Yardbarker: Tomas Kaberle

Who will wear the "C" for the Toronto Maple Leafs?

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 08:25:12 -0500

by Mike Jack, Mike Jack's Hockey Articles

With the possibility of Mats Sundin starting the season in Toronto unlikely, the Toronto Maple Leafs may be placing the "C" on a new shoulder, also Bryan McCabe has been traded, the Leafs will also need another Associate Captain.

Coach Ron Wilson has said that there is no rush to name their franchises 18th Captain in team history. He says he doesn't know everyone well enough yet, and will wait for a leader to emerge. They may not even name a captain this season.

In the event that the leafs do name a new Captain this season, here's a list of the Top 5 Players Most Likely to Wear the 'C' for Toronto:

5. Nik Antropov
General Manager Cliff Fletcher has said that Antropov is the only real top 6 forward left on the team. He may lead the team offensively this season, but will he lead them in the locker room as well?

4. Jamal Mayers
Mayers is an experienced veteran that wears his heart on his sleeve. He deserves to wear the "C" on his chest as much as anyone.

3. Pavel Kubina
Kubina is one of the few Leafs with a Stanley Cup ring. He'll most likely end up an Associate Captain. It's to the team's advantage to have defensemen wear the "C" and "A's" because only players on the ice wearing the "C" and "A's" can talk to the officials about rule interpretations and the average defenseman sees more ice time than the average forward.

2. Jason Blake
If Blake can regain the form that made him a 40 goal scorer, perhaps he could lead this team by example. His inspirational battle with cancer last season may inspire others to follow him.

1. Tomas Kaberle
Currently the only Leaf with a letter over their heart is Associate Captain Tomas Kaberle. He represented his team in last season's all-star game, and he's been with the Leafs longer than anyone else on the team. He'd be the ideal candidate.

Who Will Wear The "C" for The Toronto Maple Leafs?

Thu, 02 Oct 2008 01:53:02 -0500

With the possibility of Mats Sundin starting the season in Toronto unlikely, the Toronto Maple Leafs may be placing the "C" on a new shoulder, also Bryan McCabe has been traded, the Leafs will also need another Associate Captain. Coach Ron Wilson has said that there is no rush to name their franchises 18th Captain in team history. He says he doesn't know everyone well enough yet, and will wait for a leader to emerge. They may not even name a captain this season. In the event that the leafs do name a new Captain this season, here's a list of the Top 5 Players Most Likely to Wear the "C" for Toronto: 5. Nik Antropov General Manager Cliff Fletcher has said that Antropov is the only real top 6 forward left on the team. He may lead the team offensively this season, but will he lead them in the locker room as well? For more, go to: http://www.epiccarnival.com/2008/09/who-will-wear-c-for-toronto-maple-leafs.html

Leafs Rant: O Captain, My Captain

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 22:12:14 -0500

With the Mats Sundia era in Toronto nearing its conclusion, a changing of the guard is underway in Toronto. And with that comes the need for a someone new to step in and wear the 'C' for the Leafs. The Leafs currently do not have any "prototypical captains" in their lineup, but there are a few guys who could get the nod this season.

20 Good Things About the 2007-08 Maple Leafs

Tue, 06 May 2008 21:02:24 -0500

A normally negative Leafs blogger resolves to find 20 nice things to say about this year's Maple Leafs.

3 Days Until Deadline: Flyers Trade Rumors

Sat, 23 Feb 2008 14:22:33 -0500

What will the Flyers do? A few weeks ago, when they sat near the top of the Eastern Conference, they figured to make a couple of small moves to gear up for the home stretch. Now, as they slip out of playoff contention, they could either go for broke and make some big moves, or do absolutely nothing. I would bet the Flyers do the latter. I weigh in on the Flyers chances of getting Kaberle, Suter, Boyle, Richards or Kessel

Report: Kaberle to Flyers "Heating Up"

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 12:29:29 -0500

Now that the injury-plagued Flyers know that Peter Forsberg isn't returning this year, they are looking into other ways to improve their club. The Ottawa Sun reports that the Flyers and Toronto Maple Leafs are discussing a possible deal that would send Tomas Kaberle to Philly. There is no word on what the Flyers would be giving up to get the speedy defender. The only problem is Kaberle has a no-trade clause, and he has said in the past that he has no intention of waiving it.

Around the Hockey World

Mon, 18 Feb 2008 22:01:58 -0500

This isn't the way to start a post but it's the news of the day. Mickey Renaud of the Windsor Spitfires of the Ontario Hockey League collapsed and passed away at his home in Tecumseh, Ontario this morning. He was only 19 years of age and was a 5th round draft pick of the Calgary Flames in 2007. He had 21 goals and 20 assists in 56 games this season. He was also the captain. Ted Nolan missed...

Pens Knock Flyers into Third Place, Another Fight Video, Plus the Latest Trade Rumors

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 18:44:26 -0500

For the first time this year, the Penguins beat the Flyers. You may recall that last year, the Penguins owned the Flyers, beating them every time they played. This year, the Flyers had reversed the trend, beating their cross-state rival four times. I expect the Flyers to make a move for another defenseman in the next few days. Rob Blake's name continues to be bandied about, although the Sharks might be the front runner to get him. Other defensemen that have been rumored to be available include Tomas Kaberle, Brian Campbell and John-Michael Liles.

