"I don't give a rat's a-- what they do in Pittsburgh or Detroit,"

Maybe you should?

Nothing wrong with a little grit and toughness on your team, but um, skill helps win Cups.

Just a guess!

Better one too.

It seems to me that sandpaper has more of a personality then Brian Burke but I do like the fact that he seems to hate today's euro-style of play opposed to the fight filled 3 hour marathon's that the NHL of the 70-80's had, and thats a good thing if you ask me.

The Ducks were a physical team(and still are) when he ran them and it worked while he was winning, but here is the problem, with today's tick-tac penalties being called and the fact that the Leafs have 1/2 the talent the Ducks do will make this style of play very difficult to pull off!

So for right now it's safe to say the Leafs will still lose alot and goon it up even more.

When all else fails, goon it up! Make sure you have good penalty killing if you're going in that direction.

QUOTE:

Originally posted by

Does this mean Kaberle is gone?

I hope so.

QUOTE(#4):

Originally posted 09:57 AM ET  06.24 by Wingsfan#1

It seems to me that sandpaper has more of a personality then Brian Burke but I do like the fact that he seems to hate today's euro-style of play opposed to the fight filled 3 hour marathon's that the NHL of the 70-80's had, and thats a good thing if you ask me.The Ducks were a physical team(and still are) when he ran them and it worked while he was winning, but here is the problem, with today's tick-tac penalties being called and the fact that the Leafs have 1/2 the talent the Ducks do will make this style of play very difficult to pull off!So for right now it's safe to say the Leafs will still lose alot and goon it up even more.

I don't think he thinks they are winning the Cup next year. The Leafs need to get some skilled players and add some grit, then win the Cup :)
I think the Leafs should get Schenn, who is compared to Doan or Evander Kane, who is compared to Lucic but with more offense and goals.

Cant you just see Jason Blake taking MMA training this summer?

I would love to see a tough, physical Leafs team. The east needs a few more physical teams.

QUOTE(#2):

Originally posted 09:14 AM ET  06.24 by DWI-Don't Give a Puck

"I don't give a rat's a-- what they do in Pittsburgh or Detroit," Maybe you should? Nothing wrong with a little grit and toughness on your team, but um, skill helps win Cups.Just a guess!

I'm with Brian B.

And I might actually watch a Leaf's game or two now. They will never again win a cup so they might as well be entertaining.

QUOTE(#9):

Originally posted 11:52 AM ET  06.24 by kelso!

I would love to see a tough, physical Leafs team. The east needs a few more physical teams.

I agree. The east is pretty soft compared to the west.

Put me on the side of choosing skilled players ahead of goons. Skilled players can play physical when the game requires it; goons can't play hockey.

QUOTE(#12):

Originally posted 01:57 PM ET  06.24 by Stranger

Put me on the side of choosing skilled players ahead of goons. Skilled players can play physical when the game requires it; goons can't play hockey.

Exactamundo! (Is that the right spelling?) Well...you get my drift!

QUOTE(#12):

Originally posted 01:57 PM ET  06.24 by Stranger

Put me on the side of choosing skilled players ahead of goons. Skilled players can play physical when the game requires it; goons can't play hockey.

Maybe if you have half a chance at winning. Otherwise go for goons. But refined goons.

That depends on your definition of goon. To me, goon is a very negative word, a la goon squads that bash peoples' heads in, 'cause they're paid to do it - like in Iran, and, the union busting days - thugs with no place in sport. The two toughest guys I ever saw on a hockey rink G, Howe and R, Langway - definitely not goons - although Langway crossed the line the night he pulled Hull's hair implants out, in the infamous Bulls/Jets bench-clearing brawl, instigated by the alltime sports-idiot Glen Sonmor. Sonmor had the distinction of bringing the Hanson brothers to the WHA. Wot's that you say, OMG, BB has Son-of-Hanson on his team. Maybe they should sprinkle Sonmor's ashes around the Air Canada Centre. If the tough guys look like Bob Kelly, Stan Jonathon, Brashear and Stan Smyl, and the elites like Jarome, and the two previously mentioned gents, I say hoo-ray If you're talking Kurt Brackenberry, Dave Semenko and Kim Clackson - the tough but very marginal, no thanks. And if you're thinking Dave Schultz, Steve Durbano - **** off!

Tough like Darcy Tucker or tough like Tie Domi? Please be like Tie Domi and not Darcy Tucker. I don't want to have to hate the Leafs again.

Anybody willing to drop the gloves who can actually play. General enough for me and hopefully specific enough for you.

They will never have a Howe or Languay in TO because the team will be so bad even if they drafted one they'd want out. But they might be lucky enough to stumble onto a Nilan or a Jonathon.

I don't recall much WHA shennanigans as they pissed me off snatching Hull away. In fact I didn't realize Langway even played in it? I thought he was first a Hab. I learned something new....

Should this article be accompanied by the NHLPA's decision on mandatory drug testing?

QUOTE(#18):

Originally posted 06:26 PM ET  06.24 by Hank Kingsley

Anybody willing to drop the gloves who can actually play. General enough for me and hopefully specific enough for you.

Well there is a big difference between the two. 1 Of them is acceptable and the other is a target for headhunters and submarine artists. If he stockpiles the agitators then the Leafs could find themselves as the new Philly of the East. I'm sure the fans don't want to own the PIM category for a bunch of clowns. However, I am guessing that Burke's definition of tough is a Pronger type player. The question is if that is his motivation then why was he riding the Tavares high horse. I think Burke is just spewing a bunch of fan boy lines to gain the support of the Leafs nation.

QUOTE(#15):

Originally posted 04:38 PM ET  06.24 by Hank Kingsley

Maybe if you have half a chance at winning. Otherwise go for goons. But refined goons.

Refined goons? An oxymoron if I ever heard one. I see your point about making the Laffs more entertaining if they can't win, especially in light of the fact that the CBC keeps shoving their games down your throat every Saturday. Still, do you think they can actually find said refined goons? They can't even find 20 half-decent hockey players. With their luck, they'll either find a refined player and a pure goon and make them play on the same line and wonder why the line doesn't click.

And Langway played one season in Birmingham in the WHL before joining the Canadiens' organization.

Yeah, the Birmingham Bulls - previously Toronto Tworows( fan depth) - John Bassett actually put a pretty good team together after Staph Smythe croaked - they also had the likes of Gaston Gingras, Rob Ramage, Mark Napier ( he might've jumped before they went south?), Michel Goulet, Paul Henderson, and that geeky looking dufus that played for the Maple Slacks for about a decade - Vaive? - but, hiring Glen Sonmor after his ultimate-goon-show, as head crotch/general malfeasance of the Minnesota Shyting Faints, was one of the monumental sporting brain-farts alltime. They had a star goalie too, but I can't even picture him. Richard Brodeur keeps jumping into mind and clouding everything up, but it definitely wasn't him - he played for the Nordiques, before going to the Can't-_ucks.