Air Canada Centre – Toronto, Ontario
Thursday, February 9th, 2017
St. Louis Blues at Toronto Maple Leafs
Thursday, February 23rd, 2017
New York Rangers at Toronto Maple Leafs
With the NHL Trade Deadline upon us, and the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs just around the corner, the various battles to make the playoff cut promises entertaining hockey on a nightly basis.
Here in Toronto, two of the teams that I followed closely as a kid recently passed through town, and that necessitated a trip down to the Air Canada Centre. HDTV hockey is great, but nothing beats being in the rink.
Thanks to three key factors, I followed the Montreal Canadiens while growing up, and they rewarded my loyalty with six Stanley Cups during the 1970’s.
Yet the Habs were almost too easy to cheer for, and I found myself gravitating towards other teams. The St. Louis Blues were, without a doubt, my second favourite team, but for a long stretch in the 70’s, I also harboured a fascination with the New York Rangers.
Upon relocating from Ottawa to Toronto in September of 1991, I tried to attend as many Blues and Rangers games as economically possible. It was easier to secure ducats for pre-season games; I recall such a game at Maple Leafs Gardens, with Dan Blackburn starting in net for New York.
It was slightly easier getting tickets to see the St. Louis Blues. Even with Brett Hull in the lineup. Probably had everything to do with the Leafs and Blues playing each other a number of times a season back then, so familiarity bred cheaper tickets.
Early in the 1992-93 season, I scraped together enough money to buy myself a seat high above one of the nets at Maple Leaf Gardens to watch the visiting Blues tangle with the hometown team.
Not my hometown, mind you; I didn’t technically have one. As a military brat, we moved every two years or so, and by strange coincidence, a couple of years after I had left a city, they ended up with a National Hockey League franchise. It was clearly a pattern. First Vancouver, then Calgary, Edmonton, and finally Ottawa. All received NHL teams after I moved away. Maybe it was something I said.
But back to Toronto, home of the Maple Leafs. A Canadian institution that had seen better days, but I arrived just in time for the Cliff Fletcher-led renaissance, which laid the groundwork for the runaway economic success the Leafs have enjoyed ever since. That, and the passing of owner Harold Ballard. Do not discount that last development.
Growing up, regardless of which city we were living in at any given moment, my first allegiance was to the Montreal Canadiens. The three reasons why…my Dad followed them, Ken Dryden looked cool in that bone/pretzel mask, and they weren’t the Boston Bruins.
Yet Les Canadiens was a handed down passion. Real, but it was in the family. It was expected. The St. Louis Blues were all mine. Turned out to be more of a self-inflicted wound down all these years, but I continue to keep the faith.
Why the Blues?
Again, the Montreal connection. My first clear recollection of watching hockey on TV involved the Blues and Hans knocking heads in the 1968 Stanley Cup Final. I was almost 5, but can still to this day make out shadowy glimpses deep in my memory banks of Glenn Hall in net for the Blues. All those ex-Habs, coached by future Montreal coaching legend Scotty Bowman, were impressive.
Not that I knew it at the time, but the likes of Red Berenson, Terry Crisp, Gerry Melnyk, and Jimmy Roberts pushed Jean Beliveau, Ralph Backstrom and crew, even though they were swept in four straight. Each game was decided by one goal, with two of those going into overtime. Hall was awarded the Conn Smythe as top playoff performer, the second player to do so while playing for the losing team. (Five times the Conn Smythe has gone to a player from the losing team, and the first three times it’s been against the Canadiens).
Those sepia toned memories laid the foundation, but it was Gary Unger that opened the doors.
It took roughly until 1974 before the NHL caught up to the 1960’s. Until then, the vast majority of players looked like they just stepped out of a team picture with Eddie Shore and the Springfield Indians. Crew cuts. And that didn’t cut it in the early 70’s.
Gary Unger was cool, in a sport where the coolest thing going was Derek Sanderson. But he was a Bruin. I couldn’t go there. Besides, Unger could score; a 40 goal scorer in an age where very few players had ever cracked the 50 goal mark in a season.
And he wore the classy uniform of the Blues that sported that simple yet clever crest of the team. The Blue Note. I could almost even draw it, coming close to perfection a number of times on the sides of my running shoes.
Unger was the gateway drug. As a result, I suffered through a number of heartbreaks courtesy of the Blues. Where to begin? 1980, 1986, 1996, etc. Blues’ fans know.
Fast forward to February 2017. Jake Allen gets the start between the pipes for the Blues, while the Leafs counter with Frederik Andersen. Allen’s struggles of late have been widely noted, while there reportedly has been some concern about Anderson’s game. Such is the life of an NHL goaltender.
