Hockey Night in Canada personality Don Cherry has been ruffling viewers' feathers since his final NHL coaching job, in Colorado, in 1980

Evelyn Beatrice Hall wrote: I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. Cherry is being slowly sliced to ribbons for simply giving his opinion (something Hank Williams Jr. can relate to these days). And I’m getting really sick of it. If you don’t like what Cherry says, don’t watch.

It seems like every two or three months now Don Cherry has his face held to the fire for giving an opinion – which, of course, is what he’s paid to do. The latest is Cherry’s reference to former NHL tough guys Chris Nilan, Jim Thomson and Stu “The Grim Reaper” Grimson as “pukes,” “hypocrites” and “turncoats.”  This trio of former fighters are being centred-out by Cherry because they have, according to Don, indicated recently that fighting should be taken out of hockey. Of course, many former NHL players are beginning to feel this way – and speaking out – because the medical community has begun to provide concrete evidence that blows to the head have a lasting impact on a person’s quality of life. Even Rick Martin, a former NHL non-fighter who died last March, was posthumously diagnosed with stage 2 chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The evidence is mounting quickly and furiously.

Don Cherry is 77 years old. Would you expect a 77-year old man – a former minor-league hockey tough guy (over 1,000 minutes in 767 AHL games) – to sit down and pore through volumes of medical information, then deliver an objective opinion? Of course not. The guy will never, ever say anything other than fighting is a big part of hockey and it belongs in the game. This is the same Cherry who, when his Mississauga IceDogs joined the Ontario Hockey League in 1998, refused to draft European juniors. He flatly said no. It put the IceDogs at a deficit in the OHL for years.

Chris Nilan had no problem dropping the gloves when he played in the NHL. Now, he's upset by Don Cherry's characterization of Nilan's change in viewpoint.

What bothers me is that, in this ridiculously politically-correct world, Cherry can’t speak his opinion without several groups, and thousands of individuals, raining hate down on him. It’s his opinion. He’s entitled to it…just like you are entitled to yours. Do I like what Cherry says all the time? Nope. Sometimes I hate it. Last season, he used the word “chickens**t” on the air. Completely inappropriate for a show that young people may be watching. He should have been made the apologize, on air, immediately. Never happened. CBC knew it was wrong. They wiped the audio on the offending word before posting that night’s Coach’s Corner on their website.

Do I think the game has passed Cherry by? Yep, it sure has. It passed him by about a decade ago. If CBC’s Kirstine Stewart wants to replace Cherry on that basis, she should go for it. But this picking apart of every little statement Cherry makes is absolutely ridiculous.

If you don’t like Don Cherry, don’t watch Coach’s Corner every Saturday night. If you think all this nitpicking is going to make the old man change his mind – or even apologize for what he says – it’s not going to happen. Just enjoy Don for what he is, and always has been (even behind an NHL bench)…an entertainer. And nothing more.

Over the past two seasons, Alexander Semin has been a point-per-game player for the Capitals - but not in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (Photo by Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)

You don’t honestly think that all players on all teams actually get along with each other, do you? They do not. In fact, sometimes they hate each other so much they won’t even speak. But those points are irrelevant when it comes to winning. Chemistry is important, but a desire to win is much bigger. And that’s the biggest problem Bradley has with Semin.

Bit players, like Bradley, are always the most observant. That’s why most NHL superstars never go on to successful careers as analysts (Denis Potvin would be one exception). Bit players mostly sit in the corner of the room and watch the stars plan out the course of games. And that’s why most NHL superstars never go on to be great coaches (Toe Blake would be one exception). Most successful coaches never had the gifted physical skills. They had to think their way around the rink. Which is exactly what Bradley says Alexander Semin doesn’t do.

“I don’t mind saying Alexander Semin’s name because he’s one guy who has so much talent, he could easily be the best player in the league, and for whatever reason just doesn’t care,” Bradley said on Ottawa’s TEAM 1200 Radio. “When you’ve got a guy like that you need him to be your best player, or one of your best players, and when he doesn’t show up, you almost get the sense that he wants to be back in Russia. That’s tough to win when you’ve got a guy like that who’s supposed to be your best player not being your best player. Or one of your best players.”

