http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/miketoth/home.aspxMike Toth, NEWSTALK 1010's Sports Editor, reports on the world of sportsen-usCopyright 2013, CFRB-AMThu, 23 May 2013 15:38:28 GMTTue, 14 May 2013 14:25:54 GMT1http://emmisinteractive.comThey might be the Big, Bad Bruins, but Boston's hockey team is also a classy bunch.   Following their stunning Game 7 comeback against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, (and if you're part of Leafs Nation, you know the story all too well by now) the Bruins were full of praise for their opponent.   "The whole city of Toronto should be proud of the Leafs," said Boston's bruising power forward Milan Lucic.   "The run the Leafs gave us was unbelievable," chimed in Bruins coach Claude Julien.   Kind words for sure.   But while the Leafs definitely deserve credit for going the distance against the heavily favoured Bruins, they also blew a golden opportunity. Sure, the Leafs are one of the youngest teams in the NHL and learned some valuable lessons in having their hearts broken against Boston. However the reality is, there's no guarantee the Leafs will even make ...http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/miketoth/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10544360mtoth@astral.com (Mike Toth)http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/miketoth/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10544360Tue, 14 May 2013 14:25:54 GMTIt will be interesting to see who Don Cherry pulls for in the opening round NHL play-off series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins. Cherry has a big "B" tattooed on his heart from his days coaching the Bruins back in the 70's. But Cherry also makes no secret of the fact that he loves the Leafs, planting nationally televised kisses on Doug Gilmour and Nazem Kadri twenty years apart.   Whoever the Coach's Corner icon cheers for, he's already in play-off form. Saturday on "Hockey Night in Canada" Cherry proclaimed that female reporters shouldn't be allowed in NHL dressing rooms, lest they be exposed to naked male flesh. Some people are calling Cherry a dinosaur for expressing that view; which isn't entirely accurate. Nobody, for example, knows more about young hockey players, as Cherry spends a lot of time at minor hockey rinks in the Toronto area. However, when it comes to his ...http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/miketoth/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10537773mtoth@astral.com (Mike Toth)http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/miketoth/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10537773Mon, 29 Apr 2013 20:18:09 GMTWith the Toronto Maple Leafs on the verge of grabbing their first play-off spot since 2004, some folks in the hockey media have been giving credit to former G.M. Brian Burke. There's no question that Burke is a smart hockey man who made a number of solid moves during his stint with the Buds; believing in James Reimer, trading for Joffrey Lupul, re-building the farm system, etc.   But while Burke was a big part of the solution, he was also a big part of the problem.....and his own worst enemy. Barking at Leaf fans for booing, admitting he wanted to beat-up Edmonton Oilers executive Kevin Lowe, and constantly scrapping with reporters; all examples of Burke's loudmouth leadership style that quickly wore thin with the media savvy Bell-Rogers ownership group who fired Burke just before the start of the season.   To replace Burke, in stepped his long time right hand man David ...http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/miketoth/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10533117mtoth@astral.com (Mike Toth)http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/miketoth/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10533117Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:15:47 GMTMy favourite piece of trash talk from an irate sports fan? A group of unruly Bruins fans, known as "The Gallery Gods" used to inhabit the upper reaches of the old Boston Garden. During a rare tough night for Bobby Orr's bunch, the Gods had a cruel message for the Bruins coach, Harry Sinden, at a time when Boston's farmhands were located in Oklahoma City. "Hey, Sinden," came the loud cry. "There's a bus leaving for Ok City in the morning.....Be under it!" Now that's rough, and it comes to mind in light of a few more recent happenings. In Buffalo, Sabres gritty forward Steve Ott went on radio this week to rip fans for taking their frustrations out on the players in the midst of a lousy season, calling it "completely ridiculous". In Toronto, Blue Jays fans are also upset with their much-hyped heroes. Last Sunday, the Jays were embarrassed 13-0 by the Red Sox, leading ...http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/miketoth/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10529596mtoth@astral.com (Mike Toth)http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/miketoth/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10529596Thu, 11 Apr 2013 13:43:53 GMTWho knows if spring will ever hit Toronto, but there's definitely a spring in the step of sports fans in the city. (And if that isn't considered clever writing, Hemmingway can stick it.)   But weak word play aside, there's no question these are heady times for a bunch of T.O. teams. The Argos are defending Grey Cup champs, the Leafs are almost a sure thing to actually make the play-offs, the Blue Jays have built a World Series contender, and the Raptors......well, you can't have everything, right?   