The PAIN and joy of being a Toronto Maple Leaf fan
First off...my apologies for not writing anything for the past 8 days. It's been a hectic week and a bit and I've done a tonne of stuff. But how can I write about anything else right now?
The Toronto Maple Leafs season is over. They lost tonight 3-2 in OT and the Philadelphia Flyers won the second round series 4 games to 2. The Leafs made a valiant effort to get back in this game tonight. They were down 2 - 0 after one period. They outplayed Philly in the second and were still behind. Then, in the third they slowly started clawing back. With about 10 minutes left - Pilar scored the first one. Then with about 5 minutes left, Sundin tied it. The place was going nuts. With about 1:30 left on the clock, there was a centreing pass and Domi redirected it to the open side of the net. Esche stuck his pad out and stopped it. Overtime was just around the corner. Chances back and forth in OT and finally J.R. scored on a 2 on 1 with a beautiful shot to the top corner that beat Belfour.
Crazy ending to this game...
Crazy ending to this season...
Some observations:
- Nikolai Antropov has to be let go. Even if we get nothing for him...he is a waste of space and must go. He floats around the ice. Pat Quinn is continually loyal to him (and I'm not sure why) but he continues to put him out there for his regular shift. He did nothing of value and even screwed up a 2 on 1 at the end of the game with Niewendyk that could have avoided OT.
- Tie Domi played the best hockey I've ever seen him play. The last 3 weeks of Domi have been amazing. He's been buzzing around everywhere and hustling like crazy. I totally agree with Grapes...WHY THE HELL WASN'T HE PLAYING MORE???
- bringing back Fitzgerald and Reichal into the lineup was a great move. Antropov should have sat though - not Francis. Now Francis will have to live with the legace of playing his final NHL game as a 7 - 2 loser in that shallacking they took on Sunday afternoon.
- Sundin had a fantastic game leading his team tonight (and in Game 4).
- For Philly...so did Primeau in Game 5 and Roenick tonight in Game 6
- That hit by Tucker on Kapanen in OT was spectacular at first but upon further review - I think it was a viscous elbow right to his head - why is there no longer any respect in this game anymore???
- Belfour didn't stand on his head this time around but he sure did in the Ottawa series and had he been human...the Leafs wouldn't even be in this position. I don't think that Esche outplayed him at all though.
- I really like Hitchcock as a coach. Quinn - I'm not so sure of anymore. I think he's had ample opportunity to be a success in the past 6 years but now it might be time to try something new...
- Finally...Bandwagon Leaf fans really piss me off. I wonder how many tools are gonna take those flags off their cars tomorrow morning before they leave home.
My cheering now goes to the Lightning cause I want Tampa Bay to kick Philly's ASS and I am cheering for the Flames to beat San Jose so they can proceed to the Cup Final and hopefully win it all.
A visit from across the Pond
My bro is in town right now. He and his gf arrived on Saturday and they'll be here until Sunday. It's cool hanging with him and Pari. We are all having a good time and doing a lot of family stuff...most importantly with Anand's wedding coming this weekend - we have been seeing a lot of old friends and having a jolly good time (as some would say).
MMD 2004
I planned an event on Sunday which turned out to be a lot of fun. It was the first annual MMD (Marathi Man's Day). I told about 25 different peeps and in the end we had about 15 people attend (would have been more but there were some emergencies). Anyway...despite the $hitty rain and cr@ppy debacle of a Hockey game...the day itself was awesome and everyone had a great time. What motivated me to plan this thing (planning starting a month ago) was that our old Marathi crew don't see each other as much as we should. There is a whole group of us (currently ranging in age from 18 - 35). It was great to get together and go bowling, play fooz, air hockey, ping pong and carrom. We had a great time. And then topped it off by watching parts of Holleywood shuffle. Everyone who came repeatedly told me that they had a good time so I've very happy about that.
Moving?
We looked at some apartments yesterday and I think I found one that I am VERY interested in. The other place (Kdot's old place) isn't going to work anymore. For starters - the new landlord is a COMPLETE BEE-YATCH. She is very disorganized. Tries to make me feel bad cause she made assumptions and didn't base them on anything. Lies about losing my number or not having my application. She won't negotiate. She is trying to stiff me with Parking as well. And, when we saw the place empty yesterday - it just wasn't the same. It looked A LOT smaller. I am back on the renting vs. buying thing and trying to figure out what's going on...
Time for the bed now...
Great season Toronto!!! Just not enough!