My guess is that Bruce Boudreau is yelling at Alexander Semin (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

I cheered when I read Bradley’s comments. Partly because they are far from politically correct. And partly because they are bang-on. Semin should be one of the Caps’ best players, but he continually lets head coach Bruce Boudreau down. Those kind of players do nothing except make coaches older and greyer.

Frankly, with the potential talent on their roster, the Washington Capitals should have been in the thick of the Stanley Cup mix over the past couple of years. I understand that their goaltending has been far from Hall-of-Fame quality. Jose Theodore and Semyon Varlamov and Michal Neuvirth have not, by any stretch, gotten the job done in April and May. The Capitals have embarrassed themselves in their last two playoff runs. Maybe goaltender Tomas Vokoun will change that pattern.

And if I played for the Capitals, as Matt Bradley did, it would make me sick to my stomach. Because chances to win the Stanley Cup don’t come along every day. Tim Thomas could corroborate that. The problem with Bradley’s comments is that they will make no difference.

Alexander Semin will continue underachieving under pressure. Just like Alexandre Daigle and Alexei Yashin and Alexei Kovalev did before him. But Matt Bradley should be happy about one thing today – that he’s out of Washington.

Rory McIlroy hoists the trophy after winning the 2011 United States Open Championship. McIlroy finished eight shots clear of Australia's Jason Day (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

I know I don’t. A fresh-faced, twenty-two year old kid, McIlroy smiled and giggled his way to a record-setting win in the USGA’s toughest test. And it was great to watch. Let’s just hope it doesn’t happen too often.

The week started with the Dallas Mavericks upset (?) win over the despised Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. What’s not to like about Dirk Nowitzki? He endured a Finals’ loss in 2006 to the Heat (minus Chris Bosh and LeBron James) and, for the past five years, has been trying to earn that ring for himself, his teammates and Mavs’ owner Mark Cuban.

Dallas' leader Dirk Nowitzki savours Mavericks' 2011 NBA Championship

When Nowitzki could have wilted, with the series in Dallas for pivotal Game Five, he stepped up. Big Dirk scored 29 that night then, back in Florida, he pumped in 21, pulled down 11 boards and won the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP Award. The Mavericks first-ever NBA Championship was as feel-good as basketball gets.

Three nights later, with the widest grin I have ever seen, Boston Bruins’ netminder Tim Thomas hoisted his first (and possibly only) Stanley Cup.

Boston Bruins' netminder Tim Thomas says hello to Stanley Cup. His heroics also earned Thomas the 2011 Conn Smythe Trophy. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

This guy’s no kid. He’s 37 years old. But he played like he was fifteen years younger than that. Nadia Comaneci didn’t have the flexibility that Thomas did. But what I love most about Tim Thomas is his professionalism. He never gets too high. He never, ever gets too low. And when his counterpart decided to comment on Thomas’ ability and style, Tim Thomas just split a grin through his red beard. Clearly, he knew the fate that Roberto “But I’m great in the regular season” Luongo was about to suffer. Thomas success was as feel-good as the Stanley Cup Playoffs get.

And how about Rory McIlroy? The kid just ate the USGA for lunch. The United States Open is supposed to be golf’s toughest test. Maybe it is…but not this year. McIlroy’s win was basically a carbon copy of Tiger Woods’ walk-over in the 2000 Open at Pebble Beach. When Woods won that event, it was his third career major (1997 Masters, 1999 PGA at Medinah). He was 24 years old. McIlroy’s first major championship will never, ever be forgotten, if only because he was the first US Open competitor to ever reach 16-under par. It was a win for the ages, and as feel-good as major championship golf ever gets.

There’s only one thing that concerns me. I remember well when Tiger burst onto the scene about fifteen years ago. Everyone loved him and the way he clobbered the rest of the field. Then, as only the sports media can, he started being criticized for the way he pushed his opponents aside like feathers. Fans complained that Tiger’s walk-over wins were getting boring. I hope that doesn’t happen with McIlroy but, if he keeps winning like he did yesterday in Bethesda, it will.

