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This seems like a good time to mention that next summer's T25 will have a brand new format. We will be using a pyramid scheme, cleverly aggregating the tiered votes using a weighted average of the tier placement for each entrant. Then we will rank within the tiers, and yes that does seem to go against the idea of a pyramid, but we will do it anyway. And then we will reveal one at a time giving you ...

The top 25 things that were ranked by various hockey media people who can't seem to find anything that happens on the ice to write about even once the season has started.

It will be great!

There's two reasons to do this now: The Leafs have something patiently aggressive in the works or they just like funnin' with people. And yeah, it does add up to $7 million even. Huh.

I am... trying to find the silver lining in the cloud that is Alexander Nikishin. Just in case.

Onto last night:

The Leafs started really, really bad. Five minutes with no zone time, and you know how hockey works, you have to have the positive Corsi first before you are allowed to score, and then... er...

So even though the Leafs did not deserve that goal, they carried on and did this:

They atoned by PKing for four minutes on imaginary penalties.

Second period was a draw in most senses of the word.

Third period and this was not quite finished up, there, Willy, so try again next time.

Maybe this was really hooking?

Final score was 2-1 Leafs

Look that was fun, because winning is fun, but, boy, Anthony Stolarz had to be very good. This is very clearly a team that has not come together yet. Zone exits still sometimes a work in progress.

I missed quite a big chunk in the middle as life intervened, so no real thoughts from me other than the offence is no longer a problem. So that's one thing demonstrably better than last year.

Don't judge a PK by the result, though:

Without that PP shooting, the Islanders looked fairly harmless even if they had the puck for most of the first period:

Also, um, you go Nick.

Next game is Saturday!

From The Branches