1-4-5 performance in CGY’s 10-3 win over DET




Danny Daoust had three straight poor showings; with Mike Hough coming back, Daoust was sent to the press box. Phil Bourque would now center the 4th line.


Game 4 = 4-3 W v STL
St. Louis outshot Toronto 41-27, but Belfour stood on his head and made 38 saves. The Leafs had a 4-1 lead almost disappear again, but the Blues couldn’t quite pull off the comeback. Eddie O had 1G and 1A, while rookie Zarley Zalapski had 2 A. On the downside, David Volek bruised his knee and will miss 1-2 weeks.

NHL NEWS: Mario Lemieux 1-4-5 in 6-3 W for PIT over BUF, and Murray Craven was 3-2-5 in a 6-3 W for PHI over MIN


Game 5 - 5-2 L @ WSH
Geoff Courtnall’s 3A powered the Capitals’ offense, while Leeman scored both Toronto goals. Some more bad news after the game: Ron Wilson has strained his hip, and will miss 1-2 weeks.


Game 6 - 5-3 W v DET
Zalapski went beast mode with a 2G 1A performance, and Phil Bourque had a SHG. The Leafs came back from being down 3-2 with two goals in the final 35 seconds of the 2nd. Ken Wregget stopped 29 of 32 in a strong showing.



Something must have happened in the Penguins locker room, because Pittsburgh gave up on Mark Osborne already; Osborne was -2 and pointless in 7 exhibition games, then -1 and pointless in 4 regular season games. The Penguins dealt LW Mark Osborne, 27 and C Glenn Mulvenna, 21 to the Vancouver Canucks for LW Steve Bozek, 27 and the rights to D Don Gibson, 20. Bozek plays a very similar style, so Osborne must have done something to really tick off the Penguins’ brass.


Game 7 - 10-2 L @ MTL
In a word… woof. Toronto only managed 11 shots vs. Montreal’s 29. The Habs were up 5-0 after the 1st, and 9-1 after the 2nd. Al Iafrate was an ugly -4, and Wregget allowed 7 goals on just 14 shots. Leafs GM Jason Taylor told the team to enjoy a night out in Montreal, forget about the game, and come back ready for the next game. To add injury to insult (just go with it), Zalapski hurt his foot enough that he can’t skate on it; he’s likely out for a week.

[uWoHollywood]

Game 8 - 5-3 L v BUF
A very tight game, tied 3-3 after 2. Buffalo went ahead in the 3rd, and clinched in on Dave Andreychuk’s ENG with 19 seconds left. Ed Belfour played well, stopping 34 of 38, while Doug Smail scored 2G in the loss.




Game 9 - 7-4 W @ DET
This was the Todd Gill show (1G and 3A). Gill scored three points in the 3rd, helping Toronto overcome a 4-2 deficit with five unanswered goals. Wregget wasn’t great, giving up 4 on 19 shots, but the offense more than compensated.


Game 10 - 5-2 L v CGY
The Cup favourite Flames beat the Leafs in a game that was closer than the score indicated. Vinny Damphousse brought the Leafs close (down 3-2) early in the 3rd, but Jim Peplinski scored to make it 4-2 with 85 seconds left, and then got an ENG with 25 seconds left. Mike Vernon was the main reason Toronto lost, as he stopped 32 of 34.


Game 11 - 6-4 W @ NYI
Ron Wilson rejoined the line-up, and scored a SHG midway through the 1st followed by ANOTHER SHG (into an empty net) with 2 seconds left. Dave Reid assisted both of Wilson’s goals, while Pat LaFontaine had 1G 2A in a losing effort.


Game 12 - 4-2 W @ MIN
Toronto won a vital game against the division-rival North Stars. The Leafs never trailed in the game, powered by John Cullen’s 2G and Borje Salming’s 2A. Ed Belfour was also stellar, stopping 30 of 32.



NHL News:

• Ray Ferraro went 4-1-5 in a 7-5 W for HFD over BUF
• Bryan Trottier played his 1,000th game (all for NYI)
• Coach Pat Burns blasted the MTL media; the Habs are off to a slow 6-5-0 start

Zarley Zalapski came back from injury, but Borje Salming was on fire going 1-4-5 in 5 games. So Coach Jason Taylor opted to send struggling Anders Eldebrink to the press box, and keep Salming in the line-up.


Game 13 - 5-1 W @ STL
Another road win over a Norris rival, giving the Leafs a 3-game winning streak. The Leafs dominated, leading 4-0 after nine minutes (chasing Vincent Riendeau, who stopped just 4 of 8). Al Iafrate and Russ Courtnal each had 1G and 2A, while Daniel Marois had 1A and 5 hits in a great performance. Belfour was solid, stopping 17 of 18. STL also suffered another loss in the game: Steve Tambellini suffered major eye trauma due to a stray high stick, and is expected to miss 6 months.

NHL News:

• DET’s Adam Graves received a 6-game suspension after an ugly incident vs. MIN
• Bernie Nicholls went 3-2-5 and Luc Robitaille went 1-4-5 in LAK’s 11-1 curb-stomping of WPG

NYR GM Phil Esposito reached out to GM Taylor, saying his brother Tony described Taylor as reasonable in trade talks. Esposito offered fringe prospect D Murray Duval, 18 for D Alan Hepple, 25. Taylor had no plans at all for Hepple, so he accepted the trade.



LW Craig Simpson on EDM and G Brian Hayward on MTL were POTM

October Lookback

• In October, the Leafs went 7-6-0 with 48 GF and 52 GA. They were first in the Norris, but 2nd-place MIN had two games in hand
• Garry Leeman and Ed Olczyk were clicking with 12 points each, while Zarley Zalapski had averaged a point-per-game so far.
• In net, the rookie Belfour was playing decently, while Ken Wregget was struggling with an awful .838 PCT; he would need to improve.

[uWoHollywood]

Maple Leafs owner Harold Ballard was satisfied with a slightly-better-than .500 record, especially given the Leafs being in rebuilding mode. Ballard reiterated to GM Jason Taylor that he had a green light to make trades focused on prospects and picks, in order to drive success in the (near) future.


Game 14 - 5-1 W v BOS
Toronto dominated Boston, outshooting them 34-12. John Cullen (2G), Vincent Damphouse (2A) and Ed Olczyk (2A) led the offense against Andy Moog and the Bruins. During the game, BOS D Michael Telven was assessed a 5-min Boarding Major. The NHL was NOT pleased, and he was suspended by the NHL for 7 games.


Game 15 - 4-2 W v LAK
Dave Reid scored a SHG midway through the 1st. Wayne Gretzky tied the game at 2-2 early in the 3rd, but Ed Olczyk put the Leafs up with 7:40 left. David Volek iced the game on an ENG with just 25 seconds left. Rollie Melanson stopped 34 of 37 in the loss, while Belfour stopped 23 of 25.



NHL News:

• Former Maple Leafs winger John Anderson reached 600 career points
• Brian Bellows went 4-1-5 and Dino Ciccarelli went 1-4-5 for MIN in a 7-3 W vs CHI
• Dale Hawerchuk had an amazing 3-3-6 night in a 10-6 win for WPG over QUE

Game 16 - 6-3 W @ PIT
In their first (regular season) game since their blockbuster trade, Toronto outplayed the Penguins. The Leafs outshot them 44-25, and came back from being down 3-0 with six unanswered goals. Toronto’s ex-Penguins led the way: Zarley Zalapski had 2A, while John Cullen had 1G and 2A. Ex-Leaf Allan Bester did his best to keep Pittsburgh in it, with 38 saves on 43 shots. Tom Fergus, the other key ex-Leaf from the trade, had an awful game going -2 with just 1 SOG.




