Game 1 - Win #1 3-2 vs. Detroit

Chris says:

....son of a bitch...

Did....did....did the Leafs just win that?

Wow. Nicely done.

More energy than skill. But I don't say that to be negative. A win is a win. It was a great effort and despite all the roadblocks ahead of them I wish the Leafs the best.

Go Leafs go!

Steve says:

I actually missed the game because I had to play a gig with Shannon Rose...but during our soundcheck, I was able to sneak off to a nearby pub that had the game showing on their patio. I managed to see the 2nd goal the Leafs scored and, while not a pretty goal, it showed that this team is going to fight the other team for every inch of ice out there...

then I was distracted by the group of Uni students that arrived...all the women were in bras and panties...not sure what was going on, but I knew it was going to be a good night all around...

played a great show, and then found out from a buddy that we had actually won!...I was totally shocked!

Great goal (and steal) by Kulemin....

Go Leafs!

next up, the Habs...

Leafs Nation is just a bit worried

Steve says:

so...here are my notes for the last game against Detroit

first of all...we had the Marlies out there..so don't get all freaked...but I am a bit concerned because the errors that were made, were not made by the young uns so much as the team as a whole....

goal #1 - what the heck was Vesa thinking coming out of the net when there were 3 red players deep in the Toronto zone?

goal #2 - Vesa makes a good save but lets out a big rebound which Ian White does nothing with in terms of defending and Detroit puts it in...I dont blame Vesa for that one...Ian White was just standing there

goal #3 - another rebound, another non play by the Leaf D man. White and Coli are both to blame...they were killing a penalty, but it was weak PK indeed

goal #4 - i cant believe Vesa lets that in...routine shot should have been a routine save.

Battaglia looked really good out there...had a lot of presence which is missing from the blue and white...

Chris says:

I had to fight the urge to pick up a pair scalped tickets to this event. S and I were meeting friends at a Jays game and we had to walk by a looooong line of scalpers just to get there. So unfortunately I won’t be able to offer up a first hand POV to this game. However, a buddy of mine wasn’t above flaunting his seats to me over drinks the night before.

When I quizzed him about the game after the fact he wasn’t able to give me the details of who scored and who was in net. BUT, he did remember that they asked fans to stay behind after the fact to be extras in the new upcoming Mike Myers’ film being shot here in Toronto, Love Guru. He’s Australian so he can be forgiven for his faulty hockey memory. As an aside, I got a sneak peek at the Love Guru script, it’s going to be hilarious and a nice shot in the arm for Leaf fans.

Here’s all you need to know about the game.

Detroit 4. Toronto 0.

And Toskala was puckstopping, in theory anyway. I forget, how much are we paying to have two goaltenders who can’t keep the puck out of the back of the net?

Postscript: Downie got a twenty game suspension, when and if he makes it to the big leagues. Not long enough IMO.