Anchor Mike Toth was removed from Sportsnet Connected after a confrontation with a producer on Feb. 7 and he has not returned.
Toth, who's still getting paid, said yesterday his absence has not been categorized as a suspension, but he's anxious to return to work. He declined further comment.
An argument in the Rogers Sportsnet newsroom between Toth and a producer led to physical contact involving Toth either grabbing the producer or putting his arm around him.
David Akande, the head of news and production for Sportsnet, said Toth is on a personal leave, the length of which has not been determined. Will he return?
"I'm optimistic that every situation gets resolved," Akande said.
During his absence, Toth, a Sportsnet veteran, has appeared on The Fan 590 sports radio station in Toronto, which is part of the Rogers Media group. Yesterday, he filled in for co-host Daren Millard on The Fan's noon-hour show, Hockey Central, which is simulcast on Sportsnet.
Smythe v. Leafs
Tom Smythe, son of former Toronto Maple Leafs president Stafford Smythe, expressed dismay this week over the National Hockey League club failing to recognize the contributions of his late father.
Stafford ran the Leafs' organization in the 1960s when the team won four Stanley Cups, but wasn't mentioned during a celebration Saturday at the Air Canada Centre for the 1967 team.
John Lashway, the senior vice-president of communications for team owner Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, said yesterday the club made an arbitrary decision to limit the number of honorees, going no higher than general manager.
Although the 1967 celebration did not make mention of the coinciding 80th anniversary of the first Leafs game, Lashway says there was an in-arena tribute to the anniversary before the 1967 celebration.
Another Smythe grievance had to do with his being denied entry to the directors' lounge subsequent to Steve Stavro stepping down as the head of MLSE a few years ago. Lashway called it a misunderstanding.
The Smythe family, of course, looms large in Leafs history. Conn Smythe, Tom's grandfather, founded the team.
Hugh Smythe, Conn's second son, said yesterday he stopped receiving invitations to visit the lounge after Stavro's departure. Hugh Smythe, the former head of the rheumatic disease unit at Wellesley Hospital in Toronto, was one of the Leafs team doctors in 1967, but wasn't included in the tribute.
Like Tom, Hugh felt Stafford should have been mentioned in the 1967 tribute.
MacLean and Crosby
Ron MacLean has been taking heat for what seemed to be a putdown of Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby a few weeks ago during a panel discussion on Hockey Night in Canada.
But MacLean says he didn't intend to knock Crosby. In fact, he was attempting to defend him.
The exchange, which involved MacLean and former NHL star Mark Messier, started with MacLean saying: "Before we get too carried away with the new rules -- and, I know what you're saying Mark. That's a great point about [Bryan]Trottier would have eaten [Crosby]alive and [Laurie]Boschman and guys like that."
But Messier hadn't talked about 1970s and '80s New York Islanders star Trottier eating Crosby alive. He immediately shook his head and went on to praise Crosby, saying he would be a star in any era.
MacLean says his mistake was a failure to complete his sentence. "I was then going to say, 'but that's not the case.' What I was trying to say was that Trottier may have tried to eat this guy alive, but that wouldn't be the case."
MacLean says he sensed that Messier and 700-plus NHL goal-scorer Brett Hull, who was also on the panel, were implying that it's easier to be an offensive star in today's game.
"It sort of drives me nuts that anybody would say the new NHL is an asset to Crosby," MacLean said. "Because I don't think it is at all. I think Crosby would be a star with or without clutching or grabbing."
Cheek short listed
Tony Kubek and the late Tom Cheek are among the 10 finalists for the Ford C. Frick Award, which is presented annually for major contributions to baseball broadcasting.
Kubek, a long-time NBC colour commentator, was the Toronto Blue Jays' first TV game analyst; Cheek was the club's first radio voice.
NBC's hockey telecast last Sunday afternoon earned a 1 rating (percentage of U.S. households watching), up from 0.9 the previous week.
The three regional games were Washington Capitals-Pittsburgh Penguins, Chicago Blackhawks-New York Rangers and San Jose Sharks-Dallas Stars
Aside from the Crosby-Alex Ovechkin rivalry, there was no compelling reason for viewers to tune in.