But, for this week, I have a grin as big as Tim Thomas’ just thinking about him, Dirk Nowitzki and Rory McIlroy…and what they did for the sporting world.

Manny Malhotra and Henrik Sedin accept 2011 Presidents' Trophy from Kris King

Well, Vancouver Canucks’ fans, you seem to have almost everything you’ve ever wanted. Your team won the Presidents’ Trophy during the regular season. You have the reigning Hart Trophy winner on your roster. And you probably have the next Hart Trophy winner on your roster. You have a man many consider as the best netminder in the National Hockey League. But, in about two weeks, you’re not going to be happy. That’s because the Boston Bruins are going to win the 2011 Stanley Cup.

Despite my background, I’m not a stats guy. I’m a “feel” guy. The feel says that the Bruins have it over the Canucks in almost every key area. They’re better in goal, so let’s start there. Entering the Stanley Cup Final,

Bruins' netminder Tim Thomas has been spectacular in the 2011 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Expect that to continue in the Finals v. Vancouver.

Tim Thomas’ and Robert Luongo’s numbers are almost identical. It’s spooky, really. Each has a goals-against average of 2.29. Each has recorded two shutouts. Each has played 18 games. Thomas has started 18, Luongo had one mop-up job in relief of Cory Schneider. Thomas’ save percentage is slightly better than Luongo’s – .929 to .922. But here’s the key goaltending question in this series. If you were coaching one of these teams, who would you want in goal – Tim Thomas or Roberto Luongo?

That’s right. You’d want Tim Thomas. A veteran guy who has never – not even once – been referred to as flaky or flighty. Does Tim Thomas let in bad goals? Hardly ever. Does Roberto Luongo let in bad goals? Does Pamela Anderson sleep on her back? Tim Thomas athletic ability is exceptional. Luongo stops a ton of pucks, too. Mostly by being in the right position. But when he’s out of position…yikes! You don’t think the Boston Bruins aren’t going to take advantage of that? Remember Dustin Byfuglien’s in-your-face presence in the 2010 Stanley Cup Playoffs? Get ready for a redux, Canucks’ fans.

Up front, clearly, both teams can score. That’s David Krejci, Nathan Horton, Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand in black and gold. On the other side, Daniel and Henrik Sedin, Ryan Kesler and Alexandre Burrows can be equally lethal. But there’s a big difference. The Bruins’ forwards, to a man, are mean. Nasty cusses. Once you get past Kesler, Burrows, Maxim Lapierre (who only plays about 13 minutes per game) and Raffi Torres (11 mins per game), you’ve got no toughness left. Are you counting on big hits from Christian Ehrhoff or Alexander Edler or Mason Raymond? Neither am I. IF, capital I, capital F, Manny Malhotra plays for the Vancouver, that will add a spark of energy.

Remember, these are the Stanley Cup Finals. There’s no foolin’ around now. Milan Lucic is going to run the Sedins right out of the rink. One good hit and they’re gone for the night. And Lucic’s Bruins’ brothers are going to back him up. On the blueline, it’s pretty much a wash. For Claude Julien’s  Bruins, Dennis Seidenberg and Zdeno Chara are the keys. Each plays about half the game, and neither has a smile on his face.

With 9 points in 18 playoff games - including that glorious phantom winner eliminating San Jose - Kevin Bieksa has been "Mr. Everything" on the Canucks' blueline

Canucks’ D-man Kevin Bieksa is turning into a bonafide star. He can score and mix it up.

Mark Recchi provides invaluable Stanley Cup-winning veteran leadership in Boston. In Vancouver, that comes from Mikael Samuelsson – who’s out for the remainder of the playoffs. Behind the benches, neither Julien nor Canucks’ Alain Vigneault has had a glittering NHL coaching career. No matter, by the middle of June one of them will be a Stanley Cup champion. Says here that will be Julien.

