From The Star:
Yes, it's waving the white flag to bring up Pogge. Forget that Pogge won his first NHL start with a solid effort against Atlanta and forget that Vesa Toskala and Curtis Joseph have been the worst goaltending duo in the NHL, the Leafs have given up on a playoff spot now that Pogge has started.
I think the message that the team is waving the white flag has a lot more to do with being 27th in the overall standings than with bringing up a goaltending prospect.
Does anybody else think that Ron Wilson was brought in for comedy relief this season, so that Leafs fans would have something to feel good about?
"Had he won the game, you guys (the media) would have petitioned city hall to name a street after him, possibly have a parade. We could have carried him on our shoulders to the airport," said Wilson. "How he handles getting kicked around like that ... we'll see how he plays the next couple of games with the Marlies. It will be a good experience for him."
I watched the video of that, and just absolutely love how he'll tell reporters what they would have written while staring them in the face, even if he did look a little bit like Mike Myers standing next to Kanye West while setting up his quote.
"We gave up a lot of quality chances," said centre Matt Stajan. "When you give up two-on-ones and open nets and breakaways, the goalie can only do so much. We left him out to dry as a team."
There's a difference between a two on one and letting a guy stand all alone on the far side of the net, and then letting the opposing team pass through the low slot directly to that guy.
All in all, I think Pogge handled himself remarkably well and got a taste of what he's going to see a few times this year which is getting absolutely hung out to dry against NHL shooters. I still like the kid and think he made some solid saves last night, let's hope this motivates him to keep performing in the AHL and not rest on his laurels. This isn't a calamity, it was a bad night by a bad team, it wasn't a bad night by a bad goalie.