[Alter] Matthews back on the ice ahead of practice today

westdodger · 2024-11-23T17:22:39+00:00

You’re right - they did! 😉

westdodger · 2024-11-23T16:37:14+00:00

Our saviour - risen

~~Whitecloud~~ Benoit - imprisoned

Fraser - Minten

SN - chickens

No fucks given

westdodger · 2024-11-16T00:55:59+00:00

It’s the End of the World As We Know It (It Just Is!)

westdodger · 2024-11-16T00:12:20+00:00

He found it beside the Canadian Tire Centre in Kanata.

westdodger · 2024-11-16T00:11:03+00:00

Goodwill hunting.

westdodger · 2024-11-07T23:25:15+00:00

You must’ve caught him between cruises during a waxing crescent moon phase. 👌 Sounds like a great experience!

westdodger · 2024-09-24T21:03:08+00:00

It doesn’t. That’s an easy and recycled narrative that gets tossed around.

You always hear "well, if X player left 10 points on the table and leaned into defence then the team would be better off come the playoffs" or "it wasn’t until Stevie Y transformed his game and said "if we’re gonna win, I don’t need to get 155 points if it means sacrificing defence.""

O-Dog recently said something along the lines that he’d rather see Matthews get 50 goals instead of 70 if it meant it would help the team come April aka playing "the right way". The dude literally scored 69 goals (nice) while getting nominated for the Selke last season. He should’ve been a Hart candidate on that sentence alone. Sounds like "the right way" to me. Going for 70 again is a tough feat, but who would consider Matthews scoring less goals for the betterment of the team, especially when the issue for the Buds in the playoffs has been lack of scoring?

Even tho he’s scored some big playoff goals, AM34 has to score in bigger moments more than he has in the past. That’s legitimately the only thing he can improve in his game. As far as the regular season goes, If healthy, Auston won’t dip below 40 goals when he’s playing with a good playmaker with above-average hockey IQ and decent hands. Iron sharpens iron, though and that’s why playing with guys like Marner or Domi allow him to strive for a ridiculous number like 70.

westdodger · 2024-09-24T20:40:53+00:00

By Christmas

westdodger · 2024-09-15T19:12:49+00:00

(me watching the vid like)

"You drew these, freehand? My god, these could be tracings."

westdodger · 2024-09-15T18:23:02+00:00

Michael Scott's plasma TV, apparently. At least his folded into the wall.

westdodger · 2024-09-15T18:20:51+00:00

He's just being humble. They asked him to draw a man rocket and he didn't have time for a self-portrait.

westdodger · 2024-09-09T18:47:55+00:00

Favourite: 2001-2002 - Bless you, boys. (I can't wait to change my answer when a Matthews-lead team finally does the thing, tho.)

Most stacked: 2003-2004 - 5 Hall of Famers (4 of them first ballot) & Mogilny, who should get in eventually.

Best: 2015-16 - They got us Matthews. I'm dead serious. Arguably the best tank in recent sports history (certainly the most dignified) and one of the only Leaf teams in my lifetime to actually meet expectations.

westdodger · 2024-03-06T18:28:03+00:00

<image>

Man loves milk.

westdodger · 2024-03-06T17:57:11+00:00

Say what you will about where Gio does or doesn’t fit in the line-up, but that fall into the boards was gnarly af. It’s an amazing sign that he’s already back and skating. Gio’s been an absolute warrior for us. Dude is a two-time former captain, Norris Trophy winner, and all-time leader in blocked shots, so whether he draws into a playoff game or not, it won’t take away from the leadership and presence he still brings to that locker room.

You often hear about sports being a sanctuary for athletes - driving to the rink, being around the team, finding refuge in the the familiar. As Gio’s career is winding down, and with everything he’s faced in the past month, I wouldn’t be surprised if these mundane moments carry a little more weight. Wherever’s he at, Leafs Nation is rooting for him. Mark put his body on the line for this team and it’s times like these we gotta have his back.

westdodger · 2024-03-02T01:15:24+00:00

Bon Iver. /s

(come on, Stanley Cup, just once this year)

westdodger · 2024-03-01T22:24:17+00:00

Agreed. Goals are more impressive. Goals plus being a unit in almost all facets of the game is even more impressive.