Sharks celebrate Devin Setoguchi's overtime goal that completes their comeback win in Los Angeles Harry How/Getty Images

Big ones. Small ones. And, the way things are going so far, we may be treated to a lot of Games Seven on Tuesday and Wednesday. Here are a few of the more shocking things about this year’s first round so far.

DETROIT’S SWEEP OF PHOENIX – The fact that the Wings won the series isn’t a shock…but a sweep is – especially because the Coyotes had Ilya “I ain’t goin’ to Winnipeg” Bryzgalov in goal. He has stolen series on his own. But not this one. Detroit showed incredible discipline and poise, something that’s been a DRW trademark since the Scotty Bowman days of the 1990s. Frankly, I thought the Coyotes could win this series, but not with the pathetic offence they displayed. And giving up early goals in Games Three and Four was a dagger to the heart. Relocation distractions aside, Coyotes’ head coach Dave Tippett must be extremely disappointed with his club’s effort.

MICHAL NEUVIRTH’S SOLID PLAY – I was sure we were going to be looking at another Capitals’ netminder meltdown. We still might but, through four games, Neuvirth has been the man. He’s only allowed seven Rangers’ goals in over 13 periods of playoff hockey. He’s stopped 114 of 121 shots – .942 sv pct. I know he’s won a Calder Cup in Hershey, but my guess is that Bruce Boudreau won’t breathe a sigh of relief until after this series is over.

COMEBACK WINS – As TSN’s Craig MacTavish said, “Strange things happen in Los Angeles.” None stranger than the Sharks’ comeback win last Tuesday. The problem for the Kings was that they had their 4-0 less than 21 minutes into the game. And that turned out to be enough time for the offensively skilled Sharks. But that hasn’t been the only memorable comeback this spring. The Capitals came back from a 3-0, third-period deficit to the Rangers in Game Four, to win in double overtime. And the Flyers came back from down 3-0 to the Sabres in Game Five before losing in overtime. Is it an indication of suspect goaltending league-wide? It might be. But it’s more proof that the playoff game now is primarily mental and momentum. Get Big Mo, and you can ride it a long way. As I write this, the Penguins trail the Lightning 7-0 in the third period. Add that in as a surprise too.

ROBERTO LUONGO’S PLAYOFF COLLAPSE v. CHICAGO – Oh, wait, these are playoff surprises, right? Scratch this one.

Bobby Ryan's Game Two foot stomp earned him a two-game suspension

FIRST-ROUND SUSPENSIONS – Head shots galore. Suspensions to Chris Kunitz, Steve Downie, Jarret Stoll, Bobby Ryan (two games for skate stomp on Jonathon Blum) and Jarkku Ruutu…and I’m sure I’ve forgotten one or two. Don’t players get it? Don’t coaches? I guess not because, at this crucial time of the season, it’s really not too smart to miss a game in which you could be helping your team. And speaking of not too smart, Andrew Ference’s one-finger salute to Montreal fans also falls into that category.

FLYERS over SABRES in 5 – I’m not convinced Ryan Miller is 100%. But I am convinced Sergei Bobrovsky is 100% the real deal. The Flyers reached the Stanley Cup Final last year. That experience is invaluable. They are superior to the Sabres in every zone, even without Chris Pronger off the top.

RANGERS over CAPITALS in 7 – What? Beginning with an upset right away? You bet. Henrik Lundqvist has never had a decent team in front of him. Glen Sather’s New Yorkers are decent. And they had a big push to reach the postseason. I always like that. And Washington’s goaltending is suspect at best. I realize it doesn’t take a Hall of Famer to reach the SCF (right, Antti Niemi?), but it’s gonna take more than Michal Neuvirth. Unless Alex Ovechkin stands on his head every night – and history says he won’t – the Caps are goin’ down.

BRUINS over CANADIENS in 6 – Boston has so much to prove. Becoming only the third team in Stanley Cup history to blow a three games-to-none lead has to have been a pain in their a** all year. Time to relieve that pain – at the expense of the Montréal Canadiens. Unless Carey Price thoroughly outplays Tim Thomas (unlikely, but not impossible), the Bruins will move on.