Game 17 - 5-2 W v EDM
The Leafs stunned the Oilers for their 7th-straight victory. Ex-Oiler Craig Muni was fired up, leading the Leafs with 3A in his best performance of the season. Ken Wregget was also clutch for Toronto, stopping 33 of 35. Dave Reid didn’t score, but he was a beast defensively with 10 Hits. Reid and Ron Wilson were also critical in shutting down the Oilers’ powerplay (EDM was 0-for-5).

NHL News: Wayne Gretzky’s 1-4-5 night powered the LAK to a 7-4 W vs PIT




Game 18 - 9-5 W v MIN
Make it Eight! The Leafs were down 4-2 after 9 minutes, but Gary Leeman scored with 1:10 left in the 1st apparently opened the floodgates. The Leafs scored 4 in the 2nd and never looked back. Neal Broten’s 1G 2A effort was about all there was to celebrate on the MIN side. Meanwhile, the Leafs’ first line dominated; Olczyk was 3-2-5, Leeman was 1-3-4 and Courtnall was 0-2-2. Zalapski was 1-1-2 and +6 (!!!) on the blueline. Ed Belfour wasn’t great, giving up 5 on 17… but when your team scores 9 no one really cares.


Game 19 - 6-5 W v PIT
NINE! The Leafs led 4-0 after 19 minutes, but Penguins narrowed that lead with 3 goals in just over 3 minutes. Pittsburgh tied the Leafs 5-5 with 14 minutes left in the 3rd, and it looked like the Leafs would choke. Then Dave Reid scored a BUZZER BEATER; his GWG came with just one second left on the clock. Mario Lemieux was a beast, but Toronto kept him off the scoresheet. Fergus scored a goal but overall was unimpressive, while Bester was shelled for 6 goals on 35 shots. Ken Wregget was unfortunately awful, stopping just 18 of 23. Fortunately, Zalapski’s 2-2-4 and +2 evening was a difference-maker for Toronto.




Game 20 - 8-7 W @ WPG - TEN!!!
What a game! A goalie battle this was most definitely not. Brent Ashton tried to win single-handedly for Winnipeg, going 1-4-5 and playing probably the best game of his life. Andrew McBain also went 1-3-4 in the loss. But the Leafs were not losing on this night: Toronto led 2-1 after 1, and 4-3 after 2. Then things went crazy in the 3rd. Mike Bullard tied it 4-4, Vinny Damphousse restored the 5-4 Leafs’ lead, and then Dale Hawerchuk made it 5-5 (all in the first 3:30 of the 3rd period). Borje Salming, Russ Courtnall and Al Iafrate then each scored during a 6-minute span to make it 8-5. Bullard scored again with 3 min left, followed by Thomas Steen cutting the lead to 8-7 with 1:42 left… but the Leafs held on. And shockingly, only 2 of the combined 15 goals were on the PP! Toronto’s first line again won the day; Ed Olczyk 4A, Gary Leeman 3A and Russ Courtnall 2G 1A. Al Iafrate also had 2G.




Game 21 - 7-7 T @ EDM
The winning streak is over, but the Leafs are still unbeaten in 11. Sadly, this featured a nearly-epic collapse by Toronto. The Leafs led 6-1 with 21 minutes left, and 7-4 midway through the 3rd. Unfortunately, Edmonton scored three goals in the final 8:30 to come away with a draw. Grant Fuhr and Ed Belfour were both awful. Jari Kurri led the way with 4A and Craig Simpson had 2G and 1A. On the Toronto side, the first line again came though: Olczyk 2A, Leeman 3G, Courtnall 2A. Zalapski also had his best performance of the season, going 2-1-3 and +2 with 7 SOG, 2 blocked shots, 3 hits and 3 takeaways. Absolutely brilliant, and Zalapski was now riding a 5-game goal streak.

[uWoHollywood]

Game 22 - 6-3 W v STL
It is Nov 21st, and Toronto hasn’t lost in 30 days. Toronto’s first line just keeps rolling, with a combined 2G and 4A. Zarley Zalapski didn’t score a goal, but he came through with 3A. Ken Wregget had a strong game, stopping 34 of 37.




Game 23 - 8-5 W v CHI
What. A. Run. Down 3-1 after 11 minutes, Toronto scored three goals in the last 9 min of the 1st, and led 5-4 after 2. The Leafs put the game away with 3 goals in the 3rd, including a Short-handed AND empty net goal by Dave Reid. Brad Marsh suddenly thought he was Wayne Gretzky, posting 4A. Eddie O was once again the top forward, going 1-3-4. Ed Belfour wasn’t great but was good enough to win, stopping 29 of 34 against his old team.

NHL News: Mats Naslund’s 1-4-5 showing squandered in MTL’s 5-5 with QUE



David Volek had an off-ice incident, angering both fans and teammates. In particular, Dave Reid had to be separated from Volek after ripping into him at the team’s net practice. Wendel Clark phoned Reid later that night and was able to cool him off somewhat, but this resentment was not going away anytime soon.




Game 24 - 8-4 L @ MIN
It’s finally over… the Leafs’ amazing run of 12-0-1 ended at the hands of the North Stars. The Stars led 3-2 after one, and 6-4 after 2. But the Leafs couldn’t get any closer, and Minnesota added two more goals in the final 4:35 to ended the streak. Vincent Damphousse had a hat trick in the loss, while Ed Olcyk turned in an incredible defensive effort with 5 takeaways, 2 hits and 2 blocked shots. Even though Olczyk is an offensive star, he showed a willingness to get his hands dirty and earned even more respect from his teammates. Bob Brooke’s 2-2-4 and +4 effort powered Minnesota. Goaltending was absolutely the difference here; Wrecked stopped just 30 of 38, while Don Beaupre saved 35 of 39. The one silver lining is that the Leafs were to end super-pest Dino Ciccarelli’s 18-game points streak.

NHL News:
PIT rookie Mark Recchi of all people was suspended for 7 games after an illegal check to the head in a 6-2 loss to WSH


Game 25 - 5-2 W v MIN
Toronto took the second half of the home-and-home. A nasty 2nd period saw two fights (Al Iafrate-Bob Rouse and John Cullen-Dave Gagner) along with 5 minor penalties. Bob Brooke tried again to be the hero, scoring twice in the 3rd to narrow it to 3-2. But Ron Wilson and Dave Reid teamed up for yet another SHG to put Toronto up for good. A final ENG solidified the win. The 3rd line of Wilson, Reid and Mike Hough combined for 1G and 6A. Belfour was also great, stopping 28 of 30.



