Toronto vs Buffalo - March 15th 2004
by Curtis Tudor on Aug 3, 2011 1:25 PM EDT
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PrintGame - Toronto Maple Leafs vs Buffalo Sabres
Date - March 15th, 2004
Arguably one of best and most entertaining regular season games in the past 20 years.
The game
Toronto enters the game battling for first place in the Eastern Conference and first place in the Northeast division with the Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Buffalo is out of the playoffs but there is still a small glimmer of hope for them if they go on a late season run.
More on this great game after the jump
Trevor Kidd
Ed Belfour had back problems so that meant Trevor Kidd was in the net, that's not something Leafs fans ever wanted to say or hear.
HSBC Arena
Even though the building is always filled with Maple Leafs fans (on this night I would say it was 70% Leafs fans) Toronto always has difficulty winning in this building.
The score
2-2 after one and things were looking good until Buffalo scores 3 goals in the second period to take a 5-2 lead.
The comeback
Toronto then decides to score the ugliest goals in history of the game by going on a banking rampage banking shots off Henrik Tallinder and Martin Biron to get within reach of tying the game up.
History
One of the deadliest shooters in the history of the game makes history as Alexander Mogilny scores his 1000th NHL point to tie the game up at 5-5 with under a minute to go.
Where are we??
I know I said the building was about 70% Leafs fans that night but when Mogilny scored I couldn't see a single Sabres fan.
OT
In that era of game how Mogilny was called for the penalty in OT is beyond me. Good thing Trevor Kidd made the big save when it was needed.
OT goal
Mogilny with point 1001 and Kaberle scored the OT winner sending the "home team" home with two big points.
That Leafs team
Sundin
Mogilny
Francis
Nieuwendyk
Nolan
Leetch
McCabe
Kaberle
Roberts
Tucker
BelfourBerg
I swear if they didn't have to play Philly they would have taken out Tampa Bay in the East and made it to the finals.
Old time hockey
After every whistle the Leafs pushed, shoved, punched and completely owned the Sabres, especially in OT when McCabe treated Danny Briere like a toy.
Calle Johansson
The Calle Johansson experiment failed miserably.
He retired in after 2002-2003 and somehow John Ferguson Jr thought it would be great to bring him out of retirement and stick him in the Leafs lineup late in the season and in the playoffs.
Sad
I miss Sundin, Mogilny, Roberts and that Leafs team.
I miss the Leafs team fighting for the division and conference lead.
Great quote
"Holy Makinaw in Buffalo"
If anyone wants more of these then I would look forward to doing these on top of the fight videos on Monday/Tuesday.
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If anyone wants more of these then I would look forward to doing these on top of the fight videos on Monday/Tuesday.
Yes. Your memory is better than mine, and it needed a good jogging
Nifty Mittens
Man, I had totally forgotten that Brian Leetch played for the Leafs back then…
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by fair_n_hite_451 on Aug 4, 2011 9:38 AM EDT up reply actions
That lineup
That is the definition of a grizzled vet, built for the playoffs team. It’s amazing to think how far the team fell, and now how it’s slowly being built back up into something respectable. Makes me wonder how much less stress and mental anguish I might have had if this team had competent management coming out of the ’04 season.
Well, to get a team like that you have to give something up
And that was draft picks and prospects. The farm was literally empty at that point. It takes a good 5 years of build up until you get back up there, faster if you get 5 top 3 picks in a row (Pens).
They’ll be there.
Can we start the Gose watch yet?
That team
Was, on paper, one of the best teams the Leafs have ever iced in recent history, and probably the best Leafs team of the last decade.
That said, they weren’t a great playoff team. Ed Belfour pretty much got them past Ottawa singlehandedly, then they couldn’t seem to make anything work against Philadelphia (although that losing Game 6, where Tucker scrambled Kapanen’s brains, was entertaining).
Visit my blog at: http://50-mission-cap.blogspot.com/
Leaf fan for life! (No, really. They gave me a no-trade clause when I was born.)
Philadelphia was tough on Belfour and the Leafs defense in 03/04 because of the big forwards they had in front of the net.
Toronto’s defense couldn’t handle them at all.
Funny how Ottawa always beat Philly in the playoffs and aside from 1999 Philly would beat the Leafs and the Leafs would beat Ottawa.
Owner and editor of Crash The Crease
Also, from what I recall, the Leafs struggled to put a lot of pucks past Esche. They were also pretty abysmal against the Flyers in Philly, too (like when they laid an egg in Game 5, losing 7-2 or something like that).
And I remember this. It was like some kind of deranged rock-paper-scissors. The Flyers still weren’t as frustrating as the Devils in 2000-2001, though. Part of the reason I was so happy with the Mogilny signing was that it subtracted from the team that haunted my dreams for two playoffs.
