Geez, for a team that is being lead by a coach that Howard Berger would have you believe is trying to lose on purpose the Leafs are really feisty. One night after Wilson got engaged in a one-sided feud with Bruce "Malkin to the Kings" Garrioch Ronnie was at it again. This time, noted moron Howard Berger was an actual (rather than imagined) target of Wilson's ire:
Did you get annoyed when you kept taking those penalties?
That’s the best question Howard could come up with. What are the odds the answer is going to be anything other than a version of "yes"?
You constantly challenge us and you get challenged once back and you get all [Wilson interrupts]And that’s Berger’s best retort.
All of those who wondered when Wilson would have an episode with the Toronto media put the emphasis on Wilson having a short fuse. Clearly, these folks woefully underplayed the local media’s ability to be idiots that ask a never ending stream of dumb questions.
- MF37
What is [Wilson Interrupts]? Well, scroll on down to this video to see the Wrath of Wilson. What I don't understand is why there seems to be a misunderstanding between Working Class Howard and Ron about what it was that he said. It's too bad that there isn't video of Working Class Howard's question so we could hear if Ronnie is oversensitive or if Working Class Howard is a liar. Wait! Thanks to the beauty of the Maple Leafs' website (and sneaky MF37 for digging it up) we can hera for ourselves without the media filtering it by letting it pass between their ears:
Well, there you have it. Working Class Howard did question Ron Wilson's integrity by suggesting that he sat on the stick measurement back when it would have made more of a difference (I don't get it. Do you get more points for wins in November?). Ronnie's reply is spot on. They weren't down by a goal with just over two minutes left in those games. I guess the reason Wilson got so angry is because it's hard having your integrity challenged by someone that has shown that he does not possess any.
As for the game on the ice, more important duties meant that I missed the first two periods but I do know one thing: Lee Stempniak turned the tide with his fight against Gervais.
A common refrain in the game threads has been "Now would be a great time for Stempniak to do something". Everyone had high hopes of him getting back to his near 30-goal level when he came over in the trade for Carlo and Steen. I'll give him that he has played a lot of time on the third line and shifted around lines frequently. Toss in moving to a new country and there is some leeway available. In fact, I'll give him an entire training camp to prove me wrong. In the meantime, more games like tonight would help him get a jump on getting in everyone's good books.
Mikhail Grabovski potted the winner in overtime after just 50 seconds as he finally batted one of Joey MacDonald's massive rebounds (the third period was like watching a pinball machines) into an empty net. It was his first goal in 17 games. Remember how good his start to the season was?
Well, he's definitely tailed off. A big issue is the number of shots he has taken. With such a good shooting percentage it's important for him to ramp production up. Overall, he has tailed off and some worrying bad habits have creeped into his game but he brings a level of creativity and speed that the Leafs lack.