NHL News: Wayne Gretzky reached 600 goals in just 721 games. Utterly astounding. And linemate Luc Robitaille went 1-4-5 in that night’s LAK’s 9-3 drubbing of the NJD



Despite not playing a single NHL game, Wendel Clark’s #17 Leafs jersey was the 18th-best-selling jersey in the NHL for November



C Wayne Gretzky from LAK and G Tom Barrasso from BUF were POTM

NOVEMBER LOOKBACK

• The Leafs put together an incredible month: in November the Leafs were 10-1-1 with 73 GF and 50 GA.
• Two months in: the Leafs are currently 17-7-1 with 121 GF and 102 GA through 25 games. Their winning streak has also propelled them to 1st overall in the league! The Leafs have a 10-point cushion for the Norris division lead ahead of second place Minnesota; every other Norris team is well below .500.
• So far, the Leafs’ Offense was #3, Defense was #13. The Powerplay was struggling (ranked 18 out of 21), but the Penalty Kill was a solid 6th (and 2nd in the NHL with 8 SHG).

Other Highlights:

• Toronto’s platoon goaltending seems to be working. Wregget brought his PCT up to .849; still awful, but at least improving. Belfour appears determined to prove he belongs in the NHL.
• The Leafs’ offense is powered by three amazing performances: Ed Olczyk (11-25-36), Gary Leeman (18-14-32) and Zarley Zalapski (12-18-30 and +19 in just 20GP). NINE other Leafs have between 17-21 points.
• Dave Reid and Ron Wilson have combined for an incredible 12 shorthanded goals, while Reid also has two game-winners.

Other Key Updates:

• Olczyk sits 6th in the NHL in points and 4th in assists
• Among rookie scoring leaders: Zalapski is #1, Daniel Marois is #3 (21 points) and John Cullen is #5 (17 points)
• Among rookie goal leaders: Zalapski is 2nd, Cullen is 4th and Marois is 5th.
• Zalapski is clearly the front-runner for the Calder. His 13 PP points are 2x the next-highest rookie, and tied for 5th among all NHL players.

What an incredible second month of the season. Was this just a hot streak, or was this a sign that the Leafs’ youngsters were already starting to improve?

[uWoHollywood]

Harold Ballard being happy is a… new experience in Toronto. Even more shocking is that Ballard was still being patient enough to stick with a rebuild approach DESPITE his team going on a 12-0-1 run.




Game 26 - 6-6 T @ LAK
The Leafs scored 5 goals in the 2nd, but the Kings responded with 4 goals in the final 22 minutes to end things in a draw. Zarley Zalapski powered the Leafs’ offense with 4A and 9 SOG, while Dave Reid and Gary Leeman each had 1G 2A. The Kings received 2G and 1A apiece from Bernie Nicholls and Steve Duchesne. It was frustrating to see another lead fall away late, but not a shocker considering they were playing the veteran-laden Kings. On a positive note, Ed Olczyk now has an assist in 10 straight games.


Game 27 - 8-2 W @ STL
Toronto thumped the Blues, outshooting them 37-16. They led 4-1 after the first period and never looked back. Strong performances across the board, but the checking line came up huge: Reid, Ron Wilson and Mike Hough combined for 2G and 6A. Ed Olczyk also had a great game, with 3A and +2. Unfortunately, Reid suffered a mild abdominal strain, and will miss a week or so.

NHL News: Bernie Nicholls had a HUGE night a few days later, going 5-1-6 for the LAK in a 10-4 dismantling of WPG. This puts Nicholls at an astounding 30G in 29 GP.




Game 28 - 6-3 L @ DET
A disappointing loss to a struggling Wings team. Detroit outshot Toronto 43-27 despite not having Steve Yzerman in the lineup. The Leafs came out looking tired; no one had a particularly strong game, and Mike Hough was so bad that Taylor chewed him out after the game. Meanwhile, Miroslav Frycer (apparently angry at being traded by Toronto last summer) took it to the Leafs with a 2G 2A night. Ed Belfour was actually solid in the loss, stopping 37 of 42. DET’s Peter Klima was unfortunately injured in the game, with a calf strain putting him out for 2-3 weeks. This loss also ended Eddie O’s assist streak at 11 games.




Game 29 - 6-2 W v DET
Toronto decided to come out of the gate swinging, taking a 3-1 lead in the first 12 minutes. Al Iafrate had a great game with 3A, while Brad Marsh contributed 2G. Ed Olczyk assisted on both of Gary Leeman’s goals, and Ken Wregget had a solid night with 21 saves on 23 shots. But the loss was costly; Leeman suffered a Latissimus Dorsi Strain (if I had a nickel…) and will miss 2-3 weeks.


Game 30 - 5-2 W v CGY
The Flames have not dominated as expected, and this loss left them just two games above .500. Toronto’s three goals in the 2nd, including Olczyk’s goal literally at the end of the period (20:00 time stamp), sealed the deal. Vinny Damphousse had 2G and 1A, and John Cullen had 2A. Belfour was again solid, stopping 20 of 22.




Game 31 - 5-4 L v EDM
A back-and-forth game with plenty of lead changes, and shots were almost even (43-42 for EDM). Jari Kurri’s 2G 2A effort proved too much for Toronto, despite a 1G 2A night from Olczyk. Wregget and Grant Fuhr each made 38 saves, but Edmonton was just a LITTLE better tonight.




Game 32 - 3-2 L @ NJ
Toronto outshot New Jersey 48-22, but Sean Burke absolutely robbed Toronto with 46 saves. The game was 2-2 after the 1st, and then Burke decided he was shutting the door. Ed Olczyk’s frustration was evident when Pat Verbeek suckered him into a fight, resulting in Olczyk receiving a 5 and 10. Zarley Zalapski had 2A, but no one else had a particularly strong night. Belfour unfortunately had a weak showing, allowing 3 goals on 22 shots.


Game 33 - 7-2 L v PHI
Toronto is officially in a funk; they were outshot 50-20 and surrendered 4 goals in the 2nd to put the game away. The nastiness spilled over into a pair of vicious fights; one with Daniel Marois and Jay Wells, the other with Todd Gill and Scott Mellanby. All four players got 5 and 10. Peter Zezel and Ilka Sinsalo each had 2G and 1A, while JJ Daignuealt had 3A. Belfour again struggled, stopping just 36 of 43 before being replaced by Wregget with 12 min left.




Game 34 - 2-2 T v STL
The Leafs outshot the Blues 39-25, and led 2-1 after the first. But then Vincent Riendeau shut the door, with 37 saves on the night. Vinny Damphousse had 2A and the Leafs played well, but Riendeau goalied them.
NHL News: Larry Murphy’s 3-2-5 night for WSH was wasted in a 6-6 T vs. NYR


Game 35 - 4-4 T v PIT
Toronto is now winless in five games. The Leafs scored 3 goals over an 8:26 span in the 3rd period to take a 4-3 lead, but Dan Quinn scored on the PP with 4 min left to tie. Paul Coffey had 2G 1A in a great showing, while the Leafs relied on a balanced effort. Belfour again struggled, allowing 4 on 27.

NHL News: Dennis Savard reached the 900-point mark for CHI


Game 36 - 4-2 W @ BUF
Toronto snapped their skid, outshooting the Sabres 53-30 and never trailing in the game. Dan Daoust, skating in Leeman’s spot, had a nice 1G 1A evening. Ed Belfour had a great night stopping 28 of 30, while Tom Barasso did his best to keep Buffalo in it with an incredible 49 saves. Unfortunately, Damphousse will miss a few days and Zalapski will miss a week, each due to minor injuries suffered in the win.

