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When Dion Phaneuf arrived in Toronto after being traded from the Calgary Flames it was reported that he walked straight into the locker room, cranked the music up on the stereo and went about his business, sending a message that this was his locker room now and anyone that didn’t like it could shove it. Phaneuf followed that up by having one of his best games as a Maple Leafs when he hit everything that moved, chirped countless opposing players, yelled at a few teammates and even dropped the gloves against Colin White (winning the fight) while helping the Blue and White defeat the New Jersey Devils 3-0 back on February 2nd, 2010. If you have watched Phaneuf over his time with the Leafs nights like February 2nd have been few and far between. Sure, as team captain and with the rules changing, Phaneuf cannot be “that player” every night, but you would think he could pick it up a notch. At one time in his career Phaneuf was one of the most feared defensemen in the NHL. Partially because...

The change in ownership from the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Fund to the partnership of Bell and Rogers Communications is expected to spark a change in philosophy, according to Kevin McGran’s article in today’s Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/nhl/article/1234299--mlse-sale-wins-expected-to-matter-under-new-rogers-bell-regime The sale which includes the Maple Leafs, Marl...

Comedians Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis visited the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Monday to promote their upcoming movie The Campaign. Appropriately enough, they drove up on a Zamboni covered in promotional posters for the movie. Ferrell was wearing a Los Angeles Kings jersey with his own name on the back as the actors met up with Toronto mayor Rob Ford. Toronto Maple Leafs mascot Carlton the Bear was also in attendance. Video via NHL Network. H/T Puck Daddy. Visit us at http://holdoutsports.com. Follow @HoldoutSports !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="http://feedproxy.google.com//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

Comedians Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis visited the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto on Monday to promote their upcoming movie The Campaign. Appropriately enough, they drove up on a Zamboni covered in promotional posters for the movie. Ferrell was wearing a Los Angeles Kings jersey with his own name on the back as the actors met up with Toronto mayor Rob Ford. Toronto Maple Leafs mascot Carlton the Bear was also in attendance. Video via NHL Network. H/T Puck Daddy. Visit us at http://holdoutsports.com. Follow @HoldoutSports !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src="http://feedproxy.google.com//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs");

While the worlds focus is now on the Summer Olympics the Leafs Nation is still dialed into their beloved Maple Leafs. Loyal to a fault, fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs have hope that for the first time in what feels like a decade Their beloved hockey team will finally make the playoffs. Complicating matters is the fact that just about every Eastern Conference team has made considerable improvements. The Carolina Hurricanes traded for talented centre Jordan Staal and recently signed enigmatic forward Alexander Semin to a one-year, $7.0 million contract. Those two additions alone will likely take the Hurricanes from also-rans to legitimate playoff contenders and maybe a team that will compete for the Stanley Cup. Meanwhile, the Pittsburgh Penguins added a number of depth players including rugged forward Brandon Sutter (attained in the Staal trade) as well as solidifying their goaltending with the addition of veteran Tomas Vokoun. The Philadelphia Flyers made numerous moves last season...

When the 2011-12 season opened Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke was optimistic that James Reimer and the goaltender formally known as “The Monster” Jonas Gustavsson could hold the fort between the pipes for the Blue and White. Injuries to Reimer and inconsistent play from both netminders proved Burke wrong and now, 12 months later, Burke seems content to start the season with two relatively unproven goaltenders again. Of course Burke is on the record as saying he would like to start the season with a more experienced puck stopper in place, but his actions continue to be quite the opposite. For much of the summer the Toronto Maple Leafs have be the subject of many trade rumors. Included in those rumors are a deal that would send disgruntled netminder Roberto Luongo from the Vancouver Canucks to the Leafs, while another rumor suggests Burke has interest in youngster Jonathan Bernier out of Los Angeles. It has been suggested that Canucks general manager Mike Gillis is as...

It’s the dog days of summer and with little in the way of hockey news to write up our thoughts have turned to the Toronto Maple Leafs prospects. Say what you will about Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke, but when it comes to assembling young talent he seems to have done a decent job. Looking at the Maple Leafs list of prospects you get the sense that the Blue and White will be a very competitive team in the coming years. That said, are there any prospects ready to make an impact at the NHL level for the upcoming season? The Maple Leafs top prospects features a good mix of skill and brawn with the likes of forwards Matt Frattin, Nazem Kadri, Carter Ashton, Joe Colborne and Tyler Biggs leading the way up front, while defensemen Korbinian Holzer, Jesse Blacker, Stuart Percy and the fifth overall pick from the 2012 NHL Entry Draft Morgan Rielly looking like the most NHL ready prospects on the backend. Of course, we cannot forget about goaltending prospect Ben Scrivens, who may see...

I know not everyone's a fan of flashbacks, but you can't please them all. Here's another one for you: Over the years, Buffalo has established a rivalry with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Toronto has not won the Stanley Cup since 1967, let alone make it to the finals. The Sabres were not even around until 1970, so Buffalo fans enjoy the cupless drought for the Leafs. On January 26th 2006, Buffalo co...

The consternation about the Maple Leafs inability to acquire significant impact players and improve their chances to end their long playoff drought is understandable, but if you look at the additions and subtractions of the other clubs in the Eastern Conference so far, there is reason for optimism. Here is a look at the comings and goings of the Leafs and six other non-playoff teams rosters so...

If you have been following the career of Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Nazem Kadri you know it is hardly a stretch to suggest that the upcoming season could very well be his make it or break season with the Maple Leafs. Originally drafted seventh overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Kadri has dressed for the Maple Leafs just 51 times, since being drafted. When Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke drafted Kadri he was seen as a top-end player with plenty of offensive skill. Clearly, Burke drafted Kadri with the intention of grooming him to be a top-flight NHL centre; which thus far has failed to materialize. Defensive challenges are a part of just about every young player’s portfolio. For Kadri his defensive shortcomings were magnified by playing in the biggest hockey market on the planet where every mistake was magnified by 500 percent. Complicating matters further was former head coach Ron Wilson’s aversion to young players and his inability to get Kadri to play the style...