Allen only had to face one shot in the opening minutes on this night, as the Maple Leafs were buzzing all around his net. Shots on net do not always reflect the true makeup of any given period.
Andersen stands up to the first shot he faces, but soon after the second (Berglund) eludes him. The replay suggests a stoppable shot, but aren’t they all.
Suddenly it was the Blues buzzing around the net. Suddenly it was 7-1 in shots in favour of the visitors. Momentum is a fickle beast.
Andersen makes a great diving glove save off Colton Parayko with 1:37 remaining in the opening period. Think Ryan Miller diving back into the net looking like a shortstop, except this wasn’t an empty net situation.
St. Louis had the only goal in the first period, and outshot Toronto 16-4. Noticed #6 Joel Edmundson a lot. Please tell me the defenceman was born in the New Brunswick city.
Not even close. Brandon, Manitoba.
Former Blues Bill Fairbairn and Glen Hanson were both there. As were Ron Hextall, Bill Ranford, and Matt Calvert.
Where were we?
Air Canada Centre on a mid-February night. Close to 40cm of snow expected tomorrow in New Brunswick. Spring is still a ways away.
Spring means the Stanley Cup playoffs, and the fans, and no doubt management, of the St. Louis Blues thought this would be the year they went far in that tournament. Very far, as in all the way to the Cup Final. At least. After all, the Blues are the only team from the Great Expansion of 1967 that has not won the Stanley Cup. The Flyers have two, the Penguins three, the Stars (albeit in Dallas) one, and the Kings two. The Seals are long gone, basically divided up between the Dallas Stars and the San Jose Sharks.
But zero Stanley Cups for the Blues. After making the Final in 1968, they returned in 1969, and then again in 1970. Went 0-and-12 in games. Put it this way, the last time the Blues were in a Stanley Cup Final game, Bobby Orr flew through the air after scoring arguably the most famous goal in NHL history.
Maybe the Cup drought ends this spring, but with two months remaining in the regular season, things weren’t exactly unfolding as wishful prophecy proclaimed, and three weeks ago the Blues cut loose head coach Ken Hitchcock.
He had already made it known that he wasn’t returning next season, and St. Louis made sure the spare tire was pumped up and ready to go. Former Minnesota Wild head coach Mike Yeo was that tire.
Management made the switch and Yeo is now the Blues’ bench boss. He’ll be expected to not only get the good ship Blue Note into the post-season, but one more home date in the opening round would be much more preferable to a Western wildcard spot.
Back to the game, Andersen is called upon again to make a nice stop off a driving Jori Lehtera, one of a precious scant scoring chances in a rather tepid 2nd period. You’d be forgiven for forgetting that these two clubs used to use clubs on each other during their days as bitter rivals in the Chuck Norris division. This has pretty much been a no hitter.
Can’t say I’ve noticed who the Blues’ celebrated mysterious independent contractors are out there, but also can’t say I’ve noticed much of celebrated sniper Vladimir Tarasenko. He of 25 goals and 52 points in 53 games. Current poster boy for EA Sports.
Feeling the lingering effects of a particularly nasty bug from this past weekend, part of me wants to pack up and head home early, something I rarely ever do. Then I remember the recent Super Bowl. Sleep can wait. And with what happened at the end of the Academy Awards. Yeah, never leave until it’s really over.
This is a game that begs for a goal from the home side. A brave contingent of fans try to rouse their fellow somnambulist brethren with a hearty refrain of Go Leafs Go, but to no avail. Maybe sleep doesn’t have to wait. I can snooze while in my seat. This game hasn’t been one for the ages. Why can’t I be at those 7-6 Islanders-Maple Leafs affairs?
With just over two minutes remaining in the second, Toronto suddenly delivers a series of shots to the Blues’ solar plexus, and that momentarily wakes everybody up.
Just over a minute later, Morgan Rielly goes to the net and collects some Phil Esposito/Steve Shutt garbage lying there and deposits it into the net. Nylander and Kadri with the helpers. And we have a 1-1 tie after two; Blues lead in shots 31-18. More importantly each team recorded 14 shots in net that second period.
The third period is barely underway when it’s announced that Blues’ forward Paul Stastny will miss the remainder of the game with a lower body injury. He of 15 goals and 35 points in 53 games this season.
With 11:57 left in the third period, Alex Pietrangelo gets nabbed for holding the stick. A few close calls for the Maple Leafs, but the best chance comes as the penalty expires. Pietrangelo exists the penalty box, and goes in home free on Andersen…and fires wide.
It always amazes me how many NHL’ers shoot the puck wide. Guess they’re trying to pick the top corners. Kind of like when your father-in-law yells at the pitcher on TV to “just throw strikes” instead of trying to nibble at the corners.