PENGUINS over LIGHTNING in 7 – If Sid comes back, this prediction will be bang-on. But I’m not counting on it. And neither should the Pens. I still think they have enough depth, and goaltending, to top Guy Boucher’s Lightning. But, don’t forget, Tampa Bay still has two big Stanley Cup Champions in its room – Vinnie Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. Those guys can explode. And Steven Stamkos may have something to say about that as well.

CANUCKS over BLACKHAWKS in 7 – The last team to be extended to seven games in the first round, then go on to win the Stanley Cup, was the 1994 New York Rangers. The Canucks will do that this year. But the Hawks are gonna press them hard. Very hard. Not having Dustin Byfuglien around to shove his hiney in Roberto Luongo’s puss is going to hurt Chicago, but if they continue to pester Luongo, he’ll crack. And then we’ll have to listen to Canucks’ fans’ whining all summer. But it says here the Sedin sisters will come through in the end.

SHARKS sweep KINGS – That’s right, sweep. The Sharks were not the talk of the NHL this season, and that had to suit them just fine. Their scoring is much more balanced. Only on the last weekend of the season did Patrick Marleau sneak into the NHL’s top twenty scorers. Joe Thornton played 80 games and only scored 21 goals and 70 points. That’s unheard of for Joe but, that balance, will be key for the Sharks. Guys like Joe Pavelski will step up again.

COYOTES over RED WINGS in 6 – Ilya Bryzgalov is, easily, the most underrated player in the NHL. The guy can win series on his own. And that’s exactly what’s going to happen here. The Wings are creaky, and their goaltending is anything but secure and settled. Jimmy Howard is just not doing it for me. And he won’t be doing it for the Wings either. Think Manny Legace v. Oilers in 2006.

DUCKS over PREDATORS in 7 – Frankly, this series could easily go either way. There is only one key – and his name is Pekka Rinne. But I have to think the Ducks’ 2007 Stanley Cup hold-overs – Getzlaf, Perry, guys like that – will find a way to close out Barry Trotz’ Preds.

Is there a better place for the Major League Baseball season to start than at Yankee Stadium? Not likely.

Simultaneously, at Nationals Park, Washington starter Livan Hernandez will do the same with Braves’ LF Martin Prado. And the MLB season will be underway. That means hope. That means excitement. And, to me, that simply means summer is here!

I know, spring is only technically ten days old. Don’t care. Baseball is summer. It’s as simple as that. As I look out my window, the snow is almost completely gone – which is nice after last week’s final, ten-centimetre blast of winter. Now, I’m looking at Yankee Stadium. It’s beautiful. It doesn’t matter if you love the Yankees or hate the Yankees. The stadium is beautiful. Any stadium is beautiful.

In 1971, with the St. Louis Cardinals, 26-year old Steve Carlton recorded his first twenty-win season

And, at the beginning of every season, I’m reminded of how long baseball has been a part of my life. When I was nine years old, my aunt and I flew to Montreal to see my first major league games at Jarry Park. We sat right behind the Expos’ dugout. I remember Rusty Staub and Bill Stoneman. I remember Cardinals’ stars Lou Brock and Steve Carlton. We went to see Bob Gibson pitch. He didn’t, but it didn’t matter.

The Yankees have just run onto the opening-day field. I remember going to the 1979 MLB All-Star Game at the Kingdome in Seattle. Dave Parker threw out Jim Rice and Brian Downing on the bases. And I loved seeing Angels’ pitcher Nolan Ryan. Loved the guy. CC Sabathia is warming up.

And, living in Toronto, of course I remember the autumn of 1992. The Blue Jays had been an American League powerhouse for almost a decade, but had never reached the World Series. Not only did they get there in ’92, they won. Jackson takes Sabathia’s first pitch for a strike. Game Six, in Atlanta, was insane. The Jays had it won, then gave up the tying run to the Braves in the ninth. The Jays took the lead in extras and, when pitcher Mike Timlin flipped the ball to first baseman Joe Carter, our tiny apartment went wild! Jackson goes down swinging. One out, 2b Will Rhymes now facing Sabathia.

