Wednesday, February 22, 2012 8:04 PM EST
Goalie crisis reaches breaking point in Leaf Nation
JAMES MIRTLE
It’s becoming a familiar sight at the Toronto Maple Leafs practice facility.
Dozens of cameras and reporters all huddled in one end, grouped around the team’s two netminders – who sit side-by-side – for a prolonged question-and-answer period.
After James Reimer and Jonas Gustavsson were both talked out, goalie coach François Allaire then made a rare appearance of his own to try and quiet the storm.
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Wednesday, February 22, 2012 3:18 PM EST
Young Swede shines in minors for Maple Leafs
KYle Cicerelli
While the Maple Leafs mull over their big league goaltending options, Mark Owuya is doing his bit to be noticed in the minors.
Leafs goaltending guru Francois Allaire already likes what he sees in the young Swede.
“Mark is making great progress for us,” said Allaire. “At training camp everything was brand new. I think he was surprised by the speed of the game here. But Mark is a really smart goalie. Right when he went to Reading (of the East Coast Hockey League) he started off very well. He's playing his positioning really well, he's stopping a lot of shots and we are very happy.”
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 3:18 PM EST
Leafs goalie guru Allaire preaches patience
James Mirtle
In a rare move, the Toronto Maple Leafs goalie coach, Francois Allaire, met with the media for 10 minutes after practice on Wednesday.
And his message was, above all, that sometimes goalies take time to get to their potential.
"We've got two young kids in the net," Allaire said. "Not a lot of experience. Nobody has more than 90 games in the NHL. So that's normal and we're right in the middle of [the playoff race].
"We'll see if we're strong enough to get through."
Wednesday, February 22, 2012 12:28 AM EST
NHL: Devils dump Leafs in overtime
JAMES MIRTLE
This was Jonas Gustavsson’s chance.
His counterpart in the Toronto Maple Leafs goal, James Reimer, had struggled to the point that coach Ron Wilson was willing to run with whoever could give him a save, playing a wild game of musical chairs between the two netminders.
Gustavsson’s number came up on Tuesday against the New Jersey Devils, but his big opportunity quickly became a horror show, with three goals beating him five-hole in a 4-3 overtime loss that was almost solely on his shoulders.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 7:43 PM EST
Leafs attempt to bump slump against red-hot Devils
James Mirtle
Martin Brodeur chuckled when he was asked if it felt like he was backstopping the New Jersey Devils of old, given his team's current 8-1-1 hot streak.
"Hockey wise, it's a little different than the old days," he said. "But it's been fun. We're having a great second half of the season."
That they have. If the playoffs started today, the Devils would actually have home-ice advantage in the postseason, as they've gone 22-8-3 since early December.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 12:51 PM EST
What ails the Maple Leafs?
JAMES MIRTLE
The problem is an obvious one. It’s right up on the scoreboard every night.
Where exactly the blame lies, however, isn’t always as clear.
After an ugly road trip through Western Canada that extended their slide to 1-5-0, the Toronto Maple Leafs’ goals-against average has once again crept up to the three-per-game mark.
Monday, February 20, 2012 8:38 PM EST
Reimer to debut new mask
James Mirtle
Perhaps a new mask will mean for better luck for James Reimer.
The Toronto Maple Leafs netminder said Monday he will wear a redesigned helmet in one of his team's upcoming games, although what exactly it will look like remains a closely guarded secret.
It's long been rumoured Reimer could adopt a Transformers themed design due to his nickname, Optimus Reim.
Monday, February 20, 2012 4:07 PM EST
Lupul, Gunnarsson set to play through the pain
James Mirtle
After the butt kicking they absorbed in Vancouver, the Toronto Maple Leafs could certainly use all hands on deck.
And it appears they're going to get that for Tuesday's game against the New Jersey Devils.
Leafs defenceman Carl Gunnarsson and second leading scorer Joffrey Lupul are both a little beat up at the moment, with Gunnarsson missing three games with an ankle injury and Lupul taking a shot off the ankle against the Canucks.
Sunday, February 19, 2012 11:08 PM EST
Maple Leafs go back to the drawing board... again
DAVID EBNER
Sweat dripping from the tip of his nose, Toronto Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf tried to explain what went wrong after his team was blitzed by one of the NHL’s best, the Vancouver Canucks.
“We take pride in being a good defensive team, just like every other team in the league,” said the 6-foot-3 defenceman after he was asked about the Leafs’ style to press offensively, and whether it had helped the Canucks find open ice to pile up the goals in the 6-2 Saturday night rout.
“We don’t talk before games about exchanging [scoring] chances, if that is what you are inferring,” Phaneuf continued, taking some umbrage with the question. “But to be completely honest with you, we talk about being a real good defensive team. And when we have success offensively, it’s because we’re good in our own end.”
Friday, February 17, 2012 12:09 PM EST
Tales from the Leafs last win in Vancouver
James Mirtle
It's been 3,010 days.
Which is nearly nine years and only five games. But it's definitely been a long, long while since the Toronto Maple Leafs have won a hockey game in Vancouver.
The last time they did, Brian Burke was the GM of the Vancouver Canucks.
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Leafs Beat Contributors
James Mirtle
James joined The Globe as an editor and reporter in the sports department in 2005 and now covers the Toronto Maple Leafs. A graduate of Ryerson University and Thompson Rivers University, he has written about hockey from junior on up the past decade and has a background in new media, statistical analysis and blogging. Follow him on Twitter here and Facebook here.
David Shoalts
A native of Wainfleet, Ont., David joined The Globe in 1984 as a layout and copy editor in the sports section. He attended the University of Waterloo and Conestoga College. After graduating in 1978, he worked at the Calgary Herald and the Calgary Sun, and later the Toronto Sun. He has covered the Toronto Maple Leafs and the NHL since 1990 and became a hockey columnist in 2003.
Darren Yourk
Darren is the editor of globesports.com and host of the Hockey Roundtable podcast.
