Takin' a T/O With BT: Is "Old School" Hockey in The Toronto Maple Leafs Future?

It wasn't pretty, dainty, soft, cute, or cushy, but boy was it fun to watch.

Many fans went in to last night's Toronto Maple Leafs/Montreal Canadiens game with the expectation that the Leafs would seek a bit of revenge on the fight card against Tom Kostopolous' hit on Mike Van Ryn earlier in the season, as well as be able to keep the game close with Jaroslav Halak between the pipes for the Habs in place of Carey Price.

Sure Jamal Mayers got payback on Kostopolous midway through the second period, but there was something else.

82 penalty minutes and a 6-2 loss later, there was a different sequence of events that had Leafs fans abuzz.

Mikhail Grabovski and, to a lesser extent, Brad May.

For the first time this season, we finally saw some real fire from the pint-sized European

We had seen talent, comittment, and some two-way ability from the former Hab, but never anything like this.

Grabovski earned himself two ten-minute misconducts, a game misconduct, he nearly fought Sergei Kostitsyn, and left Montreal fans with something to stew about as well as the NHL Head Office with something to keep an eye on with a slight shove and a bit of a snow plow.

While I will never condone any sort of unnecessary contact with an official (being an umpire, having an angry player touch you is unsettling as you don't know what they'll do), but even if Grabovski was suspended for that, I'd still be impressed by the fire and the spunk Grabovski showed in the loss.

To be honest, seeing that kind of passion was nice.

But in watching the highlights of Grabovski's last "hoo-rah" in Montreal, it's the newest Leaf that I was impressed with.

Yup, in an old-time game it was old-time acquisition Brad May that made the biggest difference.

Let's face it, when the "May for a draft pick" trade was announced, many thought that John Ferguson Jr. was back in charge of the team and that the "rebuilding" process was on hiatus as Brian Burke was swapping draft picks for pending free agents.

But look at everything May did: He brought an attitude to the team in just one game, he had an outstanding fight in which he demonstrated some excellent footwork and the ability to switch hands on the fly, and (whether Grabovski understood or not) he was yelling something at Grabovski during his "incident".

Whether it was advice or encouragment, May was showing the attitude that this team needs to have: Communicate with each other, support each other, and teach.

If May can somehow convince Grabovski to bring that intensity to each and every game with him—maybe not to the ejection and potential suspension degree—then the Leafs have a scoring threat who'll be able to stand up for himself (A tough European? Don Cherry could go on for hours on Hockey Night in Canada with that...).

Sidenote: If any of you watched the Sportsnet post game show, then I want to talk about Nick Kypreos' comments for a second.

In short, he's right.

Grabovski does need to learn to bring that fire each and every night, not just against his former team. If he can do that, he'll be a truly dangerous player in this league.

If May can show Andre Deveaux how to properly fight, using footwork and coordination, then the Leafs won't only have a skilled fighter for the next three months, but for years to come as well.

Even if May can show some of the guys on the roster that it's ok to get your nose dirty once in a while and not leave everything to the "tough guys", then he'll have done some good.

As it stands right now, the Leafs as a team, were an uninspired, quiet, pushover team before May arrived.

Akin to when Robin Williams' helicopter landed in Good Morning Vietnam, the Leafs have a new lease on life. Whether they win or not, there's a sense of excitement in the team. They're willing to fight now, and whether May is only around for half-a-season or 2009/10 as well, they may not win much but at least he'll help them be unified and he's re-energized the troops.

And maybe if Mikhail Grabovski and Andre Deveaux can be the Bahamian and European installments of Forrest Whittaker, then May's lessons may not be forgotten long after he's gone.

And if not, it was worth the shot.

Giving up the draft pick still stings, but the likelihood of finding a Pavel Datsyuk or a Henrik Zetterberg for the Leafs that late in the draft is low.

Agree or disagree with the acquisition though, at least it gives you something fun to watch over the next little while.

Besides, if the young guys on this team are still good students, May's lessons to the roster could pay his price in spades.

Looks like we're in for a fight-filled few months Leafs fans. See? Losing can be fun!

Bryan Thiel is a Senior Writer and an NHL Community Leader for Bleacher Report. If you want to get in contact with Bryan you can do so through his profile, and you can also check out all of his previous work in his archives.