Visit my blog at: http://50-mission-cap.blogspot.com/
Leaf fan for life! (No, really. They gave me a no-trade clause when I was born.)
by FiftyMissionCap on Aug 3, 2011 3:55 PM EDT up reply actions
Esche and Chekmanek
I didn’t understand that at all. They flop around in the crease like a less dominant Hasek, yet they got the job done against the Leafs.
Can we start the Gose watch yet?
I have been to Leafs games in Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa but have yet to go to one in Buffalo.
Hoping to do so in the next year or two, the Leafs fans who travel make them amazing and they should be as fun or even better then the other road games.
They just need to win their more often….
Owner and editor of Crash The Crease
ha – posted the wrong clip. this game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbjoiLV-hcA&feature=related
Congratulations Tomas!
Trevor Kidd was toskala before toskala was toskala
Y'all Heard About Me, You Just Didn't Know It was Me
Does that mean Berg was Lebda before Lebda was Lebda or did Lebda take things to an all new level?
Owner and editor of Crash The Crease
by Curtis Tudor on Aug 3, 2011 4:12 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Lebda was worse than Wozniewski bad, which I never thought possible. Whereas Wozniewski took 398463986 hooking penalties for being too slow, I was praying for Lebda to do the same because he was just that bad on the ice.
Visit my blog at: http://50-mission-cap.blogspot.com/
Leaf fan for life! (No, really. They gave me a no-trade clause when I was born.)
by FiftyMissionCap on Aug 3, 2011 4:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Lebda was definitely worse than Berg. I hated Aki with a passion, but he managed to stay in the lineup with regularity, so that has to say something.
by Five Minutes For Fighting on Aug 3, 2011 5:39 PM EDT up reply actions
it says bad roster management
Y'all Heard About Me, You Just Didn't Know It was Me
by JaredFromLondon on Aug 3, 2011 5:40 PM EDT up reply actions
I always assumed Aki had naked pictures of Quinn that he was prepared to unleash on the world if he didn’t get playing time.
by Five Minutes For Fighting on Aug 3, 2011 6:14 PM EDT up reply actions
Can’t believe Jyrki (Jerki? Jyrky? Jerk-off) Lumme doesn’t get mentioned in these discussions about worst Leafs D-man of those days.
by Truculence 101 on Aug 4, 2011 11:03 AM EDT up reply actions
I believe thats because the likes of Aki Berg and co. made Lumme seem half decent. I mean, I got 2 words for you: Cory Cross
by gettingcozywithsarkozy on Aug 4, 2011 12:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Thoughts as I watch this
- God, Trevor Kidd was terrible
- Oh yeah, Brian Leetch
- I miss Mats
- FUCK, I miss Mats
- the Leafs had some terrible d-men during their run from 99-04 (Marchment, Cross, etc)
- Oh yeah, Ron Francis
- Alex Mogilny…what a player
- who takes a slap shot on a breakaway in OT?
Pension Plan Puppets
I hope YouTube comes down to film this.
“- who takes a slap shot on a breakaway in OT?”
Better than doing it on a penalty shot. (Oh Reichel, even years later we will never forget.)
The Mogilny-Sundin-Roberts line still ranks as one of my favourites of all time.
Visit my blog at: http://50-mission-cap.blogspot.com/
Leaf fan for life! (No, really. They gave me a no-trade clause when I was born.)
by FiftyMissionCap on Aug 3, 2011 4:54 PM EDT up reply actions
Remember when making it to the second round was not good enough, as opposed to the dream come true it is now?
Visit my blog at: http://50-mission-cap.blogspot.com/
Leaf fan for life! (No, really. They gave me a no-trade clause when I was born.)
by FiftyMissionCap on Aug 3, 2011 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions
Actually it is kind of sad that those were his best two linemates with both Mogilney and Roberts’ best games already behind them (not counting that playoff run when he carried the team on his back)
"You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else."
Albert Einstein
by Say *plan the parade one more time*... on Aug 3, 2011 5:17 PM EDT up reply actions
What, Sundin had those two players on his wing for about 2 seasons, if that? I’m not sure how long that line was together but I am sure it wasn’t long at all… witch is really unfortunate.
"There's been four different Cup winners the last four years, and I got one of them (Anaheim) and it was a fighting team. We're playing it that way regardless." - B. Burke, Toronto Maple Leafs GM
Mogilny was a Leaf for three seasons but in 03-04 he only played 37 games because of a back injury he suffered against the Sharks.
