The latest story out of the Leafs' team-building/promotional/big-military-expenditure trip to Trenton focuses on the close bond between Leafs' defender John-Michael Liles and his brother, who is currently fighting overseas in Iraq with the U.S. Military. From the ritzy Trenton Holiday Inn, James Mirtle brings us the story:

"It definitely touched guys in different ways," Liles said. "For me, it was something that hit really close to home. I felt like I could relate to a lot of those guys [on the base].

"It is tough sometimes. Especially when he’s over there serving. There’s times where you don’t talk to him for four or five days and it can weigh on you. It’s one of those things that you just hope you talk to him sooner rather than later."

Much more after the jump.

Leafs Links:Inge Hammarstrom: a perfect fit for the Leafs…if he was playing nowadays
Well, if we're playing this game, there's another Swede or two I think of that we could use right about now. Anyway, I've never heard of this player, and it's interesting reading as per usual from Michael Langlois at Vintage Leaf Memories.

Frivolous Ornamentation - The Leafs with Guns.
Title says it all.

Ten for Tuesday
Will Murray has a few thoughts to share à la Eliott Friedman over at LeafsHQ.

Franson Speaks Out
Mislav Jantoljak has his say on Franson's comments over at MLHS.

Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting
Cam Charron looks at Saturday's game against Ottawa, and concludes that fighting had nothing to do with winning the game. From The Leafs Nation. Reminds me of a couple old posts I did for LeafsHQ old PPP, as well as one from SkinnyFish here at PPP.

Straight Talk From Joffrey Lupul
Here, we either have candid comments, or a poorly articulated summary of people's expectations of Phil Kessel. From Jonathan Willis at The Leafs Nation. The title reminds me of this hilarious video, which has language that is NSFW.

Other Hockey Links:

McKenzie: Realignment ignites passionate debate
TSN's Bob McKenzie has 7 - that's right, 7 - different possible scenarios that he thinks are most likely to play out come December. The post is a long one, but I know that people love to talk realignment, so chew on this.

How Much do Wins Cost?
Depends how you want to pay for them. From Hawerchuk at Arctic Ice Hockey.

Stefan Legein traded to Kings as Flyers clear Sean Couturier Space under contract limit
Another one where the title says it all. From Travis Hughes at BSH.

Down Goes Brown: Brendan Shanahan's video message to NHL players
DGB's latest offering seems to be in concert with Jason Bourne's new blog Backhand Shelf.

Shanahan denies GMs exerted ‘pressure’ to ease suspensions
Well, some GMs weren't happy. From Dave Shoalts at the Globe.

Cherry’s stance making NHL executives squirm
The title is a bit misleading - I very much doubt there are any NHL GMs that particularly care what Don Cherry says on HNIC - but it's true that there are fewer and fewer proponents of Cherry's "old time" hockey around in the league.

Ryan Suter 2011-2012 Season Preview: Here Comes Payday
Dirk Hoag has a great look at what kind of raise Ryan Suter will be in for. From On The Forecheck.

Eric Nystrom fixes the Dallas Stars’ cap floor
Over at Puck Daddy, Greg Wyshynski points out that Dallas didn't want Nystrom at half price on re-entry waivers, because he wouldn't have helped their cap out as much.

Three Years Of NHL Injuries In Salary Cap Value
Three years of tracking injury data against the salary cap has given us a wealth of data, via Springing Malik. The Leafs find themselves in the middle of the pack. From The Copper & Blue.

Around The NHL: Week One
Jason Gregor with a few thoughts at The Leafs Nation.

From The Branches