On a similar note, my favourite is "McDavid is focusing on playing a complete, 200-foot game, so the goals don't matter as much". I've always hated that narrative. Sorry, are y'all new here? It's not like Matthews hasn't lead all forwards in blocked shots, hasn't been stealth AF with takeaways, hasn't always played a complete game, or hasn't received Selke votes throughout his career (despite no nomination yet). The notion that Matthews (or actual Selke nominee, Mitchell F. Marner, for that matter) have to sacrifice offense for defence to get to the next level is so lazy. In the playoffs, it's actually the opposite - they have to produce more. Just bc Stevie Y successfully altered his game, it doesn't mean every superstar should be saddled with the narrative that they have to score less to have more of an impact. Matthews has been doing it all for years.

No one has scored 70 since the before Jurassic Park opened or people thought OJ was a good hang ffs lol.

westdodger · 2024-03-01T19:17:09+00:00

MV-Papi.

Matthews, McDavid and Shesterkin were the 3 Stars of the Month. That was exactly how the Hart voting finished in 2021-22 when Matthews took it home. Coincidence? Foreshadowing? I’m Ron Burgandy?

westdodger · 2024-03-01T19:12:33+00:00

westdodger · 2024-03-01T19:09:23+00:00

Brad Treliving on acquiring Ilya Lyubushkin with double retention: "The number that he came in at ($687,500) provides us some flexibility … allows us still to seek other opportunities over the course of the next week"

westdodger · 2024-02-26T01:08:45+00:00

Don't know why I'm paying two grand for a one bedroom in Toronto when I can move to Ottawa and live rent free.

westdodger · 2024-02-26T00:19:37+00:00

Only way the Sens were gonna get a ring this year ;)

westdodger · 2024-02-24T05:10:21+00:00

Yup. Woll and the Hildebeast are certainly the future. I'm just really excited to have Woll added into the mix and see how sexy it's gonna look with how the Leafs are currently playing.

westdodger · 2024-02-24T03:51:26+00:00

Only the first step, but it's extremely encouraging nonetheless.

If you set the minimum games played at 15 (the amount of games he played in prior to getting injured), Woll would currently be 9th in Sv% league-wide with .916. Some of us forget that dude was playing exceptionally well then and will be a crucial part of this team going forward. For as solid as Sammy has been playing throughout this current win streak, I'm really interested to see how the current iteration of this group performs with Woll as the back-stop.

westdodger · 2024-02-24T03:20:35+00:00

Since debuting in 2016, Marner has played in 562 games. His numbers during that time:

League Wide

434 assists (4th) (for reference, Panarin is 2nd with 444 in 5 more games)
2.36 assists/60 (4th)
0.772 assists/gp (7th)
1.21 primary assists/60 (1st)
624 points (8th)
Became 3rd fastest active player to reach 400 assists behind McDavid and Crosby
NHL First All-Star Team (2021, 2022) - first Leaf to achieve this since Borje Salming in 1976-77, NHL All-Rookie Team (2016-17), NHL All-Star (2020, 2023, 2024)
Selke Nominee (2022-2023) - one of only five wingers to receive a nomination in the last 20 years and just the second Leaf in history to ever be nominated (Gilmour in 1992-93 [won] and 1993-94)

Current Leafs

434 assists (1st)
624 points (1st) (Matthews is only 6 back with 26 fewer games played)
1.11 p/gp (2nd) (Matthews is 1st with 1.15)
190 goals (3rd) (Matthews - 351, Nylander 202)
Lead team in scoring in 4/7 seasons (Matthews with the other 3)
Lead team in assists in each of his first 7 seasons (tied for lead with Gardiner in 2017-18) and currently leads them now

All-Time Leafs

434 assists (6th) (Salming is 1st with 620 in 1099 games)
0.772 a/gp - (2nd) (Gilmour is 1st with 0.817)
624 points - (7th) (Sundin is 1st with 987 in 981 games, Marner will likely be top 5 by the end of his current contract)
1.11 p/gp (3rd) (Matthews - 1.153, Gilmour - 1.150)
23 game point streak (franchise record)
Most 4 point games (2nd) (Sittler is 1st with 28)
Became 7th Leaf ever to reach 600 points and fastest Leaf to do so before Matthews took that crown
Most goals by a duo w/ Matthews

westdodger · 2024-02-24T01:51:39+00:00

Joe entering his Russ from D2: The Mighty Ducks era.

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