Wednesday, May 05, 2004
Monday, April 26, 2004
The intensity of War
I must write a rebuttal to the April 26th blog of Mr. Tchao. He somewhat accurately recounted the events of Saturday the 24th where we went up to Wasaga Beach for some paintballing. He did however forget to mention how it was he who on subsequent games in the "Bus" event - proceeded to die within a combined 8 seconds in both games. I believe it was him in the first one that fell before he got to the bunker and was shot like a lame duck flailing in the sand.
Now regarding the infamous "fart". I must clarify a couple things. It is true however it was not as violent as our protagonist likes to portray it. What was impressive though was when he decided to dash from the overcroded bunker, risking life and limb in order to get to a closer bunker so he could shoot the white team. As he dashed through the jungle, narrowly avoiding bullets, he jumped (John Woo style) over limbs of a branch and showed such great agility and skill in landing directly behind the tree he had targetted. Although the final outcome of getting shot in the ass and on the wrist was tragic - his valient attempt was fearless.
Such cannot be said for the aforementioned hero (or should I say heroine?)
I must write a rebuttal to the April 26th blog of Mr. Tchao. He somewhat accurately recounted the events of Saturday the 24th where we went up to Wasaga Beach for some paintballing. He did however forget to mention how it was he who on subsequent games in the "Bus" event - proceeded to die within a combined 8 seconds in both games. I believe it was him in the first one that fell before he got to the bunker and was shot like a lame duck flailing in the sand.
Now regarding the infamous "fart". I must clarify a couple things. It is true however it was not as violent as our protagonist likes to portray it. What was impressive though was when he decided to dash from the overcroded bunker, risking life and limb in order to get to a closer bunker so he could shoot the white team. As he dashed through the jungle, narrowly avoiding bullets, he jumped (John Woo style) over limbs of a branch and showed such great agility and skill in landing directly behind the tree he had targetted. Although the final outcome of getting shot in the ass and on the wrist was tragic - his valient attempt was fearless.
Such cannot be said for the aforementioned hero (or should I say heroine?)
Friday, April 23, 2004
Combat
Tomorrow I am going Paintballing. I've never done this before so it should be very interesting. I am looking forward to it but also mildly nervous cause I've heard that people get hurt when they play this. I think I have all the equipment I'm going to need...
I'll let you know how I do.
A "Sniper" G
Tomorrow I am going Paintballing. I've never done this before so it should be very interesting. I am looking forward to it but also mildly nervous cause I've heard that people get hurt when they play this. I think I have all the equipment I'm going to need...
I'll let you know how I do.
A "Sniper" G
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
Congratulations and some other things
I am very happy tonight cause the Leafs won Game 7 against the Sens. I also feel very bad for the Senators. They were the better team in this series. They outhit the Leafs, outskated the Leafs and outhustled the Leafs. However - they didn't outscore the Leafs and that's primarily because of one person - Ed Belfour. He is definitely the Leafs MVP so far.
The Senators are a solid young team. Lalime had a bad game tonight - let in 2 SOFT goals that really proved to be the difference. I don't know if I can question their heart. I can't imagine that all those guys don't wanna win really badly... Looking at them and listening to them in the post game interviews - guys like Mike Fischer, and Todd White - those are guys that feel really bad. Hossa had a great series but other than that - where were their snipers? Smolinski, Bondra, Havlat, Bonk and Alfredsson combined for 1 goal in the series - that is a major problem. (That said - several of the Leafs big guns...Mogilny, Francis, Antropov and Renberg didn't have anything in this series). All in all though...Ottawa is a good team that ran into a hot goalie and got beat. 4 years out of the last 5 - they've been eliminated by Toronto. That must be tough to take.
As for Toronto - I am a diehard fan and I felt like they played a pretty solid game tonight. I still think that they can play a lot better though. One thing that is very evident is that they miss Sundin. When you look at the powerplay - there really is no flow. I used to think that it was driven by Leetch and McCabe but now I realize that it's really Sundin who makes thing click and makes those nifty passes. Also, the intangibles he brings as captain are great. I think he'll play in the next series...just not sure when. Francis should be on the 3rd or 4th line. He is a solid player and I'm sure a good addition to the dressing room but he shouldn't be playing 15 - 20 minutes per night.
With Philly coming up...I think that the Leafs have a chance to kill some skeletons from their closet. This year they were 1 and 3 against the Flyers and outscored something like 20 - 3 in 4 games. Belfour is going to have to continue being the man and the Leafs are going to have to shapen up on the Defensive end.
Great character win tonight...let's keep the momentum going into Thursday night.
