While to many, the stars of the show last night were Mikhail Grabovksi and Phil Kessel, it's still hard to ignore the fact that James Reimer stopped 27 of 29 shots last night for a .931 save percentage yet again. I would say that although the first goal may have been a softie, it's hard to tell whether or not the puck was tipped, so I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt on it. Obviously, the rest of the team does too, as they have nothing but good things to say about the man:
"He’s a terrible guy," laughed Boyce, sarcasm in full complement. "He’s one of the worst people I’ve ever met in my life."
Truth is James Reimer is about as humble as they come in the business of professional sports. Try finding another married, deeply religious 22-year-old athlete who doesn’t curse—ever. "He says words that sound like swear words," said Boyce, "and you think he swore and you’re like ‘I thought you didn’t swear’. He’s like, ‘No, no, no, I said flack’ or like shoot or frick. He’s funny like that." Joey Crabb admits to using caution when the good-natured kid is around. "I try to watch my swear words around him," he said, grinning ear to ear. "Sometimes I feel bad about the swear words and sometimes I’ll pepper in a couple extra. "
There are some other really great quotes from Wilson, Schenn, and Crabb in there, so I'd highly recommend checking it out. James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail also has a great article about Reimer up as well, so head on over the jump for some Reimer love.
Leaf Links:
Is James Reimer the real deal?
Mirtle with another great interview of Justin Goldman. A must-read, if you haven't already.
Leafs get vital OT win over Pens
Dave Shoalts with a recap over at the Globe and Mail.
The Impact of Kessel " Maple Leafs Hot Stove
In all the hubub about Reimer, Ron Guillet thinks that we're forgetting Kessel's role in the team's recent streak of success.
Kulemin, Gunnarsson and a George Armstrong flashback
Check out the latest article at Vintage Leaf Memories for some thoughts on George Armstrong's style of leadership. Oh yeah, and there are some notes and Kulemin and Gunnarsson too, obviously.
Toronto Maple Leafs Legends: Alexander Godynyuk
A guy who wore 93 before Dougie, who we traded for Dougie.
Game In 10 – Game 64
Xterratu with his two cents over at LeafsHQ.
The Good And The Bad
Jeffler at LeafsHQ was annoyed at the fake trades being Twittered about.
Other Hockey Links:
Grabovski Spoils Matt Niskanen's Party
Head over to PensBurgh for a quick recap and some fan reaction to last night's game.
NHLer Bob Probert suffered from degenerative brain disease, scientists find
This is an interesting article, though I suppose it doesn't tell us anything shocking. It seems that repeated blows to the head over the course of many years will cause the brain to deteriorate faster later after retirement.
Balanced Zone Shift Versus Age, 2007-08 to 2010-11
Bettman's Nightmare looks at the relationship of BZS to age, and includes a bonus graph of Zone Start% versus age as well.