The parade down Yonge Street, after that Jays’ triumph in 1992 was pure fun. The people of Toronto were just so joyous. Yankees’ centerfielder Curtis Granderson makes a very nice diving catch to retire Rhymes. Toronto deserves another winner. It’s been almost twenty years since they’ve reached the postseason. In steps RF Magglio Ordonez for the Tigers to face Sabathia.

In 1990, Oakland A's Dave Stewart was on top of his game. He finished 22-11, and threw a no-hitter in Toronto.

Ordonez lines to Granderson in center, and the Yankees are comin’ to bat. I was lucky enough to be at SkyDome on June 29, 1990. That night, Dave Stewart threw a no-hitter for the A’s against the Jays. 115 pitches, 81 for strikes. We were there with a friend who’d forgotten to wear her glasses. She kept asking, “What’s happening? What’s going on?” Funny, and sad, all at the same time. Then, later that night, Dodgers’ pitcher Fernando Valenzuela duplicated Stewart’s feat. Only time in baseball history that two no-nos have been tossed on the same day.

Tigers’ Justin Verlander now facing the top of the Yankees’ order – LF Brett Gardner. The Tigers are wearing a home plate-shaped patch with “Sparky 11” on their right shoulders. That’s in memory of their former manager Sparky Anderson, who passed away last November 4^th. Gardner makes a weak flail at strike three.

The season has begun, and that means summer has begun. Time to go enjoy it.

Mississauga St. Michael's Majors' netminder JP Anderson has recorded two straight shutouts of the Belleville Bulls in their current OHL playoff series

These are the same Majors that will host the 2011 Memorial Cup this May at Hershey Centre in Mississauga. These are the same Majors who won the Hamilton Spectator Trophy as the OHL’s top team in the regular season. And these are the same Majors that can’t fill their building with fans. Ever. And that is, in a word, pathetic.

The opening draw from Sunday's Majors/Bulls game. The Hershey Centre is, as usual, devoid of fans.

The Majors’ home rink, Hershey Centre, seats 5,420 for hockey. Sunday afternoon’s announced attendance – sorry, I have to correct that. The attendance is NEVER announced at Hershey Centre. On the Ontario Hockey League’s website, the attendance was posted as 1,807. Not a chance. My guess would be 1,000. As evidence, I include an image taken from the end of the rink at the moment of the opening face-off. Look to the left of the frame. That’s Section 9. Prime seating for a Majors’ game. Last Thursday, during Game One of the series with Belleville, 39 people were sitting in that section. Thirty-nine! I counted them. Pathetic.

Clearly, the people of Mississauga could not care less about their OHL team, the Memorial Cup hosts. Can you tell me then, why would this city and venue be hosting the premiere event in major junior hockey in Canada? I don’t know either.

When Mississauga first received an OHL team, back in 1998, they were the IceDogs. Their owner was the bombastic Don Cherry. They stunk. In fact, over their first four seasons, they only won 27 of 272 games. They stunk. But Mississauga fans came to Hershey Centre. They didn’t pack the place, but they grew, as did their love for their IceDogs. Then, as Cherry was shuffled to the background, the team began to improve.

Over the next five years, they made the playoffs four times. In fact, in 2004, the IceDogs surprised the junior hockey world and reached the OHL Championship Series (where they were swept by Ryan Callahan’s Guelph Storm). After nine seasons of up and down hockey, the IceDogs’ fans had a true devotion to their club. And that’s when the world came crashing down.

While the IceDogs were growing, the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors were playing in the smallest, most antiquated rink in the Canadian Hockey League. Their owner, the man who also owns the NHL’s Ottawa Senators, Eugene Melnyk, was desperately looking for another rink into which to move his team. In 2007, he bought the IceDogs, making him the owner of both OHL clubs. He knew exactly what he was going to do. He was going to give the fans in Mississauga the high, hard one.