Not long after, the Blues almost spring Tarasenko free. Almost. Would be nice to see Tarasenko do something in this one. Soon after, Jimmy Holmstrom on the organ breaks into a rousing version of Rasputin. The way music is meant to be heard in a hockey barn.
Then it’s Jake Allen’s turn to be busy, and he exhibits some cat like reflexes to keep the puck out of the net.
Super rookie Mitch Marner shows off some nifty stickhandling down low, and had Allen down and out, but the puck chose that moment to jump around, and Marner missed a glorious scoring opportunity. That close to his 15th goal of the season.
Tarasenko again, this time with the puck on a 2-on-1 that developed out of thin air, but they get in too tight, and don’t get off a shot.
With 4:27 remaining in the third, next goal wins.
Over anxious Toronto fans think they’ve scored that winner with 3.2 seconds left, and they may have been correct. The puck dribbled through the pads of Allen, but a quick whistle, or a quick intent to blow the whistle, negated the white thing. The Blues got lucky, and picked up at least a point because of it.
3-on-3 time. My favourite time in hockey.
And then almost right away, Vladimir Tarasenko, who pretty much did the independent contractor’s thing all game, gets the puck, makes a moves, and buries it.
2-1 St. Louis.
Hockey can be a cruel game. And unfair. Tarasenko nabs the First Star honours. Really? After doing nothing all game until that goal? Well, we are a results oriented people.
Allen takes the Second Star honours; Andersen is Third Star, which is fitting for a goaltender’s duel.
Two weeks later, it was time to return to the Air Canada Centre to check out the New York Rangers.
My 2nd favourite of the “Original Six” teams, the Broadway Blueshirts sure have a lot of passionate fans for a franchise that’s won one Stanley Cup in 77 years (and only 4 Cups overall).
Growing up, I always thought of the Rangers as The Team That Just Missed. They were always good, but someone else was always a little better. The Bruins in 1972, heck, the Bruins in the early 70’s. Brad Park never won a Norris Trophy as top defenseman, and that’s a shame. He was very, very good. But he played when Bobby Orr was at his pinnacle, which was every year Orr played but his final injury hobbled ones.
Park summed up the Rangers bridesmaid status for me, so one of my great delights as a hockey fan was being alive when the Broadway Blueshirts finally put the cat-calls of 1940 to rest and edged the Vancouver Canucks in seven to win the Stanley Cup in 1994, in front of absolutely deliriously ecstatic fans at Madison Square Garden.
That was over two decades ago, and only the Maple Leafs (1967) and Canadiens (1993) have gone longer without winning it all from the ranks of the “Original Six”.
The Rangers came close in 2014, losing in a tight five-game Stanley Cup Final to the Los Angeles Kings; New York lost three games in overtime. Would that be future Hockey Hall of Famer Henrik Lundqvist’s only shot at the Cup?
New York also made it to the Eastern Conference Final in 2012, and 2015, so they’ve been a factor for a while now. This time around, the Rangers have to compete with the power house Capitals, the defending Stanley Cup champion Penguins, and the resurgent Blue Jackets. The path to the Cup Final is that much tougher.
The Rangers arrive in Toronto sitting in the first Wild Card spot in the East, which means if the playoffs started today, they’d face the hobbling Montreal Canadiens. Which is a far better matchup that finishing a spot or two higher, and tangling with one of the aforementioned Metropolitan division titans. Which once and for all disproves the slogan Get Met It Pays.
They still could finish first in their division, but the odds are the Rangers will finish 2nd, 3rd, or in that first wildcard position. The Maple Leafs, since losing in overtime to the Blues in that game two weeks ago, have gone 3 and 3, and occupy third spot in the Atlantic Division. It’s a tenuous grasp on a playoff spot, as both the Panthers and Bruins sit a point back. There’s no blinking this time of the year. The Flyers are only 4 points back, though their play of late hasn’t inspired much confidence.
The point being, every point matters. The Rangers, and the Maple Leafs, can afford to let the other leave tonight with the loser point, but they’ve got to gain the two points. Which means this should be a good game.
I plan to keep an eye on King Henry. After all these years, I’ve only had the opportunity to watch him ply his trade in person during late September’s World Cup of Hockey, and the last time I was in the King’s presence, he was beaten for an overtime goal by Nathan MacKinnon of Team North America. Now that was a game for the ages.
There is no doubt Lundqvist will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Game three years after he decides to retire, despite what Islanders’ and Devils’ fans say. He’s been one of the most dominant goaltenders since his NHL debut in 2005. Recently that high level of play has slipped slightly, but Lundqvist has shown that he’s capable of a Hall of Fame level of performance on any given night. Except in Montreal. Can’t explain that one. He also doesn’t dominate the Maple Leafs. Can’t explain that one, either.