NHL News: Jari Kurri reached 900 points in just 629 games with EDM

[uWoHollywood]

With the season nearly halfway done, Leafs GM Jason Taylor brought his two goalies into his office. He explained that they would continue to platoon, although Ed Belfour was officially being given the starter’s tag. Taylor stressed that they would continue to split the games roughly 50-50. Ken Wregget clenched his jaw but didn’t complain, and Belfour simply said thank you. Taylor was relieved that both showed maturity, hoping that they would continue to be competitive while also being supportive of one another.


Game 37 - 4-1 W v NYI
Dan Daoust scored with 10 min left to take a 3-1 lead, and then iced the game on an ENG with 2 seconds left. Phil Bourque had 2A and was +3 filling in for Vinny Damphousse, and Wregget stopped 22 of 23 to show he had no intention of letting Belfour keep the starter’s role without a fight.



Unfortunately the next day (Boxing Day), Dan Daoust fell down a flight of stairs. He suffered a dislocated shoulder and other minor injuries, which would put him on the IR for 1-2 months. Gary Leeman was nearly back, so hopefully the impact would be minimized, but still very disappointing for the Leafs to lose their #1 sub.




Game 38 - 3-3 T @ QUE
Quebec scored twice in the first minute of the 2nd to go up 3-1, but the Leafs blueline (Brad Marsh and Borje Salming) tied it up in the 3rd. Toronto outshot Quebec 43-28, but Ron Tuggnut turned in a stellar performance with 40 saves to get the tie. Belfour was solid with 25 saves. Quebec’s stars also saved the day; Peter Stastny (1-2-3 and +3) and Michel Goulet (1-1-2 and +3) had Toronto on the ropes all night.

Year-End Player Poll results:





Game 39 - 6-4 L v QUE
The Nordiques took Toronto down on New Year’s Eve, despite being outshot 33-24. Peter Stastny had an incredible 4-goal night, and Robert Picard had 3A. Ken Wregget’s awful showing (he only stopped 18 of 24) sunk Toronto, although Dave Reid (2A) and Ron Wilson (2G) did their best to keep Toronto in it.



CHI C Denis Savard and MIN G Don Beaupre were POTM

DECEMBER LOOKBACK

• In December the Leafs were 5-5-4 with 66 GF and 51 GA. The returned to the .500 form they showed in October. Several losses and ties were the result of incredible goaltending performances for their opponents, which could suggest the Leafs need a bit more finishing skill up front.
• Toronto’s skid cooled them off somewhat, but at the halfway mark they are still 2nd overall (2 points behind the Flyers). The Leafs are 22-12-5 with 178 GF and 153 GA, and still have a 10-point lead on Minnesota in the Norris.
• Toronto was 3rd in offense, 11th in defense, 2nd in shots for and 6th in shots against. They continued to struggle on the powerplay (19th of 21) and penalty kill (13th), and they would need to improve on these to have a strong playoff run.

Other highlights:

• Toronto had seven players with 13+ goals, and two more in double-digits. The scoring by committee was working for the most part, but their inability to solve hot goalies could indicate they need a clutch scorer (likely on the wings).
• The Leafs continued to be powered by their two star forwards Olczyk (13-39-52) and Leeman (22-17-39 in 29GP), as well as solid offense from their blueline in Al Iafrate (13-18-31) and rookie Zarley Zalapski (15-27-42 and +29 in 31GP).
• In net, Belfour has been streaky but overall decent. Taylor was beginning to question Ken Wregget though; he was far too prone to turning in absolute stinkers, and didn’t seem to be able to maintain top form for more than a few games at a time. With Wregget on the last year of his deal, Taylor would have to make up his mind on whether to extend or trade him.

Other Key Callouts:

• Olczyk is 2nd in the league in assists with 39
• Toronto’s 2nd defense pairing of Zalapski and Craig Muni were T-2nd in +/- at +29
• Brad Marsh led the league with 119 blocked shots
• Ron Wilson was 1st in the league with 5 SHG, and Reid was tied for 2nd with 3 SHG
• And despite not appearing all season, Wendel Clark’s #17 jersey had improved to 14th best-seller among all NHL jerseys in December

[uWoHollywood]

Harold Ballard called his Leafs GM Jason Taylor into his office for a midseason evaluation. In short: he was thrilled. Toronto was easily on pace to win the Norris, the fans were happy, their youngsters were getting lots of playing time, and Taylor had done well so far in rebuilding the team’s farm system. Ballard told him it was a job well done, but cautioned him not to take his foot off the gas. “If you think we’re going to stay a .500 team… don’t be afraid to cut some of our veterans, as long as you can do a fast pivot over the summer to accelerate the rebuild. Oh, and one more thing… don’t f**k it up.” Ballard’s partner Yolanda even called Taylor to let him know Ballard was even SMILING more at home. Taylor was feeling good, but knew they had to get back to their November form.


Game 40 - 6-4 W @ CHI
Garry Leeman (2G 1A) returned to the lineup in style, and Eddie O (1G 2A) loved having him back. Belfour was straight up AWFUL, giving up 3 goals on 4 shots in the first 6 minutes of the game, but Wregget came in and stopped 27 of 28. The Leafs did the same to Jimmy Waite, who gave up 4 goals in 7 shots. After going down 3-0, Toronto scored 4 goals in 8 minutes in the 1st and never trailed again.



Taylor was impressed by Gary Leeman’s star-making performance, and extended for 2Yr @ $340k/yr. He also extended three others:

• Todd Gill for 2Yr @ $200k; Gill was dependable and steady
• Craig Muni for 2Yr @ $87,500; Muni would hold the line whenever Zalapski went charging down the ice!
• Ron Wilson for 2Yr @ $140k; Wilson already had his best points total in eight years, and the season was only halfway over!

Just after the New Year, Penguins GM Tony Esposito (Taylor’s offseason trading partner) came calling, looking for some help shoring up his blueline depth. He was interested in 25 y/o Mike Heidt. Heidt had signed with the Leafs in the offseason, and was doing well with the AHL Newmarket Saints: 9-21-30 in 36 games, with a healthy 53 PIM. Taylor decided to swing for the fences: Heidt could be available, but Taylor had his eye on young Penguins winger Mark Recchi. Esposito initially balked, saying that was too high a price. Taylor said he wasn’t done. What if he also packaged Joe Sacco, the top forward prospect in the Leafs system? Esposito thought about it. After a pause, Taylor continued. “I also heard you were looking to move Mitch Wilson, I could take his contract off your hands.” Esposito took a moment, and then said “I also want a draft pick”. Taylor offered an 11th round pick, and the deal was finalized.

Pittsburgh sent Toronto RW Mark Recchi, 20 and C Mitch Wilson, 26 in exchange for RW Joe Sacco, 19, D Mike Heidt, 25 and an 11th round pick in 1989. Taylor met with both players, and said he was excited to have them aboard. He advised Recchi that he wanted him to get 1st-line minutes in the AHL for now, but said he would be one of the first call-ups in case of injury or poor performance. Taylor also told Wilson he loved what he’s heard about Wilson’s toughness and positive attitude, and said his job would be protecting the youngsters on the AHL Saints. Wilson was happy, but Recchi was dejected. Taylor clarified it was less to do with Recchi’s skill and more due to the fact he didn’t want Recchi getting a handful of minutes a night on the 4th line. Recchi would get his chance soon enough.