In the summer of 2007, he sold the IceDogs and moved the Majors from Toronto into Hershey Centre. The IceDogs ended up about an hour away in St. Catharines. So, tell me this, why would fans who’d supported the Mississauga IceDogs for nine seasons of a building relationship, suddenly begin cheering for their rival Majors? They wouldn’t. Whoever thinks they would is a dreamer. Walking around Hershey Centre today, listening to the fans talk, the venom towards the IceDogs’ departure still exists. I don’t blame the fans one bit.

Second period begins in Game Three between OHL's Majors and Belleville Bulls. Rink still empty.

So that’s why no one goes to games at Hershey Centre, even four years after the Majors moved into the rink. IceDogs’ fans in Mississauga, the limited number that there were, felt betrayed. And they’ve stayed away in droves. Melnyk severely underestimated the loyalty of the junior hockey fan. They are, possibly, the most loyal fans on the earth. Just go to a game in Moose Jaw or Sudbury or Rimouski on a Sunday night in January. You’ll see.

And, to make matters even worse, the Majors’ don’t promote. Hardly anything. Ever. They don’t even have child prices for tickets! That tells you all you need to know. They don’t market. They don’t know how to, it seems.

And these are your Memorial Cup hosts. A team that can barely put 1,000 people into its building for a playoff game. Good call, CHL.

Rookie netminder James Reimer has been the brightest light in the Toronto Maple Leafs' season

And that applies whether or not they make the Stanley Cup Playoffs. When’s the last time that Leafs’ fans were talking about anything except “next year” this late in the season? It’s been a very long time. Playoff chatter is still prevalent. The Leafs have not made the postseason since 2004. They probably won’t this year, but all indications are that streak will end in 2012.

This season, the Leafs have had several players emerge as future stalwarts in blue and white. Number one on that list is defenceman Luke Schenn. After being drafted in 2008 (by then-GM Cliff Fletcher), Schenn had a fine rookie season.

Leafs' defenceman Luke Schenn, here working against Sidney Crosby, has emerged as a star this season

Then, last year was a struggle. This season began with a ton of question marks surrounding Schenn. He erased those quickly – just like he erases opponents with his shoulders and hips. The kid’s become as rugged as any NHL blueliner and his coast-to-coast goal, last Saturday against Boston, was absolutely beautiful. Now, with captain Dion Phaneuf, Toronto’s defence has a rock-solid 1-2.

Needless to say, 23-year old, former Red Deer Rebels’ goaltender James Reimer has been the biggest pleasant surprise in Toronto this season. The kid reminds me of Ken Dryden. Long. Lanky. Smooth. Unflappable. And he has the goaltender’s best friend. No, not the posts. A very short memory. That last goal? Reimer doesn’t remember it, so there’s no chance it will weigh on his mind. That’s the “Grant Fuhr Method” of goaltending. Fuhr’s in the Hockey Hall of Fame, BTW.

Entering this season, for most Leafs’ fans, Mikhail Grabovski was a take-him-or-leave-him proposition. Not anymore. This season, he’s shown fans exactly what he’s capable of. His December/January scoring run – coinciding with his becoming a father – was the most explosive period for any Toronto player this season. His scoring kept the Leafs in a lot of games they had no business being in. And how about that second-period beauty he wired, Tuesday night, past Wild netminder Niklas Backstrom in Minnesota?

Even third- and fourth-line guys like Joey Crabb, Darryl Boyce and Tim Brent have made huge impacts this season. But it hasn’t been all roses and smiles.

Enigmatic Phil Kessel will likely score 30 goals again this season, despite his incredible streakiness

Phil Kessel, for example, continues to be an enigma. Oh, he’ll likely lscore more than 30 goals this season (he sits at 28 right now), but he’s one of the streakiest scorers in NHL history. At one point this year, he went fourteen without a goal. Then, in late February, he fired eight in eight games. Since then? Only one score. So strange.