Toronto counters with Frederik Andersen in net, and what a game he would turn in.
Rick Nash is stopped in close early on. Nash looks, and skates, like he should be ringing up 40 goal seasons every season. That’s no longer the case, but he looks like he should. So much so that sitting up in the press box, it peeves me to watch him. Yes, Nash does a lot of the other things needed for a good game, but I still think he should be lightning the lamp more. So far this season, he has done so 17 times.
8 minutes in, Andersen stones Mats Zuccarello and Chris Kreider, both on the lip of the crease. Solid goaltending from Andersen all night long. If he can see it, he’ll stop it. That only makes sense, but it doesn’t always work that way.
Three minutes later, the Maple Leafs exert sustained pressure on the Rangers’ net, and Connor Brown deposits a pass/shot for a 1-0 Toronto lead. Then a minute later, they just miss on a 2-on-1.
7 minutes left in the opening period, Kreider goes to the box for hooking. Not for crashing the goalie. Hooking. Man, can Chris Kreider skate! 22 goals so far this season, and a delight to watch.
What did we just say about Anderson? He absolutely robbed a Ranger on a shorthanded chance that developed thanks to lackadaisical Leafs’ defensive play. Something that would happen a lot this evening.
1-0 Toronto after one period.
6 minutes into the second period, Lundqvist has already had a couple of opportunities to show that he’s still on his game. Solid saves with just enough flair. The King has not abdicated his throne. 19,175 in attendance this evening are witness to a goaltending duel.
With 8:26 left in the second period, Frederick Gauthier gets two in the box for goaltender interference. The locals don’t agree with the call, but it’s the only way to keep the guys in pads from being constantly plowed under.
A number of times tonight both Leafs and Rangers players fanned on shots and passes. It was a record breaking 18 degrees Celsius in Toronto earlier this afternoon. Could that have had any effect on the ice?
Less than a minute remaining in the period when J.T. Miller is nabbed for tripping. Rob Del Mundo of The Fischler Report points out that Miller did not have the greatest of 2nd periods, no doubt still frustrated by being robbed by that eye popping Carey Price diving save last game.
1-0 Maple Leafs after two, with the Rangers holding a 25-18 edge in shots.
Rick Nash picks up a tripping penalty early in the 3rd, but it’s the Rangers who go on a 3-on-1, though nothing comes of it. Regardless, the shorthanded team gets a 3-on-1??? Mike Babcock will not be happy about this. And, after the game, Mike Babcock was not happy about it.
Just before the halfway mark of the third, a Ranger is tripped on the way to the net by Nikita Zaitsev. The faithful boo, but it’s the correct call. And it wasn’t enough of a trip to warrant a penalty shot.
The Leafs get an early chance while shorthanded, which is apparently the theme of the night, then the Rangers’ power play takes over. They throw the puck around with authority, and JT Miller finally buries it.
1-1 tie.
Not much to report after that, but with just over 90 seconds to play in the third, Morgan Rielly rings one off the crossbar. Wide open net. Just like the St. Louis game, the Maple Leafs are that close to winning it late. But don’t.
That leads to 3-on-3 time. My favourite time.
The Rangers with 33 shots after regulation time; the Leafs with 31.
JT Miller fans on a close in shot in OT. Another swing and a miss.
Then in the last minute of OT, the game goes nuts. Both teams with solid gold scoring opportunities, but no one can find the back of the net. The Toronto fans, who know the game as well as anybody on the planet, are not always the loudest of fans, but they abandon all reserve during this stretch in play.
That last minute of overtime is worth the price of admission. To paraphrase what hockey great Conn Smythe once said about fighting,” if teams keep playing this way during 3-on-3 hockey, we’ll have to build bigger arenas”.
No result in OT means Shootout time. Lundqvist and Andersen do a quick blocker tap as they pass by en route to their respective benches.
The Leafs go first. The Rangers score first. Austin Matthews knots things up with a nice shot, but the visitors score again. King Henry thwarts Nazim Kadri and then does a stick pump as the Rangers leave with that valuable extra point.
2-1 New York Rangers. (Same score as the St. Louis game two weeks earlier). Mike Zibanejad gets the 3rd star, Frederik Andersen the 2nd with 37 saves, Lundqvist the third with 32 saves.
An alright game that had a great last minute of overtime, and an entertaining shootout.
The Rangers can print playoff tickets. The only question remains which team will they face in the opening round?
As for the Maple Leafs, they next play on Saturday, when the stumbling Montreal Canadiens come to town. Just what the good doctor ordered. (Except it was the Habs that leave town with the two points in a 3-2 OT win). The Push to the Playoffs continue.
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