Game 41 - 6-3 W @ WSH
Toronto outshot the Capitals 41-27 in a decisive win. The Leafs trailed 2-1 after 1, then scored four times in the next 38 minutes. Dave Reid iced the victory with a shorthanded, empty-net goal. Ron Wilson assisted on both of Reid’s goals, while Al Iafrate also scored twice.

[uWoHollywood]

Winnipeg Jets GM Mike Smith called Leafs GM Jason Taylor in the early hours of the morning. Smith had seen how well Ron Wilson was performing after the last Jets-Leafs trade, and Smith was looking to continue diving deeper into a rebuild. He wanted to know if Taylor would be interested in another veteran ex-Leaf: Randy Carlyle. Smith knew it wouldn’t be one-for-one, but he wanted an All Star to anchor his blueline both now and into the future. He wanted Al Iafrate. Iafrate was currently 2nd on the Leafs with 15 goals, and 4th in points with 34… Smith was asking a lot. This would need to be a lot bigger.

Taylor advised that in order to pry Iafrate away, he would want to expand the deal to include a defenseman he’d had his eye on for some time: Fredrik Olausson. Taylor offered to send Anders Eldebrink the other way; Eldebrink had played well, but ended up in the press box after Borje Salming discovered the fountain of youth. Smith hesitated; he clearly felt Iafrate was better than Olausson, but was on the fence. Taylor also tried something else while he had Smith on the line. “I know you have Teemu Selanne on the injured reserve, and his contract is expensive. Our budget can easily take that hit… and I’d be willing to give you anyone on our farm team for him.” Smith exhaled sharply… he would consult his scouting staff and come back.




Game 42 - 4-0 L v BUF
Talk about being goalied… Tom Barrasso stopped all 39 shots, while Ed Belfour was horrible (giving up 4 goals on 21 shots). Olczyk did his best, playing a strong two-way game. Three other Leafs had 5 shots each (Zarley Zalapski, Mike Hough and Daniel Marois). But Barrasso was unbeatable, and the entire Sabres blueline played some phenomenal defense.

NHL News: BOS C Ken Linseman suffered a ruptured tendon in his foot vs QUE, and would miss three months.

Mike Smith called Taylor back with his demand: Mike Eastwood and Jamie Baker off of Toronto’s farm team, AND a 1st round pick. Taylor was definitely surprised, but not shocked. Smith clearly knew Selanne was a fantastic prospect, but the prodding around Winnipeg’s budget must have resonated. Eastwood was a solid defensive prospect, while Baker was one of the AHL Saints’ top scorers (17-17-34 in 38 games). But Tayor REALLY wanted Selanne in the Leafs pipeline. After pausing, he countered: “You can have Eastwood and Baker, but to get a high pick I’d want some two-way forward depth. Tell you what: give me Danton Cole, and I’ll give you a 2nd round pick for either this year or next year.” Smith told him he’d get back to him after consulting his scouts.


Game 43 - 4-3 W v VAN
A very even game where the lead changed hands a few times. Both Belfour and Steve Weeks turned in solid performances with 30 and 33 saves respectively. And both teams had very balanced offensive contributions, with the Leafs once again getting a clutch SHG from Dave Reid. But in the end, Eddie O’s goal with 6 minutes left was the winner.

Mike Smith was on the line again, and Taylor awaited anxiously. “We want your 89 2nd.” Taylor silently fist pumped, and the deal was finalized that afternoon with the NHL’s office. Winnipeg traded D Randy Carlyle, 32, D Fredrik Olausson, 22, RW Danton Cole, 21 and RW Teemu Selanne, 18 in exchange for D Al Iafrate, 22, D Anders Eldebrink, 28, C Mike Eastwood, 21, C Jamie Baker, 22 and a 2nd round pick in 1989.

This was another big blockbuster, one that Taylor hoped would get the Leafs back into their November form and out of the .500 performances of October and December. The Toronto media had a field day with Taylor at his press conference, as Toronto introduced the four new Maple Leafs ahead of that evening’s game with Washington.

Here are the players Winnipeg received:



D Al Iafrate, 22
15-30-35 and +5 in 41GP so far this year, after a breakout 22-30-52 1987-88 campaign. Iafrate had been with Toronto for his entire 331-game career, and was extremely popular with the Leafs’ faithful. His booming slapshot and incredible speed make him a dangerous threat, especially on the powerplay. The only knock is that he can sometimes get under the skin of his own teammates, and there were questions about his durability. In Winnipeg, Iafrate will be the unquestioned leader of their defense corps, and he will be a pleasure to watch with Dale Hawerchuk on the Jets PP.



D Anders Eldebrink, 28
1-8-9 and -1 in 21GP this season. Eldebrink ihad been playing in Sweden since a brief stint in the NHL (1981-1983) before the Leafs brought him back to North America this past offseason. Eldebrink was signed in order to shore up the Leafs too-thin blueline; he is incredibly gifted as an offensive defenseman, especially his puckhandling. But he was also responsible in his own zone, and well liked by teammates. He started the season on the third pair, with Borje Salming as the #7 D. But Salming proved he still has some gas left in the tank, and Eldebrink has sat out more than he has played this year. He is a very talented D, just not enough to start over a living legend.



C Mike Eastwood, 21
13-15-27 and -8 in 37GP (AHL) this season. Drafted by Toronto in the 5th round of the 1987 draft, Eastwood played collegiate hockey during the 87-88 season and signed with Toronto in August ‘88. Eastwood is projected to be an excellent defensive forward, but also has potential to be a solid playmaker. He was the top C prospect in Toronto’s farm system.



C Jamie Baker, 22
17-17-34 in 38GP (AHL) this season. Baker was undrafted, but was identified by the Leafs’ new scouts as worth taking a flyer on. A solid playmaker who could also play a physical, grinding style. However, the AHL coaching staff did advise Taylor that Baker could become surly with little notice; whether his attitude is worth the talent level is now for Winnipeg to decide.
Toronto also sent their 2nd round pick in 1989 to Winnipeg

And here are the players Toronto received:



D Randy Carlyle, 32
12-13-25 and -20 in 32GP with the Jets this season. Carlyle started his NHL career with Toronto, won a Norris with Pittsburgh (where he was also their Captain), and has been with Winnipeg for parts of six seasons. A veteran with >800 games under his belt, Carlyle is still able to consistently chip in 50 points on a typically-weak Jets squad. He is also regarded as a Superstar, and can play any role on the blueline: offensive, two-way or defensive. And he is an ultimate professional who can provide steady leadership for a young Leafs team.



D Fredrik Olausson, 22
7-19-26 and -14 in 39 GP this season. Olausson is in his third NHL season, with 149 games under his belt. Olausson is a lot like a younger Carlyle; he is skilled offensively, good in the locker room and isn’t afraid to get physical. Iafrate is superior offensively, but Leafs’ management believes Olausson will develop into a better all-round defenseman.



RW Danton Cole, 21
7-18-25 and -4 in 36 GP (AHL) this season. Cole was drafted by the Jets in the 6th round of the 1985 draft, but had yet to play in the NHL. He spent three seasons in US Collegiate hockey, and has spent the 88-89 season with the AHL Moncton Hawks. Cole projects to be a great defensive forwards, but his offensive upside is likely quite limited. After another season or two of development, he may be a good fit either on a checking line or an energy line.