RotoTimes: Fire and Ice - Feb. 1st

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:50:27 -0500

An in depth look at the hottest and coldest players in the NHL from a fantasy point of view.

The NHL All Star Weekend In Review

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 00:01:02 -0500

Say what you want about the National Hockey League. Say they're not doing enough to market the sport. Say they're not getting the product to the right people. Say they're not even trying to get more exposure. Rip them up and down for whatever, but you have to give them credit for what they did this past weekend. They put on a great showcase of talent at a perfect time. We'll discuss television coverage of the NHL at a later time, I'm sure if you're reading this you've got some opinions about that and really ought to check out the posts in the forum section, but this was the sole void in the schedule since the NHL season started: the off-week prior to the Super Bowl. This was the perfect time to put your best out for the sports-starved audience to see what you're made of. Considering the PGA tour was a Tiger-runaway, there was nothing else other than basketball to watch this week – not even NASCAR. So if you could find the NHL All-Star Festivities on Versus, and could get past the shoddy lighting, graphics, and camera-work, you had a really good sports option for the weekend.

Sunday Musings....

Sun, 27 Jan 2008 19:54:29 -0500

Just some quick hits on last night's superskills....hours before today's All Star Game.

Leafs Blog - LEAFS MINUS TUCKER/MCCABE MINUS STUPID PENALTIES PLUS TOSKALA = WINNING (Leafs 4 Rangers 1)

Sun, 28 Oct 2007 16:51:26 -0500

The Toronto Maple Leafs struggled terribly through their first 10 games of the season. Many of us pondered over and over again what the hell was wrong with them. They were scoring a ton of goals but were falling a part in the 3rd period, taking too many stupid penalties, turning over the puck, and Raycroft when he was in net was letting in many soft goals. Looking at the stats the other day I think I figured out what Toronto's problem was,,, it was the penalties they were taking because otherwise they were +16 compared to the L.A. Kings who are the only other team to give up so many goals, who were a -44. So the big picture here is that the Leafs were playing +16 hockey even strength. The really funny thing is that the only notable minus players on the entire team were McCabe -6 and Tucker -4. Take that away and the Leafs were a +26 team even strength! Last night, Sat, October 27/07 the Leafs came out with a solid performance over the Rangers defeating them 4-1. Great game! I'm very happy to see Toskala getting consecutive starts and this better be a pattern for the rest of the year! Ironically, Tucker and McCabe have been out of the lineup for two games straight as the Leafs win both. Maybe that is the solution. Rid of two underachievers, replace them with energetic and speedy rookies (Stralman & Tlusty), don't take stupid penalties, put Toskala in net and the Leafs have two wins in a row! ta dah! Nice to see Kubina with a goal (and an assist) to get the Leafs started in this game, I think he has 9 pts this year already and he is showing up each day looking more like the dman who is making 5 million a year. Toronto with 3 minor penalties, 2 of which were phantom calls that should have never been called. Top defense pairing for Leafs against the Rangers was Kubina and Kaberle who totaled 4pts and +5 for the night. Toskala was great all night, 32 saves on 33 shots. (Lundqvist for the Rangers was also very impressive) Tlusty had another good showing, no points on the scoresheet but led the team with 4 shots, was always in the right place in the offensive zone and was sound defensively. (He did however fail to clear the zone twice in a row in the first period I think it was but I'm sure Maurice talked to him about that!) So thank goodness for Leafs fan,,, things are starting to look a little better. Of course, this is just two wins in a row and it is still just 12 games in to the season but at least we can make the following comparison to the defending Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks: ANAHEIM 12GAMES 4W 7L 1OTL 9PTS 25GF 32GA TORONTO 12GAMES 5W 4L 3OTL 13PTS 46GF 45GA The Leafs have 4 points on the Ducks after 12 games and I would also say the Leafs have more positives and correctable issues vs the Ducks and many other teams around the league,,, so it could have been a lot better start for the Leafs but it is what is and it has been exciting so far and should be an entertaining season for Leaf fans as they battle for a playoff spot. GO LEAFS GO!

Fantasy Hockey`s Top Ten: Defensemen

Mon, 24 Sep 2007 04:34:41 -0500

FIO staff writer Rob Edwards continues his tour around the world of fantasy hockey with his take on the Top Ten Defensemen for this year's fantasy drafts.

Wade Belak gives Cam Janssen a warm welcome

Wed, 21 Mar 2007 13:00:18 -0500

Wade Belak and Cam Janssen discussed their differences last night in the first meeting between the New Jersey Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs since the late hit by Janssen on Tomas Kaberle. Watch the fight here.

Kaberle returns, hopes Janssen doesn't shoot the messenger

Tue, 20 Mar 2007 12:35:40 -0500

Kaberle returns tonight when the Leafs play the Devils. Will the Leafs go after Cam Janssen? No, the Leafs don't have anyone capable of taking Cam Janssen on. Both Belak and Tucker have lost fights to Janssen already this season. If there is an attempt to send a message to the Devils, expect Janssen to shoot the messenger.