Felt bad for Schieffle. Wanted him to get this one.

Leafs getting blitzed

2 very disappointing Game 7 blowouts today.

I admire your devotion to hockey. I haven't paid much attention to the NHL since karmanos took my team to tobacco road.

I've become a bigger fan of the sport. I used to say I was more a Hurricanes fan than an NHL fan. But during the playoffs, I find myself watching other NHL Cup games than NBA playoffs. I can still keep up w/other sports news better. But actual game watching hockey is rising up my charts.

And I wish the Canes came from elsewhere besides Hartford. It wasn't just CT's hockey team but their only major league team. I don't get why CT hasn't tried to get a team back.

Honestly, it's just too small of a market and cuts into the Bruins / Islanders / Rangers territory. It was pretty surprising when Hartford was part of the WHA merger to be honest.

I wish it weren't true but Hartford is just the sort of place that gets the occasional Arena football / CBA / indoor soccer team and can't even make those work.

I do miss hearing Brass Bonanza rather than a fog horn for goals scored though. The AA team in Hartford plays it for home runs which keeps the spirit alive at least.

It's media market is bigger than Buffalo, KC, Vegas & Columbus. So while I'm not surprised they don't have a team, I'm surprised no one is evidently trying.

Small-town vibes and small-town mentality I suppose. We have our college hoops and the Greater Hartford Open. It's not all bad; as a kid I got to see Lee Trevino, Curtis Strange, a 70-year-old Sam Snead, Lee Elder, Billy Casper, and Sammy Davis Jr up close and personal.

... and how could I forget Chi Chi Rodiguez performing for the crowd!

The youtube hockey channels are ripping more holes into the Leafs than the Panthers did last night.

Vid 1
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Hee-hee-hee.

I can sum up everything wrong with the Maple Laffs in two words: Joe DiMaggio.

Not the actual Yankee Clipper himself (RIP), but the part where that's what the Maple Leafs are: half Yankee, half Clipper

That team is everything I HATE about the Yankees, how they literally think that they own the sport, how they spend more money than Elon Musk has, how they are fawned over and lionized in the press no matter what they do, to the point where Mets fans feel as though we are gasping for air with the national press (I imagine it's the same for Ottawa)…

…and they are also everything that crushes my soul about my Los Angeles Chokers, er, Clippers. That they constantly find new ways to embarrass themselves, from stupid trades to botched coaching hires to Elton Brand basically conning Baron Davis into coming to join him and then pantsing Baron by fleeing to Philadelphia (and Baron being so fat and useless that we threw a #1 pick at Cleveland to get him off the team…and then Cleveland won the lottery and got Kyrie Irving…) to constantly underperforming in the playoffs, whether we are the most exciting team in basketball or a collection of aging stars where the one I hate the LEAST is the guy I call "Cancer".

Put the endemic toxic arrogance of the Yankees together with the self-destructive bed-****ting of the Clippers, and you have the Leafs. Long may you moan.

(Remember, the Clippers did make it out of the 2nd round once.)

(Once.)

Interesting stat...........

Toronto's Core 4 have 34 combined seasons w/the Leafs & zero appearances in the Conf Finals

Logan Stankoven has yet to finish a full season w/any one team, but will have appeared in both West & East Conf finals before completing his rookie year.

Also, the Panthers under Paul Maurice have not lost a single playoff game in which they have had the lead after any period.

"One team came out of the gate like they were shot out of a cannon and the other…

…came out like they were the Toronto Maple Leafs trying to win a Game 7."

Heh.

Also like the graphic that shows Rantanen with 8 goals in in last 6 playoff games…and Marner with 7 goals in his last 6 playoff seasons. Ouch.

In the interest of piling on.............

https://s3media.247sports.com/Upload.../13103604.jpeg

Huh. How have I never linked the Melody Martin classic, "We Are Never Ever Getting Back to the Playoffs"?

And that was FIVE years ago. (Melody hasn't posted anything in three years. I worry the Sabres have crushed her spirit.)

Tonight starts the ECF. I think the run for my Canes ends this series. The problem is the Panthers has the same strengths as Carolina. But with better players.

I don't think Carolina is that far off from the defending champs. And I think the job this team did after needing to replace a quarter of the team to start the year, the revolving door & inconsistency in the net, & the self imposed headache from the Ratanen trade should get high praise. This should have been a rebuilding year. Now they have reached the "Final 4" w/a number of rooks (Stankoven, Blake, Morrow, Nikishin) getting valuable experience along the way. And they should have $ to spend in the FA market as Burns, Orlov & Fast are probably coming off the books in 2025-26.

But before all that, Canes have a tough job ahead w/Florida. Biggest key: Andersen must continue to play like he has this postseason. It is essential. His counterpart, Bobrovsky is made for this time of year. Half of the reason Florida swept Carolina in '23 was that they had Bobo in net. Mr. Andersen needs to match him save for save.

What is also needed is an individual player to break out. Tkachuk was the other half of the reason for the sweep 2 seasons ago. Carolina's strength is their whole is bigger than their parts sum. Well they need someone to step beyond his boundaries in this one. Doesn't matter who it is. Top line player, defenseman, rookie, veteran, role player. Somebody needs to approach a point & a half average in this series, minimum. Carolina's depth will not be the overwhelming advantage it was in the 1st 2 series.

Talent will be the diff.

Remember, the Leafs put 13 past Bob in games 1-3.

(Of course, they followed that by scoring a grand total of 4 in games 4-7, but some of that could simply be the Leafs being the Leafs.)

That's my thing. Bob can do more. This is as good as it gets w/Freddie. And we know he can do worse.

So obviously Canes got the wind knocked out of them. As I said, Panthers are better at what Carolina does than Carolina. But the main diff was once again Bobo. Both teams made big mistakes. Bobo erased his team's miscues. Panthers made the Canes pay for their bumbles.

Did not agree w/the 1st Aho penalty that ended a Canes PP (If that is a penalty, then there should be 25 PP's a game). But all things were evened when they let the goal off of Aho's skate count. Staal's 1st period give away was a dagger. That had the Canes chasing the game & took the crowd out.

Five goals you usually have some blame for the GT. But I can't blame Freddie. I think 3 of the goals a Panther had the puck @ point blank range. That is on the other skaters to be more physical & keep Florida off the front porch. And then the well executed fast break on an ill-timed change that Andersen had no chance to stop.

So I knew the Canes had an uphill climb. Just don't want a sweep. Hate for this to become a chronic problem where everyone is treating them like the Leafs, Vikings or Bills.