RW Teemu Selanne, 18
6-1-7 and -2 in 17 GP this season. Teemu had been drafted in the 1st round by the Jets in this past summer’s Entry Draft. He was quite happy to continue playing in Finland, meaning the Jets had to give him a massive $295k/yr contract to bring him over. Before he skated on NHL ice, Selanne was making nearly as much as Jets’ legend Hawerchuk, which ruffled feathers among Jets players. On top of that, Selanne suffered a major injury (partially torn labrum) just a week ago; and prior to that he had only shown flashes of the goal scoring ability the Jets were hoping for. Jets’ GM Mike Smith was clearly worried about Selanne’s ability to ramp up, and his durability; especially at that price tag. This is a risky bet on Taylor’s part; parting with two of their top forward prospects AND a 2nd round pick was a large price to pay.

Leafs fans were upset about the loss of Iafrate, but they were thrilled to get a top-tier veteran like Carlyle (especially with him being an ex-Leaf!)

Taylor decided to shift things up on the blueline:

1. Zarley Zalapski was bumped up to the 1st pair, taking Iafrate’s spot on Brad Marsh’s left side. Taylor was interested in seeing what the rookie could do with Olczyk and Leeman.
2. Carlyle and Olausson were already familiar with one another, so they became the second pair.
3. Borje Salming would now be paired with Craig Muni, which should allow Salming to take some risks. Todd Gill was unfortunately now the odd man out, but he seemed to take it in stride; he was confident knowing the team had just extended him.

Selanne was put on Toronto’s IR, and Cole was sent to Newmarket.

One tricky aspect was jersey numbers. Carlyle absolutely insisted on #8, which belonged to fellow ex-Jet Doug Smail. Carlyle bought Smail a Rolex, but Smail was definitely irked at having to give up his number. He will wear #22 the rest of the year.

[uWoHollywood]

Game 44 - 3-2 L v WSH
In a nailbiter, the Capitals managed to edge the Leafs in overtime. Washington was up 2-0, then the Leafs tied it 2-2. And just 29 seconds into overtime, Dale Hunter silenced the Maple Leafs Gardens faithful with the GWG. Not a great showing by Toronto, but the loss of Al Iafrate to Winnipeg was clearly going to have an impact. It would take some time for Brad Marsh and Zarley Zalapski to gel, with the same being said for Borje Salming and Craig Muni. Wregget did his best to keep Toronto in the with 34 saves, but Pete Peeters stopped 38 of 40 for the win. Karma may actually exist though: in the Capitals’ next game, C Dale Hunter got a 5 minute Interference Major; after review, the NHL suspended him for 6 games.

NHL News: RW Doug Brown of NJD suffered a severe neck laceration in a freak accident against NYI. He will miss three months.



In a surprise trade on Jan 12th, the Minnesota North Stars acquired talented C Kelly Kisio from the NY Rangers, sending defensive LW Stew Gavin the other way. Kisio was playing at a point-per-game clip, and Minnesota clearly felt pressured to try and keep up with the Leafs.


Game 45 - 4-3 L v MTL
Another OT loss, this time against their bitter rivals. A back-and-forth game came right down to the wire, with Leeman scoring a clutch PP goal with 10 seconds left. But Claude Lemieux was able to score halfway through OT, silencing the Gardens again. Lemieux finished 1-2-3 and +2 on the night, while Leeman stepped up with 1G and 1A.

NHL News: Some more significant suspensions went out, with QUE C Alan Haworth and DET D Rick Zombo each getting 7 games. Haworth made an illegal check to the head in a WILD 12-6 win over QUE, while Zombo had a Boarding Major against PHI.




Game 46 - 7-4 L v HFD
Three losses in a row since the trade, not the impact Taylor was hoping for. Hartford scored 4 goals on 15 shots in the first. Toronto tied it midway through the 2nd, but the Whalers finished the Leafs off with three unanswered goals. Kevin Dineen (3-2-5, +3) and Dave Tippett (1-3-4, +4) powered the Whalers. Most of the Leafs team struggled, with Leeman’s 1G 1A performance being a bright spot. Wregget was downright awful, stopping just 27 of 34.



Minnesota and the NY Rangers made ANOTHER deal, as Minnesota seeks to pressure Toronto for first in the Norris. MIN sent RW Kjell Dahlin and C Dave Archibald to the Rangers for D Norm Maciver and LW Igor Liba. So far this year, Maciver has 26 points in 38 games, while Liba contributed 10 goals in 25GP. Dahlin was expendable after getting Kisio, and Archibald has spent all year in the AHL. The North Stars aren’t going away.


Game 47 - 5-2 L v MIN
The new-look Stars thumped Toronto 5-2 for the Leafs’ fourth-straight loss. This game was all Minnesota. Igor Liba had the game of his life, going 2-1-3 and +3. Dusan Pasek also played well, going 1-2-3 and +3. The Leafs were sucking wind, with far more poor showing than good ones. Ed Belfour’s 5 goals on 32 shots didn’t help either.


Game 48 - 6-2 W @ MTL
The Leafs snap their losing streak with a decisive victory in Montreal. They outshot the Habs 37-27, and jumped out to a 4-1 lead after the 1st. The first line came though in a big way, combining for 3G and 4A. Olausson also had his best game as a Leaf, with 1G and 1A. Belfour rebounded, stopping 25 of 27, while the Leafs were able to chase Patrick Roy to the bench with 4 goals on 11 shots.



NHL News:

• VAN C Brian Bradley suffered a broken thigh against CHI, and will miss four months.
• CGY C Joe Nieuwendyk went 1-4-5 in the Flames’ 9-2 win over QUE

Game 49 - 5-3 W v BOS
Hopefully the Leafs are getting on a roll. Boston led 2-0 after 2, but then both teams combined for 6 goals in a wild finish that saw Mike Hough get an empty-netter with 1 second left. Eddie O was the best forward tonight, with 2A.

NHL News: LW Igor Liba has now scored in his first four games for MIN


Game 50 - 4-1 W @ DET
The Leafs outshot the Wings 35-21, and scored three unanswered goals over the final two periods. Vinny Damphousse (2A) and Brad Marsh (1G 1A). Ed Belfour was fantastic, stopping 20 of 21.


Game 51 - 6-3 W v NYR
Four in a row! Toronto scored 4 goals in the 2nd. The Rangers scored twice early in the 3rd to make it close, and then Toronto pulled away. Phil Bourque out-pested Tomas Sandstrom, with Sandrom getting 5 and 10 for fighting Bourque. Multiple Leafs had 2 points (Zalapski, Salming, Damphousse, Cullen, Olczyk, Leeman and Marois) in the win. Wregget was not helpful in the victory, allowing 3 goals on 16 shots. Russ Courtnall suffered a minor injury, and would miss a few days.

NHL News: LW Craig Simpson went 2-4-6 in EDM’s 11-1 dismantling of Gretzky’s LAK




Game 52 - 8-1 L @ CHI
Well that win streak came to a screeching halt. Outshot 37-23, not a single Leaf had what could be called a strong game. Doug Wilson had a hat trick, while Mike Hudson (3A) and Denis Savard (1G 2A) excelled for the Hawks. Belfour was absolutely shellacked, stopping just 29 of 37.



EDM RW Jari Kurri and PHI G Ron Hextall were POTM

Wendel Clark moved up to 11th-best-selling jersey, while Ed Olczyk jumped to #16. The extensions to Leeman, Wilson, Muni and Gill resulted in them being ranked #2-#5.

