Sunday Afternoon team Chara took on Team Alfredsson in what was supposed to be a fun-spirited All-Star event. For the most part, the players had fun, enjoyed themselves and put on a good show for the fans, but one incident will leave a bad taste in the mouths of many NHL fans and the fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs. With many players wearing microphones for the duration of the game the odd bout of questionable language was bound to be heard. That said, nobody was prepared for what Hartnell said after Maple Leafs defenseman Dion Phaneuf gave away the puck in his own zone, which led to a team Alfredsson goal when Henrik Sedin tipped one past goaltender Jimmy Howard at the 12:51 mark of the first period. Hartnell, who was added to the All-Star roster when several NHL

If you watched the Toronto Maple Leafs play the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday night you will have noticed there were an awful lot of NHL general managers and scouts in the building. Of course, outside of the GM’s and scouts, you may also have noticed that the Maple Leafs failed to impose their will on the struggling Habs, who came away with a 3-1 victory over the limp-wristed Maple Leafs. That’s right, I said it, the Maple Leafs looked limp-wristed against the Habs, which is hard to do when you consider most of the NHL looks at Montreal as a skill team, rather than one that attempts to out-muscle its opponents. When Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke joined the Maple Leafs he promised to instill a brand of hockey that would feature plenty of testosterone, truculence and pugnacity.

With his team marred in a 3-5-2 funk, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke cannot be happy with (according to capgeek.com) his current collection of $65,429,140 worth of players. As much as December looked to be the make it or break month for the Maple Leafs, January will be equally important as the Buds will play at home in nine of their next ten games. The Maple Leafs currently own a less than stellar 8-5-4 record at Home, where they have been tentative and at times uptight. A 7-0 loss to the Boston Bruins on November 5th and a 7-1 drubbing at the hands of the Washington Capitals on November 19th account for the Maple Leafs biggest disappointments on Home ice this season, while the Buds 2-0 shutout victory over the Montreal Canadiens way back on October 6th may

With his club marred in a 3-4-3 slide, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke must be ready to pull the trigger on a deal or two. Burke is known for making impact deals well before the trade deadline, so as to allow his acquisitions to adjust to his new surroundings in time for the playoffs. A quick look at the Maple Leafs roster reveals a talented trio of Phil Kessel, Tyler Bozak (on most nights) and Joffrey Lupul on the first line, followed by a struggling second unit which often includes Nikolai Kulemin, Mikhail Grabovski and Tim Connolly or Clarke MacArthur. As much as the second unit has struggled, there are greater concerns on the third and fourth lines where the Maple Leafs are getting little scoring and questionable efforts in the defensive and physical departments. Injuries, inconsistent lineups

The Toronto Maple Leafs let another two points slip away Thursday night as the Carolina Hurricanes erased a 3-1 Toronto lead en route to a 4-3 overtime victory over the Blue and White. The loss to the Hurricanes brought Toronto’s record to 3-4-3 in their past ten games and put them dangerously close to slipping out of a playoff spot. It also marked the second time the Hurricanes have beaten Toronto this season—a team that is well below the Maple Leafs in the standings. The Maple Leafs currently sit eighth overall in the Eastern Conference, but with the Winnipeg Jets, and New Jersey Devils tied with the Leafs at 41 points apiece and the Ottawa Senators (39 points) and Washington Capitals (38 points) nipping at the Buds heals, the point lost Thursday night may come back to haunt the Maple

The recent firing of Jacques Martin and subsequent hiring of Montreal Canadiens head coach Randy Cunneyworth has sparked a huge controversy in Montreal over the fact that Cunneyworth does not speak French. Former Canadiens head coach Guy Carbonneau was one of the first to add fuel to the fire when he recently said that “there’s no doubt in my mind that the coach of the Montreal Canadiens has to speak both languages, at least to some extent”. Carbonneau’s comments were reinforced by Team owner Geoff Molson who was quick to point out to the Montreal fans that Cunnyworth’s position with the team was on an interim basis and that a French speaking coach would be hired next season. When you consider the comments of Carbonneau and Molson, Cunnyworth must feel like he is on a very short leash. Talk about