Now Comes The Hard Part
W L T Pts Pct GF GA
Toronto Maple Leafs 27 16 3 57 .620 152 133
Statistics, it is said, don't lie. The numbers put up by the
Blue and White so far have been nothing short of incredible. No
one of sane mind or honest soul could say they predicted this.
It would take a good historian to try and find the last time the
Maple Leafs were first in their division or second overall in the
entire league at the All-Star Break. True, Burns took this team
far, but it was never in this style. Any success the Leafs have
had in the last 25-30 years has come at the expense of a weak
Norris division.
The pundits predicted doom, the team that could not score all
last season was moving to the punishing Eastern Conference where
they would get hammered. Statistics don't lie. For weeks, we
have told you to hang on to our hats because this team is
destined to fall. One paper predicted that by the end of this
last 10-game stretch, seven of which have been at the road, "the
Leafs should have fallen back to earth where they belong." After
so many seasons of pitiful hockey it is going to be difficult to
get any respect.
Between now and the trade deadline they must play away from
Toronto 13 times, the majority of those games are against Eastern
teams. Four of the next seven games leading up to the closing of
MLG are on the road, all of them against the East. For more
perspective, only seven of the remaining games are against
Western teams. That means only seven out of 36 games, more
importantly, they will be facing playoff opponents 29 out of the
last 36 games, that is scary. So far this season their record
against their own conference is 11-14-2, which is not so good
especially when compared to their incredible record against the
West which is 16-2-1. That is staggering.
It is hard to imagine a tougher task for any hockey team than the
one the Leafs face. I am by no means suggesting that the first
half was easy, but in comparison...
Just before the break, the team got its first major injury of the
year. While so far it does not look serious, only time can
really tell. After Glenn Healy wrenched his knee, CuJo pulled a
groin just before the break. In years past, groin pulls were
nothing major. But for some bizarre reason, in the modern day
NHL, groin injuries have become quite serious. While the next
games are critical to the season, one can only hope that CuJo
will both take and be given the appropriate time to heal. With
the closing of the Gardens a few short weeks ahead and the
opening of the ACC a week following that, they surely want
CuJo ready. To bring him back too soon would be a big mistake.
The addition of Bryan Berard has been as advertised; a steady
improvement in the power play and no problems off the ice either.
It is quite odd to see the papers being so complementary to Smith
and Dryden of late - especially Al Strachan. Time will tell how
serious a run the Buds are going to make this year. At some
point they are going to have to decide if it worth making a trade
to improve the club for this year's run. Let's hope that success
has not gone to their heads.
As for the rest of the season, let's just enjoy what has been a
great first half, and see what happens. A glance at the paper
today has the Leafs in first place, and the statistics don't lie.