January Lookback

• In January the Leafs were 7-7-0 with 40 GF and 50 GA, although they were incredibly streaky while doing so.
• The Leafs are 29-18-5, 4th overall, with 227 GF and 203 GA. Toronto has now been a .500 team 3 out of 4 months, and Minnesota closed the gap slightly to 7 points.
• Toronto were 5th in Offense, 10th in Defense, 2nd in Shots For, 7th in Shots Against. Powerplay had improved slightly to 17th, and the Penalty Kill was up to 8th.

Other Highlights:

• The Leafs’ balanced attack was demonstrated by 12 players having 30+ points.
• Gary Leeman’s 32 goals ranked 14th in the league
• Ed Olczyk’s 48 assists were 3rd in the NHL
• Dave Reid and Ron Wilson had now combined for 10 SHG, and their 5 each tied them for 1st in the NHL
• Reid and David Volek also buried the hatched, and all was well in the locker room once more.

Other Key Callouts:

• Taylor may have to explore a goaltending upgrade, as both Ed Belfour and Ken Wregget are offering very sub-par goaltending. With Belfour being a new acquisition, Wregget’s days as a Leaf may be numbered.

[uWoHollywood]

Game 53 - 5-2 L @ NYI
The Islanders jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the 1st. Toronto narrowed it to 3-2 in the 2nd, but Pat Flatley scored twice in the 3rd to win the game for NY. The Leafs’ second unit drove their limited offense (combined 1-3-4), but overall Toronto was flat. Brent Sutter (0-3-3) and Flatley (2-1-3) starred for New York. Kelly Hruday was also incredible, stopping 31 of 33. To add insult to injury, Borje Salming fractured his knee and is expected to be out for five months; this would mean Salming would miss the remainder of the season, including the playoffs. The Leafs’ roster was utterly gutted when they got the news at practice the next morning.




Game 54 - 4-2 L v CHI
The Leafs blew a 2-0 lead, surrendering 4 unanswered goals in the final 32 minutes of the game. Chicago iced the game on a PP goal with 23 seconds left. The Blackhawks were fairly balanced offensively, with former Leafs’ captain Rick Vaive playing an incredible defensive game. Darren Pang was the difference maker here, stopping 34 of 36. Ken Wregget was strong in the loss, stopping 39 of 43.



All Star Rosters Announced! D Zarley Zalapski (19-30-49 and +22 in 46GP) and Ed Olczyk (17-48-65 and +15 in 54GP) will represent Toronto in the All-Star Game.





Maple Leafs GM Taylor reached out to NYI GM Bill Torrey, and asked if there were any veteran defensemen available to help Toronto replace Borje Salming. Torrey said D Steve Kondroyd, 27 could be available for a pick and a prospect, and after some haggling Taylor agreed to the priceo. Konroyd immediately jumped on the next flight to Toronto. New York trades D Steve Konroy, 27 in exchange for D Len Esau, 20 and Toronto’s 7th round pick in 1991.



All Star Game was won 11-10 by the Campbell conference in an OT thriller, with LAK C Bernie Nicholls getting the winner. Olczyk (1A) and Zalapski (1G 1A, +3) both contributed, while Jari Kurri’s 5A night was the talk of the town.

NHL News:

• Coming back from the break, NJD LW Aaron Broten had a 1-4-5 night in the Devils’ 6-1 win over DET
• LW Brian Bellows also went off, with a 1-5-6 stat line in MIN’s 8-1 win over VAN
• PHI LW Brian Propp was suspended 7 games after a nasty boarding major; it was a viscous late hit with just 1 second left, and the Flyers were up 5-2 over the Oilers

Game 55 - 4-2 W v PHI
Toronto breaks its 3-game losing streak with a solid 5-1 win. The Leafs outshot the Flyers 33-23, and Ed Belfour was steller with 22 saves. Ed Olczyk had a 1-1-2 and +2 evening, while rookie Daniel Marois has quietly put together an 8-game stretch of excellent efforts (going 2-4-6 over that stretch).


Game 56 - 2-1 W @ NJD
A very even game where a 1-1 tie was broken by John Cullen’s clutch GWG with just 12 seconds left. Belfour was the difference maker here, matching Sean Burke’s 28 saves while allowing one fewer goal.

NHL News: Petr Klima went 3-2-5 in DET’s 6-2 win over WPG



On Feb 15, an all-New York trade went down. The Islanders (3rd-worst in the league) sent C Brent Sutter, 26 (13-35-48 and -21 in 49GP) to the Rangers (4th-best in the league) in exchange for young power forward RW Tomas Sandstrom (27-28-55 and +17 in 51GP).


Game 57 - 4-2 W v HFD
The Leafs might be getting back on a roll. Toronto scored twice in 18 seconds midway through the 1st. Hartford tied it early in the 2nd, but two Leafs goals early in the 3rd put the game out of reach. Ron Francis had 2A in a losing effort. The Leafs’ first line again turned in a strong performance, combining for a 1-3-4 night. Wregget was solid, stopping 22 of 24. Unfortunately Daniel Marois came out of the game with a sore shoulder, and may miss 1-2 weeks.


Game 58 - 7-2 W v NYR
Toronto outshot New York 38-26. The Leafs led 2-1 after 1 and 5-2 after 2 periods, powered by two SHG. 8 different Maple Leafs had 2-point nights in a well-played game.


Game 59 - 6-1 W v NJD
Five in a row! The Leafs outshot New Jersey 35-20, and Dave Reid notched yet another SHG. Toronto’s 4th line was fantastic in this one; Phil Bourque, Doug Smail and David Volek combined to go 4-3-7 in the win. Ken Wregget also stopped 19 of 20.




Game 60 - 6-4 W @ LAK
Six straight! Toronto came out guns blazing, going up 3-0 in the first 15 minutes. The Kings scored three straight to open the second, but Ed Olczyk’s buzzer-beater at the 20:00 mark of the 2nd put Toronto up 5-3, and Randy Carlyle killed the Kings’ comeback courtsey of a PP ENG with 3 seconds left. Wregget wasn’t great, but his 24 saves were good enough. John Tonelli’s 2G 1A night was overshadowed by Wayne Gretzky having an absolutely brutal game offensively, thanks to an excellent defensive effort from Ron Wilson. Ed Olczyk’s 2G 1A effort led the way for Toronto.

[uWoHollywood]

Bill Torrey called Taylor, saying he was interested in 26 y/o C Marty Dallman. Taylor had no plans for Dallman and acknowledged he was on the block; Torry offered LW Sean LeBrun, 19, and Taylor accepted the NYI offer.



On Feb 22, the diverging New York teams made another deal. NYI’s All-Star representative RW Pat Flatley, 25 (11-39-50 and +11 in 60GP) and a 7th round pick in 1989 were sent to the NYR. In exchange, NYI will receive rookie C Darren Turcotte, 20 (10-20-30 and +9 in 40GP) and LW Don Maloney, 30 (2-3-5 and -6 in 31GP). Turcotte was clearly the crown jewel for the Islanders, with Maloney likely being a salary dump (he is out for 1-2 months with a calf laceration).


Game 61 - 8-5 L @ CGY
The Leafs’ 6-game winning streak is snapped by the Flames, despite Toronto outshooting Calgary 35-26. Calary led 3-1 after 1, but Toronto took a 4-3 lead just 8 minutes into the 2nd. Unfortunately the 3rd period was the all-Calgary show, with three straight goals. Toronto didn’t play very well overall, especially their defense (aside from Zarley Zalapski’s 1G 2A and +2 night). Ed Belfour was downright awful, allowing 7 goals on 35 shots; Mike Veron was good enough for Calgary, stopping 30 of 35.

