Why should I put a bunch of Cadillacs on the ice, when I can sell out with a bunch of volkswagens
Harold Ballard
SportsNet – ‘I love you, Toronto’: Masai Ujiri grateful for his time with Raptors
CBC – John Chidley-Hill – Masai Ujiri era ends in Toronto as Raptors move on from longtime president
We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.
Carl Sagan
SportsNet – Toronto Raptors part ways with exec Masai Ujiri
But the fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniuses. They laughed at Columbus, they laughed at Fulton, they laughed at the Wright Brothers. But they also laughed at Bozo the Clown.
Carl Sagan
TSN – Josh Lewenberg – Ujiri’s dismissal has more to do with business than basketball
Develop a built-in bullshit detector.
Ernest Hemingway
Put the kids in with a few old pappy guys who still like to win and the combination is unbeatable.
Conn Smythe
He is just the fourth player in NBA history to win the scoring title, MVP, and Finals MVP in the same season, joining Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Shaquille O’Neal.
Groundhog Day
Toronto Maple Leafs
It certainly seems like Marner is ready to move on, based on what he’s said publicly and what I’ve heard from behind the scenes. The only question is if the offers he wants don’t materialize and if he decides to circle back with the Leafs after July 1. You look at the list above, and it’s clear not many contenders are likely to be able to offer $13 million. Does that matter, in the end? Will he go to a Chicago or San Jose if they’re the only ones that hit that mark? Or re-engage Toronto?
If you pressed me, I’d put this at a 2 percent chance of happening.
Phil has a question:
When it comes to free agency in all sports do the players and teams ask if this signing makes things better.
I would love to be a general manager just for the challenge.
Charles Barkley
Toronto Maple Leafs prospect and London Knights winger Easton Cowan has claimed the Stafford Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the 2025 Memorial Cup.
Sound familiar?
This comes nine years after impending free agent Mitch Marner captured the same honours for the Knights following their tournament victory in 2016.
SportsNet – Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan named Memorial Cup MVP
If you can’t beat ’em in the alley, you can’t beat ’em on the ice.
Conn Smythe
Phil has a question:
What other London Knight won the Memorial Cup MVP a few years before Marner.
The 2025 offseason includes a thin group of high-level free agents with an exploding salary cap atmosphere, meaning Brian Burke’s “the biggest mistakes get made on July 1″ credo is likely to be truer than ever.
ESPN – Rachel Doerrie – Why the Maple Leafs shouldn’t re-sign Mitch Marner
Phil has a question:
Why isn’t Rachel a GM or assistant GM yet.
Some say you have to use your five best players, but I found out you win with the five that fit together best as a team.
Red Auerbach
Phil has a question:
Why is Treliving in such a panic mode.
Kids are great. That’s one of the best things about our business, all the kids you get to meet. It’s a shame they have to grow up to be regular people and come to the games and call you names.
Charles Barkley
TSN – Treliving says Leafs must change ‘between the ears’ after another playoff exit
Phil has a question:
Did Treliving take a bow for the Panthers making the Stanley Cup Finals again with the players he traded there from Calgary leading the way.
TSN – Treliving: ‘We’ll have to see’ on Marner, targets change to Leafs ‘DNA’
SportsNet – Luke Fox – Now what?: 67 stray thoughts on the Toronto Maple Leafs
Phil has a question:
What store sells desire.
Is 1967 the last year the Leafs won the Cup.
Is there a word for when a Leaf leaves.
Why should I put a bunch of Cadillacs on the ice, when I can sell out with a bunch of volkswagens
Harold Ballard
Put the kids in with a few old pappy guys who still like to win and the combination is unbeatable.
Conn Smythe
SportsNet – Luke Fox – Keith Pelley empowers Treliving, Berube in Maple Leafs’ summer of change
Phil has a question:
Why would you dump Shanahan, but keep the GM who traded the Panthers top 2025 playoff scorer to them.
Why would you dump Shanahan, but keep the GM who traded the Panthers top turtle to them.
Why would you dump Shanahan, but keep the GM who failed to sign Mitch Marner to an extension.
If Treliving was with his daddy’s pizza chain would they all be wearing Little Caesar’s uniforms today.
Can Berube convert some of the Anvils to hammers.