Owner and editor of Crash The Crease
by Curtis Tudor on Aug 4, 2011 11:19 AM EDT up reply actions
Mogilny
Possibly my favourite player of all time. Quick, skilled, and a class act to boot.
Funny story: when he defected in ‘89 (get it? his number?), my family, then in the Soviet Union, were inspired to do the same, so we left — literally a couple of weeks after Alex. From what I understand, my father followed Mogilny religiously in the Soviet national system, so when he defected he unilaterally decided that we should too. Boy am I glad we did. Thank you Alex for all you’ve done.
by Caleafornia on Aug 3, 2011 5:01 PM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
I also came about 1 month after Mogilny. One of my fav hockey players of all time.
October 25, 1966. Thank you Lord Kelvin
/insert obligatory TWSS here
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by fair_n_hite_451 on Aug 4, 2011 9:41 AM EDT up reply actions
There was a lot of talk on TSN with Kovalev going to the KHL that he was perhaps the most talented stick-handler in the league. I had to remind people that Mogilny did use to play in the league.
by gettingcozywithsarkozy on Aug 4, 2011 12:23 PM EDT up reply actions
One of the old jobs I had was with a guy from Moldova
He claimed the russian mob was out to get Mogilny for defecting… any truth to that?
Can we start the Gose watch yet?
Sup guys?
Visit my blog at: http://50-mission-cap.blogspot.com/
Leaf fan for life! (No, really. They gave me a no-trade clause when I was born.)
by FiftyMissionCap on Aug 3, 2011 4:55 PM EDT reply actions 7 recs
What a good looking man.
"Right side, left side, Komi can sit wherever he wants in the press box."
-Bower Power
by MapleLeafMole on Aug 4, 2011 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions
;-(
I miss Kabby….
"I wouldn't know him, if I ran him over in my car." - Pat Burns
by BillBergBumperCars on Aug 3, 2011 5:29 PM EDT reply actions
Unfortunately, the Leafs
needed a few miracles to get out of round one. Leetch was gassed after one shift. Nolan, Francis couldn’t keep up. Too many guys with great efforts but not the skill needed to finish off a play. Seeing Leetch chase the game that series sickened me, especially when he tried to join the rush and wound up giving away 2-1 on breakaways like he always did.
like he always did… except for the time evidenced in this video where he joined the rush and set up a sweet goal.
Congratulations Tomas!
he was also absolute money on the PP, Leetch was a fantastic addition no matter how you slice it
Y'all Heard About Me, You Just Didn't Know It was Me
by JaredFromLondon on Aug 3, 2011 6:33 PM EDT up reply actions
rec'd
mogilny scoring his 1000th pt, kabby OT winner, mats generally being fucking awesome. man I miss that team.
Congratulations Tomas!
Question: Mats Sundin announces unretirement. He signs for an entry-level deal. He is at the same skill level he was in his prime. He spends the remainder of the time before hockey starts again living with Phil Kessel and participating in exercises designed to build trust, chemistry and camaraderie.
How hard is your orgasm at this prospect?
a hard orgasm is cause for concern
Sometimes it seems this cycle never ends, we slide from top to bottom then we turn and climb again.
Stoik_Leafs Twitter
by Chris Stoikoff on Aug 5, 2011 8:00 PM EDT up reply actions
Things to look out for in this video (Game was April 11, 2006)
1. Sundin – 4G 2A (25 mins of ice time)
2. Nieuwendyk 3G 1A (This was Niewendyks and Roberts first time back in TO)
3. Jamie McLennan breaking his stick in frustration after the OT goal.
4. A beached whale
Oh and since the Leafs missed the playoffs by 2 points and this was the fifth last game of their season, it was an important one too. Sundin ensure the victory, so we would all be disappointed later on ;)
Sigh...
I did make mention of it earlier last seaon. I think Leaf fans took Mats for granted for his tenure in TO. Isn’t it funny that the Unicorn we’re all now chasing/hoping for was the same one we chased out of town 3 years ago?
by gettingcozywithsarkozy on Aug 4, 2011 12:27 PM EDT reply actions
I don’t know who you are including in that ‘we’ thing-I wanted him to retire a leaf. I was not upset he didnt wave his NTC, I think most people got upset when he gave the reason as ‘you should start the season with a team’ and the. Went on to sign with Vancouver almost half way through next season.
"You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else."
Albert Einstein
by Say *plan the parade one more time*... on Aug 4, 2011 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions
Of course by “we” I meant the team’s management, itself, as I would have taken him back even after his stint with VAN just for his leadership if nothing else. It really bugs me when people start talking conspiracies and throwing around phrases like “muskoka five”.
by gettingcozywithsarkozy on Aug 4, 2011 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions
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