And defenceman Mike Komisarek has continually suffered the fans’ wrath all season. Right up until his recent injury, anyway. He always seems to be one step behind the guy who just scored for the opposition. That’s gotta be a tough cloud to live under.

And Leafs’ fans can only imagine what this season would have been like had Toronto not won just three games in the entire month of November. That was especially tough to swallow in light of the team’s four-wins-in-four-games start. They’ve woven an enthralling playoff run that will likely come up just short.

But it’s been a season to enjoy in Toronto, after so many years of doom and gloom. General manager Brian Burke has made sure that. Now all Leafs’ fans have to do is enjoy it, rather than continue to bemoan the fact that 1966-67 is the last season anyone seems happy about.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has spent a lot of his efforts lately trying to save the doomed Phoenix Coyotes. Great time management, Gary! (The Canadian Press image)

Sponsors are hating on the NHL. The Goldwater Institute, in Arizona, has said enough to Gary’s pet-project management. And hockey fans in Winnipeg and Quebec are speaking out louder and louder these days. But Gary’s a lawyer, which means he’ll wriggle out of this jam – won’t he?

This current firestorm intensified when it became apparent, last week, that the Phoenix Coyotes were going to have an even tougher time staying in the desert. Essentially, Bettman’s NHL has backed a deal that would see taxpayers contribute $100 million dollars toward the Coyotes’ efforts to remain in Glendale. Must be nice to think you have that kind of power, right Gary? And, when the consumer watchdog group, The Goldwater Institute, stepped in and expressed its disapproval of the deal – saying it was unlawful to provide corporate welfare in Arizona – little Gary had the audacity to fire back.

That fact that, 16 years after their team left Manitoba, there are still Jets' fans everywhere says all you need to know about the city's devotion to its former team

There’s an old saying – If you have neither the facts, nor the law, pound the table. Gary is pounding his little table hard. After all, for the $7.2 million in salary Bettman rakes in from the league’s owners every year, he’s got to do something! And that five-year contract extension Bettman received from the NHL in early March has his chest puffed out even further.

“I quite frankly don’t know who the people (at the Goldwater Institute) report to or are accountable to,” Bettman said, “but it fascinates me that whoever is running the Goldwater Institute can actually substitute their judgment for that of the Glendale City Council by, in effect, overturning a duly enacted resolution of the city and one that was enacted in public session.” Wow, what a steaming pile of garbage. He knows darned well to whom the Goldwater Institute reports – it’s to the taxpayers of Arizona. And we can’t have them informed or protected in this fiasco, can we Gary?

Then, to turn up the heat even more, towering Bruins’ defenceman Zdeno Chara decided that Canadiens’ winger Max Pacioretty was not going to drive past him at any cost. That cost, of course, was Pacioretty’s brain and spine. And don’t tell me that Chara didn’t know what he was doing. Did he know what the result to Pacioretty’s long-term health would be? No way he could. Did he know that Pacioretty was flying and, by cutting him off into the boards, there would be a sudden impact? You bet he did.

After Zdeno Chara's high-speed maneuver, Max Pacioretty's season ended looking like this

Air Canada and, now, Via Rail have sent letters to the NHL expressing their displeasure. That’s virtually unprecedented in the world of pro sports corporate sponsorship. The train line wrote, “In Via Rail’s opinion, the NHL’s quick and ineffective ruling on the Pacioretty/Chara incident of last Tuesday is totally unacceptable as it does nothing to try to reverse the alarming trend of vicious hits that have sidelined some of the game’s greatest talents.” Holy cow, who does Via think it is – wanting to know that its sponsorship money is going to an organization it feels is worthwhile?

Old Gary’s like a duck these days. Swimming calmly on top and paddling like hell underneath. Look, Gary, there are easy solutions here. Stand up and announce that the NHL is done with the 15-year Frankenstein-monster-of-an-experiment in Arizona. Let the team simply go back to Winnipeg. And start making players, like Chara accountable for their actions. All their actions!

Oh, but wait, that would mean you’d have to admit your incredible day-to-day smugness and pomposity is misguided and misplaced. Forget I even mentioned it.