Warning: the below has absolutely nothing to do with the Leafs, and a lot to do with the Sens, but it is also about doing good while being motivated by pure spite, which is one of my favourite genres. Also I had nothing else to write about.

There’s something really special and magical about watching Senators fans work through the emotional turmoil caused by the newest Eugene Melnyk garbage fire to slam into the headlines, flinging burning trash all over the organization for the... *checks records* ...two hundred and twenty-seventh time. This particular saga started with the release of an article on that pillar of quality journalism, the Ottawa Sun dot com, about the Sens Foundation’s bizarre split with its eponymous organization.

GIBBONS: Melnyk's tussle with Sens Foundation could be a messy one

The pertinent bit of information is the fact that some of the Sens Foundation’s funds were intended for Melnyk’s private charitable foundation, The Organ Project, to raise awareness of organ donations and waiting lists. Unfortunately, The Organ Project seems to have done very little actual awareness building with all of that money, with the vast majority of it going to fundraising costs and administration. With this in mind, and fuelled by the beautiful spite that only fans of an organization helmed by Eugene Melnyk could conjure, Sens fans on twitter set up to show up the owner of their team by raising funds for the Trillium Gift of Life Network, the Government of Ontario agency responsible for organ and tissue donation and transplant.

Now as a Leafs fan I’m a firm believer that we do not, at any point in time, have to “give it to them” when it comes to Sens fans but like... you kinda gotta give it to them for this one.

Ok, now back to the Leafs.

ICYMI

Maple Leafs players gearing up for a playoff run
We might still be weeks away from decisions about training camps but there are officially some non-GTA locals in Toronto and on the ice!

From the Branches

Maple Leafs and Blue Jackets: Their Brief History
The Hockey Writers take a look at the history between the Leafs and our qualifying-round opponents.

Kadri calls on NHL to publicly support player protests
Nazem “forever a Leaf in my heart don’t argue with me about this” Kadri spoke to TSN about the importance of the NHL backing any public protests staged by players.

Why Maple Leafs believe ‘the sky’s the limit’ for goaltender Joseph Woll
I mean... I guess, if you’re operating on the basis that, technically, anything is possible.

And finally, the John Tavares Foundation was launched yesterday. I’ve read their entire website and I’m still not quite clear on what sort of things they’ll be funding, but they do have a pretty slick logo, so there’s that.

And that’s all I’ve got! Happy Thursday and remember, it’s almost Friday!

From The Branches