So in the end - all the teams I wanted to win in the Game 7's were victorious. Now I am cheering for the Habs, Leafs, Flames and whoever in the next round with a Leafs - Flames Stanley Cup Final. We can all dream, can't we???
I am very happy tonight cause the Leafs won Game 7 against the Sens. I also feel very bad for the Senators. They were the better team in this series. They outhit the Leafs, outskated the Leafs and outhustled the Leafs. However - they didn't outscore the Leafs and that's primarily because of one person - Ed Belfour. He is definitely the Leafs MVP so far.
The Senators are a solid young team. Lalime had a bad game tonight - let in 2 SOFT goals that really proved to be the difference. I don't know if I can question their heart. I can't imagine that all those guys don't wanna win really badly... Looking at them and listening to them in the post game interviews - guys like Mike Fischer, and Todd White - those are guys that feel really bad. Hossa had a great series but other than that - where were their snipers? Smolinski, Bondra, Havlat, Bonk and Alfredsson combined for 1 goal in the series - that is a major problem. (That said - several of the Leafs big guns...Mogilny, Francis, Antropov and Renberg didn't have anything in this series). All in all though...Ottawa is a good team that ran into a hot goalie and got beat. 4 years out of the last 5 - they've been eliminated by Toronto. That must be tough to take.
As for Toronto - I am a diehard fan and I felt like they played a pretty solid game tonight. I still think that they can play a lot better though. One thing that is very evident is that they miss Sundin. When you look at the powerplay - there really is no flow. I used to think that it was driven by Leetch and McCabe but now I realize that it's really Sundin who makes thing click and makes those nifty passes. Also, the intangibles he brings as captain are great. I think he'll play in the next series...just not sure when. Francis should be on the 3rd or 4th line. He is a solid player and I'm sure a good addition to the dressing room but he shouldn't be playing 15 - 20 minutes per night.
With Philly coming up...I think that the Leafs have a chance to kill some skeletons from their closet. This year they were 1 and 3 against the Flyers and outscored something like 20 - 3 in 4 games. Belfour is going to have to continue being the man and the Leafs are going to have to shapen up on the Defensive end.
Great character win tonight...let's keep the momentum going into Thursday night.
So in the end - all the teams I wanted to win in the Game 7's were victorious. Now I am cheering for the Habs, Leafs, Flames and whoever in the next round with a Leafs - Flames Stanley Cup Final. We can all dream, can't we???
Monday, April 19, 2004
Game 7
Nothing says excitement like those two words - Game and Seven. All of the Canadian teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs are going to be playing a 7th game to decide their fate.
Montreal - Boston is Monday night at 7:00 pm EST
Calgary - Vancouver is Monday night at 10:30 pm EST
Ottawa - Toronto is Tuesday night at 7:00 pm EST
Toronto has not played a good game yet in this series. They've been outplayed in 6 games and they're lucky to still be alive. They have a chance now to play one solid game and win the series. If they can do that...it will be a complete steal. However - good teams create their own luck. I wonder if Mats will play on Tuesday. I also wanna know what Quinn is going to do to try and increase scoring. Perhaps a top line of Niewendyk, Roberts and Mogilny?
Today is my niece's birthday. I was over for dinner with my family. I made her a scrapbook of a bunch of photos I had of her since I've met here (these photos are stretching back to August, 2001. I had a lot of fun making it. It just took forever to find all of the stuff I needed. Who knew that you could buy Scrapbooks and Notebooks for anywhere from $8.50 - $80.00 at places like Chapters. That was absolutely crazy but I'm glad I ended up finding what I was looking for. She really liked the scrapbook and so did her mom and grandparents so that is all that mattered in the end. I pretty much worked on it all afternoon yesterday and today as it took a lot longer than I anticipated.
One thing I did learn this weekend (and at my niece's) is that I HATE watching hockey (or sports in general) with people who aren't true fans or who don't know what they are talking about when referring to hockey rules/stats/trends, etc. It is really aggravating to hear them talk crap and I absolutely wanna yell and tell them to shut up. I think that's why I end up watching a lot of games on my own at home cause I can't stand the reactions of some people.
That's it...time to start researching for Game 7.
Nothing says excitement like those two words - Game and Seven. All of the Canadian teams in the Stanley Cup Playoffs are going to be playing a 7th game to decide their fate.