In spite of all that, Shanahan did not waver in his belief in the core of the roster — Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Tavares and Morgan Rielly — opting to press ahead with that nucleus even as playoff failures stacked up.
SportsNet – Luke Fox – Maple Leafs’ Shanahan era defined by comfort, not Cups
Blame no one.
Bill Parcells
Phil has a question:
Who you gonna call to replace the core of the roster — Matthews, Marner, Nylander, Tavares and Morgan Rielly.
With so many media scribes offering knee-jerk solutions to sports team performance issues why aren’t any of them ever hired as GMs or coaches.
Phil has a question:
Why would you dump Shanahan, but keep the GM who traded the Panthers top scorer to them.
No one is bigger than the team. If you can’t do things our way, you’re not getting time here and we don’t care who you are.
Gregg Popovich
TSN – After 11 seasons, Shanahan departs Maple Leafs
You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling
You’ve Lost That Loving Feeling
Phil has a question:
Is Shanahan going out for a Pizza.
Is Shanahan going out for a Pizza at Libretto.
How many teams have been as competitive as the Leafs during Shanahan’s time with the Leafs.
Is dumping Shanahan a performance or ticket selling decision.
SportsNet – Justin Bourne – The Maple Leafs are ready for change. But what does that really mean?
Phil has a question:
How is Marner not going to cash in this year when it’s a Mother Hubbard free agent cupboard this summer.
Who are the Leafs going to sign to replace Marner when it’s a Mother Hubbard free agent cupboard this summer.
Greetings. Thanks for being here. Again.
We are gathered here today to remember a hockey team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and its truly remarkable era of non-success (2016-25). On Sunday night, they died as they had lived over the past nine years, showing enough promise that they were “different” to draw everyone in before imploding in spectacular fashion in the biggest moments of their season.
(Official cause of death this time: mauled by Panther.)
Though these Leafs are now gone, they will always live on in our hearts, remembered not-all-that-fondly for winning a ton of regular-season games, piling up individual accolades (and cap hits), and coming up small whenever a true showing of determination and fortitude was needed.
May they rest in peace
…
The Leafs seem so far away from all of that, even if, on paper, this series was close. They lost by one game, sure, but if you never show up for the ones that count, does it matter how many you lose by?
I don’t think so. And, finally, mercifully, for this fan base, there’s no way anyone at the top can either.
It ends with an ugly, tragic, torture theatre observers of this strange, stubborn and supremely talented sporting experiment will swear they saw coming, yet still find hard to grasp as truth and not some sick joke.
After Toronto’s core squandered a 2-0 series lead to the Florida Panthers and no-showed in Game 5, they found a pulse and fed their fans one more spoonful of hope in an all-hands-on-deck Game 6. Open up and say ahhh.
Then they yanked the rug all over again. Another 6-1 loss on the chewed-up, Molson-sloshed home ice they fought so hard to earn over 82 games, this loss tying the largest margin of defeat by any home team in a Game 7 ever.
It ends with gallows-humour “Let’s go Blue Jays!” chants from a sold-out-but-filing-out crowd.
It ends with thousand-mile, multi-million-dollar stares.
And it ends with a literally spitting-mad Marner instructing his teammates to “Wake the (expletive) up!”
SportsNet – Luke Fox – ‘Heartbreaking’: Maple Leafs must end era of Marner, Shanahan
No one remembers who took second place and that will never be me.
Enzo Ferrari
Phil has a question:
Would Mitch Marner look good in an Oilers Jersey.
Would Mitch Marner look good in a Canucks Jersey.
Would Mitch Marner look good in a Jets Treshers Jersey.
Would Mitch Marner look good in a Senators Jersey.
Would Mitch Marner look good in the bleu, blanc et rouge.
Would Mitch Marner look good in a Flames Jersey.
Would Mitch Marner look good in a Bruins jersey.
Would Mitch Marner look good in a Penguins jersey.
Would Mitch Marner look good in an Islanders jersey.
Would Jonathan Toews look good in an Oilers Jersey.
If Toews joins the Oilers and Perry plays one more year will the Oilers change their name to the Retreads.
Sometimes Phil just gotta give in to the Urge.
ESPN – Greg Wyshynski – Marchand makes history, tops Toronto in Game 7 for 5th time
Phil M. Stockmen
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