Allsports says “Leafs most Complete Game Yet”

The Leafs and Canadians got together for an entertaining affair last night at the Air Canada Center. The opening ceremony was well done as well honoring the hockey hall inductees but more importantly honoring our War Veterans.

Allsports thinks that the Toronto Maple Leafs played their best, most complete game of the season to date and if you look on the web for sports news stories on the subject you will see that TSN would be in agreement. The Leafs outplayed the Habs right from the opening whistle and the only thing that kept Montreal in the game was their power play. The Canadians got some gratuitous calls in the game and at one point the leafs took three straight goaltender interference penalties. A first in the NHL.

Mikhail Grabovski played a great game, wanting to make a point to his former team that they made a mistake trading him. He was a thorn in Montreal’s collective side all night. He did his fair share of trash talking too. He had both Saku Kiovu and Sergei Kostitsyn upset and chasing him around the ice trying to get a hit on him instead of playing their game. Speaking of Sergei Kostitsyn, he should have had his teeth knocked down his throat for the bush league play he made on Luke Schenn. Schenn was going for the puck on an icing and Kostitsyn purposely took his feet out from under him with his stick. Schenn crashed into the end boards on the play and was a bit shaken. Bone head plays like that could end a guys career and it was a total lack of respect. Hopefully Schenn will get some payback the next time they play. Old Sergei should get his head handed to him for that gutless stunt.

Speaking of gutless Tom Kostopoulos hammered Mike Van Ryn from behind, breaking his nose and hand and giving him a concussion. Kostopoulos should get at least a 10 game suspension for his actions and the Montreal Canadians should be fined big time for their cowardly actions as a team. Guy Carboneau should be held accountable for the way his team acted, it sure gave the storied franchise a black eye and was the worst display of childish behavior I have seen in quite a while. Toronto kicked their asses last night and the Canadians reaction was one of utter poor sportsmanship.

Let me finish by just stating that the Ref’s in the game were crap and missed half of what was going on in the game. Even if there were two of them, but I won’t get started on that topic again. If there was ever a game to have the league take the stupid instigator rule out of the game, this was it. The Canadians had no Guts last night.

Here is the hit on Van Ryns, you be the judge

“No Guts No Glory”

Walt Webb