From The Branches

I caused a stir at the end of the week when I suggested that the side that is desperate to give Darryl Katz a free arena are a bunch of rubes being led by the nose by the complicit media who are playing the role of The Music Man. One

Yesterday, Deadspin ran an article surrounding baseball sabremetrician-turned political poll aggregator Nate Silver and the vitriol thrown his way by those in both traditional sports and political reporting. It's a very poignant article, the basic premise of which has been debated time and again on this very blog

If you've ever been around for a conversation regarding horrendous stories about insane hockey parents thinking their precious little snowflakes are bound for the pros, you know that we often say that unless a kid is the best in town by the time they're 10 that

Looking a little sparse today. Got any links to add? Throw 'em in the comments. Leivo, Brown, & Rielly are lighting it up Prospect update from MLHS and Blue Chip Prospects Hockey night in Hershey Minor league hockey with major league fans

First, let me be clear. I am in no way, shape or form calling for you to stuff this Globe and Mail ballot on the best of their 12 team hockey draft in favor of our Benevolent Overlord PPP.....Oh wait, that's exactly what I'm asking

Alright, here's one that I got thinking about yesterday as I prepared to coach my students to the grade seven and eight tournament: When I was eight years old, I was playing on a travel team and we had a coach that was competitive - really competitive. Angry

MacArthur Off to Germany Moron waited too long and missed Oktoberfest. Early Marlies Thoughts 2012-13 UKHockeyFan checks out the baby buds. The Outsiders: Marlies Defensemen We talking dmen. US World Junior Watch Tyler Biggs seems to be a lock. MacArthur to Join German Club and More Cool. IPP for 2011-12:

Here be your links. Marlies End Weekend with Shootout Loss Lame. Rynnas Fumes as Griffins Edge Marlies in Shootout Great. I mean the last ill tempered Scandinavian goalie we had worked out so well. Is it Time for Brian Burke to Get Daring Again Not if it means mortgaging the

Got a few links, mostly CBA related for you folks. The Narrowing Financial Gap between the NHL and NHLPA New stuff from mc79hockey Why are there so many conflicts in pro sports? Deepak Malhotra with a special piece for Forbes Marlies win 5-0 over Hamilton Cam Charron has the recap

While a new CBA remains in limbo, fresh rumors about Roberto Luongo to the Leafs have sprung up across the vast wasteland that is the internet. How serious should we take these rumors?

NHL puts forth a CBA proposal. NHLPA puts forth a counter proposal. NHL immediately rejects said counter proposal, followed by three months of random meetings in NYC or Toronto with little apparent progress. Now the process is starting over once again. Wake me up in January for another ring around

Morgan Rielly: One More Year in Junior BCP talks the Leafs 2012 1st rounder. Player Notes from the Marlies Loss to Lake Erie Looking good. Seeking '59s, Finding '58s I don't know about you, but I'm fascinated by 1967ers card quest. Braving the Beer

Toronto Maple Leafs Prospect Updates - Curt at Blue Chip Prospects Morgan Rielly is 8 games into his WHL season with the Moose Jaw Warriors. Rielly has been great this season on a pretty pitiful Warriors team. Rielly's 12 points (2G, 10A) put him second in WHL scoring

Morgan Rielly picks up five assists as the Moose Jaw Warriors defeat the Prince Albert Tomato Cans

Ben Scrivens and the Toronto Marlies open their season against Rochester tonight.

Toronto Marlies Set Sights on Calder Cup They had better. Marlies Announce Opening Day Roster, October Broadcast Schedule Games on Sportsnet and Leafs TV. Burke's Transactions 2.0 Gus breaks down every Burke move for the Leafs. The Jets Might Have a Fitness Problem I just think they&

Welcome to NHL Replacement Player Training Camp Double-bladed skates optional. Why are Goalie Save Percentages Rising? Read this. Hockey Broke Bruce Gamble's Heart in More Than One Way NHL History Girl talks about the former Leaf goalie. The Alaska Aces Have a Stacked ECHL Team Anyone want to

Here be your links. What the Previous Lockout Did to the Leafs It sure wasn't pretty. Video Breakdown: Marlies 3 - Coburg 1 Give it a look. The Maple Leafs and Leadership Who is the real leader of the band here? Like Him or Loathe Him, Gary Bettman

Without the media knowing, the NHL & NHLPA met again on Friday in Toronto. Both sides asked the other for a new proposal. They plan to meet again this week. More on this and other Saturday links.

Our round up of Toronto Maple Leafs and NHL news focuses on Howard Berger's prediction of when the 2012-13 season will be cancelled.

Is it Time for Leafs Ownership to Bring in a New Management Team? - Mike Langlois at Vintage Leaf Memories There seemed to be a general consensus that, if the Leafs missed the playoffs badly and did not play well this season, a change could be in the offing, especially

More on Fat Kadri. Leafs Ruining Chances of Developing Kadri- Derek Neumeier Criticisms and mockery about weight are tough to get rid of; just ask forwards Dustin Penner and former Leaf Kyle Wellwood, two players who are still the brunt end of fat jokes and whose careers have yet to

With the preseason already scrapped and the first regular season games just a few days away from being cancelled, the NHLPA and NHL finally returned to the negotiating table today. While the core economic issues were not discussed, it sounds as though there was progress on a few other issues.

Editor's Note: Obviously, SBN United offers us a lot more options for how we want to display the stories and videos that we post. One thing we want to do on the front page is concentrate on the original writing that we do without hurting the daily discussion

Don't hold your breath.