OOTP Developments Forums - View Single Post - Turning Over a New Leaf(s): The 1988-89 Maple Leafs

uWoHollywood · 05-25-2023, 05:29 PM

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?

05-25-2023, 05:29 PM	#12
uWoHollywood Minors (Single A) Join Date: Oct 2017 Posts: 55	November Part II 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? Last edited by uWoHollywood; 06-12-2023 at 01:41 PM.