Montreal - Boston is Monday night at 7:00 pm EST
Calgary - Vancouver is Monday night at 10:30 pm EST
Ottawa - Toronto is Tuesday night at 7:00 pm EST
Toronto has not played a good game yet in this series. They've been outplayed in 6 games and they're lucky to still be alive. They have a chance now to play one solid game and win the series. If they can do that...it will be a complete steal. However - good teams create their own luck. I wonder if Mats will play on Tuesday. I also wanna know what Quinn is going to do to try and increase scoring. Perhaps a top line of Niewendyk, Roberts and Mogilny?
Today is my niece's birthday. I was over for dinner with my family. I made her a scrapbook of a bunch of photos I had of her since I've met here (these photos are stretching back to August, 2001. I had a lot of fun making it. It just took forever to find all of the stuff I needed. Who knew that you could buy Scrapbooks and Notebooks for anywhere from $8.50 - $80.00 at places like Chapters. That was absolutely crazy but I'm glad I ended up finding what I was looking for. She really liked the scrapbook and so did her mom and grandparents so that is all that mattered in the end. I pretty much worked on it all afternoon yesterday and today as it took a lot longer than I anticipated.
One thing I did learn this weekend (and at my niece's) is that I HATE watching hockey (or sports in general) with people who aren't true fans or who don't know what they are talking about when referring to hockey rules/stats/trends, etc. It is really aggravating to hear them talk crap and I absolutely wanna yell and tell them to shut up. I think that's why I end up watching a lot of games on my own at home cause I can't stand the reactions of some people.
That's it...time to start researching for Game 7.
Sunday, April 18, 2004
Now that's Hockey!!!
It is almost 3:00 am and I am just getting ready for bed. Why you ask? I was just watching the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks in Game 6 of their series. Calgary was up in the series 3 games to 2. Vancouver stormed out tonight and by the middle of the second period, they were leading 4 - 0. Calgary didn't give up though and eventually tied it 4 - 4. Then, the game went into TRIPLE overtime. That was by far the best hockey game I've watched since the Salt Lake City Olympics. It's amazing how EVERY game in this series has been so exciting. I just wish they weren't on as late as they are. It's night and day compared to the Leafs-Sens series (which has been quite a dud).
The nice thing about that one is that the Leafs have a chance to clinch it on Sunday night and then they can rest for a little while. If they do win though...they'll be facing either Tampa Bay or Philly in the next round. Both opponents will present unique challenges for the Leafs so either would be a difficult series.
I went to an engagement party tonight for someone in our Marathi community. It was a lot of fun...and the food was amazing. Mmm...Butter Chicken. That's for you Luen! The eggplant and potato bhaji that my mom made was kick-ass too. Sunday the 18th is Ankita's b-day. I am making her a scrapbook and just putting the finishing touches on it tomorrow morning. I am going to hang at her place tomorrow afternoon and play with her and all her 6 and 7 year old friends. I better get my rest tonight then. :) I do have one dilemna though. We are staying at her place for dinner tomorrow night but the Leaf game is on at 7:00 pm. How can I do both things at once? I might have to miss the first two periods but then race home during the second intermission (it's only a 10 minute drive) to catch the end of the game. I'll have to play it by ear.
Night,
It is almost 3:00 am and I am just getting ready for bed. Why you ask? I was just watching the Calgary Flames and Vancouver Canucks in Game 6 of their series. Calgary was up in the series 3 games to 2. Vancouver stormed out tonight and by the middle of the second period, they were leading 4 - 0. Calgary didn't give up though and eventually tied it 4 - 4. Then, the game went into TRIPLE overtime. That was by far the best hockey game I've watched since the Salt Lake City Olympics. It's amazing how EVERY game in this series has been so exciting. I just wish they weren't on as late as they are. It's night and day compared to the Leafs-Sens series (which has been quite a dud).
The nice thing about that one is that the Leafs have a chance to clinch it on Sunday night and then they can rest for a little while. If they do win though...they'll be facing either Tampa Bay or Philly in the next round. Both opponents will present unique challenges for the Leafs so either would be a difficult series.
I went to an engagement party tonight for someone in our Marathi community. It was a lot of fun...and the food was amazing. Mmm...Butter Chicken. That's for you Luen! The eggplant and potato bhaji that my mom made was kick-ass too. Sunday the 18th is Ankita's b-day. I am making her a scrapbook and just putting the finishing touches on it tomorrow morning. I am going to hang at her place tomorrow afternoon and play with her and all her 6 and 7 year old friends. I better get my rest tonight then. :) I do have one dilemna though. We are staying at her place for dinner tomorrow night but the Leaf game is on at 7:00 pm. How can I do both things at once? I might have to miss the first two periods but then race home during the second intermission (it's only a 10 minute drive) to catch the end of the game. I'll have to play it by ear.
Night,