NHL News:

• MIN RW Scott Bjugstad went 3-2-5 in their 7-3 W over CHI
• MTL RW Claude Lemieux went 1-4-5 in their 6-2 W over WPG

On Feb 23, the NY Rangers continued to load up on veterans. They acquired C Barry Pederson, 27 from VAN (5-16-21 in 42GP, even +/-) for the 7th round pick they acquired from the Islanders in the Flatley trade the day before. The Rangers were clearly banking on Pederson returning to his point-per-game form from the last three seasons.




Game 62 - 4-3 W @ VAN
Toronto outshot Vancouver 41-28 and had much better showings across the board. Freddy Olausson had 3A and was +2, to go along with a stellar defensive presence and an amazing 11 shots on goal. Petri Skriko (2-1-3) and Stan Smyl (1-2-3) did their best, but Toronto was simply too much. Wregget had 26 saves, while Steve Weeks tried his best (stopping 37 of 41).



Shortly afterwards, NYR and VAN matched up again on a trade. The Rangers acquired G Steve Weeks, 30 (17-24-1, 4.68, .891) to be their backup. The price was steep, as they gave up 2nd-leading scorer LW Brian Mullen (21-49-70 and -7 in 60GP).


Game 63 - 8-1 L @ MIN
In a word, woof. Don Beaupre stonewalled Toronto with 29 saves on 30 shots. Ed Belfour was chased from the net midway through the 3rd after giving up 8 goals on 36 shots. Bob Brooke, Neal Broten, Norm Maciver and Ken Leiter all had 3 points each for Minnesota. NO ONE on the Leafs played a strong game, and their entire blueline was chewed out by a livid Coach Taylor after the game.

NHL News:

• D Chris Chelios went 3-2-5 for MTL in their 9-2 thumping of VAN
• C Joe Nieuwendyk had an unreal 4-2-6 effort for CGY in an embarrassing 10-0 shutout of WPG

[uWoHollywood]

On the morning of Feb 26th, GM Taylor decided it was time to make a move. Minnesota was nipping at Toronto’s heels, and the NYR were clearly stockpiling veteran talent. Right now if a Leafs’ player went down for an extended period, C Dan Daoust was the only player who could step in, and even then really only as a playmaker. LW Ken Berry, a waiver pickup in the offseason, was not talented enough for anything other than spot duty. Taylor contacted the Quebec Nordiques, and set his sights high: C Peter Stastny and LW Michel Goulet. Quebec’s asking price on Goulet was high, likely because he was from QC. Shockingly QUE GM Martin Madden was quite open to moving Stastny, who was in the midst of a solid season (21-38-59 and -15 in 60GP) on a struggling Nordques team. Madden wanted someone younger, but also able to step into Quebec’s line-up this season.



Taylor asked if there was anyone on the farm who Madden was interested in, and he identified RW Sean McKenna. Taylor paused, mostly to make sure he had heard correctly. McKenna was 26, and having a decent season in the minors (22-21-43 and -8 in 55GP AHL). But the Leafs’ scouts felt he was at his peak (which wasn’t good enough to be an NHL regular, at least for Toronto). Taylor waited a BIT longer to make it seem like he was torn, and then took Madden up on the offer. Quebec traded C Peter Stastny, 32 in exchange RW Sean McKenna, 26. Maple Leafs fans were ecstatic to gain a living legend, and Stastny was eager to play for a contender.



Taylor decided to make ONE more move, although it would mean losing a player who was well liked. Peter Statsny now made Dan Daoust (4-6-10 and +2 in 26GP) redundant, and Taylor wanted a better backup winger than Ken Berry. So he called division rival Ron Caron with an offer: Daoust for Greg Paslawski (8-11-19 and +10 in 53GP), a decent two-way winger. Caron said one-for-one it wasn’t enough; he wanted a prospect and a pick. Taylor took a moment, and reviewed a list of players St. Louis was looking to move. It appeared they had run out of patience with an enforcer on their AHL team named Kelly Chase (12-22-56 and -4 with 246 PIM in 56GP AHL). Taylor took a swing, offering to add Sean LeBrun (18-27-45 and -18 in 54GP AHL) if Caron added Chase, to make it 2-for-2. Caron said he liked the deal, but if he dealing with a division rival, he needed a mid-round pick coming back. After some haggling, they agreed on a 6th round pick, and it became official. St. Louis traded RW Greg Paslawski, 27 and RW Kelly Chase, 21 in exchange for C Dan Daoust, 28 , LW Sean LeBrun, 19 and Toronto’s 6th round pick in 1990.

Taylor now felt much better about the team’s depth. Adding Konroyd, Stastny and Paslawski meant the Leafs would be in good shape if any injuries impacted their roster during the stretch run. David Volek was put in the press box, with Greg Pawlaski now taking over the 4th line RW spot. Phil Bourque moved over to the left wing, which also meant sending Doug Smail to the press box. And Peter Stastny would be their centre on the 4th line. Taylor explained minutes would be limited for now, but Stastny would be the first person moved to the Top Six in case of injury. Smail was furious, but being professional that he is, he bit his tongue. Volek widely followed Smail’s lead, respecting his linemate and mentor’s lead. Konroyd would remain a healthy scratch for now, and Ken Berry was placed on waivers to make room.



Later that afternoon, Taylor got even more good news: Teemu Selanne was ready to play. Taylor called him immediately and advised they were sending him to the AHL. The Leafs’ top two lines were clicking, and the team had just brought in some veterans for a playoff push. Taylor wanted Selanne to work on his conditioning while getting top-line and PP1 minutes with Newmarket.


Game 64 - 6-4 W v STL
The Leafs jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first 6 minutes, chasing Greg Millen from the net (only 1 save on 5 shots). Vincent Riendeau stopped 28 of the next 29 shots, buying time for the Blues to rally with four goals in the 2nd. The momentum shifted in the 3rd: Leafs were able to keep St. Louis from scoring, and Vinny Damphousse getting the insurance ENG with 10 seconds left. Brett Hull (2G) and Cliff Ronning (2A) did their best, but most of the Blues struggled. A balanced Toronto attack saw five players get 2 points. Wregget did well, stopping 31 of 35.



EDM C Jimmy Carson and QUE G Mario Gosselin were POTM

As February drew to a close, Wendel Clark again saw his jersey among top sellers (16th).

February Lookback

• In February the Leafs were 8-4-1 with 49 GF and 45 GA, and finished the month on an 8-2-0 run.
• The Leafs are 37-22-5, 3rd overall, with 276 Gf and 248 GA.
• Toronto were 5th in Offense, 10th in Defense, 2nd in Shots For, 7th in Shots Against. Powerplay had improved slightly to 17th, and the Penalty Kill was up to 8th.

Other Highlights:

• Five Leafs had already scored 20 goals, and 10 have scored 40+ points
• Dave Reid now had an incredible 13 SHP, while Ron Wilson 11

Other Key Callouts:

• Goaltending continues to be the team’s achilles heel; Belfour’s GAA was just below 4.00, and he and Wregget had awful save percentages (.868 and .872 respectively).