Fishing trips are over, rookie camps are open, and hockey news is kicking back up again. With just 9 days until the Leafs' pre-season, the hockey world is starting to feel alive again. The short offseason was helpful, but it still feels like a breath of fresh rink-air.

Definitely check out Dellow's piece, A Shareholder’s Lament: Part I. I know we've spent all summer re-hashing Grabovski's season, but I'm really excited whenever there's an opportunity to tie on-ice behavior to statistical performance. I hope we end up getting the chance to answer the "how" - rather than just the "what" - more often.

Leaf Links:

A Shareholder’s Lament: Part I | mc79hockey.com
Dellow looks at the Leafs' shots for and against with Grabovski and Phaneuf on the ice.

The most crushing Leaf playoff defeats in my lifetime….
VLM managed to narrow it down to just five.

Leafs Rookie Tournament Opens Tonight Against Chicago - Pension Plan Puppets
Chemmy added some highlights to the rookie tournament thread, so make sure you head over and check it out.

Around the League:

Canada's (possible) new Sochi 2014 jersey leaked, and it's a doozy - SBNation.com
Team Canada's jerseys were leaked last night, and they look hideous, too. Stupid fake laces, prominent corporate logo, asymmetrical arm band, and gold lacing around the maple leaf for good "jinxing" measure.

Overreactions, Sabres Third Jersey Edition: Guys, this shouldn’t be hard. Really. | 3rd Man In
Great reaction to the Sabres' new third jersey, which is somehow still the ugliest jersey of the summer.

Flames Hire Brian Burke as President of Hockey Operations - Matchsticks and Gasoline
He's baaaaaack.

From The Branches