START THE PLAYOFFS, PLEASE!!!!!
Well, Leaf fans, we are 1-0, and seeing how we beat the Stanley
Cup Champions, we therefore must be the best, too. Despite the
tongue-in-cheek optimism, it is hard to be anything but with the
way the Leafs played throughout the exhibition season and through
their first regular season game.
After recording the best exhibition season record in the league,
many were holding their collective breaths on the eve of the
first game vs. Detroit. Well, the Leafs, who are going to have
to play very hard every game to compete, certainly battled in
their debut.
If the first game is an indication of things to come, at least on
an individual basis, then the Leafs should not be nearly as bad
as many of the touts claim. The goals were scored by two guys
who are going to have to contribute in a big way this year.
Steve Thomas will be a help, but both Alyn McCauley and Sergei
Berezin, who both seemed to lose directions to the net under Mike
Murphy, will have to tickle the twine regularly this season. And
after game one they are on pace for 82-goal seasons!
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night was the play of a
relatively unknown player to most fans, Tomas Kaberle, a young
defenseman who seems to have come out of nowhere to not only be
the most impressive rookie in camp, but the most impressive
player in camp completely. In the first game, the youngster
never appeared to be caught up in the moment, and he lead all
players with the most ice time, an incredible 29 minutes and 13
seconds. For new Leaf coach Pat Quinn, this was consistent with
how he has always coached, allowing rookies to play so long as
they felt comfortable. Gone were the Leaf days of old when
kids sat on the bench until they were ice cold and thrown to the
wolves in complete fear of making a mistake.
Part of Quinn's confidence comes from the pillar of strength that
is between the pipes. Newly acquired Curtis Joseph is a fierce
competitor who battles every puck he is able to see. For
whatever reason (it says here it was his tendency to let the soft
goal in of late) the Buds seemed to have lost confidence in Felix
Potvin over the past couple of years. It was obvious enough to
management that they took the great gamble in signing CuJo prior
to having a deal cut for Potvin. Throughout the preseason and
now through game one, CuJo was solid as, well, a rock. Making 37
saves and allowing but one past him.
Before we get too excited, however, there are many questions to
be answered about this club. The offense on this team will
remain anemic until Mats Sundin gets some serious help up front.
That help should be on the way, whenever a deal can be made for
Potvin and or Mathieu Schneider. It is for the same reason that
there is all this hype and optimism. Quinn realizes how
important a good start is. Every point the team earns here in
the early going is worth double at the end of the season when
they will likely be in the hunt for a playoff position.
Without their best offensive point-man, and their starting goalie
from last season in limbo, the pressure is on to win. Any type
of losing streak or negativity could easily effect what other
teams offer for Potvin. GM Mike Smith will have a much easier
time getting quality back if the team is on the good side of
.500. Right now he doesn't look desperate and can afford to wait
for the right deal.
It has been speculated that Schneider will be dealt very shortly,
perhaps in the next day or so, and that could intensify a Potvin
deal. Hypothetically, if a team knows that if it wants Potvin it
will have to take Schneider too, and it hears that a deal is
close with Schneider and another team, the club in question may
have to make a move before it's ready.
So with the final season-opening game at Maple Leaf Gardens in
the books, all Leaf fans can do is watch and wait as this whole
thing unfolds.