Speaking of that, at the time this blog was banged out, the Jays were off to a disappointing 0 and 2 start. With 160 games still on the schedule, however, you've got to like the ball club's chances of snapping their slump. Meanwhile, those two losses aside, there's definitely a positive vibe around Rogers Centre. It's a fresh vibe too, with tons of young people ...http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/miketoth/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10526588mtoth@astral.com (Mike Toth)http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/miketoth/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10526588Thu, 04 Apr 2013 19:46:27 GMTThe on-line world is buzzing over a recent video that was taken during an in-the-stands punch-up at a minor hockey game in Tweed, Ontario, located halfway between Toronto and Ottawa. Seeing is believing, especially since the brawl occurred during a Bantam C play-off game. I hate to break it to the feisty parents up in the cheap seats, but if your kid is playing Bantam C hockey, he has a better chance of winning the lottery than playing in the NHL. In other words, how can you get that jacked up about watching your kids play a game that's supposed to be for fun? Thankfully, police are now looking at the camera footage to see if any charges will be laid. But the worst part of this whole mess is that, because of a few rotten apples, hockey parents as a whole get painted with the same ...http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/miketoth/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10522503mtoth@astral.com (Mike Toth)http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/miketoth/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10522503Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:34:41 GMTI've never been a big fan of the NHL shootout format.   To me, it's a cheesy gimmick to decide a hockey game; especially when important play-off points are on the line. But since most people get a kick out of it and it seems to be here to stay, players might as well get creative when taking part in the breakaway contest; something we definitely saw in Monday's shootout between the Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators. During his turn in the spotlight Ottawa's Kaspars Daugavins really put on a show, placing the toe of his stick blade on the puck and moving in for the kill. But while he came close to scoring, the puck stayed out of the net, the Bruins ended up winning the shootout, and some people are now accusing Daugavins of being a hot dog.   I know the feeling.   Playing pick-up hockey, I've actually used this ...http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/miketoth/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10516329mtoth@astral.com (Mike Toth)http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/miketoth/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10516329Tue, 12 Mar 2013 20:26:53 GMTBeing a hockey goalie is the worst position in all of sports.   For one thing, being a goalie has absolutely nothing to do with hockey; it's a completely different game. While all the other players are busy skating, stick handling and shooting, the goaltender stands by himself merely watching the action. Then, all of a sudden, there's a flurry of activity, a rock-hard piece of frozen rubber comes screaming his way and if it lands behind him, a red light illuminates the mistake and an angry mob curses him.   Growing up, I happened to be a goalie; good enough to play at the Junior and College level, but nowhere near talented enough to move on to the professional ranks. During my time between the pipes, however, I shared a lot of the same experiences that every NHL netminder from Johnny Bower to Marty Brodeur has also gone through.   -Injuries - Cut for ...http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/miketoth/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10515461mtoth@astral.com (Mike Toth)http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/miketoth/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10515461Mon, 11 Mar 2013 18:40:50 GMTIt's the ultimate oxymoronic warning: Keep your heads up hockey fans, because the anti-fighting morons are assembling their troops again.   Wednesday, the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators didn't waste any time getting the ball rolling in the "Battle of Ontario." Just 26 seconds into the game Leafs tough guy Frazer McLaren dropped the gloves with Senator rookie Dave Dziurzynski and after the scrap ended, even Dziurzynski had a difficult time with the pronunciation of his name. Call it a "Big Mac Attack", as McLaren decked the kid with a devastating right hand, forcing him to wobble off the ice suffering from a concussion.   In the days to come, you're guaranteed to witness hockey fans and media who hold membership in the peace-loving corps raise a big stink about the evils of on-ice fisticuffs.   But if they're so concerned about solving the world's problems they should make a donation to the local food bank, or at the very least ...http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/miketoth/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10514029mtoth@astral.com (Mike Toth)http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/miketoth/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10514029Thu, 07 Mar 2013 14:41:42 GMTStating that Canadians are crazy about hockey is like saying Justin Bieber is rather popular among female teeny boppers.   Both points are obvious, and both involve lots of screaming. But while "Bieber Fever" usually results in squeals of delight among the Canadian pop star's fan base, screaming parents at Canadian minor hockey games often produces a much darker emotion.   This week, a 29-year old hockey dad was charged with assaulting a 17-year old referee after a recent game at a rink near Port Perry, Ontario; a game involving, get this, 8 and 9-year olds. Police say the guy thought the kid in stripes did a lousy job, and a bunch of other adults who also hassled the ref are in hot water with their local minor hockey association. This bizarre story comes at the same time as a Pee Wee hockey coach in Vancouver, B.C. has just been sentenced to two weeks in jail for tripping a couple of kids ...http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/miketoth/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10510667mtoth@astral.com (Mike Toth)http://www.newstalk1010.com/blog/miketoth/blogentry.aspx?BlogEntryID=10510667Wed, 27 Feb 2013 21:52:30 GMT